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“How will you handle Elijah’s diabetes?” he asked.
“I’ll find recipes and ask someone I trust to buy the ingredients I need to feed him properly so that I don’t have to leave his side. I’ll research what symptoms to watch for, in case his blood sugar goes too high or low. I’ll talk with your sister to find out what their routine has been. And I’ll ask Elijah what he thinks needs to be done. He seems very mature for his age.”
Those were good answers. “He is very mature.” And Kaj hated that Elijah had to be. As if losing his mother and dealing with his illness weren’t enough, he now had to deal with the terror of kidnapping. “Do you have questions for me?”
“A few. What about school? Will Elijah go to class, or will he stay home with me?”
“That’s a point of contention between us. He wants to go to school, but I can’t risk it right now. I talked to his teacher this morning and she said that he’s so far ahead he can work from home for a while without it impacting his grades. Were you really a math teacher?”
She smiled. “I was. Taught middle school math in New Mexico.”
Kaj exaggerated a shudder. “You are tough. Why did you leave teaching?”
Her smile faltered. “After Van was killed, my mom... Well, she wasn’t okay after that. I moved back to New Orleans to take care of her and my dad. They’ve settled into a new normal, whatever that is. Anyway, I knew Molly Sutton from the Corps.”
Kaj also knew Molly Sutton. She was one of Burke’s PIs. “She brought you into Burke’s agency?”
“She did. I make more money working for Burke than I did teaching, but I like to keep my hand in, so I work with kids in the community center’s music program and I tutor math.”
“How do you handle your job at the community center when you’re working for Burke?”
“It’s a volunteer position, so the community center is flexible with me. When I can’t make it, one of my friends from the QuarterMasters subs for me.”
“The QuarterMasters?”
Her grin made him feel lighter. “My roller derby team.”
He grinned back. “Oh, right. Anything else?”
“Will Elijah also have police protection?” she asked. “Will there be any officers stationed at your house?”
He winced at the sudden pain in his jaw and realized that he’d clenched his teeth. “No. Not at this time.”
“May I ask why?”
He hesitated, then sighed. “I’ve uncovered a lot of corruption in the six months that I’ve been here. I haven’t made a lot of friends in NOPD.”
“You don’t trust them?”
“Some, sure. Probably most. I’d even say that several of the police are friends. André Holmes, for one.” The NOPD captain had proven himself trustworthy as they’d worked closely together on more than one case. “But André can’t camp out at my house and he wasn’t able to spare anyone that I know to stand guard. So I declined.”
“I understand that. I only needed to know how to coordinate with other security on the ground. One more question—where is Elijah’s mother? Is she in the home? Shared custody?”
Kaj swallowed. The pain of loss wasn’t nearly as harsh as it had been, but yesterday’s events had him missing his wife anew. “She died five years ago, when Elijah was only five. She had cancer. My sister Genie put her own career aside and lived with us through the whole thing. She took care of Heather and Elijah, and when Heather died, Genie became like Elijah’s second mother. She lived with us in New York until she got married and relocated here.”
“She’s special, then.”
Kaj nodded. “She is. I’m so glad she had that Taser.”
“Me too. Do you believe that she’s in danger? Will we need to provide protection for her while she’s on bed rest?”
“No. Her husband’s family has rallied around them. They know how to use weapons in self-defense and that’s... well, that’s really all I want to know. She’s safe for now. I’d have asked them to watch over Elijah, too, but I don’t want to bring more trouble to her door.”
“Good. Will she be available to answer any questions I have about Elijah’s nutritional needs or his routine?”
“She will.” He huffed a laugh. “She’s already insisted on it.”
“Then she’ll be the first person I’ll call.” She hesitated a moment, biting at her lip before shrugging apologetically. “I don’t want to break Elijah’s confidence, but you should know that he’s worried about how you’re paying for all this.”
