Cries of the Children(54)
Her head was beginning to ache from all the brain activity it was being forced to deal with. Samantha rubbed her forehead and yawned. Nothing was coming to her tonight. Maybe all she had to do was sleep. In the morning she might see things more clearly.
Upstairs in her bedroom, she drifted off to sleep, and did not dream anything significant that night.
When she woke up, she didn’t think of the previous night at all. She could hear Julie getting dressed, singing a song about the sunshine. Samantha pushed her covers aside and leveraged herself out of bed. She felt achy all over. Passing Julie in the hall, she mumbled good morning and went to take a shower.
Refreshed and awakened completely, Samantha dressed herself in jeans and a madras shirt and went downstairs. Her place was set with two pieces of toast with butter and jelly and a glass of orange juice.
“What a nice surprise,” she said. “Thanks, Julie.”
“I would have made you coffee,” Julie said, “but I never really watched you use the coffee maker.”
“That’s okay,” Samantha said, reaching for the toast. “I don’t feel like coffee today anyway.”
Julie sat down and began to put jelly on her own toast.
“Are you going to work today?”
“No, honey,” Samantha said. “My vacation starts today.”
Samantha ate some toast. Remembering Wil’s thoughts that Julie might have been brought in from another state, she decided to bring up the subject.
“Julie, I’d like to ask you some more questions today,” Samantha said. “It’s just a way that might help your memory come back.”
“Sure,” Julie said. “But I don’t remember anything more since yesterday.”
Samantha believed this, but she had to try.
“Have you ever been to Utah?”
“I don’t know.”
“How about Arizona?”
A shrug.
“New Mexico?”
“Why are you asking?” Julie said.
Samantha explained how Wil Sherer had been unable to find any orphanages in Colorado that had sheltered a child named Julie.
“So you might have come from another state,” she said. “I know that sounds crazy, but we have to try every possibility. How about that Mr. Henley you told me about the first time we met? Think hard again, Julie. Can you picture him in your mind?”
Julie closed her eyes and thought a few minutes. Finally she shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice. “He was only in the motel room for a few minutes. Then he left, and we spent some time together in Durango. How come you don’t even remember the train ride?”
“I wish I knew,” Samantha said wearily.
She reached across the table to take the child’s hand.
“It’ll come back to us, I’m sure. We’ll work together—you, and me, and Wil.”
She pushed her chair back and brought her empty dishes to the sink. Julie did the same.
“Speaking of Wil,” Samantha said, “he asked me to take a picture of you. You’re dressed so pretty right now, in those tulip pants and that short top. Can I take your picture outside, by the flowers?”
“How about in front of the little adobe?”
“Great idea!” Samantha said. “You go on ahead. Unlock the kennels and let the dogs out. I’ll be out as soon as I get my camera.”
Samantha found her Polaroid. Miraculously, it still had two pictures left in it. She carried it outside, down the columbine-laden path to the playhouse. Julie was playing “fetch-the-stick” with the dogs. She turned and smiled at Samantha.
“Stand right outside the door,” Samantha said. “That’s great!”
Samantha looked up at the trees, frowning.
“It’s a little shady here,” she said. “But I guess the picture will be okay.”
“Why does Mr. Sherer want my picture?” Julie asked.
“Oh, just to keep it on file,” Samantha said. She saw no reason to tell Julie it was going to be placed in the missing-persons file.
She aimed her camera. “Ready?”
“Ready,” Julie said. She posed, giving a pretty smile.
Samantha snapped the picture. The automatic flash went off, filling in the dark spaces made by the shade of the trees. And instantly Julie doubled over, her hands covering her eyes.
She screamed, her voice like the high-pitched keening of a bird. Samantha dropped the camera, running to her.
“My eyes! My eyes are burning!”
“Julie, what . . . ?”
She tried to pull the child’s hands away from her face, unable to understand what had happened. Julie went on screaming, her arms stiff as Samantha moved them to look at her face. She had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Her face was bright red and tears were streaming down her cheeks.