The last secret_ a novel - Mary McGarry Morris [55]
It's late afternoon and she's just returning to the office after a two-hour wrangle with Duncan Turner, president of Franklin Memorial Hospital. His cooperation is crucial to the success of the Medical supplement. Because they've served together on so many civic and charitable committees and because the supplement will be a great public relations venue for the hospital she expected their meeting to be brief, a formality, if not a courtesy call. But as it turns out, Duncan is a punctilious control-monger, at least in matters concerning the hospital. He is insisting on final approval of every article. Her suggestion that they interview someone from housekeeping was met with surprising disdain. Janitors and cleaning ladies, apparently not the image President Turner wants out there. Doctors, department heads, he'll decide and send her the names. Oh yes, and nurses, he agreed when she mentioned them. She hadn't realized the extent of his vanity when it concerns his public persona. She'll have to be careful.
“That guy. Hawkins. He was just here again,” Hilda says the minute Nora comes through the door. “I told him you weren't here, but he said you keep calling, telling him to come in. He said he'd try the house.”
“The house!” she cries, then tries to hide her alarm. “God, he's a pest. I don't even know what he wants,” she says, dialing the home number on the way into her office and closing the door with her hip. No answer. She tries Chloe's number. No answer. Dials Drew's. Not having heard anything of Eddie in a week, she'd convinced herself that he'd tired of his sick little game and moved on.
“Hey, Mom!” Drew answers breathlessly on the sixth ring. “In the driveway,” he says when she asks where he is.
“Doing what?”
“Basketball,” he grunts, and in the background comes the running thunkthunkthunk of a ball being dribbled.
“That's nice.” She's glad. Even though his cold is better, he's been so unhappy these last few weeks, leaving the house only for school. Because he's turned them down so often lately, his friends have stopped calling. “But don't forget about your ribs. You don't want to aggravate anything.”
“I won't.”
Hearing a voice, she hunches over her desk. “Who's that? I just heard someone. Who is it?”
“That guy you know. Mr. Hawkins. We're shooting some—”
“You let him in the house?”
“No. I got off the bus, and he—”
“Put him on the phone!”
“But, Mom, we're—”
“Put him on the phone! Now, Drew!”
“She wants to talk to you,” she hears Drew say. She, not my mother, but she, as if they've been discussing her.
“Nora!” Eddie Hawkins croons in her ear. “I've been waiting for you.”
“I'm only going to say this once. You get out of there, right now! Because I'm calling the police.”
“I wouldn't do that. Not a good idea. Too many questions.”
“I'm on my way. I'm almost there,” she says, hurrying out past Hilda who steps back so quickly she must have been listening at the door.
“Hey, take your time,” he oozes. “Don't rush on my account. Please.”
As soon as she gets out of the car, she tells Drew to go inside, she has to talk to Mr. Hawkins for a minute.
“That's okay. I'll just keep shooting,” Drew says, dribbling then spinning with a quick jump shot.
“Yeah!” Eddie pumps his fist. “Nothin' but net!”
“No, Drew. Now. Inside. This is … business.”
“I'll come back some other time, Drew.” Eddie pats the glowering boy's back. “Work on our three-point shots.”
Drew kicks the basketball out of his way, just hard enough to let her know he's upset. Last night he and his sister had another terrible argument. Chloe is still mad at him for telling on her. And unbelievably, Ken sided with Chloe. His first loyalty should always be to his family, he told Drew. Drew's muttered retort got him sent to his room for the night. As soon as the side door closes, Nora demands to know what Eddie thinks he's doing, coming to her home, talking to her son. Instead of answering, he asks if they can go inside, he's freezing. The back of his jacket flaps in the wind. He blows into his cupped