Sure, neither Trez, nor her first boss, had ever had any problems with the police, but how could she have put so much faith in that track record considering what was at stake?
God...in cutting herself loose from that whole seedy underside of life, she was able to view her choice to do what she'd done for the money with very different eyes...
Glancing around at all the people in the pews, she was shocked to realize that these were normal eyes she was regarding her actions with. And as a result she was horrified with herself.
Be careful what you wish for, she thought. She'd wanted to be among the worried well, because that had seemed so much easier than where she'd been. Now that she was dipping her foot in that pool, though, it just made what she'd done seem all the more terrible and irresponsible and dangerous.
And actually, that had been the way she'd lived for the last ten years, hadn't it. Her marriage to Mark had been the first step into a kind of lawless life she'd seen only on TV. Going rogue to keep her son safe had been the second. Turning to prostitution to make money in order to survive had been the third.
As she looked down the long aisle to the altar, she got angry with herself and her choices. She was the only person Robbie had in his life, and though she'd thought she was putting him first, she really hadn't done that, had she.
And the fact that she hadn't had many other options considering what kind of money she owed was a very cold comfort.
When the service was over, she and Robbie stood up and joined the crush of people who pooled in the vestibule around Father Neely. For the most part, she focused on ushering Robbie forward, but every now and again, because she couldn't avoid it without being rude, she nodded to people she knew from the prayer group or from previous Sundays.
Robbie held on to her hand, but made like the man, squiring her instead of being led - at least as far as he knew. When they came up to the priest, he let go and was the first to shake the man's hand.
"Lovely service," Marie-Terese, said laying her palms lightly on her son's shoulders. "And the cathedral renovations are coming along beautifully."
"They are, they are." Father Neely looked around with a smile, his white hair and tall, thin bearing perfect for a man of the cloth. In fact, he kind of looked like the cathedral, pale and ethereal. "Quite a lift on her, and about time."
"I'm glad you're cleaning up the statuary as well." She nodded over to the blank spot where the Mary Magdalene figure had been. "When is she coming back?"
"Oh, dear, you don't know? She was stolen." People pressed in, and Father Neely started meeting the stares of other churchgoers and smiling. "The police are looking for the vandal. We're lucky, though, considering what else could have been taken as well."
"That is terrible." Marie-Terese tapped Robbie and he took the hint, clasping her hand and starting to lead again. "I hope they get her back."
"Myself as well." The priest leaned forward and squeezed her forearm, his eyes kind under his cotton-ball eyebrows. "Be well, my child."
He was always nice to her. Even though he knew.
"You, too, Father," she said roughly.
She and Robbie walked out into the chilly April afternoon, and as she looked up at the milky white sky, she smelled a change in the air. "Wow, I think we may be getting a snow."
"Really? That would be so cool."
As they went along the sidewalk, car engines were starting up far and wide as the Sunday Times 500 lit off and the congregation raced back home to collapse on sofas and easy chairs with the newspaper. At least, that was what she assumed they did, given the number of people she saw coming out of the Rite Aid down the street with their arms full of the New York Times and the Sunday edition of the Caldwell Courier Journal.
Without being asked, Robbie took her hand again as they came to the curb at the end of the block and they waited together for a break in the bumper-to-bumper. Standing by him, she worried about what was waiting for her on her phone - except she knew better than to check with him around. Her poker face was good, but not that good.
It turned out her gamble with the parking laws had worked in her favor and the Camry hadn't been towed, but its engine was not happy about the cold weather that had rolled in. She finally got the thing started, though, and pulled out into traffic -
From the backseat, her purse let out a little purring sound: Her phone was vibrating again, this time against her wallet, which accounted for the sound.
Craning her arm around, she tried reach the thing, but Robbie's nimble little hands got there first.
"It says 'Trez, " he announced as he handed the cell over.
She hit send with dread. "Hello?"
"You need to come down to the club right away," Trez said. "The police are here about the assauf and they want to ask you some questions."
"What assau - " She glanced at Robbie. "I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"
"There was another man found in an alley last night. He had been badly beaten and he's in critical condition in the hospital. Listen, he's someone I saw you with - and others did, too. You need to - "
"Mom!"
Marie-Terese slammed on the brakes and the Camry went into a pig-squeal skid, narrowly missing the quarter panel of an SUV that had the right of way. As the other car's horn blared, the cell phone flipped out of her hand and bounced across the dashboard, ping-ponging all the way over to Robbie's window before disappearing onto the floor at his feet.
The Camry came to a stop with the lurching grace of a bull and she wheeled around at her son. "Are you okay?"
As she patted her hands over his chest, he nodded and slowly released his death grip on his seat belt. "I think...that light...was red."
"It sure was." She pushed her hair out of her face and looked through the front windshield.
The SUV's furious driver made eye contact, but as soon as the guy saw her face, the anger in him eased - which gave her an idea of how terrified she must appear. As he mouthed, Are you okay? she nodded, and he lifted his hand in a wave before driving off.
Marie-Terese needed a minute, however - so thank God the Camry had essentially parallel parked itself at the curb.
Well, on the curb.
In the rearview mirror, she saw a man getting out of a blue Subaru that had pulled over behind her. As he walked up, he pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose and tried to smooth his thinning blond hair in the brisk wind. She knew him, she realized...from prayer group meetings and from the previous evening at the confessionals.
She hit the window button, thinking she was surprised he approached. He seemed shy and almost never spoke at the meetings. Which she supposed put him in the same quiet tribe as her.
"Everyone all right?" he asked, bending down and putting his forearm on the roof.
"We are, but that was a close one." She smiled up at him. "Nice of you to stop."
"I was behind you, and I should have honked or something when I didn't see any brake lights as you came up to the intersection. Guess you were distracted. You okay, too, son?"
Robbie kept silent, his eyes locked downward and his hands in his lap. He was not one for making eye contact with men, and Marie-Terese had no interest in forcing him to.
"He's fine," she said, resisting the urge to check him for injury again.
There was a long moment and then the man stepped back. "Guess you'll be on your way home then. Take care."
"You, too, and thanks again for checking on us."
"My pleasure. See you soon."
As she put up her window, a squawking came from the floor at Robbie's feet. "The phone!" she said. "Oh, no, Trez...Robbie, could you get that?"
Robbie bent down and picked the thing up. Before he gave it to her, he asked grimly, "Would you like me to drive home?"
Marie-Terese nearly laughed, but what stopped her was the seriousness in his face. "I'll watch out better. Promise."
"Okay. Mom."
She patted his knee as she put the phone back to her ear. "Trez?"
"What the f**k was that!"
With a wince, she held the receiver away from her ear. "Ah...it was a red light that I didn't handle very well." She checked every mirror on the car and all the windows before putting her blinker on. "But no one's hurt."
As the blue Subaru went by, she waved at the driver. Paul...Peter...what was his name? "Jesus Christ...I nearly had a heart attack," Trez muttered.