Jose. Camilla. Mason. Leon's here, so you can stop worrying about him, okay? I know he's one of your favorites. He's here. He's fine."
"Camilla wouldn't have the sense not to chase after her bags if they got swept away. You know that. And Mason—that chair of his—"
"I know. But Sergei told me that he told you to stay home, which means you couldn't exactly do much even if we had any idea where to look for them ."
"I do know where to look for them," Roberta said. She didn't; she had no idea. But she'd suddenly realized that if she could get Sergei's permission to go out on foot, she and Meredith would be able to talk without worrying about surveillance. "It's close enough to walk from here. They talk to me, Aniliese."
"Do they really? They talk to me too, and I wouldn't have any idea where they might go in this mess. So where is it, Roberta?"
Aniliese was calling her bluff Aniliese was no fool. Was she going to repeat this conversation to Sergei? Did it really matter? "Jefferson Square Park," Roberta said. "That's where—"
"They wouldn't go there in a storml They go there to beg! Roberta, come on .... "
Roberta closed her eyes. "Just let me look, okay? I know it's a long shot. People under stress seek out the familiar; you know that. It's worth a try."
"Even if they were there, they'd have come here, now that the weather's better."
"They may not be able to. They may be injured. Mason's chair may be stuck in the mud. Annie, just let me go look."
"I don't know what you're up to, Roberta. I may not want to know. Whatever it is, you'd better clear it with Sergei."
"Of course." I have to clear everything with Sergei, don't I? She hung up without bothering to say good-bye and hit the button for Sergei's number. "Two of our regulars are missing," she told him when he answered. "I know where they might have gone. I want to go out and look for them."
"No. Roberta, I want you to stay home. There's still too much flooding. It's not safe."
"All the more reason for me to look. I'll be careful, Sergei. Relax."
"No," he said. "Whoever your mystery guest is—and don't think I don't have my suspicions—you can talk to her in your apartment."
Suspicions. He hadn't run a voiceprint, then? Giddy with relief, Roberta said, "I can talk to her, but she won't answer. Most people don't like strangers listening to their conversations, you know."
"Hmmph," Sergei said. "That's the first time Zephyr ever willingly missed a chance for publicity."
Zephyr? The idiot thought Zephyr had come back! He definitely hadn't run the voiceprint. Maybe he couldn't without some kind of court order; Roberta wasn't exactly sure what the privacy laws were. "Nonsense," she said, "Zephyr was running away from publicity when she left the country, wasn't she?" There: She'd only responded to his statement. She hadn't actually lied to her probation officer.
Sergei sighed. "Look, nobody's interested in her anymore. You can tell her that."
Oh, yeah, and she'd be really likely to believe that, coming from you. "Sergei, look, I really do want to go out and look for those people. But if you tell me that's too exalted and I have to stay inside, of course I'll stay inside. If I promise not to endanger myself, is there any way you'll let me go out there?"
Sergei sighed again: long-suffering Sergei. "Where do you ·think they might be?"
"Jefferson Square Park."
"A park? Why would they be there? They'd only go there to—"
"Sergei, I already had this conversation with Aniliese. I'll tell you what I told her: I know it's a long shot, but I want to look anyway."
"Okay. I'm going to follow you on the GPS to make sure you really go there"—sweet Gaia, didn't the man have anything better to do?—"and I want you to take your cell phone."
My state-issued cell phone,
"Camilla wouldn't have the sense not to chase after her bags if they got swept away. You know that. And Mason—that chair of his—"
"I know. But Sergei told me that he told you to stay home, which means you couldn't exactly do much even if we had any idea where to look for them ."
"I do know where to look for them," Roberta said. She didn't; she had no idea. But she'd suddenly realized that if she could get Sergei's permission to go out on foot, she and Meredith would be able to talk without worrying about surveillance. "It's close enough to walk from here. They talk to me, Aniliese."
"Do they really? They talk to me too, and I wouldn't have any idea where they might go in this mess. So where is it, Roberta?"
Aniliese was calling her bluff Aniliese was no fool. Was she going to repeat this conversation to Sergei? Did it really matter? "Jefferson Square Park," Roberta said. "That's where—"
"They wouldn't go there in a storml They go there to beg! Roberta, come on .... "
Roberta closed her eyes. "Just let me look, okay? I know it's a long shot. People under stress seek out the familiar; you know that. It's worth a try."
"Even if they were there, they'd have come here, now that the weather's better."
"They may not be able to. They may be injured. Mason's chair may be stuck in the mud. Annie, just let me go look."
"I don't know what you're up to, Roberta. I may not want to know. Whatever it is, you'd better clear it with Sergei."
"Of course." I have to clear everything with Sergei, don't I? She hung up without bothering to say good-bye and hit the button for Sergei's number. "Two of our regulars are missing," she told him when he answered. "I know where they might have gone. I want to go out and look for them."
"No. Roberta, I want you to stay home. There's still too much flooding. It's not safe."
"All the more reason for me to look. I'll be careful, Sergei. Relax."
"No," he said. "Whoever your mystery guest is—and don't think I don't have my suspicions—you can talk to her in your apartment."
Suspicions. He hadn't run a voiceprint, then? Giddy with relief, Roberta said, "I can talk to her, but she won't answer. Most people don't like strangers listening to their conversations, you know."
"Hmmph," Sergei said. "That's the first time Zephyr ever willingly missed a chance for publicity."
Zephyr? The idiot thought Zephyr had come back! He definitely hadn't run the voiceprint. Maybe he couldn't without some kind of court order; Roberta wasn't exactly sure what the privacy laws were. "Nonsense," she said, "Zephyr was running away from publicity when she left the country, wasn't she?" There: She'd only responded to his statement. She hadn't actually lied to her probation officer.
Sergei sighed. "Look, nobody's interested in her anymore. You can tell her that."
Oh, yeah, and she'd be really likely to believe that, coming from you. "Sergei, look, I really do want to go out and look for those people. But if you tell me that's too exalted and I have to stay inside, of course I'll stay inside. If I promise not to endanger myself, is there any way you'll let me go out there?"
Sergei sighed again: long-suffering Sergei. "Where do you ·think they might be?"
"Jefferson Square Park."
"A park? Why would they be there? They'd only go there to—"
"Sergei, I already had this conversation with Aniliese. I'll tell you what I told her: I know it's a long shot, but I want to look anyway."
"Okay. I'm going to follow you on the GPS to make sure you really go there"—sweet Gaia, didn't the man have anything better to do?—"and I want you to take your cell phone."
My state-issued cell phone,
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