“I know all that too.”
“Then…” The man starts, then swallows hard. “What do you want from us?”
Renne takes after her dad more than her mom.
“I want to know if you would like to be reunited with her? I want to know if you’re the kind of parents who want to be part of your kid’s life, but can’t because some cop decided she would be the witness to a crime they’re never going to be able to pin on the monster who did it. And I want to know if you two are idiots like the rest of the people who hid Renne, thinking they could protect her from monsters. Are you?”
“We…we think the police will do their job and justice will prevail.”
“That’s not my question.” I slam my palm on the table. “Do you think the police can protect her from the monster on the yacht?”
Dad swallows.
Mom looks away. “We don’t know.”
“Good answer. Not a definite, but better than I hoped for. Neither the police nor any other agency can save her, certainly not now that I’ve found you. I think I’ve proven that since I’m in your house, unbothered. Now, I want the names of every single person, law enforcement or otherwise, involved in Renne’s case. Everyone you can remember.” I sling off my backpack and throw it onto the table. From inside, I grab my laptop. “I will show you pictures. Cops and criminals. You will identify everyone involved in her case. Can you do that for me?”
The parents look at each other. I freeze because I can sense they’re talking without speaking. I thought only my brother and I could do that, but that’s not the case. The Richardsons can do that too. Are they soul mates? People don’t believe in that sort of stuff, but having felt my brother’s absence and his feelings all my life, there is so much more than the eyes can see or that science can explain.
It’s intuition. Connectedness with others. It’s also faith.
“We’ll do what we can,” Roy finally says. “But you have to do something for us.” He juts his chin.
“Okay. Let’s negotiate.”
“How is she?” the mom asks, eagerly leaning over the table. “Is Renne doing well?”
“Mmhm.”
“Is she working? Does she have friends? Is she still going out? Renne loved life. Going out. Meeting people.”
“Yes. She is still doing all that.”
“Good. This is good news. And who are you to her?” the father asks.
“Nobody.”
Roy frowns. “Then why are you here?”
“My brother is about to marry Renne’s best friend. The women are very close, which makes them part of my inner circle. People with access to my brother must be investigated and tested. Renne failed miserably. I’m trying to figure out if she can be saved. Help me. Help me figure this out. Her life depends on it.”
“It sounds to me like you’re a mobster,” Mrs. Richardson says.
“Was it the guns that gave me away?”
She scoffs.
I wink. “Tell you what, we’ll have a chat over bread. But now it’s work time. How long before the bread is done?”
“Ten more minutes.”
“Okay, you can ask me anything in ten minutes while we eat dessert. I’m starving. I’ve been on the public bus for hours.”
“Where did you come from?” Roy asks.
He’s trying to get me to reveal Renne’s location. It’s cute, really. “You’ll find it hard to get information out of me without giving me the same in return. I’ve been generous with you already.”
“You have,” the mom says. “You really have.”
