Chương 8
“Open.”
The detective asked about Ray, the van, and Sophie.
Lily answered some questions and refused others.
“What color was the van?”
“White.”
“Make and model?”
“A van.”
“Any markings?”
“Greenridge magnets on the doors.”
“Magnets?”
“So they could take them off.”
The detective wrote that down.
“Where were you when Ray told you to get in?”
“Back hallway.”
“Why were you awake?”
Lily looked at Helen.
The attorney said, “You can take a break.”
“No.”
“Then answer only what you remember.”
Lily rubbed the brass key inside her pocket.
“I heard Sophie crying.”
“Where?”
“Laundry room.”
“What time?”
“After midnight.”
“How do you know?”
“The staff changed at eleven. Ray came after.”
“Was Ray scheduled?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“He told Ms. Dawn he was covering for someone.”
“Who is Ms. Dawn?”
“Night supervisor.”
“What happened next?”
“He said Sophie was being transferred. The boy too. Then he told me to get my shoes because the director wanted me gone.”
“Why would the director want you transferred?”
Lily stared at the table.
“Because I stole something.”
Ruth looked at her but said nothing.
“What did you steal?” the detective asked.
“A key.”
Lily took the brass key from her pocket and placed it on the table.
It was small, stamped with the number B-17.
The detective leaned forward.
“What does it open?”
“Ray’s locker.”
“How did you get it?”
“He left it in the laundry room.”
“Why did you take it?”
“Because Sophie said he kept pictures.”
The detective’s pen stopped.
“What kind of pictures?”
“I don’t know. She wouldn’t say.”
“Did you open the locker?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He noticed the key was gone.”
“And that night he put you in the van?”
“Yes.”
The detective reached toward the key, then stopped.
“May I take this as evidence?”
Lily closed her fingers around it.
Helen said, “They’ll document it and give you a receipt. You do not have to surrender it without understanding what happens.”
“It’s mine.”
“It may open evidence at a closed facility,” the detective said.
“Or nothing,” Lily replied.
“Yes.”
“If it opens nothing, you’ll say I lied.”
“No.”
“Adults always say no before they do it.”
The detective sat back. “Then keep it tonight. I’ll apply for a warrant for the remaining Greenridge property. If a judge approves, your attorney can be present when we test the key.”
Lily looked at Helen.
“That’s a real option,” Helen said.
Lily put the key back in her pocket.
After the detective left, Elaine received a call and stepped into the hallway.
Helen remained at the table.
“Are you my lawyer?” Lily asked.
“Yes.”
“Who pays you?”
“The city.”
“So you work for them.”
“No. I work for you.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Most public systems don’t.”
“What happens if I run?”
Helen crossed one ankle over the other.
“People search for you. You become harder to place. The court may order a higher-security setting. Anyone from Greenridge who wants to find you has an easier time because you’ll return to places you know.”
Lily’s eyes narrowed.
“That sounds like a threat.”
“It’s an answer.”
“What happens if I stay?”
“We ask the court to keep you with Ruth temporarily. We investigate whether there’s a relative or trusted adult. We pursue what happened at Greenridge. You get choices, but not every choice.”
“Because I’m eleven.”
“Because the state has legal custody.”
“Same thing.”
Helen did not disagree.
A plane passed overhead. Milo shouted that it was landing in the kitchen.
Ruth went to make sure he was not climbing the window.
Helen lowered her voice.
“Daniel Mercer’s attorney called me.”
“What did he want?”
“To offer assistance.”
“I don’t want it.”
“I told him that.”
Lily studied her.
“You didn’t ask.”
“You’ve been clear.”
“What kind of assistance?”
“Private school placement, housing, medical care, a trust.”
Lily felt anger arrive before she could decide whether it belonged there.
“He thinks he can buy the part where he feels bad.”
“Maybe.”
“Tell him no.”
“I did.”
“Tell him again.”
“I will.”
At nine, Ruth made oatmeal because there was nothing else. Lily chose maple flavor and regretted it. Milo fell asleep on the couch with Henry the stegosaurus pressed against his cheek.
Ruth carried him to the bedroom.
Lily stood by the window watching planes descend through clouds. Their lights appeared suspended in darkness before dropping toward the runway.
“You can stop wearing the coat inside,” Ruth said behind her.
“No.”
“You’re sweating.”
“I’m fine.”
“You say that like it’s a password.”
Lily looked down at the torn sleeve. A strip of brown lining hung from the cuff.
“My mom bought this at a church basement sale,” she said. “Three dollars.”
Ruth leaned against the wall.
“She said it made her look like a detective.”
“Did it?”
“No. She looked like she stole a detective’s coat.”
Ruth smiled.
Lily ran her thumb along the worn seam.
“She wore it when we left the shelter.”
“Why did you leave?”
“They closed our room.”
“For what reason?”
“Funding.”
Ruth’s smile disappeared.
Lily continued, “They said the program was reorganizing. We got two nights in a motel, then nothing. My mom kept calling places. One had beds, but they said I was too old to stay with her because the room was women only.”
“How long were you outside?”
“Different places.”
“How did she die?”
Lily looked at the planes.
“She got sick.”
Ruth waited.
Lily hated waiting because it made silence feel visible.
“She had pneumonia. At the hospital they asked for an address. She gave the shelter address, but they said the program had closed. She got mad. She always got mad when she was embarrassed.”
“Did she leave the hospital?”
“She said we couldn’t afford it.”
“The emergency room would still treat her.”
“She didn’t believe that.”
“Did you?”
Lily shook her head.
May you like
Ruth stood beside her, not too close.
“My husband died because he waited too long to see a doctor,” Ruth said. “He had insurance. A good one. He just hated hospitals and thought pain was something men were supposed to outstare.”
