Chapter 21 #2
“No,” I tell her, shaking my head. “Thank you, for everything, Lana. I’m glad I can help when you need it. I’ll be happy to start working tomorrow night.”
She gets to her feet, and I do the same.
“Good luck with your first shift.” She touches my arm, and I have to force myself to stay right where I am. “Come and visit or give me a call whenever you need anything, okay?”
The desire to move in for a hug is so great I can feel the skin on my face heating up in embarrassment at how desperate I am for simple human touch.
“Thanks,” I murmur, nodding as she drops her arm.
We say goodbye and I leave Lana’s office with a hint of excitement bubbling up inside me.
Pete’s right outside the door, and he goes back inside after I move past him, giving me a nod in passing. I nod back in response as he disappears, leaving me alone in the reception area.
Well, almost alone.
Erika beams at me as I start to walk away from Lana’s office.
“Hey, Robin,” she greets as I move toward her.
I glance at the slip of paper in my hand, wondering if I might be able to make sense of the numbers Lana wrote down when I’m alone.
I can usually recognize numbers when I try.
Colleen had to teach me to read scales for cooking, so I had to know numbers.
Unfortunately, when they’re written down all fancy, they can become much harder to read than if they’re in print.
The phone number starts with a zero, but the rest looks like a meaningless scribble to me.
“Hi, Erika,” I start, hesitating almost immediately.
What are you doing, Robin?
You can’t tell her the truth.
I know I can’t tell anyone.
But if I don’t ask for help, I don’t get to talk to that detective.
I press my lips together while I try to think up a reasonable excuse that doesn’t reveal my lack of ability. It’s harder than I expect, and I worry that the longer I stand in front of Erika, the easier it’ll be for her to figure out what’s wrong.
Think, Robin! There has to be something …
Erika’s expression softens from expectant to concerned.
For a moment, I’m sure she’s worked it out.
Then, I realize, she only thinks something’s wrong because I’ve been standing in front of her, speechless, for at least a minute too long.
“Are you okay?” she asks quietly.
I give a quick nod. “I’m fine. It’s nothing, really. I just …”
Still, nothing. God, why can’t I think of an excuse?
I hold up the slip of paper, while I try to find the words to explain.
“Is there something I can do for you?” she asks, her gaze drifting to my hand.
“Maybe,” I admit, handing her the paper. “I’d like to call Detective Waterman, but I’m not sure how the phone system works …”
It’s a lame excuse, but somehow it comes out sounding like a real issue.
Lana told me before what button to press to get an outside line.
If I could decipher her writing, I’d be able to make the call in my room.
“Oh!” Erika blurts, her eyes brightening. “Of course! Did you want to use my phone? I can make the call and give you the receiver, or, if you’d prefer, I could talk you through how to use the system.”
“If you could make the call, that would be great. I’ve … Well, I know how they work, obviously. I just … I’ve never used a phone before.”
Her eyes widen, and then she nods, slowly. “Ah. Well, it’s not hard, but I’ll do this for you now, and whenever you feel ready, I can always show you what to do. I mean, if you decide you need help. Anyway, I’ll call the detective for you.”
She picks up the receiver and places the slip of paper on the desk in front of her.
I watch as she dials the number, attempting to memorize the order of the buttons she presses.
In the end there are too many digits. I lose track, so I can only hope this one call is enough.
“It’s ringing,” Erika says as she passes me the receiver. “He’ll either pick up, or it’ll go to voicemail, and you’ll be prompted to leave a message.”
I take the receiver and hold the earpiece close to my ear.
The ringing goes on for a beat, and then the detective answers her phone.
“Detective Waterman speaking.”
“Oh …” I mumble. “Um, hi, detective. It’s Robin. Uh, Robin Yates. From …”
“Hi, Robin,” she greets warmly. “How have you been?”
“I, um, I’m doing good. I just … I wondered if you’d … If you had any information on my mother, or what might have happened to her yet?”
“Unfortunately, Ivan Hamilton still isn’t talking. He lawyered up pretty much immediately, and our search of his property didn’t reveal anything useful. So, at the moment, we’re no further forward than we were when I first came to visit you.”
“Oh. Okay. Does that mean he might not go to prison?” I ask, as I swallow down my disappointment. I know these things can take time, and I know sometimes it’s not possible to find out what really happened. My mother’s disappearance didn’t happen yesterday. She was stolen a long time ago.
“We have evidence that he paid for an Omega, and that evidence can’t be disputed,” Detective Waterman says. “He’ll be charged for that crime regardless. He can’t avoid that.”
“Have you … Did you speak to Colleen?”
“Colleen …” she murmurs.
I can hear something on the other end of the line.
She’s checking through paperwork, I guess.
“The housekeeper?” she asks.
“She was … kind of like a parent to me.”
“We spoke to her. She was sort of elusive about what went on. If I remember correctly, she claimed not to remember much about your mother. Does that sound like her?”
I think about it for a moment and let out a sigh.
“Unfortunately, yes. She often told me she didn’t remember things whenever I would ask.”
“Hm,” Detective Waterman murmurs. “Is there anyone else you think we should talk to, specifically?”
“Um, no. The guards … I didn’t know them by name, and I’m not sure who might have known her. None of them really spoke to me.”
“We checked into everyone employed by the Hamilton family. I spoke at length to Penny Hamilton myself. That woman didn’t have a clue about what was going on in her own home. She said she wasn’t there much. Do you recall how often she was in the house?”
“Not that often. She went on vacation and business trips a lot.”
“That checks out. We went through her receipts. She took a dozen or so flights a year.”
I nod. “I think I saw her twice in the last year I was there, for a day or two at most.”
“That would make sense. I’m sorry I don’t have an update for you. If I get any new leads, I’ll be sure to let you know. Do you have a phone yet, or a place of residence?”
“I’m … I took a job at the academy so you can call me here. I don’t know the number, but …”
Erika waves her hand in front of me, and I look up to see her mouth, “I do.”
“Erika, the receptionist knows,” I add. “She can put you through to my room.”
“Great. I’ve made a note of that.”
“Okay, thanks,” I murmur, feeling a little numb now that the conversation is over.
She doesn’t know what happened to my mother, and Ivan Hamilton will never admit to killing her. Whatever he gets charged for, it’s not going to be enough unless my mother’s murder is part of it.
I feel useless. I don’t know how to help the detective find what she needs to be able to add that charge to his list. It’s not like I can go back to that house and start digging up the gardens until I find real evidence.
She probably isn’t even buried there.
He would have to be a fool to bury a body in his own yard.
I hate him, but I know he’s not stupid enough, or arrogant enough to do something like that.
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about that monster to guess at what he might have done instead.
I might have to live with never knowing.
God, the thought of that hurts.
“Take care, Robin,” Detective Waterman says softly.
“Thanks. You too, detective.”
I pass the receiver back to Erika, and she places it down in its cradle.
“Thanks,” I murmur, trying to smile.
Erika’s gaze is full of concern as she smiles wanly back at me.
“I’m sorry about your mother.”
“Thanks. It was a long time ago.”
“That doesn’t mean it hurts any less. I hope you get justice for what happened to her.”
“I do, too,” I admit. “I should go. Thanks for helping me with that call.”
“Anytime. See you later, Robin.”
I wave as I leave, beyond ready to step out into the fresh air of the academy’s gardens.
Moving faster as I get closer to the big glass doors that will lead me out there, I force the thoughts of my mother out of my head.
I know I can’t get too caught up in any of that if I want to have a real life.
There’s only one lingering thought left as I reach those doors.
It sounded like Detective Waterman didn’t believe Colleen.
I grasp the handle and gaze at my reflection in the glass, the new version of me with the shinier hair and curvier shape. I look happy, vibrant, and I feel much better than I have in a long time, maybe ever.
Detective Waterman is wrong to doubt Colleen.
The woman who raised me wouldn’t lie about anything so important.
If it wasn’t for Colleen’s actions, I wouldn’t be here.
I might even be on death’s door.
She’s the one who pushed me into the hallway on that fateful day, three weeks ago.
She knew what I didn’t, and she wanted to help me get away from that place.
Colleen pushed me toward a better life.
I hope someday I get the chance to thank her for that.