P Is for Peril

letter H as I pressed one softening chocolate square against the roof of my mouth.
    "How'd you know the car was his?"
    "The vanity license plate."
    We were silent. Crystal turned on the radio and then thought better of it and turned it off again. The rain on the roof was a soft percussion, a drummer's brushes on cymbals. The atmosphere was oddly intimate. We were both out of our natural habitats, constrained by the unfamiliar setting, bound by the wait. "I take it they haven't pulled the car out of the water yet," she said at length.
    "They're waiting for the tow truck. Odessa said he'd let us know as soon as there's something to report." I ate an E and stuck the rest of the Hershey's in my shoulder bag. I crossed my arms in a vain attempt to get warm.
    Crystal made a sound that was half sigh and half something else: tension, impatience, simple weariness. "I knew he was dead. That's the only explanation that made any sense. I told you he wouldn't walk off and leave Griff."
    "Crystal, they haven't even brought the car up. We don't know he's in there."
    "He's there. Leila's going to freak."
    "How so? She doesn't like him."
    "Of course not. She treated him like dirt. How's she going to make her peace with that?"
    I hesitated, wanting to press. She was more vulnerable than I'd seen her. This might be my only opportunity. "What's her anger about?"
    "It's too complicated to go into."
    "Nothing's too complicated if he's dead."
    Crystal roused herself and turned. "Why should I tell you? You're not working for me."
    "I'm not working against you, either. What's her problem?"
    "Why is that any concern of yours?"
    "It isn't, if you put it that way, but it's going to get worse."
    "I don't doubt that," she said. And after a long pause, "There's been a certain amount of trauma in Leila's life. She needs help sorting it out."
    "She's seeing a shrink?"
    "She's been seeing one for years. At first, three times a week. Now it's down to twice a month on weekends when she's up from school."
    "He has appointments on weekends?"
    "It's a she."
    "Sorry. I didn't think psychiatrists were that obliging."
    "This one is. She's truly fabulous with kids. This is the fifth shrink Leila's seen and I was at my wit's end."
    "How'd you find her?"
    "We were lucky for once. Charlotte Friedman's a woman Anica went to school with. Her husband retired and they moved here from Boston."
    "What sort of trauma? I'm still not getting it."
    Crystal seemed to debate with herself. She stared straight ahead and when she spoke her tone was as flat and distant as an old phonograph record. "I had a little boy who drowned. Of course, it affected us all. That was the beginning of the end where Lloyd and I were concerned. Some things you never recover from. A child's death is one."
    "What happened?"
    "That was Jordie. My sweet one. He was eighteen months old. I was working one night and left him with the woman next door. She was talking on the phone when Jordie toddled out the screen door and fell in the pool. By the time she found him and called the paramedics, he couldn't be revived."
    "I'm sorry."
    "I thought I'd die, but it was worse for Leila. Children aren't prepared for loss. They don't understand and it's hard to explain death in terms that they comprehend. I've never been religious. I didn't want to sell her a fairy tale, especially one I wasn't buying myself. Dr. Fried-man says when faced with the death of a sibling, some children disconnect. They act like nothing's happened. Others, like Leila, start acting out. She's difficult. You've seen it yourself. Rebellious. Emotional. I've talked to Charlotte-with Leila's permission of course. Charlotte feels Leila's behavior is her way of distancing herself, creating a barrier between herself and a world that she finds treacherous. If she doesn't care about anyone, she can't be hurt. At any rate, I know I'm protective. I'm not even sure how I'm going to tell her about all this."
    "She's here. Didn't you see her back there with Lloyd?"
    Crystal sat up abruptly. "I had no idea. Where?"
    "Far side of the road, about three cars back. At least they were a while ago."
    "I better see how she's doing." Crystal reached around the seat for a big black umbrella that was stashed on the floor. She opened the car door a crack and stuck the umbrella out, popping the automatic latch that caused it to thwop into full sail.
    "Thanks for the Hershey's. You saved my life."
    "You're welcome."
    The tow truck appeared, its headlights