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"I'll be at your offices at four this afternoon, I'd advise both of you to be
there."
CHAPTER THREE
Shadyside, Pennsylvania
Monday, September 13, 2004
"Why didn't you get me?" Max had gone straight from talking to Sam to the
shower, so Ukiah caught him on the way out to tell him about Hutchinson's call
and their afternoon appointment.
Ukiah shrugged. "I was handling it."
Max looked at him as if surprised. "Is that a little bit of Magic Boy
surfacing?"
"Perhaps."
Max frowned at the news; he'd been against Ukiah taking in Magic Boy's
memories at the risk of losing himself. Obviously he was still worried about
the consequences.
Ukiah indicated the pile of luggage stacked in the foyer. "I see that the
luggage made it home. Did you order the armor?"
"Yeah. It should be here in a day or two." The grandfather clock struck nine,
reminding Max that he had someplace to go. "I've got to go pick up the Volvo.
Since I'm going to be over in the South Hills, I'm stopping by Kraynak's to
see if he and Alicia got home okay." He snapped his fingers, remembering
something else that needed to be done. "And I need to stop in on Picray."
Picray was Michael Picray, their accountant, not to be confused with Mike
their mechanic, and Michael, Janey's sometimes boyfriend. "He left a message
on Friday that he needed to talk to me. Quarterlies are due at the end of the
month."
"What are quarterlies?"
Max startled at the question, and then seemed torn between being pleased at
his interest and annoyed at his timing. "There are certain things, taxes and
such, that we have to pay every quarter, which is every three months:
unemployment, workmen's comp, social security. I also escrow everyone's wages
for the next quarter, in case something happens to me, it gives you time to
learn the ropes."
"I'd like to learn the ropes now."
Max sighed. "Today isn't the day to start, kid. Picray and me bickering will
only mystify you. I'm not even sure how to teach you this stuff; we might have
to back up to basic math before you can grasp it."
"I can add and subtract and everything."
"Oh, kid, double entry accounting is as simple and a hell of a lot more
complicated than just adding and subtracting. Look, we'll talk about it later.
Today, it's important for you to work with our open cases, get us back on
track with them before we lose the bread and butter accounts."
"Okay."
"I'll be back at three then." Max handed Ukiah a shopping list on a Post-it
note. "When you go to the store, could you pick up this stuff for me? I
ordered everything else on-line and it should be delivered tomorrow morning
early."
***
Max and Ukiah's partnership had started by chance; Mom Jo picking the Bennett
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Agency solely on the large yellow page ad that read SPECIALIZES IN MISSING
PERSONS. In truth, Max had been playing at being a private investigator,
turning away everything but missing persons cases. The agency had been little
more than that ad, one room of office furniture, and Alicia Kraynak answering
phone calls between her freshman college classes. The grandfather clock in the
hall measured out time to a nearly empty house.
From the start, though, something between Max and Ukiah worked.
Max had the ability to see through people's surfaces to see their true selves;
he alone looked at the Wolf Boy and saw the potential man stagnating at his
mothers' farm. Ukiah's open honesty moved Max out of his grief-stricken
depression to the land of the living. It was a balanced mix of liking,
trusting, appreciating, and plain needing each other.
Ukiah started by tracking for Max a few scattered days at a time, but his work
schedule slowly evolved into almost daily commutes to Pittsburgh. Ukiah
remained, though, a part-time employee until they ran into serial killer Joe
Gary. During the short, vicious battle, something changed in their
relationship, or more specifically in Max. In the weeks that followed, Max
rearranged the business and
Ukiah's future; giving half of the agency to the boy, Max started to train
Ukiah as a full partner.
At first Ukiah hadn't been aware of the change. Later he thought gratitude had
been Max's motivation, or perhaps guilt about nearly getting him killed. With
the Pack's and Magic Boy's knowledge of humans, Ukiah could see the events
with new eyes. Their brush with death had made Max realize that he loved Ukiah
like a son. Max recognized too that Ukiah had neither the ability nor means to
live alone in the world; a simple accident could reduce Ukiah to a savage
adrift in a hostile world, this time without even wolves to protect him. All
the changes Max made to the business had been acts of love.
With the new edge to the business, however, they had to take on two part-time
employees, Chino and Janey. The two had their strengths investigative work
wasn't one of them. While Max and
Ukiah were in Oregon, Max had directed the two through the open cases long
distance. A quick glance at the files showed that they were floundering.
They truly needed Sam as a third full-time investigator.
Hampered by Kittanning, it took Ukiah most of the morning plugging holes to
keep the cases afloat. He had just fed Kittanning, changed his diaper, and
started to settle him for his morning nap when the front door opened and
closed softly.
"Ukiah?" Indigo called.
"
Stay here.
" Ukiah tucked a blanket around him. Kittanning fussed quietly as Ukiah walked
away, wanting attention. "
I'll be right back.
"
Indigo waited in the foyer, stylishly composed as always in a black wool
pantsuit and white silk blouse. Her only jewelry was a strand of pearls, which
gleamed with soft luster at her throat. With her raven-black hair combed, and
her clothes still carefully pressed, only a slight smudging under her eyes
indicated that she had been working for hours on a case.
Ukiah felt a smile take control of his face. He wrapped himself around her
compact serenity, burying his face into the warm hollow of her neck.
Throughout the long difficult case in Oregon, just her voice had acted as his
wellspring of peace, soothing away troubles with unflappable reason. In this
chaotic morning, it was a blessing to hold her tight.
"Welcome home," she breathed.
"I'm so glad to be home safe," Ukiah said.
Yet, there was a tension, a flaw, to Indigo's stillness. She hid it well as
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she hugged him tight, and then, responding to Kittanning's burble in the next
room, went a shade too quickly to his office, saying, "Oh, you have Kittanning
here!" with a micro-tremor in her voice that no one but Ukiah would have
heard.
"What's wrong?" Ukiah asked, following her.
Indigo had draped a blanket over her shoulder and cradled Kittanning to her
now. She glanced to Ukiah; lips pursed that melted slowly to a sad smile.
"You're learning to read me too well."
He put his arms around her and she nestled against him, Kittanning in the
protective center. Man, woman, and child. Ukiah felt complete. This was right. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]