Read Online Helen Hanson - Dark Pool by Helen Hanson - Free Book Online

could do to help.
    “Can you, Mag?”
    She snapped toward the sound of Travis’ voice. Hot coffee sloshed up, over the rim and onto her hand. She shook it like a cat. “Oww.”
    “Are you okay.” He rushed to her side and checked her hand. “Want some aloe?” A natural caretaker, just like his mother.
    Maggie hadn’t shared her mornings for the last six months. Alone in her dark cloud, she’d forgotten about Travis. And Daddy? He’d forgotten them both.
    She squeezed his hand and drew back. “I’m fine, Trav. Just a little preoccupied. Can I what?”
    “I need to learn to drive. Javier and his mom helped me research it, and I can order the workbooks for my training. I have to pass the test before I can get a permit. It’s thirty bucks. They’ll overnight them, and I can use my jail money for it.” He spoke quickly as if he had a time limit before the words expired. “But I need you to order it for me online.”
    Thirty dollars. Thirty jail-dollars at that. It never seemed like much money before. Her father made a good income as a data center manager until Alzheimer’s pilfered his intellect. Travis behind the wheel was an expense she couldn’t afford.
    “I know it’s just the beginning of the costs.” He pushed up the sleeves of his denim shirt and took a deep breath. “Driver’s ed costs about three-fifty, but we can take this one step at a time. Plus, I can get a job of some sort. And—”
    “I’ll do it.”
    “Really?”
    “Really.”
    He bear-hugged her like a drunken Russian. “Magpie, you’re the best!”
    She hadn’t heard his pet name for her in months. Her heart welled as she hugged him back. Before his arrest, Travis was the one sure soul she knew. Unlike so many teens, he never aspired to petulance. Even if he was guilty of this one colossal mistake, Travis was still her kid brother, and he’d already lost enough of his waning youth.
    Besides, it was only money. She could sell the guitars. As much as her father loved them, he couldn’t play anymore. He strummed them once in a while. And Travis quit playing the day his mother died. Maggie missed the music. Every home should make some kind of music.
    Her biggest worry was losing the house. The payments were a major drain, and annual property taxes were a heavy hit. As much as she’d miss living on the coast, moving Daddy anywhere brought another set of concerns with his Alzheimer’s. Major changes in his routine could trigger his death spiral.
    Before Travis’ arrest, she’d planned to use the equity in their home when Daddy needed diligent care. So far, they’d gotten by with the help of neighbors. With the bank’s notice of default on the loan, selling the house probably wasn’t an option anyway. Two years ago, such thoughts were heresy, now, merely the last lifeboat lowering from her Titanic. Somehow, she’d keep them afloat.
    She pushed a tear away with her knuckle. “You want to go to the DMV?”
    He smiled. “You mean it?”
    “I feel like taking a drive. We can get the forms and whatever else they have while we’re there.” Her hair draped over her eyes. “Can you take The Firm out for a quick walk?”
    “Sure.”
    “And ask Ginger if she’d check on Dad in about an hour. I’m going to get dressed.” She left her cup by the sink, and then headed up to her room.
    The second floor was a finished loft with Maggie’s bedroom on one end and Travis’ on the other. They shared a small bathroom near the stairs. Railing lined the walk between their rooms, overlooking the family room and a supreme view of the Pacific.
    She stretched the waist of her pajama bottoms past her hips and dropped them to the floor. A fleece pullover paired nicely with the jeans she’d rummaged from the laundry basket. Socks, navy espadrilles—and she trotted downstairs to check on her father.
    Drawn curtains repelled any light seeking his room. He sat on the edge of his bed fully dressed.
    “Daddy?”
    His eyes cut her direction.