Stealing Time

CHAPTER 27

N

anci Hua was struggling with her conscience when April called her again Thursday afternoon.

"Did you find your cousin?" she asked.

"Who is this?" Nanci demanded, startled because she was still hoping the enticement of a thousand-dollar reward would inspire Annie Lee, the lady in the factory where Lin worked, to call.

"It's April—who do you think it is?"

"Oh, April, I wasn't expecting you," Nanci said guiltily.

"I'm sorry I was short with you yesterday. You know how it is." April's voice trailed off as the noise in the background picked up.

"Oh, I didn't take it personally. I know you're busy."

"We go way back. You can count on me. Have you heard anything new?"

"No," Nanci said. This was the truth. She'd tried the hospitals again. Still, nobody had heard of Lin Tsing. In her most optimistic moments, Nanci tried to imagine Lin getting in trouble with a boyfriend and running away somewhere with him. In her less optimistic moments, she had darker fears.

"You want to tell me about it?" April said in her crisp cop voice.

"Tell you about what?" Nanci said warily.

"You didn't give me the whole story yesterday. If I'm going to help you, I have to know it."

"You already said this. I told you I feel guilty about bothering you."

"Get off the guilt trip. I don't have a lot of time to chew the fat, is all. I didn't mean to be impatient. Look, I'm down in Chinatown right now. I'm hoofing around, and I can ask some questions for you if you want me to."

Nanci hesitated. "How's the case going?"

"It's coming along."

"What does that mean? Did you find the baby you were looking for?"

"We have some leads."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, we'll find him. About your cousin—"

"It's a boy?"

"Yeah, Nanci, it's a boy. Blue eyes, we're guessing half Chinese. If you know where he is, it would be a big help if you passed it along."

"How would I know?" Nanci bristled.

"Just kidding." April laughed on the other end of the phone.

"Why are you talking like this? I really resent it. Why do you always have to act like a cop?"

"I

am

a cop, Nanci. That's why you called me," April reminded her.

"I called because you're an old friend," Nanci retorted defensively. "I didn't expect you to start accusing me of things."

"Hey, I was kidding. I called to make up. So, give me some facts. I'll check into it. Where does your cousin work?"

"Um . . ." Nanci stalled. She wanted to talk to the boss in the factory herself.

"You said you went there," April said.

"Did I? Maybe I did."

"So. What's the name and address?"

"I'm trying to remember." Just like yesterday, Nanci got to the place where she couldn't go any further. Cops always acted like this. She remembered the police coming and talking to her after the fire that killed her father. They kept asking her the same questions over and over about what happened that day, and who was in the building. On and on, as if it were all her fault and they were going to find out and punish her. She'd been fifteen then, not much younger than Lin was now. She'd been stunned and frightened, having lost her only relative in America. And it seemed to her that the police just would not believe her. Proof of all this came a few days later when she had to go into the police station and say the same things all over again to different people. Friends of her father took her in because she was underage and the city social workers would have taken her away, sent her back to China. At the time, April had already taken her police department test, but she had not yet been acccepted. April hadn't been able to help her.

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.