“So, why don’t you ask her outright if she has any definitive information about that?”
“Do you?” Detective Boyton asked me.
I looked at Mr. Simon. He nodded.
“No, sir,” I said.
“Not in the bathroom or at the party?” Lieutenant Danbury asked.
“She’s answered you,” Mr. Simon said.
“How did you get the drugs you used when you were pregnant?” Lieutenant Danbury asked quickly.
Mr. Simon nodded at me.
“I did not get any drugs then. I do not know why the hospital said I took drugs.”
“If you’re protecting someone, you could be in just as much trouble,” Lieutenant Danbury said.
“She knows that,” Mr. Simon said. “Anything else?”
“This investigation will continue,” Lieutenant Danbury said. He made it sound like a threat.
“Well, we hope so. We can’t let this sort of thing go on and on,” Mr. Simon said. Although his words should have made the two detectives happy, his tone obviously angered them.
“Okay, that’s it for now,” Lieutenant Danbury said.
We got up and left the room.
“I hope you were telling the truth in there, Delia,” Mr. Simon said before we met Edward.
“I did not see Sophia get drugs, Mr. Simon.”
“Okay.”
“What happened?” Edward asked, rushing over to us.
“Nothing for now. They don’t have anything to implicate Delia on this. Maybe her friend is in trouble, but that’s not our problem.”
“What about her other matter, Mr. Simon?” Edward asked.
He looked at me and shook his head. “The lab report is authentic, Delia, and from what I’ve seen of the paperwork, you pretty much have made this custody matter irrevocable.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means I don’t think I can do much about it and would only waste your money trying. Your baby will remain with Ray Bovio, his grandfather,” Mr. Simon said. “Talk to you later, Edward,” he added, and left me feeling as if I had just been on a roller coaster.
“Edward,” I began, but he put his finger on my lips.
“Don’t despair,” he said. “We’re not done yet.”
I had no idea what he meant, but I followed him out of the police station like someone clinging desperately to the last drops of water in the desert.
16
A New Crossing
Before we did anything else, Edward wanted us to return to the hospital to see how his sister and his mother were doing. Despite the bad feelings between him and his sister, she was still his sister, and no matter what his mother had said and done, Tía Isabela was still his mother.