The Fire Witness

91

Lu Chu leads them down the ice-cold hall between the living room and the dining room with its glassed-in veranda facing the water. Beyond the living room, a second hall leads to the bedrooms. Lu Chu points out her room and Tuula’s room then stops in front of a door that has a colorful small porcelain bell hanging from the handle.

“Here’s where Caroline sleeps,” she says.

“Thank you,” Elin says.

“It’s getting late,” Daniel says. “Why don’t you brush your teeth and get ready for bed?”

Lu Chu waits for a moment and then heads off to the bathroom. When Daniel knocks on the door, the little porcelain bell rings. A young woman Elin assumes is Caroline opens the door and looks at Daniel in surprise. Then she gives him a careful hug.

“May we come in?” Daniel asks.

“Of course.” She holds out her hand to Elin. “I’m Caroline.”

Elin greets the girl, and holds her thin hand for a moment. Caroline has a pale, freckled face. She’s plucked her sand-colored eyebrows and has carefully applied makeup. Her straight hair is drawn into a thick topknot.

The wallpaper in her room is mottled and the wooden dresser by the window has been stripped. On the wall, there’s a picture of an old fisherman wearing a sou’wester, his teeth clamped on a pipe.

“We’re here to talk about Vicky,” Daniel says.

“I was Vicky’s foster mother a few years ago,” Elin explains.

“When she was small?” asks Caroline.

Elin nods. Caroline bites her lip and looks out the window.

“You know Vicky a little bit,” Elin says.

“I don’t think she trusted people,” Caroline says, and smiles. “I liked her, though. She was calm and had a sick sense of humor when she got tired.”

Elin asks straight-out, “Did she ever talk about people she knew? Friends or boyfriends?”

“We never talk about old shit. It brings us down.”

“Good things, then? What did she dream of doing when she got out?”

“We’d talk about working abroad for the Red Cross or Save the Children, but who would ever hire us?” Caroline replies.

“Did you two want to do that together?”

“We were just talking,” Caroline says patiently.

“I just thought of something,” Daniel says, rubbing his forehead. “I was off duty on Friday, but from what I understand, Miranda was in the isolation room. Do you know why?”

“She hit Tuula,” Caroline says in a matter-of-fact way.

“Why did she hit Tuula?” Elin asks.

Caroline shrugs. “Because Tuula deserved it. Tuula steals stuff all the time. She took my earrings the other day. She said they wanted to stay with her.”

“What did she take from Miranda?”

“When we were swimming, she took Vicky’s purse and she took Miranda’s necklace.”

“She took Vicky’s purse?” Elin asks.

“Yeah, she gave it back, but she took something out of it. I don’t know what. Something Vicky’s mom gave her.”

“Was Vicky angry at Tuula?” Elin asks.

“No.”

“Vicky and Caroline never get into fights,” Daniel says, and he pats Caroline’s thin arm.

“Daniel, we need you,” Caroline says. She looks anxious. “You have to take care of us.”

“I’ll be back soon,” he says. “I want to take care of you, but I’m not really in shape for-”

“You will come back, won’t you?”

“I will.”

Elin glances back as they leave the room. Caroline’s face has fallen. She looks as if she’s been completely abandoned.