Page 135 of Nobody's Fool

“Caroline, are you okay?”

It takes her a few moments to orient herself. I’m wondering about my play here.

“She’s fine,” I say. “This is just an emotional moment for both of us.”

“Caroline?” she says again.

“We’re fine, Kate,” Caroline finally spits out. “I don’t really appreciate you disturbing us.”

“I just wanted—”

“I told you I’d call you if I needed anything. This facility is supposed to be a two-way street when it comes to respect and privacy.”

Boyd bristles at that. “It is.”

“You’re not respecting my privacy right now, are you?”

“I wasn’t listening in, if that’s what you—”

“Please leave us. And don’t come back until we call you.”

Boyd almost bows as she exits. Caroline looks at me. I worry the moment is gone now. Her eyes are open. She’s back in this solarium instead of McCabe’s Pub.

I try to take her back. “You said Victoria ran outside?”

She says nothing for a moment. She just stares at me, as though I’ve just magically materialized in front of her, and she has no idea why.

“Victoria hurried past a CCTV camera,” I continue. “A few seconds later, you did too.”

Caroline keeps staring.

“And then,” I say, “Victoria vanished. Poof. Like that. You never saw her again, right?”

“Never,” she repeats.

I lean in closer. “What happened, Caroline?”

Silence.

“Did you catch up to her?” I ask.

Her voice is far away. “Yes.”

“And then?”

She blinks now, like the Caroline I knew at Farnwood. She starts gesturing and shrugging, as though she can’t quite get the words out. “Victoria hugged me,” Caroline says. “She said it would all be fine.”

I try to look the question at her rather than speaking one. She stays quiet, so I finally ask, “And then what happened?”

“She held up her phone.”

“Her phone?”

“She told me that Thomas was in a bad way.”

I feel the small chill start at the back of my neck. “What do you mean?”

“She loved him. You know that, right?”