Dead In The Water (Rebecca Schwartz Mystery #4) (The Rebecca Schwartz Series)

build a rapport.
    Or had they caught on that Sadie’s death and their mother’s being in jail were connected? Had it hit them in that millisecond that that had to be what their mom had been arrested for, and if so, how had they put it together so fast? Had they heard their mother threaten her? Or was it intuition?
    In just a few minutes around these small beings, I was starting to understand that they lived in a different place from the one adults lived in, that they had transmitters and receivers that could get past normal barriers of communication. I don’t mean I’d lived such an isolated life I’d never seen a kid close up—far from it. But I hadn’t been around them much under extreme stress, and I felt I’d just seen something naked and important. I thought that if I could tune in to where they were, I might learn something.
    The next question, of course, was what to do next. Try to comfort Libby, probably, though I didn’t think I’d get far. The doorbell rang as I started for the stairs.
    “Oh.” The caller was a gold-colored girl with black hair, smaller than Libby, maybe a little younger. Looking confused, she turned briefly around as a silver-painted compact drove away.
    “It’s okay. I’m Rebecca, the baby-sitter. Did you come to see Libby?”
    She nodded, looking very scared.
    “Come in.”
    She did, but obviously because a grown-up was telling her to, not because she wanted to. It was clear she wanted to run for her life. Did I look weird?
    It came to me that I hadn’t combed my hair. I probably had dreadlocks. I was going to have to fake being motherly—it certainly didn’t come natural. “What’s your name, angel? Would you like to sit down?”
    “Esperanza.” She made no move to sit.
    “What a beautiful name. It’s Spanish, isn’t it?”
    She looked anxiously at the stairs. “Honey, I’m not sure Libby’s going to be able to play this morning—let me just ask her, shall I?”
    She looked at me oddly. I thought she was wondering why I didn’t just send her up—she could ask Libby herself. I didn’t because I was afraid Libby in her current state would scare her even worse. The girl would be sure I was holding Libby captive and now had Esperanza to torture as well. Damn! If only I could get to a comb maybe she wouldn’t be so nervous.
    I raced up the stairs, not able to get away fast enough, and found Libby crying her heart out. “Honey, Esperanza’s here.”
    No answer, just sobs.
    “Shall I tell her you can’t play?”
    She nodded, the back of her head going up and down on her pillow.
    No surprises there. I ducked into a bathroom and saw that I didn’t look awful at all, but ran a comb through anyway and headed back down.
    Esperanza was huddled small and miserable against a chair that would have held three of her, just leaning, not sitting down, as if at the ready for quick takeoff. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry, she just isn’t up to it. Do you live close by?”
    She shook her head.
    I tried to think. I didn’t want to leave Libby and Keil, assuming he was still somewhere about. For one thing, they hadn’t even eaten yet… .
    The thought brought me up short, it was so stereotypical. Maybe I did have maternal instincts.
    “Want to call your mom to come get you?”
    “My dad. He won’t be home yet.”
    “Does he have a machine? We could leave a message.”
    “My dad says machines are for yuppies with nothing better to spend their money on.”
    “Okay, honey. We’ll wait a few minutes then. Have you had breakfast?”
    She nodded, barely interested, finally getting up the nerve to say what was on her mind: “Can I watch TV?”
    “Sure.” She scampered off almost happily. Why hadn’t I thought of it? The world’s greatest babysitter and I wasn’t even taking advantage.
    It was forty-five minutes before her dad had made the round trip, and as miserable a three-quarters of an hour as I’ve ever spent. First I went to look for Keil, and despite my frantic wails of
Kiiiiiull
!, which must have pierced the neighbors’ eardrums, he didn’t turn up. Then I went up to try to talk to Libby and was rudely told to get out of there. Thank God Esperanza had opted out of the equation.
    I thought maybe I could drink my coffee in peace. It was cold, of course. So I made some more, but found I couldn’t sit still and relax. In fact, I didn’t need the coffee. I was on full-tilt adrenaline.
    I phoned my law partner. “Chris, I’m in a bind.”
    “You poor