“I don’t think you need to worry. I’ll get him there. I’ve already left a message for clients that Justice for Victims will be closed for the next two weeks. I’ll drive him if I have to.”
“Ms. MacPhee. I hear the call to duty. My decision’s made. It will be much better if I go along too.”
Seven
Oh, Alvin,” I said, when he had emerged from the bathroom. “I almost forgot to mention I picked up your mail. You have a postcard from Jimmy, and maybe it has...”
I wasn’t counting on his eyes losing focus and the strange humming moan he emitted.
“Oh shit,” I said.
That was lost on Alvin. He collapsed onto the carpet. I leapt to keep his temple from striking the metal and glass coffee table. “I was afraid this would happen,” Mrs. P. said. “It’s not necessary to say I told you so. I realize I should have waited,” I said when we had dragged and lifted Alvin back to his place on the leather sofa.
By this time, Mrs. Parnell was perched on the edge of the leather chair, breathing deeply on a fresh Benson and Hedges. “I was not planning to say I told you so. Neither of us knows Alvin’s private demons, so we have no idea how to avoid arousing them.”
“We know one thing: they involve Jimmy.”
• • •
“Don’t ask,” I said to P. J. when he called. “We have no option but to get Alvin home on the double.”
“But that’s a crazy idea. This is Monday. The Bluesfest starts this Friday. Even if you left now, how could you drive to Sydney and back by then? You’re going to miss Blue Rodeo. And...” Rustling noises followed. “And a bunch of other really really good stuff. Really good. You’ll never get here in time.”
“Unlike you, I already know who’s playing. But I have a situation to take care of, and I’m going to take care of it.”
P. J. said, “I thought you were excited about Bluesfest.”
“Let me remind you we are having a crisis.”
“Yeah, but you want to go to Bluesfest, right?”
“I can’t think about it at this minute.”
“Yeah, but listen, Tiger...”
“What is the matter with you? We have a terrible situation here with Alvin’s brother missing.”
“What do you mean, Alvin’s brother’s missing? You never mentioned that.”
“I’m sure I did. He may even be dead.”
“You said you had to help Alvin get home. You didn’t mention his brother was missing. What kind of thing is that to hold back?”
“Cool your jets. You’re not reporting a crime now. Alvin’s brother has disappeared.”
“That’s bad.”
“Yes, it is. The police in Cape Breton have done all they can to search for Jimmy.”
“Jimmy. That’s the brother?”
“Right.”
“How old is he?”
“He’s twenty-one.”
“Get real. It happens all the time. The family goes off the deep end, then the guy turns up with a five-alarm hangover and lipstick on his underwear and can’t figure out what all the fuss is about.”
“I wish that were the case here, P. J., but it’s not. Jimmy’s got some developmental problems.”
“Oh. That’s different.”
“I was hoping you’d done a piece on missing kids, and you might be able to tell me what to worry about or how to help the family.”
“Maybe he was abducted. Kids like that are vulnerable.”
“Exactly. So you can see why I’m not thinking about music right now.”
“But we do have Clubhouse passes.”
“I don’t want to hear it. I have to deal with this. Mrs. Parnell thinks Alvin might be shell-shocked. He keeps going into these trance states.”
“Two hundred and fifty dollars each.”
“It’s not like you paid for those passes.” I ignored the choking sound. “You won them, remember? And they’re in my name.”
“Holy crap,” he said.
“So I’ll let you know as soon as we get this thing under control. If all goes well, we can get back for Saturday or Sunday.”
“I don’t know why you’re so grouchy.”
“Who’s grouchy? Do you know anything about post-traumatic stress disorder?”
“What I read in the paper.”
“Don’t push me, P. J. What about missing kids? Do the cops do a good job in that area?”
“Depends on what cops, I guess. The Mounties have a special section to deal with them. You want me to find out who to talk to?”
“Sure. Got any contacts in the media in Sydney?”
“No, but I can ask around. Lots of people from the East coast in this business. Plus I can chase down the missing kid angle for you.”
“Great. But what I really need is for you to feed Mrs. Parnell’s birds and cat. And also to make sure they’re not left alone together. So the cat has to stay at my place.”
“Feed the cat? And birds? Can’t the building super do it?”
“Nope. He’s on vacation. The replacement’s run off his feet.”
“I am too. Remember Nicholas Southern and the …”
“Right. So I really appreciate you doing this for me. I’ll drop off the keys to Mrs. Parnell’s place and mine on our way out of town. You’ve got my cellphone number, but I’m sure we’ll be out of contact for much of the trip. Don’t worry about calling me, I’ll call you.”
“Wait.”
“Thanks, P. J. You’re a bud.”
• • •
“For the last time,” I said, “no way.”
“It is simply not your decision, Ms. MacPhee.”
“The hell it isn’t.”
“If you don’t like it, stay here and attend to your business. I’ve got my marching orders.”
“Look, Mrs. P., it is an eighteen to twenty hour drive to Sydney. We are not going to drive in your twenty-five year old car, and that’s that.”
“Nonsense. My garageman tells me he’s got the old girl purring like a kitten today.”
“Yeah right. So maybe he’ll volunteer to drive it then.”
“Have faith, Ms. MacPhee.”
“Really? And what happens if Alvin has an episode in the middle of nowhere, and the car breaks down?”
“We will find a way.”
I’d already exhausted my opinions on the notion of Mrs. Parnell pelting across country in the ancient LTD with Alvin as a ticking time bomb in the passenger seat and me snarling in the back seat. It reinforced what I already knew. The woman could be unbelievably stubborn.
“I have a better idea,” I said.
“What is it?”
I