I wasn't going to make the call from my father's house. I wasn't certain if it was paranoia from all the tidbits he seemed to know, or if I was just imagining everything, but I didn't trust the call to be private. Instead, I chose the diner where I'd met Ike the day we finally said 'I love you' to one another. It was the ONE place that I felt comfortable finding and knew that no one seemed to care who the other diners were. No one asked where I was going, no one tried to stop me. I assumed that either I still had my invisible guard, or that my father had truly given up on my usefulness as his daughter and no longer gave a shit where I went or what I did. I took my time, walking and trying to calm my nerves about my goal.

I'd never spoken to, much less seen, my grandfather that I could recall. No photographs. No letters. No birthday cards or any sign he gave a care about me. I prayed that Lily was right about him and how he regarded me. Otherwise, this was a fool's errand and a waste of time.

I ordered a glass of soda and broke a bill for change. Then I took my glass to the corner where I'd seen a payphone and taking the slip of paper that Lily had shakily written the number for Sy Berman down out of my purse, I slid the coins into the slot and dialed the switchboard to ask for the operator to connect me to my grandfather.

"'Lo?" He answered, gruff sounding. I took a breath and he repeated it.

"Is this Sy Berman?" I cleared my throat, since I wasn't sure he could hear the softness of my voice, but before I could ask again he affirmed that I'd reached the correct number. "This is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Di-"

"Lizzie?" My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. "My Lizzie?"

A smile came across my lips at how soft his gruff tone had gone. "Yes, it's me." And I told him almost everything, asking if he could come to me. To come and help me figure out what I should do.

"Listen to me, honey." I did, going silent and still. "I'm going to make a few calls. Give me an hour, then call me back, OK?"

"Alright." I was about to say goodbye, but he wasn't finished.

"Where are you, Lizzie? Are you at Ben's?" I told him that I was at a diner nearby, and about my paranoia of doing anything near my father or his wife. "I'm glad you took the precaution, mammy (honey). Stay there, call me back-"

"In an hour," reminding him that I understood and listened. My worry was starting to calm down.

"It'll be dark in Florida soon, won't it?" Agreement from me, but I told him that I could call a taxi if it was too dark to walk back. "Good, good. One hour, Lizzie." He parted with words that warmed me down to my toes. "Hearing your voice, this is the best gift I've had since I held you for the first time. Or when you called me 'Pop-Pop' when you learned to talk."

"I wish I remembered that." Wistful, but happy that he had those memories of me. "I'll call back, Pop-Pop." We hung up and I took the full glass of soda to a booth, not the one I sat with Ike in, and settled in for an hour wait.

I had ordered a bowl of soup with soda crackers, and picked at the bowl of liquid as I waited for the time to tick down. The sun was down, and the moon was rising when a man walked in looking like he had urgent business. When he approached my booth, my stomach flipped.

"Miss Diamond?" I nodded. "Ike sent me to find you, and no one answered at-" He took a breath and looked worried so I gestured for him to take a seat. "He told me you might have come here, among a few other places." He sat with a groan. "I'm glad you're here, that house-" He shivered. I pushed my untouched glass of soda to him. Appreciation glowed from his face, and he took a long drink to fortify himself. "Ike got a message to me. I don't know how much you know about what happened today?"

"I know he was taken into custody," for murder, while Vera sat beside him as his life partner and worked her magic on the show people. He nodded. Clearly relieved he wasn't going to have to break the unpleasant news to me.

"Ike wanted me to warn you." Another flip of my insides. "Klein, the State's attorney? He knows about you."

"What does Mr. Klein know about me, Mr-"

"I apologize, I'm Sid Raskin, Ike's lawyer." Ah. I'd assumed a pudgy, slightly sweaty goon. "He knows who you are, to both Ben AND Ike." I could have laughed at that. "And he knows about the test." That wasn't funny. "He's threatening Ike with a tit for tat."

I raised an eyebrow. "A tit for tat?" I shook my head. "And what assumption has this Mr. Klein made about my importance to either man?" He looked uncomfortable, as though he wasn't entirely sure about me in general. "Mr. Raskin?"

"He kept the witness against Ike, another woman Miss Diamond, in a dark cell without food or water." He sounded like someone my father might like meeting, kindred spirits. "I'd hate to think what he might do to a lady like yourself."

"This Mr. Klein," Raskin nodded as he took another drink from the glass I'd given him. "Does he make idle threats?" He shook his head. "Can't Ike make bail?" I wanted to know if, perhaps, he was out from under this Klein person's thumb then the pressure would go down.

"It's set for a million dollars." I gasped. "He'd only have to come up with ten percent." Oh the irony, another hundred thousand dollars, perhaps he could call Meg. "Is there anywhere you could go?" Hide. That sounds enjoyable. Out of sight out of mind. "Anyone that you could call?" With that reminder, I checked my watch.

"Actually, Mr. Raskin, I was just about to do just that." He looked relieved again. "Tell Ike that I appreciate his concern, but I'm sure VERA needs it more than me." Back to uncomfortable. "Now if you'll excuse me." He stood as I slipped out of the booth and got more change for the phone.

Pop-Pop answered as gruffly as he had before, and then went just as soft spoken when he heard my voice. He'd managed to get a ticket on a plane that would depart in the morning. He'd be near enough to touch inside of twenty-four hours. I didn't share Mr. Raskin's information, if Mr. Klein knew as much as he'd threatened Ike with, I had to imagine that I had multiple people spying on me. Maybe my paranoia wasn't as silly as I'd feared.

We spoke for a few minutes more, and then I promised to get a car to take me back to Ben's house. Hanging up, I was gratified to see that Mr. Raskin had waited for me.

"It's dark outside, Miss Diamond, Ike would have my head- He'd be upset if I didn't make sure you got home safely." He helped me to his car, and held the door for me so I could situate myself. Once he got behind the steering wheel, we started for Ben's. "I hope you have a key, like I said, no one answered when I rang the bell."

"I do," I thought that even my father couldn't be gruesome enough to celebrate at Ike's hotel after his arrest. Perhaps he and Lily were on the patio and the help was- I wasn't worried, if the house was empty then more pleasant and peaceful for me.

He pulled up in front of the gates and I saw that he was right, it was dark. His headlights lit up a familiar car, but I couldn't place it. "Is that Stevie's car?" He muttered, and my eyes went wide, dear God no.

"Is that not a common car?" I was trying to distract him, to make him focus on something else while I was contemplating the death wish that Lily clearly harbored. He shook his head. "Perhaps he's visiting someone nearby?" I felt like this day, this entire ordeal couldn't end fast enough. "Don't tell Ike, he has enough to worry about right now." He nodded absently, his eyes fastened on the car in his beams. "Thank you for driving me home, Mr. Raskin." And then I rushed through the gate and up the driveway to the front door, hoping that Lily would at least be quieter than I normally was.

I was passing the door to the room with the glass floor when my eyes were drawn to the sliver of light coming from underneath. And then I knew. The room on the first floor was Lily's, or was the room she used to perform for my father. Stevie was definitely here, and I knew, bile coiling up my throat that my father was behind this door watching.

I heard Stevie leave the next morning as I sat by the pool. Lily was no doubt still in her fishbowl, and my father- Well I could care less where he had slithered off to. They came outside a while later to let me know that they'd be having lunch at the hotel, not inviting me, but taking note that I didn't seem to give one single solitary shit.

"You don't want to check in on your dear friend Vera?" I smiled up at him. "Of course, it may be awkward, she's trying to free her husband. You're carrying his bastard that she'd kill to have inside her." He tsked as Lily gave me a knowing look. She clearly hadn't told him about my plans to call Sy.

I gave a dramatic, annoyed sigh, but my smile held firm. "Why would I want to torment the poor woman, when I feel like you have the task well in hand?"

His smile was blinding. The glee he felt at the thought of it sickened me. "Touche, sweetheart, touche."

"Oh, Father?" He turned back from leaving. "I think you forgot to pick these up." I tossed the stack of photographs I'd found when I came out. They had been lying crumpled and damp on the paving stones when I walked outside, and they were what Lily had worried about being blackmailed over. "You really should be more careful with such delicate matters." I turned back to my book, ignoring what I imagined was the sound of his teeth grinding.

I laughed when I heard the front door slam behind them, and relaxed because I knew someone who truly cared about me was on his way.

I wasn't expecting a return visit from Stevie. When one of my father's employees brought him to the shaded area where the manila envelope from yesterday lay on the table taunting me with its contents, I was shocked.

"Stevie?" I didn't get up, but I asked if he wanted a drink. He shook his head and lit a cigarette. "Lily isn't here."

"I know." He sat in the chair my father ruled from. "I saw her and Ben at the Miramar." Ah. "I'm here because Grandpa asked me to come check on you." I raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Why would Arthur want you to check on me?" And I shut my eyes at my stupidity, I wasn't sure anyone knew I'd met Ike's father.

Stevie smiled. "Dad told him." I saw him glance at my stomach. "Everything."

I sighed, but didn't admit to anything. "As you can see, I'm fine. Tell Arthur that I'm grateful for his concern, but I'll be fine."

"I should have seen it," he was staring at my face. "The way he talks about you. How his eyes seem to find you in any room you're in." He shook his head and gave a rueful laugh. "I haven't seen him act like this in six years."

My eyes went to my lap, and even there, the corner of the envelope was like a beacon. "I'm not sure what to say."

"He loves you." Looking up I was shocked to see no judgment or urge to call me out on my hypocrisy. "And I'd lay odds you love him too." I chuckled under my breath. "If Ike and Arthur are worried, Liz, then you should be too."

"I have help coming." He waited, but that was all I was willing to share. "You should know something, Stevie, but then I heard the phone ringing and one of my father's people brought me the phone. He stood, and mouthed a goodbye, even as I was trying to answer the phone and tell him to wait. And then he was gone.

"Lizzie?" Pop-Pop's voice was hard to hear, but I said hello louder until he told me he'd landed. "I'll be at the house in a flash." I smiled and told him I'd be waiting. Then hanging up, I lay back on my seat and tried to decide what the hell I was going to do.