The Fire Witness

51

Elin emerges from her walk-in closet wearing a mid-length velvet skirt and a nylon bodysuit studded with small glittering stones. The cloth is so delicate she has to use silk gloves to put it on.

Robert is in the reading room, sitting in a lambskin armchair and shuffling through some papers, which he is sorting into various folders.

“What was that all about? Why are the police interested in this girl?”

“She’s not important,” Elin answers.

“Do we have to worry about this?”

“No, we don’t.”

Robert Bianchi has been her assistant and adviser for the past six years. Robert’s gay. Jack thought it would be best if she had a homosexual assistant, since he wouldn’t get jealous.

Elin settles into the chair opposite him, stretches out her legs, and shows off her new patent leather heels.

“They’re magnificent,” he says, smiling. “You have to be at the reception at the Clarion Hotel in one hour.”

She doesn’t move. Elin can feel Robert’s eyes on her, but she doesn’t meet them. She plays with the tiny diamond-studded cross she’s wearing. She swallows hard.

“Once, Jack and I took care of a little girl by the name of Vicky. It was a long time ago.”

“Took care of? You mean, like, adopted?”

“No, her mother was alive. We fostered her, but I…”

She falls silent and pulls at her cross.

“When was this?”

“A few years before you started here,” she says. “I wasn’t on the board then, and Jack had just started working for Zentropa.” She falls back into silence.

Robert studies her closely. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

“I thought we were ready, as ready as anyone could be. We knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, but… Do you have any idea of how the system works? There were unbelievable hoops to jump through. We had to meet with social workers and counselors. Everything had to be examined, from our finances to our sex lives, but as soon as we were approved, it only took them three days to hand over a child to us. It was really strange. They didn’t tell us anything about her, and they gave us no help at all.

“Sounds typical.”

“We really wanted to do some good. Vicky lived with us for nine months, off and on. They kept trying to send her home to her mother, but Vicky would always end up being found alone in some old cardboard box in a garage.”

“Sad.”

“Finally Jack couldn’t take it anymore. All those times we were woken in the middle of the night to pick her up and take her to Emergency, or just put her in the bathtub or give her some food. One night Jack said I had to choose.” She offers Robert a wan smile. “I still don’t understand why.”

“He only thinks about himself,” said Robert.

“But we were supposed to be her parents until her mother could care for her properly. There was no way I could choose between him and a child who was only supposed to live with us for a few months. It was crazy. And he knew I was completely dependent on him at the time.”

“Well…” Robert prompts.

“Yes, I was, it’s true,” Elin says. “So when Vicky’s mother got a place to live, I agreed he should call social services. I mean, it looked like things were finally starting to go well for her mother this time.” Her voice breaks and she’s surprised to feel tears running down her face.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Elin dries her tears. “It wasn’t a big deal. I don’t think about it all that much.” She doesn’t know why she’s lying.

“You have to move on,” Robert says, excusing her.

“That’s right,” she says, and then covers her face with her hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“Robert,” she says with a sigh, and then looks at him. “I have nothing to do with this whatsoever, but the policeman who was just here told me that Vicky has killed two people.”

“You mean those murders up in Västernorrland?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you have any contact with her now?”

“None at all.”

“You must not be dragged into this.”

“I know. Of course, I would do whatever I could to help her, but-”

“Keep out of it.”

“Maybe I should give Jack a call.”

“No, don’t do that.”

“He should know.”

“He doesn’t need to hear it from you, and it will only make you unhappy, you know that. Every time you talk to him…”

She tries to smile in agreement and leans over to place her hand on Robert’s warm fingers.

“Come here at eight tomorrow morning and let’s go through the week’s schedule.”

“Good,” Robert says. He knows he’s being dismissed, and he gets up and leaves the room.

Elin picks up the phone but waits until she hears Robert close the front door. Then she calls Jack. He sounds hoarse and sleepy.

“Elin, do you know what time it is? You can’t keep calling me.”

“Were you asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Alone?”

“No.”

“Are you being honest to hurt me?”

“We are divorced, Elin,” he says.

Elin walks into her bedroom and looks at her huge empty bed.

“Tell me you miss me,” she says.

“Good night, Elin,” he says.

“I’ll give you the apartment on Broome Street if you want it.”

“I don’t want it. You’re the one who loves New York.”

“The police were here. They seem to think that Vicky has murdered two people.”

“Our Vicky?”

Elin’s mouth trembles and tears leap to her eyes.

“Yes. They came here to ask about her.”

“How sad,” he says in a low voice.

“Can you just come here? I need you. Bring Norah if you want. I won’t be jealous.”

“Elin, you know I’m not going to come to Stockholm.”

“Sorry I disturbed you,” Elin says, and ends the call.