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“We’ve been waiting for your call,” Rudy says.
“How are you? How’s Wren?” I ask, crossing the room to stand beside Zeke.
“We’re busy packing, aren’t we, Wren?”
I guess he’s got the phone on speaker too. “We’re going on a trip,” Wren tells me. “Are you coming too?”
Zeke gives a single shake of his head. “I wouldn’t miss it,” I say with all the cheer I can muster. Zeke admonishes me with a look, but I shrug my shoulders.
“Rudy says they have a swimming pool.”
“Do they?” I form my lips into a smile to make the words sound more upbeat than I feel. “I’ll have to remember to buy a new bathing suit.”
I listen to Wren chatter on a few more minutes. She’s distracted with packing I guess but I’m glad. It’s better if she’s excited about the move. I expected her to be agitated and upset, but Rudy is good like this.
A moment later, Rudy tells me the phone is off speaker.
“How is she?” I ask.
“She’s good. Truly. A little confused but I’ve been talking up the swimming pool. Can I talk to you alone, Blue?”
I glance at Zeke who stands up. “Come into the study when you’re finished.”
“I will.”
I wait until he’s gone and switch the phone off speaker. “We’re alone.”
“He offered me double my salary to go with Wren, Blue.”
“What?”
“One lump payment. It’s already in my account. I mean, I guess he wasn’t really asking, just deciding. You know I’d go anyway. You and your sister, I know you don’t like to talk about what happened, but I love you both, you know that. He didn’t have to do that. I told him as much, but I thought you should know.”
“Thanks, Rudy.”
“And there is one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I saw the paperwork from Margaret Stone Center. He’s listed himself as the main point of contact for Wren.”
“What?”
“You’re listed too, but I thought it was weird.”
“Why would he do that?”
Rudy doesn’t have that answer though. “Listen, I need to go and help Wren wrap things up. She’s packed and unpacked three times now,” he says, and it makes me smile. That’s a little bit of the old Wren I recognize. “I’ll call you tomorrow once your sister is settled, okay?”
“Thanks, Rudy. And thanks for telling me those things.”
I can almost see him nodding. “Goodnight, Blue.”
“Night.”
I disconnect the call and stand there for a long minute thinking. Why would he pay Rudy so much? And why would he put himself down as a point of contact? Once this is over, once we’re safe, Zeke won’t be a part of our lives anymore. This complicates things. Is it just a way for him to be sure I’ll do as I’m told?
I hear a door open down the hall. “Blue?” Zeke calls out.
