by Gina LaManna
Adriana gave me a look and scooped up the knife. Tilting her chin towards the door, she gestured for me to peek through the small, cloudy window to the left of the frame.
“Lacey?” Meg shouted. “You doing okay in there? It’s me. Do you need rescuing?”
I flung the door open, at the same time waving for Adriana to put down the knife. “Meg, you scared the living daylights out of me. Say something sooner next time.”
“So, you’re fine then?” Her voice was about an octave higher than usual. “You didn’t answer your phone.”
“You didn’t call,” I said, looking down. There were no missed messages or calls.
“Oh, yeah. Well, that’s not my fault, I was distracted.” She winced. “Is this a bad time?”
“Sort of.” I glanced at Adriana, who’d slipped the knife all-too-sneakily into the drawer from which it’d emerged. “We were just finishing up our conversation. I’ll be out in a minute. Where’s Nora?”
“Listen, I can tell this is a bad time, and I’m sorry about that.” Meg nearly collapsed against the door, hunching in half. “But my intestines are also having a bad time right now. Can I please use your restroom, ma’am?”
Adriana’s mouth parted in surprise. It took a few minutes for her to snap her jaw shut and nod. “Um, sure. It’s just down the hall.”
I apologized profusely as Meg made her way to the restroom, explaining that she was helping to look for the girls. That seemed to soften the surprise, but even so, Adriana continued to cast skeptical glances down the hall.
I ignored a squeak from the next room, and instead focused on Adriana. “I have one last question for you. What was your visit to Bessie’s house all about?”
“Bessie?”
I froze. “It wasn’t you who went to take care of Bessie? The girl who has mono?”
Understanding dawned in her eyes. “Oh, are you talking about work? I thought we were still talking about The Fish. Well in that case, yes. I visited a little girl named Bessie last week. Did you have a question about it?”
I blinked. “Um. Do you normally visit Bessie?”
She shook her head. “I normally work weekends at the nursing home, plus a few nightshifts on weekdays. I tend to pick up an extra house call or two during the day shift if one of the regular nurses can’t do it. I mean, it’s not like I have a lot to come home to, anyway. Might as well make a few extra bucks.”
“Are you aware that Bessie is in your daughter’s class?”
She frowned. “No. I just happened to have the day off from the nursing home, so when the scheduler called and asked if I was free for a last minute appointment, I said sure. It was easy, I remember that. The girl was no trouble at all.”
“There was nothing unusual about the visit?” I asked.
Thought pinched her forehead together. “Not that I can remember. I recommended some Vaseline for her lips, but only because she’d been chewing on them and they were raw. In terms of the girl’s health, she’s just fine. Nearly 100% better; her mono was very mild.”
“At any point while you were in the home, did you see Bessie’s phone?” I watched her carefully, but not a single expression crossed her face that’d lead me to believe she was hiding anything.
After a long pause, she spoke. “No, I’m trying to think, but I don’t recall. If I saw it, I don’t remember it.”
I sat still, processing all of the information. If she hadn’t tried to set up a meeting with her daughter through Bessie’s phone, then where had that text come from? My brain hurt thinking about it. Too much was still unexplained.
Meg emerged from the hallway clapping her hands together and wiping them on her jeans. “I am so much better now. All thanks to you, ma’am, I did not implode. That means I owe you one.”
“It’s nothing,” Adriana said to the Pepsi can. The reddish tinge of her ears belied the awkwardness of the moment. “I’m glad to have helped, uh, save you from implosion.”
“Me too,” Meg said. “So, what are we talking about?”
“Meg, did Clay tell you if it was possible to send a text through a computer from a remote phone number?” I asked, an idea dawning on me.
“He said that’d be easy,” Meg said. “Well, his words were ‘child’s play’.”
“Why were you asking about my work?” Adriana glanced between us. “Does this Bessie have something to do with Marissa’s disappearance? I can give you her phone number and address if you need.”
“No, not necessary,” I said. “But I think The Fish was trying to set you up, Miss Miller.”
“Set me up?” Adriana paled. “For the kidnapping of my own daughter?”
“Here’s what I think,” I said, folding my hands and resting them on the table. “I think The Fish called Bessie’s regular nurse and told her to take the day off. Then he called you, pretending to be the scheduler for your nursing company. I’m guessing he knew where you worked?”
Adriana nodded. “I love my work. I talked about it a lot.”
“Right. So he capitalized on your profession and sent you to Bessie’s house without you suspecting a thing. He’d routed the scheduler’s phone to his own. That way, he could take any calls from Bessie’s mom or Nurse Anderson if they called back to double check.”
“It’s possible…we don’t have one main scheduler – they rotate, and we had a new guy start recently. I assumed it was him. He routed the calls to his phone?”
“Yes, and it was smart of him, too. Someone was bound to call the scheduler to ask whether or not you existed. He could let most calls ring through to the real company, but pick up if it was relevant and say that he didn’t know a Dee. See? He was already starting to smear your name in this mess. Once that seed of doubt had been planted, it would be hard to eradicate. You were the easy solution. He just needed to point people in the right direction, and let them believe they’d figured it out themselves.”
“Why would he go through all of the effort?”
“He knew that eventually the girls’ phones would be recovered. At least the records would be examined, and those records would show a text scheduling a meeting with your daughter, from Bessie’s phone.”
Adriana sucked in a breath. “And on that same day, I had been at Bessie’s house, near the phone in question.”
“Did you introduce yourself as Dee?”
“That’s what most of my younger patients call me. It’s just easier.”
I nodded. “Both Bessie and her mother would remember your face. So when the phones were found and the dots connected, you would’ve been the prime suspect. Genius, really. He set you up as a long-lost mother stealing her own daughter.”
Adriana’s head sank to the table, her shoulders crumbling in on her body. “I didn’t even get to see her. He said I was going to be able to see her, and then he came here and left me with your note. Told me if I ever wanted to speak with my daughter again I’d wait here and give it to you.”
“Listen, I’ve got to get going,” I said, standing up. “But if you want to come back with us to the estate, you’re welcome to join us. Nicky’s there, and I’d be happy to re-introduce you.”
“I shouldn’t…” she shook her head.
“You really should, just in case we have questions for you.” Meg leaned against the door, winking at me while Adriana was busy fiddling with her pop can. “For business reasons.”
“You’re not trying to play matchmaker, are you?” Adriana narrowed her gaze at Meg. “I’m not interested in getting back with Nicky, I’m just interested in a relationship with my daughter.”
“Who, me? Matchmaker?” Meg gave a few obvious blinks. “I just want to keep you close for business reasons.”
“She’s right; it can’t hurt,” I said, my gaze dropping to the floor. “It’s also for your protection.”
“He won’t come back for me,” she said, her hollow cheeks even more pinched than before. “He’s done with me.”
“For safety,” I said. “Please, come with us.
He’s dangerous. If we find your daughter, you’ll be the first to know, but only if you stay with us.”
She hesitated.
“Regardless, my grandmother is freezing her buns off in the car, so if you want to come with us, we have got to go before she turns into an icicle.” I thumbed in the direction of the car.
“She could just eat one of them peppers,” Meg said. “That sucker spiced me right up. Talk about a zinger.”
“I don’t want to impose—” Adriana started.
“That’s it.” I pulled the door open. “I’m making an executive decision. Get in the car with us, or I’ll arrest you.”
“You can’t do that,” Adriana said. “You’re not a cop.”
“Lacey doesn’t listen to most rules,” Meg said. “And plus, I am a former cop. So I’ve got a set of borrowed handcuffs out in the car that Nora’s currently trying to unlock with a bobby pin. Believe me, girlfriend, if we wanted to make a Sitting-Zen arrestment, we could do it.”
“Sitting-Zen?” I asked. “What?”
“You know, when a normal person can arrest someone,” Meg said. “To help protect the Zen of the world.”
“Does she mean citizen’s arrest?” Adriana whispered.
“I don’t know what she means, but this party is leaving in thirty seconds.” I gave her one last, final look. “Are you coming?”
With a sudden bout of determination, Adriana’s fist clenched around the pop can, crushing it into a small, tiny spiral of aluminum. “I’ll go with you.”
“Good.” I led the way out to the car, opening the door for Adriana as she hopped into the back seat. “Adriana, meet Grandma Nora. Nora, this is Adriana.”
“Hi Adriana,” Nora looked up from her handcuff puzzle. She gave a cheerful smile. “Do you like pancakes?”
I watched in the rearview mirror as Adriana agreed that pancakes were delicious. She and Nora became fast friends, keeping a running stream of friendly conversation going all across town. When I pulled up to the estate, I let out Nora and Adriana while Meg and I stayed put.
“I’m taking Meg home,” I said. “And then I have something to do.”
“Do you need help?” Adriana watched me carefully. She knew what The Fish had written on the note. If she spoiled things and told someone else – especially Carlos or Anthony – who knew what The Fish would do to Marissa?
“No. Adriana, listen carefully. This is something I need to do alone.” I waited, watching as the meaning of my words registered in her gaze. “Understood?”
She gave a slow, solemn nod. “I understand.”
CHAPTER 41
After leaving Adriana and Nora at the estate, I’d called my father since he hadn’t made it to Adriana’s house before we left. I updated him as briefly as possible, letting him know that he could find Marissa’s mother at the estate, and hung up just as quickly as I could so I wouldn’t spill the beans. Then, I’d driven to Clay’s apartment with Meg in tow. I didn’t trust myself to go home to Anthony because I was a terrible liar. He’d take one look at my face and know that I was hiding something.
Boy, did I have a lot to hide at the moment. For starters, there was the private meeting with The Fish that required me to show up – alone. On top of that, I was still trying to keep the cooking class a secret. If Anthony and I made it through all of this mess in one piece, he deserved a damn good birthday dinner, and I wanted it to be a surprise.
As for me, I had two hours to kill until the meeting with The Fish, and I intended to use them preparing to the fullest extent possible. Thankfully, Meg also didn’t know about the meeting with The Fish tonight, or else she’d insist on helping. If I could just squirrel away in my former room until it was time to go, nobody would be any the wiser.
We climbed the front steps to the saggy apartment, which had been due for an upgrade when leg warmers rolled around the first time. Or better yet, an evacuation. Maybe once we had a lull in action, I could hint that Meg and Clay should look for a place together.
When we reached the front door, Meg took out a key and unlocked it, letting herself inside as if she owned the place. “What’s your plan?” she asked. “I stashed a few snacks here, so I’m gonna get to business making them disappear.”
“You have a key?”
“Of course I have a key,” Meg said. “I’ve had it for months.”
“Did Clay give it to you?”
“No.” Meg didn’t look at me as she strode into the kitchen.
I closed the door behind me. “Then how did you get a key?”
“I adopted it.” She bent over and examined the fridge, her voice higher pitched and more skittery than usual. “You know, just in case I needed it.”
I shook my head. “You have an interesting way of watching out for your friends.”
“Oh, I didn’t get it to watch out for you.” She turned a nonchalant gaze in my direction. “Can I finish your ketchup?”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
She squirted a small Eiffel Tower of the stuff onto a single chicken nugget that she’d found left in a McDonald’s bag. “Isn’t it so cute? Clay always leaves one nugget for me.”
She and I had different definitions of romance. I didn’t classify a petrified chicken nugget as a particularly sweet way to say I love you, but I suppose in a weird way it was thoughtful. “Why’d you get the key if you didn’t want to look out for me?”
“Not everything’s about you,” Meg said, grinning as she took a bite. “In fact, my copying the key had nothing to do with you at all.”
“Really…”
She swallowed the rest of the chicken whole. “Really.”
“Then what did it have to do with?”
“Clay.” Meg set the plate in the sink and washed her hands. When she shut off the water and turned back to face me, she shrugged. “Why are you looking at me like that? Stop it, it’s weird.”
“How should I be looking?” I tried to wipe away the skeptical look, but I must have failed. “That’s creepy. You just copied a key without permission.”
“I’ve done way worse, so why are you getting your grundies in a twist over this?”
“They’re not grundy.”
“They’re grundy.” Meg put her hands on her hips. “You carry them in your purse. They deserve to be called grundies.”
“You’re losing the point. The key?”
“Look, it’s simple. Clay is great. I like him, but he’s really freaking awkward sometimes. So, I decided to help him out.” She twirled the key around. “Now, we don’t have to go through that uncomfortable discussion about me having to ask for a key or whatnot. I just stop by whenever I want.”
“Clay hasn’t said anything?”
“Not really.” She pouted, taking a moment to think. “Nope, can’t say that he’s mentioned a peep.”
My eyes almost crossed as I struggled to come to terms with Meg and Clay’s relationship. Her logic. Clay’s indifference. The whole thing was mind-boggling. When it came time for me to respond, I didn’t have anything good to say. So I went with the tried and true, “What? You are crazy!”
“Just because you and Anthony do this sly-but-not-really-sly dance around important issues, it doesn’t mean we all do. I wanted to come over whenever I wanted, so I copied the key to your apartment.”
“But you didn’t mention it to Clay…or me.”
“I would’ve mentioned it to you, but you’re never here.” Meg pocketed the key she’d been fidgeting with throughout the entire conversation. “As for Clay, I’m pretty sure he figured it out the first time I unlocked the door and called, ‘Honey, I’m home!’”
“You didn’t say that.”
“Of course I didn’t,” Meg said. “What do you think, my last name is Bunch?”
“Why would your last name be Bunch?”
“As in Brady. The Brady Bunch.”
I took a nice long time blinking. When I opened my eyes, Meg had already moved onto bigger and better topics.
“If you
’d taken a page out of my playbook a month ago, you wouldn’t have been toting your grundies all this time. I bet Anthony wouldn’t have cared if you had just told him you wanted a key and moved your crap into the house. I mean, c’mon, Lacey. Those in glass teepees shouldn’t throw stones.”
“Uhh—”
“Your relationship isn’t perfect, either. It has quirks. You and Anthony can be really strange too,” Meg said. “Clay and I are weird, sure. But we’re the right kind of weird for each other, and isn’t that what matters in the end?”
In some twisted way, Meg was right. Anthony wasn’t perfect and neither was I. Neither was Meg and neither was Clay. At the end of the day, wasn’t it all about finding someone who loved your flaws? If Clay loved Meg’s zest for life and her lack of filter, well, shame on me for not being happier for them.
Still, that didn’t address the illegality of copying keys without permission. “You could have asked for the key,” I mumbled, walking out of the room and down the hall towards my bedroom.
“You just don’t want to admit I was right!” Meg shouted after me.
“Who stole what, now?” Clay piped up from the living room. “Which key?”
“Meg stole your key to the apartment to make a copy,” I hollered from the hallway.
“Actually, I stole yours,” Meg said to me. “You’re easier to pickpocket than your cousin.”
I left the two lovebirds to quarrel and locked myself in my room. I leaned against the door for a moment, sucking in a few deep breaths. If I didn’t watch out, I’d be taking relationship advice from Meg soon, and that was guaranteed to cause trouble.
Focusing on the task at hand, I opened my closet and dug around in the back. A tiny part of me was thrilled that soon these boxes would be gone for good. They’d be moved out of this saggy place and into the shining, shimmering new home that Anthony and I would build together.
I sighed. Tomorrow. After we sorted out this business with The Fish.
I found a semi-used notebook at the bottom of the closet. This notebook wasn’t old, it was ancient. A relic filled with crumpled MASH boards and hearts around the name of my Kindergarten crush. I’d have to make sure it was burned before moving to Anthony’s. If he found it, the embarrassment would mean certain death.
