by Alice Quinn
The doorbell rang again. What was with this place?
“Can’t we just be left alone?” I yelled. “Is this a shrink’s place or a what? What’s all this in-and-out, in-and-out all the time?”
Someone opened up and the bambinos started screeching. Top volume. Lisa pushed the door open and scurried toward me, screaming at the top of her little lungs.
“Bean! Bean! Mr. Bean!”
“Oh, my little pie face! What’s going on here? Are you hurt?”
“It’s Pirate Anorak, Mommy! He’s here! He just rang the bell! He found us! He wants inside here! Inside your boss’s house!”
“OK, my little angel babe. Let’s go and check this out. We’ll see what this pirate has to say for himself, OK?”
She hid behind my legs as I made my way toward the entrance. There was a guy standing there in an electrical-repairman outfit. You know the type—blue overalls, baseball cap, high-vis jacket, messenger bag, and a huge toolbox. Weirdly, he had Band-Aids all over his face and neck, and his left hand was all bandaged up. I had the feeling I’d seen him before. Under the bandages I imagined he looked like our national treasure, Johnny Halliday. But a more tired version with shifty eyes.
The journalist placed herself at a fair distance from the front door and held her nose. She caught my eye and stressed in a low voice, “I know it’s not very polite, but there’s a weird smell coming from him.”
The guy gave her the once-over and uttered in a mean, bitter tone, “Electricity. Electric boiler. Problem with it.”
“You didn’t fall in a public dumpster on your way over here, did you?” The woman had no shame.
The repairman seemed just about ready to lose it. He barked, “I’m not here to talk to you. My boss told me to come over. Need to fix the boiler. Where’s the meter?”
“I don’t know. Would you like some of my mafé? It’s a traditional West African dish made with peanuts. I think it might cheer you up. You seem to be feeling a bit glum!”
“Don’t eat foreign shit.” He sniffed the air. There was no doubt about it, the mafé was starting to smell fantastic. “Definitely no African shit.”
She glanced at me and squeezed out a smile—a smile I considered to be dangerous. I’d have been more careful if I were the guy, but he seemed lost in his own nasty little world.
“Really? I get it,” she said. “I bet you’d prefer . . . cassoulet? Is that it? Tell me if I’m getting close.”
“Shut your mouth, you silly bitch! You’re wasting my time here! Don’t you have something better to be doing? A bongo to play?”
We just stood there, our jaws on the floor. The journalist’s initial shock turned to pity quite quickly—all credit to her.
“Oh dear. This is more serious than I first thought. You’re clearly going through a very difficult period. You need some help. Some counseling could do you a world of good. And you know what? You’re in the right place.”
“Crap, just drop it, OK? Go back to wherever it is you came from, got it?”
She wasn’t bothered by his ugly words. I’d never heard anything so disgustingly racist. She turned to me.
“Out of respect for you, I’m going to step away from this situation. But I want it noted in my file that I kept a hold of my emotions here. I think it shows some progress, don’t you?” She turned on her heel and headed back to the kitchen.
“Bunch of savages,” the repairman whispered to himself.
I couldn’t believe how well she’d kept herself under control. I’d have gone to town on the guy and ripped him a new one. I missed Gaston. He had ways of hurting people that went far above my capabilities. You wouldn’t think he was much of a fighter, but he could handle himself.
The very least I could have done was slam the door in his face, but I was working for Rachel Amar now. Seeing as I’d been doing whatever the hell I liked up to that point, I could at least get one thing right and have her boiler all fixed up for her by the time she got back. I felt obliged. It was more than an obligation I felt, it was guilt. She had some problem with her electricity and this foul pinhead was there to fix it. So I breathed in deeply and stepped over to him.
“What is it you’re here to do exactly?”
“I was told to come to this apartment, madame. You’re Amar, right?”
“Yes, well, this is where Madame Amar lives.”
“OK, then show me where the meter is.”
“The meter? I don’t have the foggiest idea.”
He started muttering to himself—thinking aloud, maybe? “She hasn’t the foggiest idea. It’s just a short circuit and it’ll all be up and running again, I bet. Doesn’t even know where the meter is, for fuck’s sake. One of these days, the whole system’ll just blow up in their faces! If it does, I ain’t going down for it. No way!”
“Mommy, Mommy, don’t let him in! It’s Pirate Anorak! He’s horrid!” boomed Lisa in a full-on cry.
Sabrina’s eyes widened. “Of courthe it ithn’t! He’th here to fix thtuff, that’th all!”
“Do you think that little brat could give it a rest? Insulting me like that?” the repair guy said, thrusting his chin toward my Lisa.
My hands tightened into fists. I’ll only be pushed so far. Was this guy seriously going to try to insult my kids and expect me to stand by and watch? I had to force myself to act with reason: If Amar has problems with her hot water and called the electric company, I have to let this guy in to do his job.
I held my breath, screwed up my eyes, and said in the syrupiest voice I could muster, “Come in, monsieur. Don’t pay any attention to my daughter. She’s just a little imp, you know? She watches a little too much TV. Listen, I have a lot of work to do, OK? Could you search around for the meter yourself?”
And off he went in search of it, opening every cupboard in the place. Sabrina and I returned to the living room. It was like the waiting room at a train station during summer when all the train drivers are on strike, like they so often are in France. I was the only one supposed to be there. Actually, Véro was the only one supposed to be there! Instead, there was me, the kidsters, Laroche, and the depressed journalist whose name I couldn’t remember.
“It’s ready! Mafé all around!”
The journo put down a huge platter filled with her special mafé. It was covered in thick golden cream. Wow, it smelled delicious. The main ingredients of mafé are chicken and peanuts. I couldn’t believe she’d pulled it all together so quickly and that it smelled sooooooooo goooooooooood!
“I bought some of the ingredients already cooked, but I made the sauce myself.”
The babies nearly dove into it headfirst. They started eating from the platter rather than waiting for it to be served up.
Laroche gazed at the dish with interest.
“Why are you still here?” I asked him.
“First off, I don’t think my session is really finished. Second, I’m waiting for Léo so I can give him his first math lesson. And third, I’ve been having a good chat with Bintou.”
He threw our cook a sideways glance and she reddened.
“Bintou?” I said.
They both giggled like a couple of goons.
“Bintou, huh? That’s new, isn’t it? Since when have you called her Bintou?”
“Uh . . . ummmm . . .” he stammered.
Is something going on between these two?
“I don’t think much of your explanations,” I said with a smirk.
“Well, it’s not just that . . . I actually think it’s pretty cool hanging out here. It’s a happening place.”
I rolled my eyes. “A happening place? Who uses language like that? You’re too old! Stop wasting your time around here. We’re not happening. Nothing’s happening.”
“Don’t pay her any attention,” said the woman with the complicated name. “You know this is all part of her strategy.”
I could have shoved her face into her mafé!
“That’s enough, Bintou. If we’re going with Bintou, it’ll ma
ke life a hell of a lot easier. I’ve been having some trouble with your other names. Monsieur Laroche, stop listening to her, I’m not who you think I am.”
Bintou simply smiled.
“You may not be who I thought you were,” he said, “but it doesn’t matter. You’re doing the job nicely. I’ll wait for Léo and help him with his math.”
I sighed again. I’d sighed a lot already that day.
25
It sounded like the door was being kicked in. Léo was shouting, “Quick! Hurry! Open up!”
I ran to let him in. I’d never seen him so agitated.
“Erina came to meet me, but we didn’t go to the beach because half her face was swollen. I ended up taking her to the pharmacy to buy her some disinfectant. When I started asking too many questions, she clammed up and wouldn’t answer. In the end, I lost her! She went and disappeared on me! A bus went past and I guess she hopped on. I don’t know how she did it.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not like we don’t know where she is. We know where she lives.”
“Yes, but what good is that? We know that’s where he beats her. Oh, I should have told you. That guy we saw is not her father. Well, that’s what she told me. I’m going to rat him out to immigration. Did you notice she was limping? I think she has something wrong with her hip, or her stomach.”
“Did she say something about it?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t clear. I didn’t catch what she was saying. She was talking about someone called Kholia? She seemed so worried! She sounded freaky desperate about the whole thing.”
“What was she saying, exactly?”
“‘Not Kholia. My fault. Too small. Go. Return him. My fault.’ Something like that. In broken French.” He was agitated, wringing his hands.
“OK, Léo, listen to me. We’re going to have a think about all this and figure it out. We need to find out more about that nonfather of hers. And it’s going to be hard work. I bet he’s a trafficker harboring illegal immigrants. That’s my guess. He won’t be all that easy to trace. But we have to find her. And the bit about Kholia, about being too small . . . Is that a kid? It sounds bad. I’m going to finish up here and then I’m coming with you. We’ll try to find her. And you know what? I’m usually pretty good at this kind of thing. I’m an excellent detective. You’ll see. Ask your mom.”
Despite the brave face, I felt panicky. What were we getting our sticky little noses stuck into this time?
Laroche butted in. “Come here, Léo, I want to show you something.
Léo tried to cheer up a bit. “What’s your job, exactly? What do you do?”
Laroche looked put out and thought for a moment. “I invented a real hot piece of software that helps financial peeps earn shitloads of money. After I got that up and running, I created my company. We have an app that does the same thing as the software, and now I run and manage a financial-analysis agency. I buy and sell shares. I use money to make money, basically. I put people in touch with other people. Get my drift?”
He appeared embarrassed. I guess he was thinking about the orgies. I suppose it was one way of putting people in touch with others.
“Wow! I don’t even know what half that stuff means,” Léo said, then paused for a while. “So, actually, you don’t really have a job? You move money around from one place to another, and while you’re doing that, you take a cut. Is that right? I don’t think I could handle making a living that way.”
“Why not?” asked Laroche.
“I don’t know. I like to see results when I’ve done something. Concrete results. Like, if you fix a car engine, the car works when you’re done. See?”
“Well, I did invent that app,” replied Laroche.
“Oh yeah!” exclaimed Léo. “That’s cool! And do you work every day?”
Lisa and Emma started to recite the days of the week. “Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday . . .”
I left them all to it and went to find a stepladder so I could take the curtains down to wash. Léo followed soon afterward. He wanted to help me get through all my work as quick as possible.
I started with the office curtains. This seemed to be the only place in the whole apartment where I could be alone to think. Well, almost alone. Léo was with me, of course. The repairman popped his head around the door, spotted us, and then ran away again. Weird.
Léo was in a dark and mopey mood as he held the ladders for me, despite my reassurances. He seemed to already have forgotten about Laroche and the cool app stuff. I didn’t blame him, though. He didn’t say a word.
As I worked, I got to wondering what could have happened to Erina.
Lisa wandered in. She likes to know where I am at all times.
“You’re not playing with your pirate anymore?” I joked with her.
“Don’t make fun, Mommy. Luckily, Sabrina is keeping a watch out. But it’s fine right now because the lady who made the nice food gave the pirate a real good kick. He fell down in the big bedroom and didn’t get back up.”
I was only half listening. I knew Sabrina had one heck of an imagination, but I hadn’t known until then that Lisa was following in her footsteps. She has some talent! Was she making this stuff up or copying what she’d heard her big sister say? Sabrina came in with a giant smile on her chubby little chops.
“Ith everything OK, Mommy?”
She took Lisa by the hand and walked her out of the office.
“I told you not to bug Mommy! She hath a lot of work to do.”
26
Léo was growing impatient. “OK, do you think this curtain thing might be wrapping up any time soon? We’ve taken them all down now! There can’t be much else left to do!”
“You’re right. Let me just get organized and put the first set of curtains in the machine.”
“So, where are we going to start searching for her?” asked Léo.
“She must be hiding out someplace, and I bet she’s terrified. She could be all alone with no shelter. She could be in a real mess. Or she might have gone home and now be at the mercy of her father. Nonfather! As if he ever deserved to be a father! And what was that tale about a little tot? We need to get all this stuff straight, Léo. If we don’t find out what’s going on, nobody else will.”
I didn’t say anything, but my thoughts turned to my Linus Robinson and whether or not he’d read my reply. Well, Rachel Amar’s reply. Well, the reply I’d written on behalf of Rachel Amar. What a mess.
I found Bintou with Laroche in the kitchen. They were washing the pots together. I gave her the address of Sélect and told her to pay Tony a visit. She was to say she was filling in for Mimi.
“I mean, if you want to. Tell him that I’ll be back as soon as I’ve finished up at Véro’s boss’s house. You should also explain that sometimes you’ll be there with my nippers, so he’s not too surprised when he sees you with them.”
She turned her head to one side. “Got it. And this is all part of the method, right? My treatment?”
To make everything easier, I said, “That’s right. Yes.”
“But do you really think I can manage all that, Madame Maldonne?”
“Yes, I do. I think it’ll be a cinch for someone like you. You could do it with one hand tied behind your back.”
I turned around and marched back to the office.
Laroche, who’d left while I was chatting with Bintou, was lying back down on the nitwit couch. Cue more sighing from yours truly. When was this nightmare going to end?
“But—” I started.
“Yes, I know. Let’s just finish our session, OK? I’m not exactly asking for the moon on a stick.”
“No way! Just stop this. It’s too late now! I’m afraid you’ve missed your turn for today. I’ve got stuff to do, and I need to get a move on. Pronto.”
I could hear Sabrina fretting. Bintou was getting the kiddos ready. She had her big purse all ready to go. I was pretty proud of her. I asked her if she’d mind taking the girls to McDonald’s right after her shift a
t Tony’s. It would be a great way to keep them all busy while Léo and I looked into the whole Erina business.
Bintou was fine with the arrangement, but Sabrina started making waves.
“I don’t want to go, Mommy.”
“Why not? Don’t you want to go play with your sisters?”
“No! I have homework I need to do here!”
“Don’t worry,” said Laroche. “I’m staying awhile. This is a great place to work, and I brought my laptop with me. That’s if you don’t mind, of course. I can watch Sabrina. Someone needs to stay with the electrical guy. I think you might have forgotten that there’s still a man roaming around the apartment.”
Sabrina shut up and looked surprised.
I had forgotten about the electricity man, for sure. Neat. This Laroche guy was a walking computer. He remembered everything.
“I’m staying with Sabrina. I have to defend her,” Emma breathed.
“I’m staying with Emma,” Lisa said, nodding shyly.
“No problem,” exclaimed Laroche. “They can all stay.”
“OK. If any more patients show up, tell them that Amar isn’t here. Come on, Léo! Let’s get out of here!”
“Wait, I’ll come with you,” said Bintou. “You can point me in the direction of Sélect.”
27
Once outside, with Bintou on her way to Tony’s place, I turned to Léo. I had to let rip.
“You and I need to talk. I need you to tell me everything that went on with Erina.”
“I told you everything already!” He threw his hands up and breathed heavily.
“Just control yourself. I want you to tell me word for word. Maybe there’s a detail you missed. It might help us find her.”
We were in the middle of the sidewalk. He let it all out at super speed.
“First off, I had to wait awhile before she showed up at our meeting place at the fountain, right? She wasn’t carrying any plastic bags or packages, so I guess she must have finished her rounds for the day. As she got closer, I noticed something was majorly up with her face. I ran up to say hi asked her what had happened. She said she’d fallen down some steps. I didn’t believe it for a second. I felt like killing the whole goddamn world! I asked her again and again! I wanted to know how her face had ended up that way, and she just kept repeating the same bull that she’d fallen. She also kept saying that the date was a bad idea.