"Actually, I look better with my jacket on. I have a bulletproof vest underneath."
"Brian. Is it really that serious?" Jessica's expression showed her concern.
"Mother, Judith Abramson works under my dear brother, Malcolm, for the Invicta. And you know how Malcolm is, don't you? He tried to convince you to wire the entire house."
"Ah, yes, my sweet Malcolm. He would put us all in prisons, just to protect us. He is a wonderful son, though. But please! You must come visit the stables and see our new little ones. I'm so pleased with them, really. Their dam is doing well, and the sire is one of my finest stallions. Come see!" Like a little girl with a wonderful new toy, Jessica dragged Brian by the hand toward the stables. Judith and Mike followed.
The stables sent out aromatic waves of hay and warm animal bodies. Soft nickers greeted them as they entered. "Oh! Oh, Brian, look! They're precious." Judith crooned over the tiny foals as they nursed, their mother's elegant head low to nuzzle them. She reached between the rails of the stall and stroked a small, sleek flank. "Oh, Jessica, how wonderful…" The foal, a roan filly, turned and mouthed her fingers. Judith laughed.
"Well, we better get back to the house and dinner. We're eating early so you can leave before dark." Jessica paused. "Judith, you must come back again and see the babies grow. Perhaps you could even help me train them." She glanced at Brian, then smiled softly.
Samuel, Brian's stepfather, had prepared Brian's favorite dishes: cold rice with various vegetables, along with pasta shells filled with ricotta cheese and a cream sauce. The group sat around the big well-worn table, laughing and talking as they passed bowls and filled their plates. It felt to Judith as if they were a big, happy family sitting down to Sunday dinner. She moved in waves of comfort, a slight smile on her mouth.
"And so, Brian…what about that last school you attended? Which one was that? I couldn't keep track." Jessica smiled fondly. "He changed schools, Judith. Often."
"Oh, yeah. I wasn't one of the best students, you know. Once, I remember, I was kicked out because we lifted a teacher's car onto the roof of the school's garage. They didn't find it for days, even though we told them it hadn't been removed from the premises. No one ever looked up… And another time…" He paused to glance at Judith. She hadn't touched her food or wine, nor had Mike.