“Right,” Simms parroted. “Just like you didn’t tell your friends you were going away for treatment because you wanted to surprise them.”
Lily kept her mouth shut. She knew Simms didn’t buy a word of any of this, but it didn’t matter. There had been no crime. All Lily had to do was stop talking and Simms wouldn’t have anything to go on, but as the staring contest stretched out Lily started to understand what she was dealing with. Simms wasn’t going to give up until she got an explanation she could live with—and maybe even a culprit to arrest.
“Well. I’ll let you get back to healing from your ordeal,” Simms finally said. She turned to leave, and then swung back around as if something had just occurred to her. “Oh, Lily? What was the name of that miraculous clinic you went to? I can’t seem to get a straight answer about that from anyone. I thought you’d be able to help me, considering you were there for three months.”
Lily’s mouth parted and her mind went blank. Samantha spoke up to fill the void a second too late.
“I told you it was a holistic healing center on a Native American reservation, which is why it didn’t show up as a hospital on your search. The name is hard to pronounce. It’s Native, you know,” she said, her hands fluttering to her frizzy hair like startled birds. “I’ll send the details to your e-mail address when I can.”
“When you can,” Simms repeated almost mockingly. She’d seen enough. “I’ll be waiting. And I’ll tell the superintendent of your school how excited you are to be coming back, Lily.” She looked Lily up and down. “You’re so happy you’re practically speechless, aren’t you?”
Simms left them, but Lily didn’t shut the door or turn away until her car had disappeared around the corner.
“Come inside, Lillian,” Samantha urged.
“Has that horrid woman been harassing you this whole time, Ma?” Lily asked angrily, following her inside. Her mother was shaking and her eyes skipped around like she couldn’t settle her gaze on anything solid.
“She’s been very persistent,” Samantha said, trying to smile comfortingly, but only managing a wan grimace.
Juliet and Rowan came rushing in the side door, just back from their trip to the market.
“Was that the FBI agent I saw at the end of the block?” Juliet asked. She plunked down a bag of groceries, her eyes wide.
“Yeah,” Lily replied. “Don’t worry. She can’t do anything to us.”
“Except keep harassing everyone, like she’s been doing. Which is bad enough,” Rowan said, tipping his chin at Samantha.
Your mom can’t handle this kind of scrutiny, Lily. She’ll crack.
What should we do, Rowan? I can’t make Simms go away.
“You need to get back to your normal life as soon as possible,” Rowan said aloud. “Blend in. Don’t give the agent any more reason to be suspicious.”
Samantha had started wandering toward the garage door. She was twisting her hands together so tightly the skin on her knuckles was thin and white.
“It’ll be okay, Mom,” Juliet said, chasing after her and catching ahold of her elbow.
“I think I’d like to make a pot,” Samantha said, her eyes wild.
Juliet and Lily shared a pained look. “Ma, you’re out of clay. Why don’t you let Juliet take you upstairs so you can lie down?” Lily said.
“I’ll make you some tea, Samantha,” Rowan said, already reaching for the kettle.
“Oh, that’d be lovely,” Samantha said with a relieved look. “I love your teas.”
“I’ll bring it up to you as soon as it’s ready,” Rowan replied cheerfully.
Juliet brought Samantha to her room, leaving Lily and Rowan to speak in tense undertones.
“We need to come up with a name for that clinic,” Lily said. “Simms wants to know exactly where I’ve been for three months.”
“Juliet and I are working on a phony Web site. It’s nearly done. Look, let me worry about that,” Rowan replied. “You focus on settling back into your life.”