‘OK,’ said Dominga. She started to descend the staircase.
‘Wait,’ said Hannah. ‘Before you come down … There’s a set of keys hanging on a bulletin board by the door. Take those.’
‘Oh. OK.’ The soldier disappeared back into the apartment and came back jingling the keys out over the staircase. ‘These?’
Hannah nodded.
Dominga tossed them up and caught them again. Then she descended the steps in a gallop. When she got to the bottom, she frowned at Hannah. ‘You’re really busted up, aren’t you?’
‘I’m lucky to be alive,’ said Hannah.
‘So, when should I move in?’
Hannah almost felt like smiling. The young woman asked few questions and seemed unconcerned with any detail. She was carrying out an assignment, Hannah thought. She was doing this for Frank, treating him like a commanding officer. ‘Tomorrow?’
‘Sooner the better,’ said Dominga.
Without any other word of farewell, Dominga went out the door, stuffing the keys in her pocket. Hannah locked the door behind her. She picked up the mail and placed it on the table in the hallway for Isaiah to collect. The phone in Mamie’s part of the house began to ring and she thought about answering it. But then she thought she should not involve herself. There was a machine which would pick up. Isaiah could check the messages when he came by for the mail. Hannah walked to the stairs and put her hand on the newel post. Time to make her way back up. She lifted her foot to the first step, and began to mount the steps to the third floor, resting after every couple of stairs.
She finally arrived at the door, which Dominga had left ajar, and looked ruefully back down the stairs. She probably should have brought her handbag downstairs, and walked out to do a few errands while she was already at the bottom. Too late now. The errands would keep. She had her medications, and food to eat. A book to read. It was enough.
She pushed open the door and went in. It seemed colder than when she had left. She walked over to Sydney’s room and looked inside. How would Dominga like living in that child’s room? Hannah thought maybe she would take down some of the posters she had put on the walls, and collect the stuffed animals off the bed. She could put them in the closet. There were a couple of framed watercolors in the hall closet she had bought at a flea market, intending to hang them in the apartment to make it more homey. She could put them up in Sydney’s room for the time being, just to cover the space and make it look more welcoming. The closet was practically empty. There would be plenty of room for Dominga’s clothes, which seemed to consist of camouflage pants, combat boots, T-shirts and sweatshirts. Maybe only one of each, Hannah thought. The young woman needed a place to call home. That was for sure. Maybe this would work out well for both of them.
Hannah gathered up a couple of the stuffed animals. I’ll keep them on my bed, she thought. Make it a little less lonely. She walked out of the room, holding them to her chest. She went down the short hall to her bedroom and set them on the bed, up against the pillows. She stepped back to see how they looked there.
‘Hello, Mother,’ said a voice behind her.
Hannah cried out and whirled around. Dressed in black, Lisa sat on the chair beside the bureau, her legs crossed at the knee, her toe waggling impatiently. She stared at her mother, unsmiling.
‘Lisa,’ Hannah whispered.
Lisa smiled but her eyes were cold. ‘You wanted to see me,’ she said.
THIRTY-FOUR
‘How did you get in here?’ Hannah asked.
‘I climbed up the fire escape and came in through the window. The lock was feeble. It gave way immediately.’
Hannah studied her daughter. Lisa looked thinner. Her curly black hair was twisted into a knot on the top of her head. Behind her glasses, her eyes were steely. In spite of everything, Hannah was strangely happy to set eyes on her. She stifled the reflex to go to her, and put her arms around her. ‘Did you see Dominga?’
Lisa frowned. ‘Who? Oh, you mean the dyke I saw wandering through the apartment in camouflage? I was outside the window when she came in but she didn’t see me. Wasn’t she the one in the video on YouTube?’
So, Hannah thought. Just as they’d feared. Lisa had seen that clip and recognized them. ‘Yes.’
‘Bad luck for you that her story was so heartrending. Lots of people saw that video. I wouldn’t have bothered with it but somebody told me to look at it. And once I saw it, I was able to find you.’ Lisa could barely contain her satisfaction. ‘It was easy after that. I owe that soldier.’
‘Yes, you do,’ said Hannah. ‘She rescued Sydney.’
‘Maybe I ought to buy her a thank-you gift,’ said Lisa sarcastically.
Hannah stared at Lisa, whose expression was twisted into a sneer. She could not avoid noticing the contrast between Dominga, the young soldier who had come intending to protect her, and her own daughter, who had already tried to kill her once. She shook her head. ‘Why did you come through the window? Why didn’t you come to the door? I invited you. You knew I was expecting you.’
Lisa’s lips curved but there was no smile in her eyes. ‘I thought your little invitation might be booby trapped.’
Hannah leaned over the bed and set the stuffed animals down on the pillows. ‘It was no trick,’ she said.
‘Are those Sydney’s?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where is she?’
Hannah stared at her. ‘Let’s go into the living room.’
‘I asked you a question, Mother,’ said Lisa.
Hannah did not reply. She walked out of the bedroom and went into the tiny living room, sitting down in an armchair by the front window. She looked outside. The trees had lost their leaves and their trunks, the branches, the sky, the street and the sidewalk all looked bleak and gray. A few people shuffled past, bundled up in coats. It was the end of autumn. Winter was warning of its arrival.
Lisa came into the living room and sat down in the corner of the sofa. It was as if it were an ordinary day. A mother and daughter, settling in for a conversation. Maybe some tea. Except that, looking at her daughter across the narrow room, Hannah felt as if she could hardly breathe.
‘You can take your coat off,’ said Hannah.
‘No, thanks,’ said Lisa. She put her hand in her pocket as if to check that there was something she needed inside. Then she glanced around the modest, shabby room. ‘So how long have you been in this dump?’
‘We’ve pretty much stayed put here since we stopped … running.’ Hannah looked ruefully around the room. ‘I admit it isn’t exactly luxurious.’
‘Luxurious,’ Lisa scoffed. ‘It’s a slum.’
‘We’ve been comfortable here, all the same. Are you still in medical school?’
Lisa shrugged and looked away, stuffing her hands in her pockets. ‘I quit. They were giving me a hard time.’
‘About what?’
Lisa looked at her in disbelief. ‘Really? You don’t know?’
‘You were such a gifted student.’
‘I had a hard time studying after my parents kidnapped my kid, OK?’
‘I thought they might have a problem with your larceny conviction.’
Lisa looked at her mother with loathing. ‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You know, I was tempted to call the police on you when I got your message. I thought I’d tell them where they could find a kidnapper.’
Hannah gazed back at her without flinching. ‘But then again, I might mention to them that I could identify you on the subway surveillance tape. As the person who pushed me off the platform.’
‘So, we’re even,’ said Lisa calmly.
Hannah looked at her daughter in disbelief. ‘Even? You think that’s even? You tried to kill me, Lisa. You very nearly succeeded.’
‘Not quite even,’ said Lisa. ‘I still want Sydney back.’
Hannah stifled the urge to start screaming at her. Instead, she forced herself to remain calm. ‘Where do you live now?’
‘I live in the house
,’ said Lisa. ‘I keep it very tidy.’
‘I talked to your grandmother today. She said you kept in touch with her for a while.’
‘She’s a horror,’ muttered Lisa, disgusted. ‘It was all I could do not to smack her across the face. Did she know you were hiding here? She always claimed that she knew nothing.’
‘She knew nothing,’ said Hannah.
‘This worked out well for you, didn’t it? You got away from your nightmare of a mother. And from me. You got to keep Sydney.’
Hannah shook her head. ‘I never wanted to get away from you. I loved you. I loved you from before you were born. But once I learned about your vile plans for Sydney, and you threatened to blame everything on your father, we had no choice but to run.’
Lisa shook her head. ‘Tell yourself that, Mother. I’ve never heard such pathetic rationalizing. You steal my daughter and then you make up all these excuses for yourself. You are a kidnapper. That’s how the law sees it. I hope it’s been worth it.’
‘These have been the worst two years of my life,’ said Hannah. ‘But yes. It was worth it. To protect Sydney from your disgusting plans for her.’
‘Enough of your excuses. Cut the crap,’ said Lisa. ‘And just tell me. Where is Sydney? I thought he and she were with you at the hospital.’
‘He and she?’ asked Hannah. ‘Are you referring to your father and your daughter?’
Lisa spoke in a low tone that was almost a growl. ‘Don’t fuck with me,’ she said. ‘You know what I mean.’
Hannah clasped her hands and pressed them against her lips. She wanted to be careful what she said. She wanted to say exactly what she meant. ‘Lisa, you’re a supremely intelligent person. I have to ask you something because I can’t come to grips with it. Were you always this way?’
‘What way?’ Lisa demanded.
‘It’s as if you don’t care anything about other people. The people who love you just don’t matter. Do you feel any … tenderness in your heart?’
‘Of course I do,’ said Lisa coolly. ‘I care about Sydney. You thought you were entitled to take her away from me whenever you pleased. Just because you wanted her all to yourself. And Dad, on the other hand, wanted to have easy access to her. The way he did to me.’
Hannah felt her anger flare but, once again, she stifled it. ‘That’s not true, Lisa. Not a word of it. And you know it.’
‘Were you with us every minute? You often left me alone with him. How do you know what he did?’ Lisa taunted her. ‘What makes you think he wasn’t creeping into my room and pulling down my jammies every night?’
Hannah recoiled from the disgusting image but remained calm. ‘I don’t believe you, for one thing, my darling. You have told one lie after another. I don’t even think you know what the truth is. And for another thing, I know your father.’
Lisa looked at her, her brow furrowed, her gaze skeptical. ‘What does that prove?’ she asked. ‘You know him? What does that even mean?’
Hannah looked at her daughter almost sorrowfully. ‘You really don’t know, do you? To me, that’s the saddest thing of all. You seem to have no idea what it means to know someone. To trust them.’
Lisa threw up her hands and began to pace. ‘Of course I know what it means. You’re saying that you know him. But what do you really know about him? You know that his name is Adam Wickes, and that you’re married to him. You know where he was born, and how old he is, and all that crap. That doesn’t mean you know what he’ll do. Or what he’s done.’
‘Yes, it does,’ said Hannah earnestly. ‘That’s exactly what it means. I know his heart. I know his character. I trust him. I believe what he says to me.’
Lisa turned and pointed a finger at her. ‘Oh, I see. You believe him but you don’t believe me.’
‘Should I believe you?’
‘I’m your child.’
‘Lisa, you tried to kill me. You pushed me in front of a subway train.’
Lisa looked at her, exasperated. ‘I had good reason. You took my daughter.’
‘To protect her from you,’ Hannah said defiantly.
‘I’m not listening to this again. Where is she?’ Lisa growled. ‘You’d better tell me. I’m going to count to ten.’
Hannah sat back down and avoided Lisa’s malevolent gaze. ‘They’re gone. Far away. You’ll never find them.’
Lisa lifted up a wooden desk chair by its back and smashed it against the wall. It made a giant, jagged crack in the plaster. Hannah jumped and let out a cry.
‘You can’t do this to me,’ Lisa insisted. ‘She is mine. You will give her back to me.’
‘I don’t know where they are,’ said Hannah. ‘We’ve done it that way on purpose.’
‘You bitch. I don’t believe you.’ Lisa reached over and grabbed Hannah by the neck. Her long fingers pressed against her mother’s windpipe. ‘Where’s your phone?’
Hannah shook her head. She could hardly breathe. Lisa reached down and began to rummage in Hannah’s pockets. ‘You always carried it in your pocket. It must be … Ah,’ she exclaimed. ‘Let me have a look.’ She operated the phone with one hand, keeping her grip on Hannah’s throat.
Hannah’s fingers clawed at Lisa’s powerful hand. She tried to gulp in some air. Lisa was scrolling through the calls. ‘Aha!’ she cried. ‘This has got to be it.’ She punched in a number on the phone, simultaneously letting go of Hannah, who fell back down on the chair, gasping for breath. She rubbed her throat with her hand. Tears ran down the side of her face as she heard the call going through. Lisa held the phone at an angle from her face so that Hannah could hear the voice saying, ‘Hannah? Babe? Are you there?’
‘Hi, Daddy,’ said Lisa in a silken tone. ‘Guess what?’
There was a silence on the other end. ‘Where is your mother?’ he asked warily.
‘She’s here with me. Say something, Mother.’
Lisa held the phone out toward Hannah, who was still gasping for breath. ‘Adam,’ she whispered.
‘Are you OK? Are you all right? What is she doing there? Has she hurt you?’
Hannah wanted to speak but only a squeak came out. ‘Don’t listen to anything she says.’
‘Bitch,’ said Lisa. She pulled the phone back and spoke into it. ‘This is the way it is. Bring Sydney back and I’ll let my mother live. Otherwise I’m going to finish the job I started on the subway.’
Hannah could hear Adam protesting and trying to reason with her. Lisa ended the call.
‘That will bring him back,’ said Lisa. ‘Now we wait.’
THIRTY-FIVE
Frank Petrusa was on the phone with the VA Hospital, trying to locate Titus, who had not shown up for group. He had a bad feeling about the depressed vet, who seemed to careen from hopefulness to despair without stopping at any reasonable place in between.
‘Yes, I’ll hold,’ he said. He sighed and rubbed his good hand over his face.
People got lost in the system all the time. He would talk to a guy for an hour, and send them off to an office or an agency with detailed instructions. And that would be the last he knew of them. Sometimes it felt like herding cats.
Dominga Flores came to the door of the group meeting room. ‘Sarge?’ she said.
Frank lowered the receiver and looked at Dominga. ‘Did you go over to the Whitmans’?’ he asked.
Dominga nodded. ‘Yup.’
‘Did you tell her that I sent you?’
‘I think she guessed,’ said Dominga.
‘Well, how did it go?’
‘She said I could move in tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow?’ Frank frowned. ‘Not today?’
Dominga grimaced. She felt as if the sergeant was displeased with her. ‘She said tomorrow. I didn’t want to … you know, be too pushy.’
‘Right,’ said Frank. ‘That’s all right. I guess it will be all right.’ Then he spoke into the phone. ‘Yes. I’m still holding.’
‘Why are you so keen on me moving in there anyway?’
‘We
ll, you know what happened to her in the subway.’
Dominga nodded.
‘After that it just seemed wise to me to have a someone living with her. Someone who could manage … trouble if it arose.’
‘But that subway business was just kind of random, wasn’t it? Life in the city and all?’
Frank hesitated. ‘I’m … not sure,’ he said. He studied the tough-looking young woman standing in the doorway. It wasn’t fair to send her to Anna’s, perhaps to put her in harm’s way without admitting the risk. She had a right to know. A right to refuse. ‘They haven’t caught the person who pushed her. But Anna could probably identify them if an arrest was made. There’s always the possibility that she could be targeted again, to prevent that from happening.’
‘So she needs … like a bodyguard,’ said Dominga.
‘I’m hoping it won’t come to that,’ said Frank. ‘But it could be dangerous.’
Dominga extended her hands and flexed her fingers toward her palms. ‘Bring it on, baby. I’m ready. They better not mess with me. I’ll tear ’em a new one.’
Frank laughed, relieved. ‘Besides, you needed a place to stay. I thought it might be a good fit,’ he said.
‘Oh, I think it will be,’ said Dominga. ‘She’s a good person.’ Then she frowned. ‘Who would want to do that? Push someone under a train?’
Frank shook his head. ‘A very disturbed individual.’
Dominga dangled the keychain. ‘You’re not kidding. Well, it’s official anyway. She gave me a key.’
Frank nodded. ‘Good,’ he said.
‘I gotta go,’ said Dominga. ‘I signed up for an auto mechanics class.’
‘Great,’ said Frank. ‘That’s thinking positive!’
Dominga shrugged. ‘I gotta get on with my life.’
‘Yes, you do,’ said Frank. The music at the other end of the phone continued to play. ‘And thanks, Dominga, for doing this. I’ll feel a lot better when you get moved in there.’
Dominga gave him a semi-salute and went on her way. Frank exhaled, and continued to wait for someone to answer his call. Finally a nurse who had seen Titus explained that he was currently in physical therapy.
I See You Page 27