“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.”
