He glanced at me, nodding politely. “Mrs. Thorne,” he said, not reacting - not visibly, anyway - to my tear-streaked face.
“Is this about the interview?” Daniel said, finally finding his voice.
Mr. Camry looked at him. “No,” he said, at last. “But concerns have been raised about the validity of your marriage. In such cases, an unscheduled home visit is customary. Of course, you have the right of refusal. But if you do refuse, other measures will be taken.”
“No,” said Daniel. “We - that’s fine. You can…do whatever you need to do.”
“Can one of you show me around the different rooms of the house?” he asked.
Daniel nodded, coming forward. They went to the guest rooms first, including my studio - thank God I was sleeping in Daniel’s bed - while my husband prattled on mechanically about each stop. Mr. Camry nodded, taking notes. They disappeared upstairs for a while, and then came back down.
“Thank you,” Mr. Camry said, shaking Daniel’s hand. “I appreciate your cooperation. I’ll be sure to make a note of it in the report.”
He walked out the door, and I exhaled. I realized he must have only been here for a few minutes, but it had felt like hours.
“What in the fuck,” I said, as Daniel turned towards me, his eyes furious. But not at me, this time.
“Someone must have said something.” He clenched and unclenched his fists. “Someone must have contacted them. They don’t do this for just anyone.”
We wandered over to the living room, single-mindedly, both sitting down on the sofa with our minds racing.
“Lisa,” I blurted out. I’d hardly spared my actual boss a thought since she’d gone on maternity leave - out of sight, out of mind definitely applied when I had so many other things to worry about - but she’d been the one to recommend me as a green card bride in the first place. “You said she’s one of the only people who knows.”
He shook his head before I’d even finished speaking. “She would never,” he said, firmly. That was clearly the end of that discussion. Oh, well. If he didn’t want to consider the possibility, I certainly wasn’t going to change his mind.
My mind kept on racing, thinking of every person in the office who might have reason to be suspicious. As far as motive, I wasn’t sure. Did the INS offer some kind of incentive? Or would they have turned us in for purely personal reasons?
Wait a minute. His secretary, with the dagger eyes.
“Alice,” I said.
He turned to look at me, frowning. “Alice is a professional,” he said. “Besides, she doesn’t know.”
“She might suspect,” I said. “She might have overheard something - right?”
“Even if she did. Why would she go to all the trouble of reporting us?”
“Have you seen the way she looks at me?” I looked down at my lap. “She hates me.”
“She doesn’t hate you,” Daniel insisted. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m not being ridiculous!” I insisted, jumping to my feet almost without realizing it, and pacing around the room. “She looks like she wants to kill me.”
“She’d never do that,” he said. “You have to trust my judgment, Maddy.”
“Why? Who says you’re infallible?”
“No one. But I choose my intimates very carefully. No one close to me would have betrayed my confidence. I’m sure about that.”#p#分页标题#e#
I turned to glare at him. “So you’re saying it has to be someone I know.”
“I didn’t say that.” He raised his hands, palms outward. “Did I say that?”
“You don’t have to.” I stood in front of him, arms crossed. “Just so you know, I’ve never said a word to anybody. I’m the loneliest person I know, because I can’t be honest with anyone.”
“Do you think I like lying to my sister?” Daniel snapped. “Get down off your cross. You didn’t have any friends before we got married, either. You can’t pin that one on me.”
I fumed silently for a moment.
“I’m sorry,” he said, at last. “Maddy, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. But we both have to calm down. This is getting us nowhere.”
“Fine,” I muttered, sitting back down. “Alice seems like a no-brainer, though, I’m sorry.”
“Trust me,” he said, “she’s been working for me long enough. I know she’s abrasive, but I also know what she’s not capable of. And a large-scale betrayal like this is beyond her, even if she found out about us.”