Page 45 of Hell Bent
“She’s dying, dude. How do you think she is?”
“I don’t know. She told me she has better days and worse days. I assume she had a hard time saying goodbye to you, too, so that probably didn’t help.”
“Yeah, right,” he said, and looked out the window. I drove in silence for a few minutes, and finally, he burst out, “I could’ve taken care of her. Iwastaking care of her.”
“I know,” I said.
“If you know, why am I sitting here? Why did you say I should come live with you? My mom doesn’t want that. I know she doesn’t, whatever she says, and she can still make up her own mind!”
I had no idea what to say here. I went with, “I can’t think on an empty stomach. Let’s go get those sandwiches, and we can have this conversation.”
“I don’t want to have a conversation,” he said. “I just want to go home. I don’t even get to go to school here for some lame reason. I’m just going to be stuck in your house all day. How is that fair?”
“I get it,” I said, stretching for serenity with everything inme. “I do. And you’ll be in school just as soon as we jump through all the hoops.” I didn’t say,until your mom dies and I figure this whole thing out,but said instead, “For now, let’s go home and talk it out. I’ll tell you everything I know, and you can ask any questions you have, too. We’ll talk it over, and we’ll make a plan.”
Alix
Going to a man’s NFL game is an unusual second date. Picking up his unknown nephew first is areallyunusual one. I checked the address again, then headed into a very posh lobby in the fanciest part of what the street signs said was the Pearl District. Black marble, some kind of art glass installation, and a security guard behind the sleek desk. I gave my name, and the woman picked up the phone.
It must have rung and rung, because she hung up at last and said, “No answer.”
“There has to be an answer,” I said. “I’m picking him up. Did you call the right apartment? Sebastian Robillard, in number 1301?”
“I did,” she said, “and there was no answer.”
I thought a minute, and then I thought some more and said, “He has a neighbor. Right next door, a woman with a thirteen-year-old daughter. Do you know who I’m talking about?”
“Francine Waters.”
“Yes. Her. Could you call her, please, so she can knock?”
“Sorry, why?”
“Look,” I said. “Have you met him? Ben? The kid?”
“No,” she said. “I didn’t know he was there, except there was a note today.”
“Well, he just got here, and I suspect he’s not having aneasy time. I’m picking him up to go watch Sebastian play for the Devils, and that’s not something he’s likely to have forgotten. If something’s wrong—he’s fourteen. He’s a minor child, and he’s alone.”
“What do you suggest I do?” she asked.
“Call the neighbor. That’s not overstepping, surely.”
She hesitated, but she did it, and after a moment, said, “Hi, Ms. Waters. I’ve got a woman here who says—” She looked up at me. “What do you want me to tell her?”
“Can I talk to her?” I asked. “Just for a minute.”
She handed the phone over, and I said, “Hi, Francine. My name’s Alix, and I’m a friend of Sebastian’s, here to pick up Ben for the game today. He’s not answering the phone, though. Do you have any idea where he is?”
“No,” the voice said. “He came over to our place for dinner last night, because Sebastian arranged it, but I haven’t seen him today. He could be walking the dog, I guess. Do you want me to check the apartment?”
“Yes,” I said. “Can you do that?”
“Sure. Sebastian gave me a key, because of Lexi. You’re on a landline. Give me a cell phone number, and I’ll call you back on that.”
A minute where I stood and tapped a toe and the security guard went back to whatever she’d been doing, and then my phone rang. I snatched it up and said, “Hello?”
“I think you’d better come up here,” Francine said. “We have a situation.”
