Stealing Time (25 page)

What happened the day Nanci lost her father was the same as what happened every other day. She'd come home from school. She'd done her homework at the table where they ate their meals. Always, she waited for her father. When he came home from the noodle factory where he worked, he gave her some money and sent her to buy food. No different from hundreds of other days. After they ate, she went to the library for two hours. Same as every day. But that day, when she came back with three oranges and a fish, the building was full of smoke and fire. Her father and a little boy were dead, and her life was changed forever.

"Nanci? I've got to get moving." "I'm trying to remember. I think it's on Orchard Street, or maybe Ludlow."

"What kind of factory did you say it was?"

"I didn't."

"So what kind of factory is it?"

Nanci stalled again. "Um, Lin can really sew. I don't know the name of the place."

"Nanci, you want to get hold of the company's name for me? I want to check it out, all right?"

"Okay, okay. I'll get it. I'll call you. You're still the same old bully."

"And you're the same old brat. I'm on your side, remember?"

"Thanks, April. I know you are." Nanci wasn't so sure, though. She felt sick in the pit of her stomach. The way April was talking to her made Nanci think her old friend also knew more than she was saying. Why else call and nag her, when April was so busy and Nanci clearly wasn't sure she wanted to talk about it? She dialed Milton's number at the restaurant to tell him about this new development, but he wasn't there.

CHAPTER
28

Y
ou bad girl, too much trouble," Annie Lee complained in Chinese as she came upstairs Thursday morning before the workers were in. Too much work, had to take care of sick girl in the old cedar closet upstairs, had to get her water and give her pills. Annie was mad. This wasn't her job. She grumbled about the dark, angry about that, too. She must have turned the light off when the police came yesterday and not turned it on again when they left.

She reached for the string and turned on the light in the closet, clicking her tongue at all the trouble. She was too old for this, almost ready to retire and be cared for herself. She felt put upon as she quickly examined the heavy-breathing girl. She squatted and mopped her face with a wet towel. Lin moaned softly.

"Good, wake up. Let me see you."

When Lin opened her eyes, Annie forced another pill down her throat with hardly any warning. The unexpected foreign object started the girl coughing again. Annie made an impatient noise. This was the fifth antibiotic she'd given her. Wasn't she supposed to be getting better now? Annie worried about this.

"Why you not better?" she said angrly, as if Lin had a choice in the matter. The bad girl was looking very sick, so she relented. "All right, here's some water." She held out a chipped cup with a spoon of honey in it.

Lin allowed Annie to wet her tongue, but closed her mouth when Annie tried to force her to swallow some.

"That's not enough. More," Annie scolded. When it was clear Lin wouldn't take any, Annie made more disgusted noises. "What am I going to do with you? Can't keep you forever. Maybe you tell me now and go," she suggested.

Lin moved her head. Yes, she wanted to go.

"Go where? Those people are no good," Annie said scornfully.

Please,
Lin begged with her eyes. She wanted to go.

This annoyed Annie even more. All this trouble and the girl wasn't grateful. She gave her a cough drop. Lin spat it out. Annie clicked her tongue. She didn't like to listen to Lin's cough. The sound was deep and phlegmy. The hack and rattle were so persistent, the girl couldn't stop once she started. She also refused to respond to the Robitussin and other medicine Annie gave her. Didn't like tea, didn't like honey water. That made her obstinate and stubborn beyond reason. More than two dollars every pill for the antibiotic. Ivan told her it was the best you could buy.

Lin managed to say please in a begging tone, but Annie was not appeased. "You tricked me. You didn't tell me you had a cousin," she said reproachfully.

Lin's eyes were glassy, but she looked upset that Annie knew. That gave Annie some satisfaction. "Oh, yes, I know everything. Before, you tell me all your family is dead. Now you have rich cousin. Why lie?"

Lin's answer was another long and irritating fit of coughing. Lin's glassy eyes stared at her.

"Stubborn girl," Annie muttered guiltily. The girl's eyes told Annie she didn't forgive her for what had happened and now she wouldn't cooperate and help

Annie solve this problem so she could go home and forget about it.

"Not my fault. Take some water," she demanded. Lin wouldn't take any water. Roughly, Annie opened her mouth and poured a little in, scolding some more. The honey water dribbled out. This time Annie ignored it.

"Your cousin came looking for you yesterday." Annie made another disgusted sound when the glassy eyes filled with tears. "Too late for tears."

"I'll go." Lin coughed. "Tell her. I'll go with her."

"What do I get, ah? Big mess." Annie shook her head. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Call Nanci."

"It's not for you to say." Annie thought a minute.

Lin's eyes closed. She didn't answer.

Annie grunted. The stingy Popescus hardly gave her anything for all her trouble. A few dollars, nothing more. She couldn't help thinking about the money Lin's cousin had offered her. If a thousand dollars was her first offer, she had more to give. Maybe five thousand for a cousin was not too much to pay.

She thought about all the bad things happening— Lin lying to her for so long about the cousin and giving her such a hard time now. Annie wasn't paid to be a nurse. Why did Lin have to be sick in this storeroom and make all this trouble for poor Annie Lee for so many months when all along she had a rich cousin who should have done this?

Annie didn't know what was worse: Lin, who wouldn't cooperate; or Lin's cousin, who turned up offering Annie enough money to make Annie worry that this cousin was an important person who could find out what had happened to Lin and make more trouble if Annie didn't help her now. It was all a big mess.

Annie didn't like the sick girl looking at her with

those pleading eyes. The rich cousin had those same pleading eyes, as if all this were her fault. This was not her fault. For five thousand dollars, Annie was beginning to think, the right thing to do was call the cousin to come and get Lin and be done with it. The rest of it was not her business.

Annie poured some more water into Lin's open mouth, then held her mouth closed so she had to swallow. Then she turned off the light and went downstairs.

Annie Lee knocked on the boss's office door.

"What do you want?"

"Lin very sick," Annie said, easing the door open.

"Did she say anything?"

"Said she want to go."

"Did you tell her she could go as soon as she cooperates?"

Annie wrung her hands. "Very sick," she said. "Needs more medicine, needs docta."

"Tell her she'll get a doctor when she cooperates."

Annie looked at the two bosses. Sometimes they were mean, sometimes nice. Now not so nice.

"Why you no give me something?"

"Sure, we'll give you something. We'll give you a hundred dollars on top of what you've gotten already. You've been a big help," Marc said grandly.

"And that's it." Ivan popped a beer.

"Only a hundred dollas, why not thousand dollas?"

"A thousand dollars? Are you crazy?" Ivan laughed. "She wants a thousand dollars."

"Lin very sick. No remember anything."

"Well, make her remember," Marc said gently. "We don't want to have her here any more than she wants to stay here."

"I'll make her remember," Ivan offered.

"Oh, shut up, Ivan. You're not going to touch that girl." "She has a cousin. Maybe cousin knows."

"Ahh, now we're cooking." Marc smiled. "Good work, Annie. Now find out where she lives."

"You give me a thousand dollas, I find out."

"Jesus, I'll find out for nothing. Get out, Annie."

Annie worried about this problem all day. She decided when she got home to 110th Street and Third Avenue, where she lived with her retired husband, they would talk the situation over. Maybe they'd call Lin's cousin from there and offer to give her back for the right price.

CHAPTER 29

A
nnie Lee called Nanci Hua in Garden City just after six on Thursday evening. "You Lin's cousin?" she asked in Chinese.

"Yes, who's this?" Nanci asked, though she knew right away who it was.

"Never mind who. I know where she is. You want to know?"

"Yes."

"You give me five thousand dollas?"

"Five thousand dollars!" Nanci was shocked.

"Yes, she's your cousin. You owe it for her."

"The money is for her? I don't understand. Where is she? They said you took her to the hospital."

"No hospital, who said hospital?" Suddenly the voice became uncertain.

"A woman where she lived told me her friend from work took her to the hospital. You're Annie Lee, the friend, right?"

"You'll give me five thousand dollas?"

"What do you need five thousand dollars for? What is this? Are you holding her for ransom or something?" Nanci's voice shook with anger.

"Okay, three thousand."

"This is bribery. You can't do this."

"Very important men maybe hurt Lin," Annie Lee said cagily.

"You can't scare me. Who are these men, your bosses? The president of your company, the owner of the company? The king of the world?" Nanci was furious. "Lin is only seventeen years old. She's a baby. Whoever hurts her could go to prison. Do you understand me?"

"Lin very sick." The tone was accusing.

"Tell me where she is, or I'll call the police right now."

"Two thousand dollars and no trouble. That's my last offer. You give me tonight, see cousin tonight. No give me, maybe Lin die."

"What are you talking about? I want to talk to her. Let me talk to her!" Nanci cried. Oh, God, she didn't know what to do. It was dinnertime. Milton was busy at the restaurant, and she wasn't sure what was right. Call April Woo or give the woman the money? After all the expenses with the new house and the down payment on the new car, Nanci wasn't sure they even had two thousand dollars. Her mind raced. But they could get it from the restaurant. Maybe even tonight.

"You have the money?"

"Maybe. I'll have to let you know. Give me your number."

"No, I call you back. Ten minutes."

The woman she knew was Annie Lee hung up. Nanci called Milton at the restaurant. She was sure there would be more than two thousand dollars there. She felt very bad about Lin, bad enough to give Annie whatever she wanted. This was her fault. All her fault. The assistant manager at the Golden Dragon said Milton would call her right back.

CHAPTER 30

A
t 6:17
P.M
. the phone rang in Jason's office. He was just going into a session but took a moment to pick up. "Dr. Frank."

"Hi, Jason, it's April. Thanks for the delicious lunch."

"You're welcome," he said, knowing this was not a social call.

"You didn't tell me Emma was pregnant." Her voice had a bit of an edge to it.

"You never asked."

"Ah well, always the shrink. It doesn't matter. You're together. She looks happy; you look happy. That's all that matters. I'm glad for both of you." He heard a sigh.

"Thank you for saying so, April. I have thirty seconds. . . ."

"Have you been back to see Heather?"

"I've been with patients all afternoon."

"Will you go and have a chat with the husband for me?"

"I have to go, April."

"You know Heather has been abused. The husband's fingerprints are on the broom that bashed her on the head. He's involved, but we can't take him down on this unless we know more about them, and of course she has to cooperate."

"I thought this was a missing-baby case."

"We're working both angles."

"I don't know what you want me to do." Jason had already told her that intervention was something he did only when people called him. This case was not like the others he'd worked with April. In those, the principals had already been personally involved with him. This time Jason was an outsider. He didn't know the victim, didn't know the suspected perpetrator. He knew nothing about either of them. They were strangers. The ethics of the situation were complicated. He had no authority in the matter. April was asking him to act as an agent of the police department. It was pretty nearly certain that he'd be asked to testify in court. He didn't have the time or the heart for it. He felt cruelly used. He didn't just barge in on people no matter how exteme their crises, but April didn't care about that.