Chapter 3 - The Call Nobody Was Supposed to Hear
The police arrived before midnight. They separated us into different rooms, photographed the box, and collected the forged document. I told them everything, including the message about my mother.
Detective Nora Price listened without interrupting. “Do you have reason to believe your employer is involved?”
I thought of Luca's calm voice, his guards, his reputation, and the fact that he had told me to call the police when doing so might expose his own secrets.
“I don't know,” I said.
That was the truth.
By morning, officers had located the hospital wheelchair abandoned near a service entrance. My mother was still missing.
Evelyn invited me to her sitting room while the investigators worked. The room smelled of tea, lemon polish, and the faint lavender soap she used on her hands.
“Vanessa spoke on the telephone yesterday,” she said. “I heard her mention a loading bay and the words ‘before the auditors arrive.’”
“Why didn't you tell Luca sooner?”
“I wasn't certain what I'd heard. Being blind doesn't make me infallible.”
She reached across the table and found my hand. “But it has taught me to listen when someone changes the subject too quickly.”
Her telephone rang. She asked me to answer it.
A distorted voice said, “Tell the old woman to stop listening.”
May you like
The line went dead.
Evelyn held her tea without drinking. “Now,” she said, “we know they're frightened.”
