here, Anjelika,”
Valerie yelled.
“ I’ll go.” Sam started
toward the door.
“ You can’t do this!”
Keenan said. “How are they going to like me now?”
“ They will,” Jacob said.
“You’ll see.”
He looked so sad that Valerie hugged
him.
“ What’s happened?”
Anjelika asked.
“ Keenan’s worried about
not being liked,” Jacob said.
“ Sounds like I got here
just in time.” Anjelika smiled at Valerie and Jacob. “Are you ready
to start, Keenan?”
The little boy looked at Anjelika and gave a
slow nod. Anjelika held out her hand. Keenan let go of Valerie to
take Anjelika’s hand. When their hands touched, he looked at her
hand and then at Valerie.
“ I understand,” Keenan
said.
Anjelika led Keenan out of the room.
“ What was that?” Sam asked
in a low tone.
“ No idea,” Valerie said.
She looked at Jacob, “You?”
Jacob shook his head. They turned to watch
Keenan and Anjelika walk to the dining room.
“ She can be very
intimidating,” Valerie said.
“ Tell me about it,” Jacob
said.
Chapter Two
Hundred and Eighty-five
Door
Monday afternoon — 2:35 p.m.
Sandy walked down the empty hallway past MJ
and Honey’s apartment and Sam’s rooms. She paused for a moment
outside MJ and Honey’s apartment before she remembered that Honey
had gone to work. Sandy scowled at herself and continued down the
hall until she stood outside the door to the storage room where
they’d piled all of her biological mother’s earthly belongings.
She’d tried to sort through Andy Mendy’s
things a few times. Valerie had even helped a couple of times. But
each effort ended in Sandy being overwhelmed and quitting before
they’d really started. Today, she’d promised herself she would make
some progress.
Even though she usually spent every Monday
with Rachel, she’d taken her baby to the Marlowe School
mid-morning. She’d gone to her studio to do her weekly accounting
early so that she’d have all afternoon to work on this space.
“ You can do it, Sandy,”
she said out loud to herself.
She turned the key and opened the door. The
dusty darkness of the room made her cringe.
She never felt more vulnerable than when she
was touching Andy’s belongings. All of her life, she’d longed for a
mother. She touched her heart, where the ache for a mother’s love
still lived. Every fiber of her being screamed, “Why did she have
to die? Why did she leave me?”
It was a question no one had ever really
answered. Sandy believed that the mother who raised her, and used
her so brutally, Patty Delgado, knew what had happened to Andy.
Patty wasn’t talking. Andy’s passing had been ruled a suspicious
death with the probability of suicide.
Why would Andy kill herself? She’d just met
Sandy again. She’d met Rachel. By all accounts, she was happy with
her life. Everyone who knew her said that she was thrilled to see
Sandy again. Why would she jump off a building only a few hours
later?
Sandy didn’t dare ask the one person who
could possibly answer that question — Seth. Even though he’d moved
on in his life, she knew he had always harbored a deep love for
Andy. His face flushed with sorrow when Andy’s name came up. No,
Sandy couldn’t ask the great detective what had happened to her
mother.
Sandy had her hand on the door knob to pull
the door closed when she heard a noise. She turned down the hall to
see Charlie.
“ There you are!” Charlie
said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Embarrassed by her own indecision, Sandy let
go of the door knob.
“ The DA’s office called,”
Charlie said. “The testimonies ran long today. They want me to go
in tomorrow.”
Sandy smiled at Charlie.
“ They cancelled Tink too,”
Charlie said. “She was already there. Heather’s dropping her off
here instead.”
“ That sounds fun,” Sandy
said. She grabbed the door knob and pulled the door closed. “What
should we do this afternoon?”
“ I
thought . . .”
Valerie yelled.
“ I’ll go.” Sam started
toward the door.
“ You can’t do this!”
Keenan said. “How are they going to like me now?”
“ They will,” Jacob said.
“You’ll see.”
He looked so sad that Valerie hugged
him.
“ What’s happened?”
Anjelika asked.
“ Keenan’s worried about
not being liked,” Jacob said.
“ Sounds like I got here
just in time.” Anjelika smiled at Valerie and Jacob. “Are you ready
to start, Keenan?”
The little boy looked at Anjelika and gave a
slow nod. Anjelika held out her hand. Keenan let go of Valerie to
take Anjelika’s hand. When their hands touched, he looked at her
hand and then at Valerie.
“ I understand,” Keenan
said.
Anjelika led Keenan out of the room.
“ What was that?” Sam asked
in a low tone.
“ No idea,” Valerie said.
She looked at Jacob, “You?”
Jacob shook his head. They turned to watch
Keenan and Anjelika walk to the dining room.
“ She can be very
intimidating,” Valerie said.
“ Tell me about it,” Jacob
said.
Chapter Two
Hundred and Eighty-five
Door
Monday afternoon — 2:35 p.m.
Sandy walked down the empty hallway past MJ
and Honey’s apartment and Sam’s rooms. She paused for a moment
outside MJ and Honey’s apartment before she remembered that Honey
had gone to work. Sandy scowled at herself and continued down the
hall until she stood outside the door to the storage room where
they’d piled all of her biological mother’s earthly belongings.
She’d tried to sort through Andy Mendy’s
things a few times. Valerie had even helped a couple of times. But
each effort ended in Sandy being overwhelmed and quitting before
they’d really started. Today, she’d promised herself she would make
some progress.
Even though she usually spent every Monday
with Rachel, she’d taken her baby to the Marlowe School
mid-morning. She’d gone to her studio to do her weekly accounting
early so that she’d have all afternoon to work on this space.
“ You can do it, Sandy,”
she said out loud to herself.
She turned the key and opened the door. The
dusty darkness of the room made her cringe.
She never felt more vulnerable than when she
was touching Andy’s belongings. All of her life, she’d longed for a
mother. She touched her heart, where the ache for a mother’s love
still lived. Every fiber of her being screamed, “Why did she have
to die? Why did she leave me?”
It was a question no one had ever really
answered. Sandy believed that the mother who raised her, and used
her so brutally, Patty Delgado, knew what had happened to Andy.
Patty wasn’t talking. Andy’s passing had been ruled a suspicious
death with the probability of suicide.
Why would Andy kill herself? She’d just met
Sandy again. She’d met Rachel. By all accounts, she was happy with
her life. Everyone who knew her said that she was thrilled to see
Sandy again. Why would she jump off a building only a few hours
later?
Sandy didn’t dare ask the one person who
could possibly answer that question — Seth. Even though he’d moved
on in his life, she knew he had always harbored a deep love for
Andy. His face flushed with sorrow when Andy’s name came up. No,
Sandy couldn’t ask the great detective what had happened to her
mother.
Sandy had her hand on the door knob to pull
the door closed when she heard a noise. She turned down the hall to
see Charlie.
“ There you are!” Charlie
said. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Embarrassed by her own indecision, Sandy let
go of the door knob.
“ The DA’s office called,”
Charlie said. “The testimonies ran long today. They want me to go
in tomorrow.”
Sandy smiled at Charlie.
“ They cancelled Tink too,”
Charlie said. “She was already there. Heather’s dropping her off
here instead.”
“ That sounds fun,” Sandy
said. She grabbed the door knob and pulled the door closed. “What
should we do this afternoon?”
“ I
thought . . .”
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