Isabel sighed, then slowly looked back up to the window of her mother’s hospital room.
“Oh God,” she said quietly.
Albert followed her gaze and guessed what she was thinking.
“What do we tell Mom?” Isabel asked.
Seventeen
Detective Hardy: Took us a little while to track you down, Ms. Simmons. Thank you for coming in.
Natalie: I’m sorry, I’ve been out of town.
Detective Hardy: Where were you?
Natalie: I was visiting an aunt in Nova Scotia. In Halifax.
Detective Hardy: Oh. Nice vacation?
Natalie: Not exactly a vacation. She’s been ill. She’s almost eighty and she’s having trouble moving around, so I had to organize visits from local support groups and that kind of thing. I’m pretty much her only living relative, so there you go. I went up about a week ago. Took the car. It’s about a thirteen-hour drive, so I broke it up into two days.
Detective Hardy: You went alone?
Natalie: Yes. Can you tell me why I’m here? No one’s told me anything. There was a note on my door when I got home.
Detective Hardy: We tried to reach you on your cell.
Natalie: I don’t have a cell phone.
Detective Hardy: Really? You’re a rare breed.
Natalie: They’re bad for you. The radio waves can affect your brain. But the media doesn’t report it because they’re getting paid off by the cell phone companies. If everybody finds out, they’ll stop using them and Verizon and all the others will lose a ton of money. Plus, they can track you, you know. They always know where you are.
Detective Hardy: They?
Natalie: The government. Whoever. It’s all over social media. I follow sites that investigate this kind of thing. That’s why people weren’t taking the vaccine. That’s another way they can keep tabs on you.
Detective Hardy: Would the government be having some reason to track your movements, Ms. Simmons?
Natalie: I think they’d be pretty bored if they bothered, but you never know. Right?
Detective Hardy: I suppose. Anyway, I wonder if we could get started.
Natalie: Okay.
Detective Hardy: First, I want to confirm some information. This address we have for you, that’s current?
Natalie: Yes.
Detective Hardy: And what do you do for a living?
Natalie: I work in an art gallery in Stratford. Maybe you know it? The Decca Gallery? Anyway, they’re pretty good there, and were totally understanding when I had to go up to Halifax.
Detective Hardy: I believe you know an Andrew Mason?
Natalie: Uh, yes.
Detective Hardy: Have you known him very long?
Natalie: Uh, I guess I met him a year ago? Something like that? But I sort of knew him from a long time ago. College. More like acquaintances back then.
Detective Hardy: So, more than an acquaintance now.
Natalie: Well...
Detective Hardy: Things will move along more quickly here if you’ll just answer the questions honestly and directly.
Natalie: I know him a bit better now, yeah. What exactly is this about?
Detective Hardy: When did you start going out with Mr. Mason?
Natalie: It was, I don’t know, a few months ago.
Detective Hardy: How would you describe the nature of your relationship with him, then?
Natalie: We, you know, we sort of were seeing each other.
Detective Hardy: Seeing each other?
Natalie: Seriously, what’s this about? Has something happened to Andy? Is he okay? Is he in some kind of trouble?
Detective Hardy: Were you and Mr. Mason in an intimate relationship?
Natalie: What do you mean, exactly, by intimate?
Detective Hardy: Was it a sexual relationship?
Natalie: Yeah, I guess that was a part of it.
Detective Hardy: Is there some doubt? I think that’s the kind of thing you’d know one way or another.
Natalie: Yeah, okay. It was what you said.
Detective Hardy: And when did this relationship begin?
Natalie: I guess around four months ago? It only went on for like a month.
Detective Hardy: Why was that?
Natalie: Well, he’s married.
Detective Hardy: Did you know that when you started seeing him?
Natalie: Sort of. I mean, he had a ring and all.
Detective Hardy: So is that when you broke it off?
Natalie: No, I didn’t break it off. Andy did.
Detective Hardy: Oh. Were you upset about that?
Natalie: (unintelligible)
Detective Hardy: Ms. Simmons? Are you okay?
Natalie: It’s just... I really liked him, you know? I mean, yeah, I knew he was married, but there must have been something missing there if he wanted to spend time with me. I started thinking, sure, this could get messy, but maybe there was more to it than just, you know, sex.
Detective Hardy: Have you been married, Ms. Simmons?
Natalie: Once. Lasted only two years. His name was, well, his name is Conroy Hill. He moved out to L.A. about ten years ago. He’s in the music business.
Detective Hardy: Did you ever entertain the idea, the hope, that Mr. Mason might leave his wife for you?
Natalie: I don’t know. I hoped. The thing is, he was so different than my usual type.
Detective Hardy: How do you mean?
Natalie: Well, you work in a gallery, you meet a lot of creative, artsy types. Head in the clouds, eccentric, pseudo-intellectuals. And, of course, half of those are gay. But Andrew, I mean, he’s like a carpenter, you know? Okay, more than that. A contractor. Works with his hands. Not my usual type. But he still appreciates stuff like movies and art. And he’s kind of... how do I put this? Manly. You know? Like, a more rugged type, and I liked that about him. But a bit stressed. But that could have been because he had business problems, and there was the whole thing with his marriage, of course.
Detective Hardy: Did you ever meet Brie?
Natalie: Once, and it was totally awkward. I was in the food court at the Post Mall and turned and there he was, and I was like, hey, how are you? And then I see this woman standing next to him. So his face is all flushed and he quickly introduces me to his wife, said I was someone he met through work, pretended like he couldn’t remember my last name. I could tell, though, looking at her, she knew he was lying. Look, I’m not answering any more questions until you tell me why you brought me in here.
Detective Hardy: Brie Mason is missing, Ms. Simmons.
Natalie: She’s what?