“I’m no better. I started sending computers to just about every school in the Berkeley area. Then I’d send my people there with video cameras to film the kids. Then I’d torture myself by looking at the videos, thinking, swearing to myself, they were all mine. I was teetering on the edge for a while back then. I tried talking myself out of it. I fought going to a shrink because I didn’t want anyone to know. For some reason I thought… I didn’t mind…if you knew. Ah, you know what I mean. And here we are. By the way, does your company have a catalog? I think I saw it on my secretary’s desk. Millie has five grandchildren, and she orders from catalogs a lot.”
Lily smiled. “We do. It comes out twice a year. Christmas and early summer.”
“What happened to teaching school?” Pete asked curiously.
“I gave it a shot. It wasn’t for me. Every one of those kids was mine. End of story. What if that boy we saw on television was…yours? He’s out there all alone, with no one to turn to. I only say that because he was living in a group home, so that must mean he doesn’t have a family or else the family put him in a group home because of…what, I don’t know. I hope he’s with the other boy. Together, they might be okay. You know, strength in numbers. Two heads are better than one. They will be okay, don’t you think?”
They were airborne by then and about to level off at thirty thousand feet. The flight attendant was serving coffee, pastries, and little bunches of grapes on square white plates. Pete and Lily ignored the food and kept on talking in whispers.
“The shooter got away. He might be looking for the boys. I’m going to call my office and have them get everything they can on the case, and it will be ready for us when we land. How about we blow off the fund-raiser and try to find the kids?”
“I’m okay with missing the fund-raiser, but what makes you think we can find the kids? The police are on it. It’s national news now. They won’t let us anywhere near that group home. I don’t care how much money you have or how famous you are. If anything, your presence nosing around might hurt you.”
“You’re right, and I know that. My shrink said I had to go back to the beginning. That’s where we’ll go.”
“And you think they’re just going to open up and tell us what we want to know! I don’t think so.”
Pete slouched down in his seat. “I knew I should have bought that goddamn business and burned it to the ground. I said I was going to do it that day I met you, and I never followed through. When I made my first million, that was my number two priority. I had nightmares about that, too.”
“Even if you had, it would have been too late, Pete. Our donations were distributed long before you became successful.”
Pete bolted upright. “Are you always right?”
“No. Just sometimes. You already knew it. I just said the words out loud.”
Pete nodded. “Do you remember how… I don’t remember if it was you or me, but one of us said there was something sinister about that place.”
“It was you. I agreed, as I recall. I asked you about the building in the back, the one with no doors or windows. I think we were both just spooked. It was an emotional time for both of us. It’s probably a giant freezer to…you know, store all those donations. I wonder how much they’d want to sell that place. I bet if we could find that out, we’d get a sense of how big an operation it is. There must be blueprints at town hall. I know that when I built my office building and the warehouse, my blueprints were there for anyone who wanted to look at them.”
Pete started to crack his knuckles out of frustration. “That boy was the spitting image of me, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, Pete, he was. It took my breath away when they showed his picture. That group home—or was it a school?—what little they showed of it, looked pretty upscale to me. Not like a place for wayward youngsters. I didn’t hear any names, did you?”
“No. I was so stunned I didn’t see half of what you saw. God, I hope my parents or my brothers didn’t see it. They’ll think for sure I have an illegitimate child out there somewhere. My mom is like a dog with a bone when she gets an idea in her head. She’s forever nagging me to get married and have kids. She said it’s not natural to be my age and not married. By the way,” Pete said, his eyes wide, “you aren’t married, are you?”
Lily grimaced. “Only to my business.”
“I can relate to that. We need to make a plan, Lily. The minute we get off this plane, we need to have a definite objective, and this time we’re both going to follow through to the end. No matter where it takes us. Agreed?”
Lily nodded solemnly. “Agreed.”
Chapter 4
By the time Flight 2107 landed in San Francisco, Lily and Pete were fast friends.
As Lily commented, “It’s like we’ve been transported back to the day we met.”
Pete agreed as he juggled his garment bag and duffel. Lily had a firm grip on her own carry-on luggage as they made their way out to the concourse.
Pete ushered Lily to the side. “Someone is going to meet us right here to hand over whatever information my guy Marty was able to get. And,” he said, turning around, “here comes my shadow. Lily, meet Zolof Kuchinsky. Zolly, meet Lily.”
He was bigger than a bear, almost as tall as a giraffe.
Lily looked up in awe at the bald-headed man who appeared larger than life. “Nice to meet you, Zolof.” Lily extended her hand, certain it would be crushed. It wasn’t.
“Everyone calls me Zolly.”
His voice was a surprise, it had a light timbre with a cadence Lily couldn’t identify. His bright blue eyes sparkled, and a slight smile tugged at his lips. Lily couldn’t help but smile. A “shadow” had to mean he was Pete’s bodyguard. It made sense that someone of Pete’s stature would have a bodyguard. It was probably mandatory. She knew in her gut that the Pete she’d just gotten to know on the flight had probably put up a fight but in the end saw the good sense of having someone watching his back.
“I can meet you by baggage claim, Zolly. Get Winston, and make sure he gets some water.” Winston was Pete’s one true love—his German shepherd—and he never traveled without him.
“No way, boss. You know the rules. We stick together. There’s your package.”
He was so fast on his feet, Lily could only gasp when an arm bigger than a tree trunk reached out to intercept the manila envelope a flight attendant was holding out to Pete.
“You get used to it after a while.” Pete grinned. “He’s my nanny.” Pete waited patiently until Zolly opened the envelope to scan the contents. Satisfied, Zolly handed it over.
Pete slapped the thick envelope against his leg as he waited for Zolly to take a call on his cell phone.
“Winston’s up and ready,” Zolly said as he clicked off. “An attendant is getting him some water because he’s panting. He probably has your scent already, boss.”
“Then let’s go. Winston hates to be kept waiting.”
Five minutes later, all hell broke loose in the airport. Screams seemed to be coming from every direction. Zolly looked at Pete, and Pete looked at Zolly. Both men were grinning from ear to ear.
Pete looked over at Lily and explained. “Winston doesn’t have much patience. If we stand still, he’ll find us.” Pete whistled shrilly, a high, piercing sound. He was rewarded with a bark from somewhere in the airport.
“How the hell did he get loose?” Zolly grumbled.
“Here he comes!” Pete laughed.
Lily