Still so weird.
Dree couldn’t call Caridad on her phone because it was still work hours in Phoenix. Caridad might not have her cell phone with her, or she might be in the middle of a code and trying to pound someone back to life, which was always an inconvenient time to have your phone start buzzing and ringing in your pocket.
There’s never a good time to call a nurse when she’s working.
She didn’t want to tell Caridad that she was in France because then Caridad would have to lie to the police if they came around again. She wouldn’t put Caridad in that position. Lying to the police or anyone would upset Cari.
Dree texted Caridad back,What were the police asking?
She didn’t expect a reply immediately, but Caridad’s profile picture slid down the conversation on her screen, indicating that she had seen Dree’s text. The little typing icon began to rotate at the end of the line.
Dree waited, sitting on the cold edge of the bathtub and staring at her phone.
Caridad texted,They were asking about you and Francis. They were asking how long you’ve been dating.
Dree typed,Can you talk on the phone?
A second later, the app rang, indicating a video call coming through. Dree swiped the button up. “Hello?”
Caridad was holding her hands to the sides of the phone so it looked like she was talking through a tunnel composed of her brown palms. Her hushed voice and the weird echo behind it sounded like she was bent over and hiding the phone at the nurses’ station desk. “Hello, Dree? Are you okay? Is your phone number not working?”
“Um, there’s a problem with my regular phone number. What did the police ask you?”
She glanced to the side, a furtive look, then back. “All about Francis, like when he first showed up here and what kind of car he drives. They wanted to know about you, too, if you’ve bought a new car recently or moved house or been wearing a lot of jewelry or anything.”
Dree was making more money than most members of her family, but it was still a nurse’s salary, not a CEO’s. “That’s weird. Where would I get the money for all that?”
“I don’t know, but they seemed real interested in money and where you are. They sure wanted to know where Francis was, too.”
She’d better not tell Cari she was in France, then, so Cari wouldn’t have to lie. “Francis doesn’t even work at Good Samaritan Hospital. Why would they be asking you where he was? Unless it’s because he’s my boyfriend.”
“They were acting all weird. I don’t like how weird they were acting. They were acting like police back in the Philippines who want you to give money to make them go away.”
“Oh, Caridad. We don’t do that here. Sometimes people are just weird. Not everybody has good social skills.”
“Is Francis in some sort of trouble?” Caridad asked.
“You bet your sweet ass he’s in trouble,” Dree muttered.
“It sounds like Francis gotyouinto some sort of trouble.”
Dree said, “No. No, I’m the victim here. Francis stole a bunch of stuff from me.”
“That’s weird, because that’s what he said you do.”
“Have you talked to Francis Senft?”
“Yeah, he come around here right after you came back and got your gym bag that one day. He wanted to talk to HR about how many hours you’d had since the beginning of the pay period and if he could get a check for that. He also said that you stole from him, and he was asking people to loan him money and said it was because you took all his money. Did you run out on him? And maybe take some of his stuff as revenge? Because that would be sweet. I never liked that guy.”
“You didn’t like him? Why didn’t yousaysomething?”
“Because you seemed so happy when he was swanning around here, bringing you flowers. I don’t think it’s any good thing when a boy talks to you once in your office and then sends you flowers like that. He wants something.”
“Oh, come on. He didn’twantsomething.” It sounded hollow in her ears even as it came out of her mouth.
“All boys want same thing,” Caridad snarled.
“Francis was not like that. We dated for four months before—you know.”
