they led me out of the apartment. It seemed like all the tenants had come out to watch.
I still had no idea what was going on. When Barry’s bedroom door had finally opened there was a pair of cops on the other side. I tried to explain I was a friend of the owner of the condo and asked them to call. I showed them the key. But who were those people in the living room, glaring at me, saying I’d broken into their home and was stealing their jewelry?
At the police station, they handcuffed me to a bench and the two cops went off to do some kind of paperwork.
“You again?” a uniform said from behind the desk. Let’s just say this wasn’t the first or even second time I ended up there, though I’d never actually ended up in a cell. I pleaded with him to call Barry.
It seemed like I sat there forever, but it was more like an hour. One of the cops came and undid my handcuffs and I stood up just as Barry came in. His usual blank face was twisted in upset.
As soon as I was released, he put his arm around my back and ushered me out the door.
I didn’t say a word until we were in his Tahoe. Then I turned to him. “Do you want to explain?”
He sighed deeply. “I could ask you what you were doing there,” he said.
“Don’t even try.” I wasn’t about to be put on the defensive.
“You remember the condo I showed you in Simi Valley?” he began. I certainly did. Barry had shown it to me trying to convince me it was the perfect spot for us to make a fresh start—if we got married. It was far from my job and friends and I had nixed it.
“I was so sure you’d like it and the real estate agent said someone else was going to make an offer on it.”
“You didn’t. You bought it?” I said, incredulous.
“Not quite. I put down a deposit on it and put my place on the market.” He paused. “I never guessed my place would sell so fast. When we broke up, I tried to undo everything. I pulled my offer on the condo in Simi and got part of my deposit back, but the people buying my place wouldn’t let me back out of the deal. I was still trying to work it out when I ended up in the hospital. The sale went through and escrow closed while I was staying at your place. Some of my buddies cleared it out for me. Those people are the new owners.” He blew out his breath. “I haven’t told Jeffrey yet.”
Now I understood the argument I’d overheard. No wonder Barry had forbid his son to go to their place. “I can sort of understand, you not telling me, but how could you have not told Jeffrey?”
Barry looked at the ground. “I’m a lousy dad.”
He’d never seemed so open and vulnerable. I thought back to how he’d flinched when I was struggling with the juvenile shoplifters and for the first time I really understood how much the incident had shaken his confidence.
“I have taken advantage of your kindness long enough. I’ll tell Jeffrey the whole story and we’ll move to that extended stay place until I can work things out.”
I started to say something, but he put his hand up to stop me. “It’s done.” He started the motor and pulled out of the parking structure. He stared straight ahead and said nothing. I couldn’t stand the silence so I began to babble about Adele and Eric and the coins and the watch with the weird inscription. He drove me back to the bookstore without saying a word.
I was shocked to realize it was late afternoon when I walked in. I found Mrs. Shedd and apologized for disappearing. I told her the whole story and she responded with a shrug and shake of her head. She’d gotten used to my crazy stories by now. She might have been upset, but all the business the film crew was bringing in kept her in a permanent state of bliss.
My next stop was the kids’ department, hoping I’d find Adele. She was busy arranging some new books about school and fall that had come in. She looked up as I crossed onto the carpet with the cows jumping over the moon.
“What happened to you?” she said. “I waited for a while, but some of