I’ve heard all the possible jokes having to do with orphans and elephants.” Once more her expression turned serious. “I’m afraid there’s not much I can do for you. Randy was one boy I hardly ever saw.” She went to a filing cabinet, pulled out a thin folder, and glanced quickly through it.
“May I see that?” Lucy asked, her tone deliberately sarcastic. “Or is it confidential?”
Annie Oliphant handed her the file. “Nothing in there that’s a deep, dark secret. And I’ll bet there’s nothing in any of Randy’s other files that’s going to shake national security either. I think secrets just make everyone around here feel important.”
Lucy flipped through the pages of Randy’s medical file. The information was sparse and mostly meaninglessto her. “I don’t suppose any of this could relate to Randy’s disappearance, could it?” she asked.
“I don’t see how,” the nurse agreed. “The only thing interesting about that file is that it describes a disgustingly healthy kid. If they were all like Randy, I wouldn’t have a job. Look at this.” She took the file out of Lucy’s hands and started from the beginning. “No major illnesses. No minor illnesses. No injuries, major or minor. Tonsils intact and healthy. Appendix in place. Even his teeth , for heaven’s sake! The lower ones are at least crooked, but not enough to bother with braces, and there isn’t a cavity in his head. What did you do, raise him in a box?”
Again, Lucy couldn’t help laughing. “Hardly. I guess we’ve just been lucky. Up till now.” She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was lower. “Do you know Randy very well?”
The nurse shook her head. “All I ever did was look him over once a year. He wasn’t one for getting sick in the cafeteria or banging himself up. I’m afraid the only kids I really know are the sickly ones, and as you can see, Randy can hardly be called sickly.”
Lucy flipped through the file once more. “Could I have a copy of this?” she asked.
“Sure.” Lucy followed her down the hall, and watched from the doorway as the nurse began duplicating the file.
“I can’t imagine what good this will be,” Annie said uncertainly as she gave the copies to Lucy.
“I can’t either,” Lucy replied, her voice suddenly quavering. “I suppose it just makes me feel as though I’ve done something. You don’t know what it’s like, having your child missing. I feel so helpless. I don’t even know where to begin. I thought maybe someone here might know something, or have noticed something—anything.” Lucy could hear her desperation in her trembling voice and was afraid for a moment that she was going to cry. She fell silent, fighting the tears.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Corliss.” The nurse’s voice was gentle as she guided Lucy toward the main doors of theschool. “It just seems to be the times we live in. Things happen to children when they’re younger now. First the teen-agers started running away, and now it seems like the preteens are starting to do it. And they’re drinking and using drugs too. I wish I knew why.”
Lucy’s tearfulness gave way to anger. “Randy doesn’t drink, and he doesn’t use drugs! And he didn’t run away!” Her voice rose dangerously. “Something happened to him, and I’ m going to find out what!”
She ran through the doors and down the steps, then hurried toward her car. She could feel the nurse’s eyes on her as she started the engine, but she didn’t glance back as she jammed the car into gear, pressed the accelerator, and sped away.
“Anything?”
“Nothing.”
Jim and Lucy Corliss stood facing each other. After a long moment Lucy stepped back to let him come into her house. He glanced around the dimness of the living room, then went to the window and opened the drapes. Evening sunlight seemed to wash some of the strain from his ex-wife’s face.
“You can’t live in darkness, Lucy. That won’t help you or Randy.”
Lucy
“May I see that?” Lucy asked, her tone deliberately sarcastic. “Or is it confidential?”
Annie Oliphant handed her the file. “Nothing in there that’s a deep, dark secret. And I’ll bet there’s nothing in any of Randy’s other files that’s going to shake national security either. I think secrets just make everyone around here feel important.”
Lucy flipped through the pages of Randy’s medical file. The information was sparse and mostly meaninglessto her. “I don’t suppose any of this could relate to Randy’s disappearance, could it?” she asked.
“I don’t see how,” the nurse agreed. “The only thing interesting about that file is that it describes a disgustingly healthy kid. If they were all like Randy, I wouldn’t have a job. Look at this.” She took the file out of Lucy’s hands and started from the beginning. “No major illnesses. No minor illnesses. No injuries, major or minor. Tonsils intact and healthy. Appendix in place. Even his teeth , for heaven’s sake! The lower ones are at least crooked, but not enough to bother with braces, and there isn’t a cavity in his head. What did you do, raise him in a box?”
Again, Lucy couldn’t help laughing. “Hardly. I guess we’ve just been lucky. Up till now.” She paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was lower. “Do you know Randy very well?”
The nurse shook her head. “All I ever did was look him over once a year. He wasn’t one for getting sick in the cafeteria or banging himself up. I’m afraid the only kids I really know are the sickly ones, and as you can see, Randy can hardly be called sickly.”
Lucy flipped through the file once more. “Could I have a copy of this?” she asked.
“Sure.” Lucy followed her down the hall, and watched from the doorway as the nurse began duplicating the file.
“I can’t imagine what good this will be,” Annie said uncertainly as she gave the copies to Lucy.
“I can’t either,” Lucy replied, her voice suddenly quavering. “I suppose it just makes me feel as though I’ve done something. You don’t know what it’s like, having your child missing. I feel so helpless. I don’t even know where to begin. I thought maybe someone here might know something, or have noticed something—anything.” Lucy could hear her desperation in her trembling voice and was afraid for a moment that she was going to cry. She fell silent, fighting the tears.
“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Corliss.” The nurse’s voice was gentle as she guided Lucy toward the main doors of theschool. “It just seems to be the times we live in. Things happen to children when they’re younger now. First the teen-agers started running away, and now it seems like the preteens are starting to do it. And they’re drinking and using drugs too. I wish I knew why.”
Lucy’s tearfulness gave way to anger. “Randy doesn’t drink, and he doesn’t use drugs! And he didn’t run away!” Her voice rose dangerously. “Something happened to him, and I’ m going to find out what!”
She ran through the doors and down the steps, then hurried toward her car. She could feel the nurse’s eyes on her as she started the engine, but she didn’t glance back as she jammed the car into gear, pressed the accelerator, and sped away.
“Anything?”
“Nothing.”
Jim and Lucy Corliss stood facing each other. After a long moment Lucy stepped back to let him come into her house. He glanced around the dimness of the living room, then went to the window and opened the drapes. Evening sunlight seemed to wash some of the strain from his ex-wife’s face.
“You can’t live in darkness, Lucy. That won’t help you or Randy.”
Lucy
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