Page 104 of The Change
“It’s okay,” she overheard Lucy telling Art. “Mom needs me to be here right now.”
That night, Jo had spent hours on the Spin bike she’d had installed in the basement. She could have ridden to the moon and back—it wouldn’t have made any difference. There was no way to burn off her rage or the terror that fueled it.
On the last day of August, Jo got Lucy out of bed early. Art was headed to a meeting in Manhattan, so Jo took their daughter with her to open the gym. They were at the front door, with the keyin the lock, when Jo spotted the reflection of someone coming up behind them.
Before Jo could react, Lucy wheeled around like a miniature ninja, her fists clenched and her arms poised to punch.
“Hey there,” said a woman in black leggings and a windbreaker. She held out a hand to Lucy. “I’m Claude.” There was nothing patronizing about the gesture.
“Lucy,” the girl replied, unclenching a fist to shake the woman’s hand.
“You’ve got quite a bodyguard,” Claude told Jo. “I wouldn’t want to mess with her.”
“She’s pretty tough.” Jo hugged her daughter proudly, then gave Claude a once-over. “You look like you’re raring to go this morning. We don’t usually open for another hour or so. The bees still bothering you out on the Pointe?”
“They haven’t been quite as bad since Jackson’s been in the hospital,” Claude said.
Jo grimaced. “Oh God. He’s still in there?”
“Leonard told me he’s being released soon. I know this will sound horrible, but it’s been much more pleasant on the Pointe without him. This has been my first harassment-free summer in ages.”
“Morning!” Heather, Jo’s assistant manager, joined them, and Jo stepped aside so she could open the doors. “Well, hello there, Miss Lucy. I could use some help getting things ready. If we get our work done fast enough, I can buy you a smoothie before we open.”
“Yes!” Lucy raced inside to get started.
“You are a saint for offering, but you do not have to babysit,” Jo told Heather.
“Babysit?” Heather scoffed. “Lucy’s one of the best workers around—and she’s definitely the cheapest.”
“Okay then,” Jo said. “But the second you need some kid-freetime, you just let me know.” She held the door as Heather passed through and waited for Claude to come inside as well.
“Actually, I’m not here to work out,” Claude admitted. Her tone had changed, and some of her confidence seemed to have slipped away. “I was wondering if you might have a few minutes. I have a question I’d like to ask you.”
“Okay,” Jo said. “What is it?”
“Come across the street for a quick cup of coffee?” Claude asked.
“Sure,” Jo said. “I can spare a few minutes.” She opened the gym door and peeked her head inside. Heather and Lucy were unwrapping the previous day’s laundry. “I’ll be back in a sec.”
“No worries,” Heather said. “Lucy and I got this. Take your time.”
The café had only opened a few minutes earlier, and they were the first and only customers. Claude bought a coffee while Jo grabbed a juice. Then they chose a table near the front window.
The morning light was unforgiving. Claude appeared pale and on the verge of tears. “First of all, I just want to tell you how sorry I am.”
“For what?” Jo asked.
“For what happened to your beautiful daughter—” Claude paused to wipe her eyes and gain control of herself. “And to all those other girls. I knew Spencer was rotten. I knew he had something to do with Rosamund’s death. But I had no idea he was capable of such atrocities. And to think it was happening right under my nose! I haven’t been able to sleep in weeks.”
“I think there have been a lot of people going without sleep lately,” Jo told her, hoping they could move on to a different subject.
“Well, I want to do something,” Claude said. “I want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
The words struck a familiar chord. Jo had told Lucy the very same thing. “Do you have something in mind?”
“No, but I bet we could come up with something together. Something big.”
“Something big?” Jo smiled, wondering where this was all going. “Okay.”
