Willow Pond (3 page)

***

Virginia strode back into the bedroom when she'd finished her bath, and flipped on the radio just in time to hear the opening music for Amos n’ Andy. Rudy lay on the chaise lounge, smoking a cigarette and reading the racing form. He gazed up at her with deep brown eyes and she yanked the cigarette out of his mouth.

“If you had any clothes on, I’d make you empty your pockets.”

He ignored her, standing to admire himself in the full-length mirror. Rudy was always fishing for compliments. He thought he was a dead ringer for Rudolph Valentino.

“What statue did you say I looked like?”

“David.”

“Who’s he?”

“Never mind. You don’t need culture in your line of work.”

She rolled a silk stocking over one long, shapely leg, then attached the garter in front. She felt his eyes on her as she stretched her leg out to reach the snap in the back.

“Some pair of legs, baby.”

“What a cake-eater you are.” She frowned and pointed at the floor. “Just look at that mess. Toothpicks all over my beautiful rug. Pick them up and put them in the waste paper basket.”

“Don’t have a kitten.”

When they got downstairs he tugged open the refrigerator door and pulled out a bottle of champagne, shimmering with a fine coating of frost. Virginia took it from him and held the cold bottle to her temple, closing her eyes with relief. Mercy, it was hot.

“Ours?” he asked.

Her amber eyes snapped open, burning with warning. “Mine. Not yours. I don’t need a partner, and if I did….”

“Oh, come on,” he said with a dismissive wave of the hand. “You need me. Like it or not, you’re playing a man’s game. That sharp tongue of yours will only get you so far. Maybe it’s time you start being more realistic.”

“Silly, silly me,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “How did I not realize I needed the guidance of a man like you?”

“You may not think you do, but you’re wrong. Women aren’t any good at business. You’ve just been lucky so far.”

She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. Anger bubbled like champagne in her veins. “You’re a worthless punk who’d be out on the street if I hadn’t given you a job.” He chuckled, which only fed her anger. “You know what? I'm done. I'm sick of this. Get out.”

“What did I say?”

Grabbing him by his shirt collar, she dragged him into the living room, toward the door. “You’re a fool to think you can get a piece of my business, Rudy Strauss. You’ll never outsmart me.”

“Hey, you’re choking me.”

“I don’t give a damn. Get out of my house.”

He gave her a final, confused glance, and she shoved him out the door, slamming it behind him.

***

Two nights later, when Rudy showed up at Virginia’s speakeasy, Bacchanal, she was surprised but not shocked. He was always doing things he shouldn’t do. She figured the best thing to do was ignore him, so she did. He sat at the bar and ordered a drink, then tried to engage one of the hostesses in a conversation, but they weren’t supposed to socialize with customers while they were working. What they did on their own time was their business.

Virginia couldn’t help noticing how he looked her way every few minutes with a scowl of dislike. Then she realised he was looking past her and staring at Phillip. That was strange. Rudy was glaring at Phillip as if he wished the man were dead. In a way, she almost agreed with him. Phillip had annoyed her all night, complaining about Laura or eyeing every pretty girl who passed their table. Virginia didn’t like the way he treated her niece. Even though she had once tried to bring them together, she couldn’t help thinking Laura might be better off without him.

“Is she interested in some other guy?” Phillip had asked earlier.

“Laura?” Virginia poured herself more champagne and swept her dark brown hair behind her shoulders so it fell down her back, out of the way. “How would I know? I don’t follow her around.”

He indicated her champagne bottle. “How about me?”

She chuckled and sipped her drink. “I think you’ve had enough.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Virginia noticed Rudy walking toward their table and braced herself for some unpleasantness. Though he’d only been there a few minutes, she could tell from his expression he’d already had far too much to drink.

Phillip was watching him too, disgust coloring his expression. Virginia began to wish she’d stayed home that night.

“Boss lady,” Rudy said, slurring his words together. “Red sure as hell is your color.”

Phillip looked as if he were going to be sick. “Oh, come on. Why is he bothering us? Doesn’t he have hole to crawl into someplace? Why do you associate with such low lives, Virginia?”

Rudy put his hand on Phillip’s chair. Virginia saw Phillip’s back stiffen, and anger flared so hot in his eyes she actually felt slightly afraid. But his expression didn’t come close to matching Rudy’s.

“Get your hand off my chair,” Phillip said.

Rudy removed his hand from Phillip’s back then walked around so he stood in front of Phillip. “I’m not good enough for you, am I? You’re a rich as hell hotshot movie star, and I’m a two bit nothing, right?”

Phillip shrugged. “You have no business with us, so why are you here? Go back to the bar with your friends.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Movie Star.” He gave Virginia a fleeting look tempered with a sneer. “You have no business with me, do you?”

She didn’t answer, and he walked away.

Chapter Four

Laura lifted the damp hair from the back of her neck and stretched, hoping for some relief from the heat. Digging in a drawer, she found a barrette to pin up her hair, then glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. Laura stared at the paper in front of her, but the heat had made her as dull and lifeless as the two main characters in her novel. No matter how many times she rewrote the first chapter, the dialogue sounded flat.

What was Todd doing now? Probably playing in the water. She imagined the little boy splashing in the pond behind the mansion and smiled. Mrs Nickerson would have taken him there to cool off.

Slumping to her room, Laura peeled off her robe and tugged on a much cooler pair of Chinese pajamas. The only possible place to sit in this heat was in front of the electric fan, which is where she went to attempt Thomas Wolfe’s new novel, Look Homeward Angel. No use. She couldn’t concentrate. She considered calling one of her girlfriends and going to a movie. One of those air-cooled theatres would feel good.

The phone rang, jarring her from her musings. Ordinarily, the sound would have irritated Laura. It interrupted her train of thought when she was writing. Today she welcomed the distraction.

“Hello?”

At first all Laura heard was someone breathing hard on the other end, then a muffled sob. She rolled her eyes. Not again. She'd gotten a crank call a couple of days earlier and was about to hang up when Mrs Nickerson’s hoarse voice crackled over the wire.

“Mrs Nickerson? Is that you? What’s wrong?” Laura demanded.

“Oh dear God!” The nanny's voice rose and fell as she sobbed. “The baby’s been kidnapped!”

“What? Mrs Nickerson, calm down. What are you talking about? Where's Todd? What's happening?” Laura said.

The nanny wailed, and all Laura could make out was “Dear God! Dear God! Oh, the poor little boy!”

A tremor began in Laura's fingers and spread like fire throughout her body. This couldn't be happening. The phone felt slick in her hand and fell through her fingers, landing with a soft thud on the carpet. When she bent to pick it up she was caught by a wave of dizziness, and let herself slide to the floor. Leaning against the wall for support, she reached for the phone and spoke as calmly as she could.

“Mrs Nickerson,” she said, fighting the wobble in her voice. The image of Todd's sweet face popped up in her mind, his soft blond curls bouncing under her hand. She squeezed her eyes shut. “What happened? Where is Todd?”

“Oh Laura,” said the older woman. “We were at Willow Pond. He was having a wonderful time. You know how much he loves the water.”

Panic set in. “You are sure he didn't go under the water, Iris?”

“No! No! I was watching him play. One minute he was laughing, and the next – Well, whoever it was, he hit me over the head with something heavy. I woke up on the ground and our baby was gone.”

“But … But … Who could have done this? Why?” Laura's voice broke and bile burned up her throat. “Who did this?” she demanded. “Did you see who did this? Iris, please help me!”

“I couldn’t see kidnapper’s face. He was wearing a clown’s mask.”

“Oh dear God. Did you call the police?”

“Of course.

She fought nausea, thinking frantically. Phillip. She had to speak to Phillip. “Let me speak to Mr. Austin.”

“He went to Washington D.C last night. He thought it would be better if Todd stayed here with me.”

Laura blinked, incredulous. “He isn't even there? He wanted to spend time with his son and he isn't even there? Oh God. This is my fault. I should have said no. I wanted to, but I gave in.”

“Laura, I’m going to call your aunt and tell her you need her.”

“No. I’ll call her. I have to get a hold of myself and be strong for Todd. He needs me.”

Her hand was shaking so badly she had difficulty putting the receiver back on the cradle. My baby, my baby ...

A moment later, the phone rang. “Mrs Laura Austin?”

“Yes?”

“This is Officer Albers from the East Hampton PD. I'm afraid I have bad news. Your …”

“I know! My son!” Laura said. “Why are you wasting time on the phone with me? Find my son!”

“Of course, ma'am. Mrs Austin, would you be able to come to East Hampton right away? Detective Wilson wants to question you.”

“I’ll get there as fast as I can.”

Laura's phone conversation with Virginia was even shorter. “How am I going to live without him?” Laura managed to squeeze through sobs.

“You won’t have to. I’m here. I’ll help. Stay there. I’ll pick you up.”

“I have a taxi waiting outside.”

When Laura arrived at Willow Pond, police swarmed the estate. No one seemed to notice her arrival, a fact which had her both surprised and relieved. She paused outside the huge white colonial house, recalling the little things she had once done to make the place into a home, when all Phillip wanted was a showcase. Her eyes traced the familiar lines of house and yard, and she remembered the trill of Todd's laughter skipping across the grass.

Will I ever hear that sound again?

If only she'd paid more attention that last morning they were together. It had only been one week, but it seemed like an eternity. Had she combed his hair? What had he worn? She hated that she couldn't remember. She knew she'd packed some toys: ducks and toys boats for the water, and one of his teddy bears to sleep with. So many details she wanted to remember and couldn’t.

She went around to the back door and found Iris Nickerson sitting at the kitchen table, holding her silver crowned head in her hands. The large kitchen usually cheered Laura up with its patterned yellow wallpaper, oak table and chairs. Not today.

Laura's shoes tapped the wood floor as she walked in, and Mrs Nickerson looked up. “Oh, Laura! You're here!” Her chair scraped the floor as she jumped to her feet. “Let me put on some tea.”

Instead, Laura moved to the woman and embraced her. “Oh, Iris. Did he hurt you?”

“Never mind me. But the baby! Oh, Laura, I’m so sorry. But there’s nothing I could have done.”

“Where did he hit you?” Iris leaned forward and showed her the spot, right at the base of her skull. The large bump still carried traces of dried blood. “That looks painful. The doctor should take a look at it. Did you ice it?”

Iris nodded.

“I’ll call the doctor,” Laura said. “Then we’d better call Phillip.”

“The police already have. He's on his way.”

While they waited for the doctor, Laura busied herself, pouring tea for Iris, tidying the kitchen, doing anything to keep her mind off what might be happening to Todd. If she stopped moving, thoughts of him flooded her mind. She felt his warm little hand in hers, heard his belly laugh.

“I’m going down to the pond, Iris. I’ll bring the doctor to you when he gets here.”

She had always found the pond so peaceful. Now, as she wandered along the shore, she couldn’t stand to look at it. She had never before noticed how close it was to the road. Those bushes were the perfect place for someone to hide. Was that how the man with the mask had snuck up and snatched her little boy?

When she felt more stable, Laura approached one of the dozens of cops wandering the estate grounds. She introduced herself and asked who was in charge.

“That’d be Detective Ben Wilson. He's just over there.” The officer indicated a short man headed across the lawn toward them. “Looks like he wants to speak with you.”

When Detective Wilson was close enough, he held out a hand for Laura to shake. “Good afternoon, Mrs Austin. I'm sorry to have to meet under such circumstances.”

“So am I. What's going on? Have you come up with any leads?” Laura asked.

Detective Wilson shook his head, then stuck a piece of gum into his mouth. “Not yet. If you don't mind, I need to ask you a few things.”

“Certainly. Whatever brings Todd home sooner.”

Ben Wilson squinted at her in what she assumed was his information-gathering expression. It was slightly unnerving. “Was the nanny with him when he was snatched?”

“Didn’t you ask her? She told me you talked to her.”

“Do you trust your servants?”

“Iris has been Todd’s nanny since he was born. She loves him very much, and Todd loves her. I never worry about him when he’s with her.”

“That doesn't answer my question. Do you trust her?”

“She’s never given me any reason not to.”

Wilson sneezed, then wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “All right. We'll say for now that she's not a suspect. But whoever took your boy knew his routine well. We have to assume, since he is only a year and a half old, that this was done not because of him, but because of either you or your husband.”