Page 33 of Wired Target

Another pang of guilt; in the distractions of the previous week, Sophie had forgotten to take her antidepressant.Apparently, the pill was still needed.“I will take it right away.”

“Yes.Go take a shower and your medication.I will fix you lunch, then you will lie down and rest.After that, you can see the children.”Armita folded her arms on her narrow chest and glared at Sophie.“You must take care of yourself.You are no good to Momi and Sean depressed—or dead.”

Sophie turned and headed down the hall toward the bathroom without a word; Armita was right.

Day 7

Sophie felt like she was swimming up through dark layers of heavy water as she woke from her nap and pushed the sleep mask up from her eyes.Disoriented, she stared at a slightly domed stucco ceiling trimmed in nativekoawood.A ceiling fan with wooden blades and a pull cord hung motionless above her.

Gradually memory kicked in.

She was home, in her new bed, after the disastrous trip to Maui.

Sophie spread her arms, sliding them over the smooth cotton of the plain white matelassé comforter.She hadn’t slept here long enough for the room or the space to resonate with familiarity yet.

She turned her head and tracked around the room; the furnishings were period pieces from the 1940s chosen to match the house’s era, and made ofkoawood: a dresser, a comfy rocker she sat in with Sean, a vanity with a mirror and a little stool where Momi loved to sit and primp.A few vintage framed Hawaii travel posters brightened the walls; a single window, framed in filmy curtains, let in the slanted orange light of sunrise.

“Oh, son of a flea-bitten dog,”she muttered, tossing off the light sheet Armita had covered her with.She’d slept through to the next day!

Sophie removed her ear plugs and placed them in the bedside drawer.She might have slept too long, but the sleep had helped restore her.The encroaching fog of depression that had dulled her senses and sapped her energy seemed to have rolled back; she could breathe freely.

The house was quiet, but then the rooms were fairly soundproof.Armita likely had the children in the kitchen for breakfast.Sophie could take a few more moments to make sure her body and mind were back in working order.The children deserved her best.

Sophie went to the closet and took out a yoga mat.Hurrying now, she went through an accelerated series of ten Sun Salutations, feeling aches and pains from her exertions of the day, and the fullness of breasts which hadn’t been pumped in far too long.“Sean will be weaned before either of us are ready,” Sophie muttered.“Enough of this.”

She left the mat where it lay and hurried to the door, unable to wait one more moment to see her children.

Sophie stood in the doorway of the kitchen, yet unseen by her family.

She soaked in the sight before her: both dogs were curled together in their bed, Sean sat in his bouncer chair on the table, batting at a dangling toy with pudgy hands, and Momi was in her highchair with Armita beside her.

Armita handed Momi a cup of water, admonishing her in Thai to hold it with both hands.Sunrise gold light slanted in through the sliding glass door that opened onto the infinity pool with its newly installed safety fence.The smell of something tasty cooking on the stove filled the air.

“Hello, darlings,” Sophie said, and stepped into pandemonium as the dogs boiled up from their bed and Momi and Sean yelled in excitement to see her.

Sophie made the rounds, kissing and hugging Momi first, then scooping Sean up out of his seat and sitting down in a kitchen chair with him to pat the dogs’ heads, then facing Armita with a smile as she held the baby close.“Thank you, Armita.I needed the rest.”

“Yes, you did.I’ve put on some restorative tea for you.”Armita smiled back.“And I haven’t fed the little man yet; I thought you’d want to.”

“Yes,” Sophie said simply, and she put the baby to her breast.Her whole being relaxed; she shut her eyes as the milk let down and her baby took his nourishment.

She wasn’t leaving these precious ones again, no matter how urgent a case might be.They needed her more than anyone else could, and the truth was, she needed them just as much.

After the meal, Sophie took the children to the nursery to play while Armita cleaned up.Sean was rocking in his infant swing while Momi stacked blocks when Sophie’s new phone rang.Sophie checked the display and picked up a forwarded call from Char Leong.

“Hello, Char.”Sophie tucked Sean’s blanket in around him as she sat on the floor beside the swing.

“Hey lady.How’s tricks?”

Sophie frowned.“Um.I suppose you’re asking me how things are going.Not well, in fact.”

Leong’s voice sobered.“I’m sorry to hear that.Did you mean personally, or with the case?”

“Both, I’m afraid.But I’d rather not get into it until you let me know why you’re calling.”

“Sure.Gotcha.”Leong cleared her throat.“Thanks for the Stingray device.I identified the student whose art tipped off our counselor through matching the art to his submission to the Fabergé contest.It wasn’t hard to follow the kid with the device.I hid in the library and was able to track two phones texting him harassing messages.The kid is being bullied, all right—browbeaten to keep quiet about the crime.He’s in a bad way.”

“That’s a shame, though it doesn’t excuse participating in such a deed.”

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