Page 41 of Mending Fences
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Mandy changed the calendar. April first. If anyone was a fool, it was her. Yesterday had been a nightmare and a dream all in one. Mud bath—they had actually taken a mud bath, and the massage had been to die for. Colin and Bonnie had met them for a private dinner. Colin had been adamant about them both changing their passwords for everything from Amazon to Zulily. Bonnie had not been what she’d expected at all. Daniel’s secretary was grandmotherly yet feisty enough to make Mandy wonder if Daniel ran his office at all.
Mandy’s toenails, painted with white flowers on dark peach, were mini works of art. In two weeks tops, they would be chipped and worn.
In two weeks her boot might be off. Hopefully. Had it only been two weeks since she’d fallen off the fence?
In two weeks she would be old news. Less if she was very lucky. Sunday’s kiss attempt by Summerset Vandemark hadn’t made the headlines. Fake, they had called it.
In two weeks her MFA project would be done.If Only ...
In two weeks Daniel would be back. Or not.
People can survive without food for two weeks. She could do this.
She returned too late last night to call him and hadn’t gotten up the courage to even text today. After seeing part of his life in Chicago last night, she wondered if she could ever live in his world. He’d be in court now so there was no point in texting yet.
At least the whole fiasco had given her two extra days on her project. She set about turning the Crawford mansion into an art museum with a statue garden and art classes on the lawn.
When a video-chat icon popped up on her computer, she clicked it open. Her parents never called in the morning. Mandy’s mother’s face filled the screen. Dirt smudged her cheek, and hair escaped the messy bun she always wore. “Oh, Mandy! Glad we caught you before work. My grad students showed me all the photos! How long have you been on crutches?”
“I told you about them last week, remember? Right before you told me about the stone pillar.”
“Oh, that is right. Something about trespassing, right?”
Mandy loved her mother but had long ago realized that outside of the latest dig, she was incapable of focusing for long. It was ADD meets the Mummy’s Curse. “Not exactly trespassing, but my foot is healing well.”
“Who is this man in the photos? You didn’t tell me you were dating someone.” There was a distinct pout in her mother’s voice.
“It is just Danny Crawford. Remember I met him the first summer I stayed at Grandma Mae’s?”
“Oh. Why is your date all over the web?”
“He has low level celebrity status, that’s all.”
Mandy’s father rested his head on her mother’s shoulder. “I don’t like some of the things people are saying about my little girl.”
“I don’t either, but the story will die down soon.” Mandy didn’t want to discuss the current status of her life. “How is the dig? Anything new?”
As expected, her mother launched into a detailed description of an intact tablet they believed to be of Chavín origin. Mandy only half listened. A tiny twinge of guilt nudged her for deliberately distracting her mother. But she was afraid if she mentioned the vandalism or her bodyguard, her father would abandon the dig for the first flight home.
In two weeks she would tell them the truth.
Two weeks was too long and not long enough.
Daniel studied the courtroom. The second day of testimony was well underway. A sketch artist in the corner scrutinized Daniel. At least there were no cameras inside. Dodging the ones outside had been difficult enough.
The EMT who had been punched by one of the photographers took the stand.
Across the aisle, Summerset sat with her father. Her soft-white suit and pink blouse reminded him of someone other than the party girl he knew. It wasn’t until the single pair of pearl earrings caught the light that he realized she was trying to exude Princess Diana. If only she mimicked the late princess outside of the courtroom, he might have some peace. Of course, she was always better behaved in the presence of her father.
The bailiff called his name.
The assistant DA asked the standard identification questions before getting to the meat of Daniel’s testimony. “Mr. Crawford, in your own words, please tell us what led to your 911 call the afternoon of December 29 and your subsequent actions.”
“After lunch, I took a walk in Central Park to clear my head and make some calls. As I was returning to the hotel, I saw Miss Vandemark exiting. As always, there were a dozen or more photographers around. Miss Vandemark appeared to be more animated than usual. About the time I reached the corner, she collapsed. Someone yelled, ‘She’s not breathing!’ and several of the photographers surged forward. The doorman tried to get them to move back. I dialed 911 and gave the pertinent info, then attempted to get through the crowd to her.”
The lawyer reread his notes. “You are not a trained medic. Why did you try to reach her?”
