Shades of Blue by Bill Moody Read Free Book Online

your food,” she says and hurries off again.
    “I’d leave her a big tip if I were you,” Coop says.
    I add cream and sugar to my coffee and look at Coop. “When I got hauled into the FBI, they looked into Cal’s background. Did you know anything about that?”
    Coop takes a drink of coffee and shakes his head. “I wasn’t really in the loop as far as the bureau goes. Why would they check on Cal?”
    “Same reason they checked me and Natalie out? Andie told me about it but only when I asked her last night.”
    “You think something else is going on?” Coop asks. “What did she say?”
    “She said she can’t remember, that she’s looked at hundreds of background files since then and it wasn’t relevant anyway, just routine procedure.”
    Coop looks away for a moment, then asks the hard question. “Don’t take this wrong, but do you trust Andie?”
    ***
    Driving back to the house, Coop’s question keeps pushing forward in my mind. Do I trust anybody? I think about what Coop said and at least part of it makes sense. I try to put myself in Cal’s mind. Near death, doesn’t know how long he has, and what he’s been carrying around for who knows how long is eating at him. Somewhere out there is his child and now it’s time to try to make some amends for all the loss. A dying man’s last ditch attempt, however feeble, to make good on something that happened so long ago. So who does he pick? Me, the one person he’s had any kind of close relationship with in years. Wasn’t there any other family, and who was the mother?
    In the photo, Cal can’t be more than mid-twenties, thirty tops, so that baby is—if it’s Cal’s and depending on the year the photo was taken—would now be around forty something. Close to my age. That part of Coop’s speculation is ridiculous. Because I’d already know where to start? No Cal, I’m sorry but I don’t. Maybe Andie can help.
    I weave through the traffic on Sunset, past the clubs, restaurants, shops of all kinds, and continue east to Vine Street. As I sit, tapping on the steering wheel, waiting to make the left turn, I suddenly remember there is someplace I can start.
    When I get back to the house, I see Dana’s car parked in front. Inside Milton is stretched out on the floor, and the sound of a vacuum cleaner comes from the bedroom. Milton manages to get to his feet and strolls over wagging his tail. I scratch behind the ears. He sighs and flops down again.
    Looking around, I see everything has been transformed. Dana has done quite a job. In the living room books have been shelved, records stacked neatly by the stereo, and the piano even looks shiny.
    The vacuum stops then. “Dana?” I walk back to find her wrapping the cord in her hand and looping it over the handle of the cleaner.
    “Hey,” she says. “How was lunch? I’m just about finished here.”
    The bed is made and my bag sits in the middle of it. “Those two boxes in the corner are books I’d like,” she says. “You can go through them if you want. I put the stuff you set aside in the hall closet. If you want, I can drop off those bags of clothes at the Salvation Army. Might be better to get them out of here, huh?”
    “Yeah I guess so.” There were enough reminders of Cal already.
    “Oh, I put the rest of the stuff from that drawer in that small box.” She points to one in the corner.
    “Thanks. I’ll go through that later.”
    She turns and faces me. “When will it be okay for me to move in my stuff? My aunt is—”
    “Whenever you want. I’m probably going to get out of here tomorrow or the next day, decide what else I can do about that note, see if I can figure things out.”
    “What did Cooper say about it?”
    “Mostly speculation. He thinks it’s Cal’s baby in that carriage. I didn’t notice it before but Cal’s hand is on the handle. Coop thinks that means something.”
    “Can I see it again?”
    I take it out of my pocket and show it to her, watch her study it. She nods.