Southern Lights

Chapter 11

The week after Savannah’s visit to her grandmother was another crazy one for Alexa. The FBI had backed down about taking the case, after a lot of pressure from Joe McCarthy, but they were still waiting to pounce and grab it if anything went wrong. So far nothing had. But Alexa felt she had to be constantly on her toes. And they had just gotten word of a link between Quentin and another murder, this one in a state where they didn’t think he’d been. As it turned out, he hadn’t, and the forensic evidence didn’t match. She wanted to be particularly careful they weren’t just throwing things at him to see what would stick. She had to be absolutely sure that the murders he was accused of were in fact crimes he had committed, and all the evidence matched up, beyond a reasonable doubt. She didn’t want to lose this case, or try to convict him for crimes he didn’t commit. She wanted to be absolutely, totally, completely sure that she was on the right track in each case, and she believed she was. Without solid conclusive evidence from other law enforcement agencies in other states, she would not add their cases to her own. It was her cautious thoroughness so far that had convinced the FBI director to let her keep the case. He didn’t think anyone could have done a better job, and Joe assured him that was true. All of which put additional pressure on Alexa to not make one minute slip or mistake. She looked and felt worn out. The trial was ten weeks away. And Quentin was continuing to hold court with a hungry press. Alexa refused to make further comment, which the FBI liked too, and at every opportunity she thanked them for their help, gave them credit where it was due, and was grateful for their enormous investigative machine that she was benefiting from to build her case.

Pennsylvania had found another victim, and the body had been exhumed, although her family had been reluctant to do it and had to be convinced. Jack flew out to see them, and begged them to cooperate, which they finally did, in tears. And it was a match with Quentin. That brought his number of victims to eighteen, and Alexa had a gut instinct that they had found them all. She wasn’t sure why, but they had combed every state he had been in since leaving prison and checked him against every murder, rape, and missing person. There were no loose ends anymore. The twenty-two-year-old medical student in Pennsylvania was the last one. Eighteen beautiful young women, all dead because of him. It was unthinkable, especially to the girls’ parents, but it happened every day. Alexa was grateful daily that she had sent Savannah away. There had been no letters since she left. She had decided to take Savannah to Europe in the summer, with the vacation time she had, and after that Savannah was leaving for college, and would be even harder to find. Quentin had robbed her of her last months with her daughter, but she was safe, and he had done worse to others, and robbed them of their lives. Talking to the parents of the victims had nearly broken Alexa’s heart.

And throughout, his public defender was insisting they were wrong, in the face of evidence, victims, DNA matches, and three psych reports now that confirmed he was a sociopath. Alexa almost felt sorry for her, she was completely under his spell, and could have been yet another victim if they met when he was outside. He was a textbook sociopath, and every time he saw Alexa, which wasn’t often, and too frequently for her, he undressed her with his eyes, just to let her know he could, and to let her know that she had no power and he did. He was a terrifying man, and smooth as silk. This was a case Alexa wanted to win, more than any case she’d had before.

They were interrogating him again that afternoon, about the latest Pennsylvania victim, and as always he strutted into the room. He had been working out, for lack of anything better to do, and his heavily developed muscles rippled in his jail-issue jumpsuit, and he observed everyone in the room with his now-familiar glacial eyes. This time Alexa decided not to hide behind the two-way mirror in the observation room. She sat among the cops across the table from him in the small stuffy room. The smell of male sweat hung heavy in the air. It wasn’t pleasant, but Alexa didn’t care, and Judy Dunning was there too, and gave him a sympathetic smile. With a half smile, Luke looked at the others as though to show them what he could do. He had completely turned her around, on her head, and upside down. There were also two special FBI agents in the room, Sam Lawrence and a new one she hadn’t met, and Jack’s original investigation team, Charlie McAvoy and Bill Neeley. The room was jammed, and the questioning began.

They asked him about the victim, about whom he claimed to know nothing, and showed him a photograph of her. She had apparently been approached on a dark street near her apartment, coming home late from the library of the medical school. Like the others, she had been raped and “snuffed” out, strangled during sex. Her body had been found in a shallow grave in a park. She hadn’t been found for four months, and the body had deteriorated badly by then. And Luke had been in town when it happened. Luke shrugged when he looked at the picture of the girl when she was alive, and tossed it back on the desk. His eyes hooked Alexa’s, and he paused for a long moment when he looked at her. She could have been wrong, but she had the feeling this time that he was silently saying “Watch out, that could be you…or your kid.” Her eyes didn’t waver, nor did his. This was becoming a personal vendetta between them now. She was not going to be bested by him, or fooled.

“Where do you guys keep coming up with these women? My dick would have fallen off by now if I’d screwed them all.” The senior detective conducting the interrogation didn’t comment, and Alexa noticed Charlie McAvoy shift in his seat. He was still on the case and doing good work. He had handled his sister’s case and several others and was working hours of overtime. He looked as tired as everyone else. Only the defendant looked rested, in top form, good spirits, and great shape. He was the center of attention and a star. He cast several glances at his attorney, who smiled at him encouragingly as the interrogation wore on.

Alexa had recently demanded that he have a further medical exam to see if his body ejaculated sperm, or if it remained trapped elsewhere, as happened sometimes with men who had severe kidney problems and had been on medication for years. There was no evidence that he was, and he had refused the exams, which he had the right to do, and had offered to come in their eyes.

Everyone was tired of it, and him, as the interrogation wore down. He was so completely without remorse or concern, claiming he’d had nothing to do with any victim, and had neither raped nor killed them, that if anything, he looked bored. And in passing he made a comment that all the women he’d met in Iowa had been dogs, sluts, or cheap whores. Alexa saw Charlie tense as he made the comment, and sat there willing him not to react. For some reason then, maybe knowing that one of the victims was Charlie’s sister and wanting to goad him, he said that he wouldn’t have stuck his dick into any girl in Iowa, or most of the states where he’d been.

Charlie was tired and had been up all night, after meeting with the parents of several victims, and trying to get more information from them. His sister had been dead for a year that week, and his own parents were still devastated and so was he. But Quentin wouldn’t give it up. He kept talking about “dogs” and “sluts” and “cheap whores” and what he would and wouldn’t do to them if he had the chance. And before any of them could grab him, Charlie was out of his seat like lightning, had literally flown across the table and had Quentin by the throat, and he was in even better shape than Luke. Charlie had a choke hold on him, and Quentin responded in kind. The two men were literally strangling each other, as every cop in the room and even Alexa dove toward them to break it up.

Someone hit an alarm, and there was chaos in the room as people shouted, grabbed, scuffled, it was nearly impossible to drag Charlie off him, but two of the men finally did. Jack was standing there sweating profusely, his own shirt torn from his attempts to break up the two men. He said not a word to Luke but shouted in his detective’s face, who was choking and spitting on the floor. Luke was back in cuffs and being dragged away, spluttering too.

“What the fuck were you thinking? Are you out of your mind? You’re off the case. Now!”

“I’m bringing charges!” Luke shouted through the door as it closed, with no time to cast smoldering looks at his attorney, or menacing looks at Alexa or anyone else. It had been an incredibly dumb thing for Charlie to do, and would probably win him a year’s suspension for attacking a suspect, but he clearly needed the time off, and Jack was furious with himself for not taking him off the case before. He was quietly talking to Sam Lawrence and the other special FBI agent, who had actually been the ones to pull Charlie away from Luke. Jack explained again about his sister, and they nodded, and finally one of them laughed.

“Look, relax. I would have liked to do it myself. I just didn’t have the balls. I have three sisters, and this guy is a piece of shit.” But they also had a responsibility to protect him, and not kill him themselves. “I’m not going to file a report,” Sam said. “He had it coming. You guys can do what you want.” Jack knew he had to file one anyway. He told Charlie in his office half an hour later that he was suspending him for a year and sent him home. He had done a great job until then, but the stress had been too much for him. Quentin had killed his twin. Charlie had apologized profusely to Jack before he left, and said he would fly back to Iowa that night, but he and his family were planning to attend the trial.

Jack looked even more exhausted when he showed up in Alexa’s office after Charlie left.

“Shit. That’s all we needed. Thank God the FBI guys were nice about it. McCarthy is going to kill me when he hears it. I should have taken Charlie off the case as soon as we knew his sister was one of the victims. I don’t know what I was thinking. I must have shit for brains.”

“You’re human, like anyone else,” she reassured him, but it had been a tense moment, and a very stupid mistake on Charlie’s part. He had totally lost control. “This case is getting to all of us.” It had impacted everyone’s life, including hers.

They sat and ate Power Bars together for an hour, and to distract her, he asked about Savannah, and once again she admitted her concerns, and shared them with him.

“She went to see her grandmother there. She’s settling in, and it worries me a lot. I don’t want her falling in love with Charleston and deciding that’s where she wants to live.” It was a major concern for her, but the alternative, of bringing her back to New York, was worse, and out of the question until after the trial.

“I don’t have any, but it seems to me, kids do what they want, and usually just the opposite of what their parents want for them. I don’t think you’ll have much control over what she decides. But even if Charleston is pretty, it’s not New York. She’s used to a bigger world, and she’s going to college.” He had a point and what he said reassured her, and they went back to talking about the case. She was going down to Charleston herself that weekend. She could hardly wait to see Savannah, but was dreading all the bitter memories it would revive for her, some of them even bittersweet.

In the end, there was no major fallout from Charlie’s outburst in the interrogation room. Both the DA and the FBI were satisfied with Jack’s suggestion of a year’s suspension, and with the fact that Charlie was already gone and had left that day. There were extenuating circumstances, since his twin sister was one of the victims. And with him off the case, it wouldn’t happen again, but it had been a close call. No one knew what could have happened if the other men hadn’t been able to stop Charlie. It would certainly have solved the problem, but created others far worse for him. No one would have been sorry to see Luke Quentin dead, except Judy Dunning, whom Alexa now referred to as “the fool.”

By five o’clock on Friday afternoon, when she had to leave for the airport, Alexa was flying around her office stuffing files into a bag. She wanted to do some reading on the flights down and back. The rest of the time would be dedicated to Savannah and whatever she had planned. She barely made it to the airport on time, and talked to her mother from the cab. She looked and felt a mess, and totally unprepared to face her old world. She had told her mother about Charlie McAvoy earlier in the week. Emotions were running high on the Quentin case, and Muriel commented that it would do her good to get away. Alexa wasn’t as sure, except for seeing Savannah. She was terrified of the rest.

“What are you afraid of?” Muriel asked her from her chambers. She had just finished work for the day. It had been a good day for her. Her life wasn’t fraught with the drama of her daughter’s. She couldn’t have lived that way, or worked as hard, although she had in her youth. Those days were over now. She was busy, but her life was not going at breakneck speed. Alexa’s was. Muriel hated this case for her, and all the stress she had.

“I don’t know, Mom,” Alexa said honestly. “I guess I’m afraid she’ll stay, that Tom will be so nice suddenly, and Charleston will be so seductive, all that beauty and southern charm. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Why wouldn’t she? What if she never wants to come home, or live in New York again?”

“She may love what she sees there, and want to go back for a visit, but I’ll be very surprised if she wants to live that far from you, for now anyway. And her sights are set on college, not on moving to the South, or discovering her roots. She should know about it, and I think it’s good for her to see. I always thought that, it’ll take care of any curiosity or magical beliefs she might have had about it. But Savannah is heading for college, that’s all she cares about now. You were out of college and in love with a man older than you. That’s a life Savannah can’t even imagine and doesn’t want. Not for a long, long time. If you ask, I think she’ll tell you the same thing. She was curious about it, but no more than that. And being there for three months will put all those questions to rest.”

“I wish I felt as sure.” Alexa was only slightly comforted by her mother’s words, although she made sense.

“Are you sure you’re worrying about Savannah and not yourself?” Bingo! Alexa knew instantly her mother had hit a nerve, by how uncomfortable she felt. As she always did, she had gone right to the epicenter of the pain.

“Yeah, maybe I am,” Alexa said honestly, trying to figure out what part of it she feared most. It was hard to say. “I was so happy there, I loved Tom so much, and his boys. I trusted him completely, and I thought we’d be together forever. And now all of that is gone, and someone else is married to him and living in that same house. It’s a little hard to take.” And she had hated him for it for years. He had stolen all her dreams, and destroyed all her trust. She had never been able to rebuild it since, with anyone. He had burned her to the ground. “I would have preferred never to go there again.”

“Sometimes we have to face the things that hurt us most. Maybe you won’t heal till you do. You haven’t yet.” They both knew that was true. “You can’t move ahead until you bury the past, and all that agony and hurt is still alive for you. Maybe this will do you good.” Alexa thought of it as the cab pulled up in front of the terminal, and she told her mother she had to go. But she knew that she was right. Her pain was still alive. None of it, nor the disappointment and feeling of betrayal, had dulled in the past ten years. If anything, it had gotten worse. She had no man in her life and didn’t want one, because she couldn’t forgive or forget the one who had hurt her most. Nor had she forgiven Tom’s mother, or his wife, who had urged him to betray her in every possible way. It had been a cabal against her, because she wasn’t one of them, hard as it was to believe now. It sounded crazy, but was true. Luisa had won by geography and tradition, and like Ashley in Gone with the Wind, Tom had been weak. She couldn’t forgive him for it even now. And ten years of not forgiving him had poisoned her, like a radioactive substance she had ingested years ago, still coursing through her veins. It burned her insides with a searing pain. She hadn’t wanted Savannah anywhere near those people, but she had had no other choice.

Alexa ran through security, and barely made her plane. She didn’t want to miss it and disappoint Savannah. It left at six-thirty, and landed after eight. Her heart caught as she saw the airport. She had told Savannah she’d call when she arrived and meet her at the hotel. She didn’t want her to wait alone. She got her bag and hailed a cab, and gave him the name of her hotel.

The drive to the city was familiar and brief. Her heart ached when she saw the bridges, and the church spires she had loved. One of those churches was where they had christened Savannah. The city was full of memories for her, like a too ripe plum ready to explode. She had to force them from her mind. Before she got to the hotel she called Savannah, who was waiting for the call in her room. It was almost nine o’clock by then. She had been planning to drive over, but her father had said he would drop her off, since Alexa had arranged for a rented car through the hotel. He knew her mother probably wouldn’t want her driving downtown alone. Savannah let him know when she got the call, and she ran downstairs with her small bag. She had kissed Daisy goodbye that afternoon, since she was spending the night at a friend’s. Luisa was out playing bridge that night. Tom had opted to stay home. He and Luisa were on extremely tense terms, but sleeping in the same room. Barely, but they were.

“You must be excited to see your mom,” Tom chatted easily on their way to the Wentworth Mansion. Alexa had remembered that it was the best hotel in town, and had originally been built as a home. It was still one of the city’s loveliest Victorian mansions, with every possible amenity and comfort, and gracious, beautifully appointed rooms, Tiffany glass ceilings, fine antiques, and a spa Alexa knew Savannah would enjoy and where they could both relax. It was in the heart of the city, with shops and restaurants all around it, and spectacular views of historic Charleston right from the hotel. Alexa was hoping it would be a treat for them both, and Savannah wouldn’t have cared if they stayed in a motel. She just wanted to see her mom. She could hardly wait.

“Yes, I am excited to see her,” Savannah answered with a broad smile and dancing eyes. “She’s my best friend,” she volunteered. “I miss her a lot.”

“I know you do,” Tom said, wishing he could fill the void somehow, but even if she enjoyed spending time with her father, it was too late for that. Thanks to him, he knew, they were acquaintances, not friends. He hoped to deepen their relationship while she was there, but contrary to her mother’s fears, three months wasn’t long. And surely not long enough to make up for ten years.

Tom followed Savannah into the Wentworth Mansion, carrying her bag. She hadn’t brought much with her, and said she could wear her mother’s clothes. Savannah bounded into the lobby like a young puppy, and as soon as she did, she saw her mother standing at the desk checking in, and nearly jumped into her arms. The two women hugged so tight and clung to each other so fiercely that they looked like one body with two heads, while Tom stood quietly by, unnoticed by both of them. Alexa ran her hands over Savannah’s hair and face and arms, as though she had been starving for her. Tom could see they both were, as Savannah clung to her mother like a child. It was a full five minutes before either of them remembered he was there. And he felt a secret sadness, watching them and knowing that he had created the fierce bond they shared, by abandoning both of them. He felt left out, and knew he had no right to more. He had it all once, and betrayed them, and now he lived in the ashes that were left. Both Alexa and Savannah were like rays of sunlight filtering into the darkness of his life through prison bars. It was a prison he had built himself, out of weakness and fear.

“Well, you two look mighty happy to see each other,” he said, smiling at them both. None of his sadness showed. He appeared happy for them, and in fact was jealous of what they shared. Everything about them was pure gold. Alexa immediately stiffened when she saw him. She had forgotten he was there, and so had Savannah. Alexa tried to be polite. She was grateful for the haven he was providing their daughter, but he was still Tom, the person on the planet she hated and who had hurt her most. She watched him as he hugged Savannah, kissed her, and wished them both a good weekend. It looked sincere, but who knew with him, Alexa thought to herself, and blamed it on the South, as she always did, still convinced that every southerner was a hypocrite and a liar, waiting to betray a loved one or a friend. It was too late to convince her otherwise. For her, they were like a separate nationality she abhorred.

“She’s been really looking forward to this,” Tom said gently to Alexa, not knowing what else to say. Everything about her was slammed tightly closed except when she looked at her daughter and her entire being relaxed and softened. Like night and day.

“So have I,” Alexa said coolly. “Thank you for keeping her here with you. I’m sure it can’t be easy for you.” She knew all about his fights with Luisa from Savannah, but didn’t let on.

“She’s our daughter,” he said simply, “and I’m happy to make things a little easier for you, if I can. How’s the case coming?” She really didn’t want to talk about it with him, but with his good manners and easy southern charm, it was hard to avoid answering him. Even knowing what she did, he was still a handsome, seductive man.

“It’s a lot of work,” she said politely. “But we’ve got him. I’ll be stunned if they don’t convict.”

“I’m sure you’ll win it,” he said, and then handed Savannah’s bag to a bellman. “Have a great weekend,” he said to Savannah. “I’ll pick you up on Sunday. Call me when you’re ready, or if you need anything before that.” He smiled at both of them and then strode out of the lobby on his long, lanky legs. There was no question about it, and even Alexa couldn’t deny it, he was a handsome man, and his genes hadn’t done Savannah any harm.

Alexa had reserved the best suite in the hotel, and Savannah looked around excitedly and exclaimed as she went from the living room to the bedroom and back again. It had a big four-poster bed like the one at Thousand Oaks, and this room was decorated in a deep yellow, with dark furniture, and lots of Tiffany glass. It was a classic antebellum mansion, and Savannah could hardly wait to see the spa. They had an appointment for massages, manicures, and pedicures the following afternoon before dinner. Alexa wanted to treat them both to a totally luxurious weekend.

They ordered something to eat in the room, since Savannah had already eaten and Alexa only wanted a light meal. Afterward she unpacked the few things that Alexa had forgotten in New York, and two new blouses and a sweater she had bought her, which Savannah loved and said she could wear to school. They talked about school, the people she had met there, and her meeting with her southern grandmother, and they talked about Alexa’s mother. They covered every possible topic and subject, hugged constantly, kissed each other often, teased each other, and Savannah told her about the “bless her heart” thing that southerners seemed to say before or after making a particularly bitchy comment, and Alexa roared with laughter and said it was true. They reveled in each other’s love, and finally got into the four-poster bed together at two in the morning. And then with their arms around each other, they fell asleep like two puppies, happy for the first time in weeks.

And the minute they woke up in the morning, they started talking about everything they wanted to do. Alexa wanted to take her to a few cute shops that she remembered, if they were still there, and her favorite restaurant for lunch, and Savannah had a list of places too. They had enough to keep them busy for a week, and by ten-thirty they were walking down the streets of Charleston on a gloriously sunny day. Alexa felt a tug at her heart as she saw familiar places, but she tried not to let it upset her. This weekend was all about Savannah and not the disappointment she’d had here.

They went to a shop full of nothing but cashmere sweaters, mostly in pastel colors. Alexa bought her a pink one, and they were laughing as they left the store, and Savannah’s eyes widened as she saw her friend from school. Julianne was with her mother, whose face lit up the moment she saw Alexa, as though she had seen her best friend too. She once had been, but had betrayed her as Tom had. It was the first time Alexa had seen or heard from her in ten years.

“Oh my God, Alexa! Dawlin’, how are you? You can’t even know how many times I’ve thought about you…I just miss you to pieces and Savannah is so gorgeous. Bless her heart, she looks just like you.” Savannah and Alexa exchanged a quick look at her last words and tried not to burst out laughing. But Alexa was irked by her hypocrisy and pretense of a still-existing friendship and concern that she tried to pretend had lain dormant, when in fact it had died years before, at her hands. “How long are you here for?”

“Just till tomorrow. I came down for the weekend.”

“My Gawwddd, we have to get together the next time you come. Call me before you do. We could have lunch with our girls.” Not on your life, Alexa was thinking as she smiled back at her. “We’re just so happy that Savannah is visiting her daddy. The girls are such good friends.” Alexa nodded and said nothing, with a fake smile on her face. Savannah knew that look, and it was reserved for people her mother disliked intensely or had utter contempt for. And she knew that Julianne’s mother was one. Her name was Michelle, and people called her Shelly. “What are you doing in New York now? Are you remarried?” Alexa had a strong urge to slap her when she asked. It was none of her business. Whatever the pretense, they were no longer friends, and never would be again.

“I’m a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office,” Alexa said quietly. She didn’t answer the question about marriage. She suspected Shelly knew anyway, from the girls. She had always been nosy, loved gossip, and pumped everyone for all the information she could get.

“Bless your heart, that’s such a big job, especially for a woman. You’re quite the celebrity around here.” Alexa thanked her and said they had to get going. The girls promised to call each other the following night, and Alexa and Savannah hurried away to the next shop on her list. And once they were out of earshot, Alexa turned to her daughter with a wry look.

“I counted a total of two ‘bless your hearts’ for you, and four for me. Watch out, she hates us!” Alexa warned her as they both burst into laughter.

“I noticed. I lost count after the first two. Julianne doesn’t get along with her mother either. She says she’s a total bitch.”

“Yeah, I’d say she’s right. She was about as sincere as poisoned ice cream, magnolia flavored!”

“Now, Mom, stop with your thing about the South. You just had rotten luck here.” Savannah never failed to call her on it, and part of Alexa knew she was right. The other part hated the South too much to care.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever” was all she answered, as they stopped in a shop to buy lotions and makeup. They were having a totally girly weekend, just like they did in New York when they both had time, which was never often enough for Alexa. Savannah had a much busier social life than she did, and her mother was sure she would in Charleston soon too.

Their massages at the spa at the Wentworth Mansion were sheer heaven. They had their nails done, and padded back to their suite in rubber flip-flops with cotton between their toes. Alexa had made a reservation at Circa 1886 for dinner. It was in the former carriage house of their hotel and Alexa had never been there. But for most of the day, they had stopped at her old favorite places. And just as she had thought, it was bittersweet being there. She had lived there as a young wife and new mother, and since then her life had changed completely. They saw no familiar faces other than Julianne and Shelly, but Alexa was startled and touched when Travis called her. He apologized for being out of touch for so long. He said he’d love to see her the next time, but was in a tennis tournament at the club that weekend. He made a point of saying that Savannah was a fantastic girl, and he was happy to talk to Alexa. He was every bit as polite as his father, she just hoped he was more sincere. He mentioned that he was getting married in June and wanted Savannah to be there.

Savannah had told her that she really liked Scarlette, and Travis had been really nice to her. She hadn’t met Henry yet, but he was supposedly coming home for a weekend soon. He was living in New Orleans, and working for an art dealer there, but that was all she knew.

Their dinner that night was even better than they’d been promised. And they both wore dresses they’d bought that afternoon. By the time they got back to their hotel room, they were happy and exhausted. The only bad part of the evening was knowing that Alexa was leaving the next day. Neither of them wanted to think about it yet.

They decided to go to church the next morning before going to brunch at Baker’s Café.

They went to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, where Alexa told Savannah she’d been christened, and slipped into a pew. It was a serious, traditional service, with beautiful organ music, and on the way out, Alexa and Savannah were holding hands and feeling good. They had just shaken hands with the minister outside the church, when suddenly someone ran up to Savannah, threw their arms around her waist, and nearly knocked her over. She tried to regain her balance and composure, and turned to see who it was and found herself looking down into Daisy’s face, who looked immensely pleased.

“What are you doing here?” Savannah asked, still startled, and then introduced Daisy to her mother, who looked equally surprised but smiled at Daisy warmly. She was a very cute kid, and obviously crazy about Savannah. Alexa didn’t have time to absorb what this child had meant in her own life and how she had been used. She was just a little girl in pigtails with a huge grin.

“My mom and I come here every Sunday, almost,” Daisy explained to Savannah and then turned to her mother with interest. “Savannah says you’re going to put a very, very bad man in prison.”

“I’m trying,” Alexa said, smiling at her, and then added, “That’s why Savannah’s here, so he can’t hurt her.”

“I know,” Daisy said, looking important. “She told me all about it, and about you.” She smiled broadly at Alexa again.

“She told me about you too,” Alexa said warmly, completely ignoring who she was and who she belonged to. Daisy had a sweetness of her own that obscured all else. She was impossible to resist. Her face lit up at what Alexa had just said to her. She looked immensely pleased.

“She did?” Daisy asked happily. “I really, really love her,” she said, putting her arm around her sister’s waist again, as a voice behind them flew between them like a spear.

“Daisy! Take your hands off Savannah immediately!” the voice said sharply. Savannah knew who it was before she turned around to look, and Alexa could guess. “That’s no way to behave at church.” It was Luisa, glaring at the three of them with a venomous look, which was no way to behave at church either, Alexa thought to herself.

“Church is over, Mama. This is the part where everyone is friendly,” Daisy insisted, with good reason. Apparently, Luisa had not come to church for that part, and surely not with these two women. She looked right through Savannah and Alexa, as though they didn’t exist, as she scolded her child. Savannah decided to try and take the heat off Daisy.

“Luisa, I’d like to introduce you to my mother, Alexa Hamilton,” Savannah said politely, nearly drawling herself, but not quite. Luisa looked at her in outrage, as though Savannah had just taken her clothes off in front of church, or grabbed her stepmother by her elaborately coiffed hair.

“We met, many years ago,” she said through clenched teeth as her own daughter watched her with a look of resignation, wondering why her mother was always so mean. She was not a happy person, and angry most of the time. As Luisa said the words, she looked sourly at Alexa.

“It’s nice to see you again, Luisa,” Alexa said, lying through her teeth. She would have liked to add “bless your heart” but didn’t dare. Neither she nor Savannah could have kept a straight face, or maybe even Daisy. “Thank you for having Savannah stay with you. I really appreciate it, and I know she does too.”

“Not at all,” Luisa said, and grabbed Daisy by the back of the neck in a firm grip, and propelled her toward their car without another word. Daisy looked back with a pained grin and waved, and both women felt sorry for her. In many ways, she was the victim in all this, as Savannah had been years before, and neither of them deserved it.

“What a bitch,” Alexa muttered, watching Luisa snap at Daisy as she slammed the door to the car, and then drove her away. “Bless her heart,” she added, and Savannah laughed out loud.

“Yeah, she is,” Savannah confirmed. “But I’m glad you met Daisy. She’s such a sweet kid.”

“Your father sure got what he deserved with that one,” Alexa commented about Luisa as they walked away from the church.

“He looks pretty miserable most of the time,” Savannah confirmed, “or maybe that’s just because she’s so mad that I’m there. They’ve hardly said two words to each other since I got here, except when they’re fighting.”

“Sounds like a fun life.” Alexa had been startled by the meeting, and rendered almost speechless by the look of venom in Luisa’s eyes. She was a piece of work, and even worse than Alexa had imagined. Much, much worse.

They had a lovely brunch at Baker’s Café, which was one of Alexa’s old favorites. She said that they had gone there a lot when she was pregnant with Savannah. It was one of the old traditional restaurants of Charleston, with a pretty garden, and it was a lovely sunny day. Then they drove out to the beach, across several picturesque bridges, and eventually wound up back at the hotel in the late afternoon. They both hated to admit it, but their magical weekend was drawing to a close, and it made both of them very sad.

“How soon do you think you can come back, Mom?” Savannah asked, looking worried.

“I don’t know, another week…or two…but I had a great time with you, sweetheart. I could even fall in love with Charleston again, here with you. Just don’t you do it,” she warned her. “I want you home soon!”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I won’t stay here. It’s fun to visit, but I’m coming back to New York as soon as I can. I’d come home now if you let me,” but they both knew that would have been a bad idea.

“Don’t let Cruella De Vil get to you,” Alexa said as Savannah laughed at the description. “Bless her heart, of course.”

Alexa packed her bag, minus all the items she had brought for Savannah or that her daughter had taken a shine to. She had to leave for the airport at six-thirty for an eight o’clock flight. Savannah offered to come to the airport with her, but her mother didn’t want her to. It was better for Savannah if they said goodbye at the hotel and she went home with Tom, instead of standing at the airport alone when her mother left.

Savannah called her father just before they left the room and went downstairs to pay the bill. She was relieved that her mother would be coming back soon. She knew that once the trial started in May that wouldn’t be possible, but at least for March and April, Alexa was going to try and come down every couple of weeks, or more often if she could. She had promised, and she always kept her word.

By the time Alexa finished paying the bill, Tom walked into the lobby. He had come from the club and was wearing tennis shorts, and Alexa averted her eyes. She didn’t want to see how handsome he was, or how good his legs were. It was no longer her problem, but she already knew that something about him would always stir feelings inside her. But it was nothing more than that.

“I’ll bet you two had a great weekend,” he said, smiling broadly at them, and then his face clouded just a little. “I hear you ran into Luisa and Daisy at church.” His wife had nearly taken off his head about that, as though he had planned it. Luisa had told him that he should have warned Savannah not to go anywhere near their church. He had commented acidly on her warm Christian spirit, and could only imagine how unpleasant she must have been to Alexa. Instead of being remorseful, or feeling sorry for her, Luisa seemed to have a need to punish her further and grind her into dust. He looked at Alexa now as though to apologize for his wife.

“It was fine,” Alexa said brusquely, and then turned her attention to Savannah to say goodbye. They were both fighting back tears when Alexa got into the cab for the ride to the airport. Savannah stood on the sidewalk and waved until her mother disappeared, and then she got in her father’s car and they drove to Mt. Pleasant. It felt weird to her sometimes-she had a father suddenly, and she wasn’t used to it at all. She told him about the weekend and all the things they’d done.

She unpacked her bag when they got home, and the new things her mother had bought her. Daisy bounced into the room and chatted with her. Julianne and two other girls called her, and Travis and Scarlette came to dinner. Scarlette brought Savannah some magazines, and Travis a funny old photograph he had of her when she was three. By the time Alexa got off the plane in New York, Savannah had settled back into her new routine, and in an odd way, it almost felt like home.

Daisy had commented to Savannah that night that her mom was really pretty and seemed nice, and apologized to her that her own mother was so mean.

“I think my mom is jealous of your mom,” Daisy said with the wisdom of young children.

“Maybe,” Savannah conceded, and then they both burst out laughing as they both said at the same time, “Bless her heart.”