Shadows of New York Read online

  Luckily, he didn’t have to come up with a reply. “Next time you see him,” said Cleo as she wrote on a piece of paper and wandered over to where Aiden sat, “just give him this.”

  She handed him the paper. It had her name and phone number on it, along with a sketch of a flower. It was a good thing she hadn’t let Lindsay see the note. That would have created quite a bit of office tension.

  The front door opened and Roy Siegfried entered, long black coat and long gray hair trailing behind him. He swept past Cleo and Aiden, acknowledging neither of them, and walked into the small meeting room just off the waiting area.

  “I think you’re supposed to follow him,” suggested Cleo.

  After taking a deep breath, then one long drink from the thermos, Aiden stood and went to the meeting room.

  If Siegfried had a real name, Aiden didn’t know what it was. Someone somewhere had given him the tongue-in-cheek name Roy Siegfried, after the famous lion and tiger tamers. After all, they did have the same type of job. They tamed wild beasts. He was the one who found Aiden at his lowest point and promised to make something of him.

  Siegfried sat in a plush chair, reading a piece of paper. Aiden stood in the doorway, waiting for him to say something, but he just continued reading. Not knowing what else to do, Aiden sat in the opposite chair.

  The reading went on for five minutes. Aiden spent the time alternately staring at the walls and at Siegfried’s heavily weathered and scarred face, wondering what sort of life could lead to a face like that. Siegfried leaned back in his chair and stared at Aiden, making him feel, if possible, even more uncomfortable.

  “So, tell me what happened yesterday,” said Siegfried. “All of it.”

  Aiden recounted the story of the market, telling how, before dealing with the potential robbery, he had first made sure that the children were somewhere safe. He stressed that the kids were his priority. This had all been covered in yesterday’s phone call.

  The two sat in silence for a while before Siegfried, his eyes boring into Aiden, said, “I said all of it. Tell me about the incident later that night.”

  There was a moment when Aiden was filled with panic. He hadn’t intended to neglect the second event, but he thought that he’d be the one to bring it up. He took another long drink from the thermos before beginning. “Okay, we went out to run an errand. Me and Josh, the boy I take care of. This group of guys stopped us and started causing trouble. I tried to get him away from them, I really did, but I couldn’t.”

  “So you went on the offensive. You transformed and attacked.” Siegfried made it sound more like an accusation than a statement of fact.

  “Yes.”

  “Right in front of the boy.”

  “Yes.”

  “Normally, I wouldn’t give you a second chance, especially so early in your career. I’d pull you out for more training and conditioning. We can’t afford any mistakes. Do you understand? None.”

  “I understand.” Aiden’s throat felt like it was threatening to shut off his air supply. There was a hint, however, that Siegfried wouldn’t be taking him from the Coopers, giving Aiden the smallest bit of hope.

  “I’ll delay my decision pending a thorough investigation. Come back Saturday at eight a.m. On your way out, give Cleo a complete description of the gentlemen involved, as well as the location where it happened.”

  “Yes, I will. Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me.” Siegfried lifted the paper he’d been reading. “Thank a Mrs. Ann Franklin-Garret.”

  “Mrs. Effigy?” Aiden's surprise made him use Rosemary's nickname. “She told you about it?” He couldn't believe that Mrs. F-G would rat him out like that.

  Siegfried shook his head. “No, I have other means of keeping tabs on you. She emailed me early this morning.” He rattled the paper in his hand. “It tells of the immediate bond you seem to have formed with the children. I don’t know her, but I’ve spent the morning making inquiries. She is highly thought of by some very important people in our community, so her words carry quite a bit of weight. So until I get to the bottom of this, you can stay.”

  * * * *

  Josh sat picking at his waffles. On a normal day, the freshly made waffles with homemade strawberry topping would be gone in an instant. Today was not a normal day. He was still wrestling with everything he had learned the day before.

  His mother walked past him. “Joshua, hurry up. It’s almost time to leave for school. I don’t want you shoveling that in all at once. It’s not good for digestion.”

  He looked at Mrs. F-G with a curious expression, wondering if that were true or not.

  As if reading his mind, she nodded. That was good enough for Josh. His mom was always latching onto the latest trend, often based on bad information. But if Mrs. F-G confirmed it, it had to be true. He began eating at a regular pace, the sweetness of the waffles surprising him. They almost didn’t need the strawberry topping. The taste reminded him of something, but he couldn’t figure out what.

  “Oh, those look good,” came Aiden’s voice over Josh’s shoulder.

  A second, identical plate was set down at the next seat.

  “They’re really good,” Josh confirmed.

  “Organic vanilla yogurt makes the batter naturally sweet,” Mrs. F-G explained. “They don’t even need syrup.”

  “Ah-ha,” Aiden said to her as he sat down. “By the way, thanks for the tea this morning. It came in handy.”

  “Everything went all right?” she asked him.

  The waffles forgotten for the moment, Josh’s eyes went back and forth, following the conversation.

  “Well, for now. He’s looking into last night before he makes the final decision. I’m supposed to go back early Saturday morning.” Aiden stared down at his waffles as he said quietly, “If it weren’t for your email, I’d be out of here already. Thanks.”

  Josh didn’t know exactly who or what they were talking about, but he got the general idea. After all the chaos of yesterday, someone might take Aiden away from them. After all his confused thoughts on the matter, he found that he was glad Aiden would be staying.

  “Not a problem, dear,” said Mrs. F-G.

  Josh’s mother walked through the kitchen again, stopping when she reached Aiden. “Oh, Aiden, I keep forgetting to mention something. We’re having a Summer Solstice party this Saturday. I was hoping you’d invite some of your friends over.”

  With his back to her, she couldn’t see the uncomfortable look on Aiden’s face. “Um, Mrs. Coop—Jennifer, I mean,” he said, turning to face her, “I’m still pretty new to New York. I don’t know many people.”

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “Two years.”

  “And you don’t know anybody?”

  “Well, I’m not sure if they could make it.”

  “Well, you haven’t even asked them. You’re a part of the family now. I’d like to get to know your friends.”

  Aiden’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. It looked like he was out of excuses. “Okay. There’s a couple guys I know. They’d probably be into a Summer Solstice party.”

  Having won the contest of wills, Josh’s mom smiled and strode from the room, calling out, “It starts at six. Joshua, time to brush your teeth.”

  Josh ignored the digestion advice and did his best vacuum cleaner impression, cleaning his plate as fast as he could.

  Chapter Four

  Summer Solstice Soirée

  The rest of the week was uneventful. There were no more robberies, no more roving gangs of thugs, and—just as important to Aiden—no more questions about his friends. It was a calm, if repetitious, sequence of school, park, and home. Even Josh’s preparation for his year-end exams went well, with Aiden helping him out. Despite the peaceful week, Aiden’s Friday night was restless. He wasn’t looking forward to his meeting with Siegfried the next morning.

  He opened his bedroom door early Saturday to find Josh sitting on the floor against the opposite wall, his head
resting on his raised knees. Josh looked up and blinked at the sound of the door. “Time for the meeting?”

  “What meeting?”

  “The one where you find out if you get to stay or not. The one I heard you tell Mrs. F-G about.”

  Aiden closed the door behind him and motioned for Josh to follow. Before they reached the kitchen, the sound of the blender reached them. Mrs. F-G was there, mixing up something pink.

  “Good morning, my fine young gentlemen,” she said, handing them each a tall glass of the pink stuff and receiving inquiring looks. “Banana Oatmeal Strawberry Breakfast Smoothies. You can handle more than dry toast and tea this morning.”

  “So where is this meeting?” asked Josh, giving his glass a doubtful look.

  “At the agency I work for,” Aiden answered.

  “And, um, will it take us long to get there?”

  Aiden replayed the question in his mind to make sure he heard it right. “Us? No, not us. I’m going alone.”

  There was a silence as the two sipped their smoothies, and Mrs. F-G watched them. After a minute, she said, “It might not be a terrible idea.”

  * * * *

  Josh looked puzzled. He stood on the sidewalk, gazing up at the plain sign over the door that read, “Staffing Solutions.”

  “Something wrong?” Aiden asked.

  Looking back and forth from Aiden to the sign a few times, Josh said, “It looks normal. Like a normal business that places normal people with normal families.”

  Aiden chuckled. There was precious little about the organization inside that was like a regular employment agency. “Well, that’s mainly what it does. Without the word ‘normal’ repeated so many times, though. They try to find jobs for folks like me.”

  “Oh.” Josh’s face was a little less confused.

  “I’m not the only nanny they’ve placed.” Aiden reached for the door and held it open. “Among ourselves, we call it Scary Poppins.” When Josh didn’t laugh, he asked, “Get it?”

  “Yeah,” said Josh, not moving an inch toward the door. “Like that old movie Mary Poppins. My parents made us watch it once. They loved it. I didn’t.”

  Aiden shook his head and sighed. He went through the open door, waving for Josh to follow him.

  Cleo looked up from filing her nails and smiled at Aiden as he walked through the door. Noticing Josh just behind him, her smile brightened. “And who is this handsome young man?”

  Britney and Lindsay immediately peeked over their cubicle walls.

  “This is Josh,” Aiden answered. “Josh, this is Cleo.”

  Cleo extended a perfectly manicured hand over her desk. Having been groomed in proper social etiquette (no doubt by his mom), Josh took it without hesitation and said, “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Charmed,” Cleo purred at him.

  “Oh, he’s so adorable!” Britney squealed, hurrying over to them. Lindsay disappeared into her workspace.

  “Uh, thanks.” Josh blushed.

  “Is he in yet?” Aiden asked Cleo, doing his best to ignore Britney.

  “Not yet,” she answered with a sigh. “Heaven forbid he should ever be on time for an appointment.”

  “Let’s sit over here.” Aiden guided Josh to the waiting area.

  No sooner had they sat down than Siegfried made his entrance. Ignoring everyone as usual, he stomped toward the conference room. His stomping was brought to an abrupt halt when he saw Josh sitting on the sofa.

  “What the—?” Siegfried’s face went bright red. He seemed to be at a loss for words. Aiden guessed that he was trying to think of one that wasn’t too foul for a kid to hear.

  “I can explain—” Aiden began.

  “I don’t want to hear it,” Siegfried cut him off. “I was already on the fence about what to do with you. This seals it.” He looked Aiden square in the face. “You’re out.”

  “What?” Aiden jumped up from his place next to Josh. “Just like that? I don’t even get to explain?”

  Cleo, Britney, and Lindsay all stood up to watch the action.

  “I’m pulling you out of the Cooper house. Effective immediately.” Siegfried turned on his heel and stalked toward his office. As he passed the reception desk, he barked, “Cleo, call the kid a cab.”

  “No!” This one word from Josh stopped Siegfried in his tracks. He turned back to glare at Josh, who was standing beside Aiden, looking defiant.

  “What did you say, son?” Siegfried’s voice was eerily soft. Aiden had heard that tone before. It was a sign that Siegfried’s temper could surface at any moment. Acting on instinct, he stepped in front of Josh.

  “You can’t take Aiden away from us, you just can’t,” Josh said, pushing his way out from behind his protector. For a kid who didn’t like to talk to strangers, Aiden knew this was pretty out-of-character. Josh had strong feelings on the topic.

  Instead of going into his office, Siegfried stomped back past the waiting area and went into the conference room, motioning for Josh and Aiden to follow. As soon as the door shut behind them, Siegfried asked in his quiet voice, “And just why is it that I can’t take Aiden away?”

  “Because we need him.” Josh’s voice trembled. “He’d do anything to keep us safe.”

  “Josh, it’s okay,” Aiden said softly. “He’s my boss. I have to do what he says. You guys will be all right without me.”

  “No, we won’t!” Josh cried, his eyes filling with tears. The poor kid looked like he was struggling to keep them in check. “There’s a lot of scary stuff out there. I never really thought about it before, but I’m starting to see how much danger is all around us, every day. We need you, Aiden, and not just to protect us. You can teach us how to protect ourselves.”

  Aiden knelt down to look Josh in the eye. “I’m sorry, buddy, but it’s not my call.”

  Josh’s lower lip trembled.

  “That’s right,” Siegfried spoke up. “It’s my call. And I say you get one more shot. That’s what I had decided anyway. I found those punks from the other night. They were out looking for a fight. As much as I hate to admit it, you did the right thing.”

  “So what was this all about?” Aiden made a circular motion with his hand that included Siegfried, Josh, and himself.

  “I just wanted to see the kid’s reaction when I fired you. You’re bonding with the pack already. That’s good.” Siegfried stood and wrenched the door open. “My main concern right now,” he said, “is that the kid knows too much. I’m tempted to call for a memory wipe.”

  “That’s okay,” countered Aiden. “We talked about it, and Josh knows to keep his mouth shut.”

  Josh felt like Siegfried’s eyes were boring into him. He couldn’t maintain eye contact and instead stared at the diamond-shaped pattern of the carpet.

  “Alright, fine, but he’s your responsibility, Lynch,” Siegfried said, his voice gruff. “If he goes around talking, it’s on you. Now you two get out of here.”

  “You mean it, sir?” Josh looked up at the grizzled old guy. “He gets to stay?”

  “For now.” Siegfried gave Aiden his sternest look. “Just don’t screw it up.” He left the conference room, stomping his way across the building, and slamming his office door shut behind him.

  Aiden stood looking at Josh for a long while and then commented, “That was a pretty nice thing you said.”

  “Oh, that.” Josh bit his lip, trying not to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” Josh threw a quick glance at Siegfried’s door then said, “I sort of made all that up about us needing you to keep us safe.” He gave a sheepish grin. “I heard you on the phone the other night, and it sounded like our safety is supposed to be the most important thing so I thought I’d play that up a little.”

  “It is the most important thing.” Aiden was stunned. “You looked like you were about to cry.”

  Again, Josh appeared to be fighting the giggles. “Yeah, I know. It works pretty well on Mom if I don’t use it too often. Once or twice
a year, maybe, if I really want something.”

  Aiden didn’t know what to think. He had bought the whole act because deception like that didn’t seem like Josh’s style. He made a mental note to not fall for it again.

  * * * *

  “Dude, sweet crib!” Larry said as Aiden let him into the apartment. Steve sauntered in behind Larry, looking lost, as usual.

  “Yeah, it’s uh, it’s pretty insane,” Aiden agreed.

  The Summer Solstice party was in full swing. The apartment was packed with the Coopers’ friends, relatives, and business associates. New age music, like something you’d hear while getting a massage, played in the background. Mrs. F-G had outdone herself with the food, which covered almost every square inch of the dining room table. She had enlisted Aiden and Josh’s services to help with the prep work. They spent the afternoon slicing cheese, mashing avocados, and stuffing mushrooms. The ingredients were all organic and/or artisanal.

  Overall, it was the best Summer Solstice party Aiden had ever attended. Of course, it was also the only Summer Solstice party he’d ever attended.

  “Oh, these must be your friends!” Jennifer said as she swept in from the dining room wearing a long, flowing, batik-printed dress. “It’s such a pleasure to meet Aiden’s friends. I’m so glad you could make it!”

  “Well, hello there,” Larry said suavely. His exceptional good looks, athletic build, and thick dark hair always made him a hit with the ladies. Not to mention his clothes, which were always one step ahead of the latest fashion trend. He liked to play this up whenever possible. “The pleasure is all mine.” He took Jennifer’s hand and kissed it.

  “Oh! My!”

  “I’m Larry,” he said, still using his suave voice, one eyebrow raised.

  “Short for Lawrence?”

  “No, actually, short for Larry.” He switched to the other eyebrow. Aiden couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

  “Your given name is Larry?” Jennifer looked confused.

  “Well, yes, Larry is the name that was, uh, given to me.” Larry’s tone was losing its flirtatiousness.