Page 83 of Girl, Accused

His mother slapped her forehead with the ball of her hand. ‘Doh. Ignore me. All that Caribbean air has sent me loopy.’ Her arms opened automatically, and Luca stepped into them. His mother smelled of cheap soap and coconut sunscreen.

‘Did you have a goodtime?’

‘Great. Sorry I didn’t tell you I was going. I thought you’d be too busy with your cop business.’

‘Fair enough. Who’d you go with?’

‘Irene. Remember her?’

‘Sure,’ Luca lied. ‘How is she?’

‘Not bad. She’s always asking about you. Why are you here, anyway? How did you get inside?’

‘You left a key.’

‘Oh yes. Good memory! Is everything okay at work?’

‘Everything's fine,’ he lied again. ‘I just missed my mom.’

Patricia pulled back to examine him with narrowed eyes. It was the same look she'd used when he was ten and came home with mud on his clothes. ‘That’s not true.’

‘What? I can't visit without an ulterior motive?’

‘I’m not buying it, Chops. I’m gonna go sit down while you make me a coffee, then you’re going to tell me everything, yes?’

Luca winced at the nickname. As a baby, his hamster cheeks had earned him the nickname Chops, which had somehow persisted into adulthood. He had learned to accept that the name would probably end up on his gravestone too.

He performed his sonly duties then brought the coffee to his mom. She’d made herself comfortable on the armchair he’d been keeping warm for the past few hours.

‘Thanks, Chops. So come on. Out with it.’

‘I’m on leave,’ he said.

He could see the mental calculus behind her eyes. Administrative leave was never good news. In the context of law enforcement, it usually meant someone had died, or someone was about to.

‘Did you shoot someone again?’

‘No. A suspect fell through a table. They think I threw him.’

‘Did you?’

‘Sort of.’

‘Was he a bad guy?’ Patricia asked.

‘He killed four people.’

‘Then I don’t see a problem. No judge in the world is gonna lock you up for that.’

Luca laughed. Moms had a unique way of putting things into perspective. ‘I hope so.’

‘Tell me about this woman of yours. The one you’ve been keeping from me.’

‘I haven’t beenkeeping her from you. We’ve only been together a few months.’

‘A few months?’ Patricia snapped. ‘You said you were living together?’

‘We are.’