Saturday Morning (28 page)

And you want no part of it. Such a shame. Your wife would love it here
. “Yes, we have an unusual ministry.” Hope glanced around at the people talking in small groups, someone handing out cookies and coffee, children playing in and among the adults. She savored the bright laughter and was delighted to see several of the street people from the neighborhood, as well as some of the residents. Polyglot. A good word. “I do hope you’ll come again.”

“Thanks.” Andy squeezed her hand.

“Hey, I just thought of something. There’s a few of us meeting for coffee on Tuesday at ten.”
Please, Lord, let my schedule be clear.
“You might want to come.”

“I can’t. My flight leaves this afternoon, and I won’t be back for a few weeks.”

“Next time, then. Maybe you can bring us some of that lavender tea Starshine said you have.” She saw Hope’s husband frown. He didn’t like lavender tea? Or he didn’t like discussions about lavender tea?

Andy smiled. “Well then, I’ll make a point of bringing some back with me.”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.” Hope smiled at the husband, but he was too intent in getting his wife out of there to look back. She
watched them leave and thought she detected a look of disappointment on Andy’s face, but she couldn’t be sure.

A few minutes later she heard car doors slam outside. Four men entered, three uniforms and a suit. Their faces were blank.

“You’re late for church, gentlemen.” She gave them her brightest smile. “How can we help you?” Roger appeared from out of nowhere and stood beside her.

“We have a search warrant. No one is to leave this room. ”

Roger looked incredulous. “Come on, Carlos. What’s with the official face?”

Hope knew Roger was upset; he’d known Carlos for ten years or more.

“Just let me do my job, okay?” Carlos raised his voice. “Don’t anybody leave this room,” he said in a stentorian voice that bounced off the walls. He turned to the uniforms and gave a hand signal. “Make it thorough but make it neat.” Then he turned back to Roger. “We’ll make this as quick as possible.”

“What are you looking for?” Hope demanded.

Roger took her arm. “It’s gotta be drugs. You got a tip, right?”

Officer Carlos nodded.

Please, Lord God, let there be none here
. While all the residents vowed they had nothing, to some of them a little marijuana meant nothing.

“You don’t go messing up my undies drawer, you hear?” Celia shouted at their backs. She clamped hands on her hips and stomped across to face off with Carlos. “You know better than this. And on a Sunday mornin’ even.” She wagged a finger at him. “What’s San Francisco’s finest coming to?”

“I can help you search the kitchen if you like,” Roger offered, stepping between Carlos and Celia.

“You know I can’t do that. Come on, give a guy a break.”

Hope raised an eyebrow.
I’d like to give you a break. How about an arm or a leg? Hope, you know better. What happened to “Love your enemies”?
Some of the people moved to the back of the commons area. Others shifted and re-formed into new groups. Some simply stood and eyed the man in charge with distrust. Why should they trust him?

Too many of them had been on the other side of the law and knew firsthand that there was a difference between the way the police handled the rich and the poor. Maybe because she’d been on the other side, the poor side, Hope had more resentment. Her feelings were intensified by how hard she and Roger had worked to guarantee a clean house, using a plan that the police had devised. The girls all knew that even one infraction meant they were out.

So who could have called in a tip? Someone they’d helped but had to let go? A relative who bore a grudge against one of the girls? Angry husbands were always a prime suspect. She leaned into Roger, the question in her eyes.

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Somebody with a grudge.”

“Any chance they’ll find anything?”

“Nope, Adolph and I did a sniff test just the other day. We’re clean.” Roger had trained Adolph to sniff out drugs and firearms. Without anyone realizing it, the dog was always in the room when they admitted a new girl. He’d saved their reputation more than once. “We should have had him in here when they came in.” He tapped Carlos’s shoulder. “I need to let the dog in, okay?”

“Sure, Rog. Just be quick about it.”

Within seconds Roger and Adolph padded back into the room, the dog’s tail thwacking chair legs and peoples’ legs as he walked by. Pink tongue lolling, he sat down beside Hope and gave each child that came up a quick face-washing.

Carlos’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the dog. “He’s mighty big for a Lab, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, might have a bit of Great Dane in him or mastiff, but the soul of a Lab. Couldn’t find a better friend if you tried.” Roger tightened the leash as Adolph sidled on over to the cop. He sniffed the man’s pants, nosed up his leg, and planted his nose on the holster on his belt.

“What’s he doing?”

“He doesn’t like guns,” Roger said in a voice that told Hope that he was proud of Adolph.

“Roger, for crying out loud, call off your dog.”

“Adolph.” Roger made a down motion with his hand. The dog looked at him, gazed with slightly slit eyes at Carlos, and backed off, never taking his gaze from the holster.

“He helps us on intake.”

“I can just bet. I didn’t know you were a dog trainer.”

“Just one of those things to help pass the time when I was laid up. Some drink, some gamble or do drugs; I trained a dog.”

The three uniforms clunked down the stairs and made their way back into the room. “Clean.”

Carlos sighed in relief. “That’s all, then.” He turned to leave.

“You might want to apologize to all these good people for taking up their time.” Roger spoke in an offhand manner, but one eye twitched.

“Listen, Rog, you know the drill … ”

Adolph stood with his nose pointing to the men, his tail perfectly still.

Carlos raised his hands and let them fall to his sides. He turned to face the crowd. “Sorry, folks, for the inconvenience. You’ve been patient, and I appreciate that.” He turned back to Roger and raised an eyebrow.

Adolph sat and yawned, mouth wide, showing the black spot on his tongue. Then after a gargantuan belch that made the kids laugh, he lay down with a sigh.

“Next time phone ahead, and we’ll save you the trouble.” Hope knew she should keep her mouth shut, but this burned her. As soon as Carlos walked away, she added, “They could have waited another half an hour. This was out-and-out harassment.”

Roger gave her a thoughtful look. “Yeah, I wonder why.”

Hope grinned at her husband. Once he put his snoop skills to work, all manner of interesting things happened. She locked her arm with his and raised her voice. “Lunch in ten minutes! There’s plenty of food for everyone.”

Before they all left, Hope acted on her idea. She invited Julia and Clarice to join her for coffee Tuesday morning. She was sorry Andy wouldn’t be able to make it, because she sensed the woman could use a friend to talk to.

Tuesday morning, Hope fled to the john before even kissing her husband. Clutching the cold porcelain stool from a kneeling position reminded her to appreciate the days when this didn’t happen.

Roger handed her a wet washcloth. “I thought you would be done with this by now.”

“Me too.” She staggered to her feet. “I never even had time to put the Sea-Bands on.”

“Wear them to bed.” Roger had thought the elastic bands with a knobby button on the inside were like snake oil, but he’d changed his mind when Hope wore them and had felt better.

“You want to go back to bed?”

“Only for a bit.” Hope stumbled back to bed and sat down before
digging in the nightstand for the package. “Not here?” She held up the empty plastic container. “You know where they are?”

“Nope, but I’ll look.”

“That should be helpful.” Hope lay back down. Her husband might be one of the best snoops in the city, but he couldn’t find his socks in the dryer. Arm over her eyes, she added, “I have a meeting at ten.”

“I’ll make breakfast.”

She groaned and tried to think what she could throw at him without causing any head movement.

“You feeling all right?” Clarice asked when Hope entered the office some time later.

“Morning sickness. I’ll be all right after I get some fresh air.”

“I set up a coffee tray in the kitchen. Roger said he’d bring rolls from the bakery.”

“Ms. Van Dam, how did we get along before you showed up?” Hope cocked her head. “Edie, mon.”

“That’s good. Right?” At Hope’s nod, she continued, “I’ve been thinking … ”

“Huh-uh, save it for the meeting. Adolph and I are going to walk around the block—or at least up to the corner and back—or perhaps around the garden.”

“Did you try crackers?”

“Not much help. Have you seen my Sea-Bands?”

“Those gray things?” Clarice pulled open the shallow middle drawer of the wooden teacher’s desk. She held up the bands. “Right here.”

“I knew Roger wouldn’t find them.” Hope slipped the bands onto the proper places on her wrists and headed out the side door. Celia, earphones in place and rear wiggling to the beat of the music only she

could hear, was kneeling on the flagstone walk, trowel in hand and a basket beside her.

“Where’s Adolph?” Hope had glanced in his empty run. She tapped Celia’s shoulder.

“Huh, no need to scare me white-headed! Couldn’t you just yell or something?”

“I did the something. Where’s Adolph?”

“Gone with Roger. You think I should put the tulips or the daffodils here?”

“Why not mix them together?”

Celia shrugged and put her earphones back in place.

Hope sucked in a deep breath and blew it out, rising up on the balls of her feet to loosen the ankles. She sure hoped she’d feel better at the end of the week than she did now.

Hope strode to the end of the block, crossed, and continued up the hill. Glancing up toward Coit Tower, she saw a familiar figure turn the corner on Montgomery and start down. “Andy.” Hope called and waved.

“I know I’m early, but.

Hope sucked in a deep breath. She hadn’t taken the hill fast, so why was she dizzy? She staggered over and leaned against the light post.

“Hope, are you all right?”

“I’m not sure. I feel really dizzy.”

“You’re whiter than a sheet.” Andy took her arm and guided her toward the curb. “Sit down and put your head between your knees.” When Hope started to say something, Andy silenced her. “Don’t talk, just relax.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Sorry, sometimes I can be a bit bossy.”

“Andy, I’m teasing.” Hope eased upright, sucked in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

“I sure thought I was through with this part of it—you know—the queasy stomach, the lightheadedness.”

“Oh, I see. You’re pregnant. Congratulations. I didn’t know.”

“Thanks.” Hope took the hand Andy offered and let herself be pulled to her feet.

“Are you ready to amble back down to J House?”

“Yes, ambling would be good.” Hope laughed, then waved at a woman climbing the block below J House. “That’s Julia Collins, an attorney from Kansas City. She’s looking for her runaway granddaughter.”

“Oh.” Andy glanced sideways at Hope. “You collect all kinds of strays, don’t you?”

“I collect interesting people, and I have a feeling we four women—” She stopped and looked at Andy. “Hey, I thought you said you had a flight.”

“I did, but I decided to stay in town a little while longer, to get things in order. I spent all day yesterday buying stuff to stock the refrigerator and the cupboards so Martin would have everything he needed.”

They stopped at the wide steps up to the front door. “There’s Roger coming with the pastries. Just in time.”

“I brought some lavender tea, by the way.” Andy held up a zippered plastic bag.

“But how—?”

“I had my mom overnight it to me.”

Andy kept an eye on Hope as unobtrusively as possible as the four women came together in one corner of the common room. Two wing chairs, one with fraying arms, and a well-loved sofa were pulled into a circle around a low table, inviting them to enjoy the coffee and now a steaming pot of lavender tea.