“I have one in 1951. Mildred Dorothy Cross, born to Dorothy Cross née Moline and Thomas Cross in Ottawa.”
“Ottawa? Not Alberta?” That was where Dot said she’d been born.
“If it was in Alberta, I would not have said Ottawa.”
“Right, sorry.”
“Anything else?”
“No,” Nadine said slowly. Damn. They were one step closer, but they still didn’t have what they desperately needed: that critical piece of evidence that screamedJohn Wilson is bad and he did bad things.
“Good.” Irina hung up.
Wes came in and tossed his phone on the counter. “Dot Voline appeared in Meadow Lake, Manitoba, in 1979. She said she was from northern Alberta and lost her documents in the move. The town clerk was by all accounts a very nice and trusting man well past retirement age and helped her replace everything.”
“How did you find out so fast?” Nadine was impressed but not surprised, given how good Wes was.
“An old friend is from Manitoba, and I lucked out because his mom lives in the neighboring town. Apparently no one doubted her story, although she rarely spoke about her life before Meadow Lake.”
“Nice,” approved Nadine. Informal connections could yield the best information. She told him about Irina.
Then they stared at each other.
“It’s not enough to go up again John Wilson.” Nadine put her headin her hands, her excitement dashed. “I give up.”
Wes pulled her hands down, and she pressed her face into the curve of his shoulder. He was steady, and his hands held her close.
“Why don’t you go for a walk and clear your head while I get lunch back on track?” he said.
She leaned against him for a few beats more, simply letting herself feel small and weak and helpless. She could do that with Wes and trusted him not to shame her about feeling defeated instead of her usual self.
“No.” Her voice was muffled in his skin.
***
He held her closer, feeling the concern build. What could he say to make her feel better?
“It’s okay, Nadine. We tried.” He felt her shake her head and added, “Sometimes trying is all we can do. It’s not like this is the end of the road. We might lose access to Dot’s house, but we’ve found plenty that we can continue to investigate when we’re done here.”
“I know, but it feels like it’s not enough. Like once we leave, we’ll be stuck.”
“We won’t be.” He kissed her on the head.
“You don’t know that.” She stepped back, her neck bent. He hated seeing her so defeated.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice frustrated. “I can’t fix this.”
“What?” She looked at him in confusion.
“I know I should fix this, but I don’t know how.”
She tilted her head. “Why do you think you need to fix things that aren’t your fault?”
“Because it’s my responsibility.” He’d never been able to make his mother happy, and now he had to worry about Nadine as well.
“What?”
He thought back to all the times his mother told him he was the manof the house, responsible for everyone under their roof. “I don’t know. I like to keep people happy and make sure they’re comfortable.”
