Four
As usual, Michael supplied a limousine and a bodyguard for any trip Avril made into town. The security was suffocating and only by insisting she required a modicum of privacy did Michael allow her to enter the stores alone to purchase clothes or visit the doctor. She stepped out into the Californian sunshine, adjusted her hat and, taking Mandy’s hand, led her into one of the high-end children’s fashion stores. She took a seat in the vanilla-scented store and allowed the saleslady to outfit Mandy with a selection of fifteen outfits, sleepwear, underwear, and socks. After dressing Mandy in a new outfit, Avril headed for the shoe store and selected suitable pairs for Mandy and herself. The little girl seemed to be very compliant and didn’t make a sound, just followed her in silence. Avril wondered if she could actually speak. The shopping was the only part of being undercover she enjoyed. It seemed Michael had unlimited funds and never questioned the amount she spent, so she splurged on everything from designer clothes to cosmetics. The parcels wrapped, she waved the bodyguard inside the store to collect them. She never carried anything more than her purse, containing a phone, which Michael checked regularly when he believed her to be asleep; a credit card he issued only when required; and the generous cash allowance he gave her after she insisted she needed a few bills to pay for coffee and anything else that took her fancy.
As she waited for Mandy to try on suitable shoes, she glanced out of the window at the Vietnamese restaurant across the road. Seeing it set off a lightbulb in her head. She looked at the nameless bodyguard. Michael had never allowed any kind of intimacy between them, not even giving her his name. “I’m going to the restaurant over there. Wait here.” She took Mandy by the hand and waited at the curb of the busy road for a break in the traffic.
“Okay.” The man leaned in the window of the limo to speak to the driver, but ignored her orders and followed her across the road to wait outside for her.
Inside the restaurant, Avril inhaled the rich spicy aromas and looked all around before heading to the take-out counter. The woman looked from her to Mandy and then raised both eyebrows. She smiled at her. “I wonder if you could help me?”
“You want to buy food? The menu is here on the counter.” The woman pointed to the folded plastic sheet. “The specials are on the blackboard.”
“I would like to buy some of your time and perhaps a meal for Mandy.” Avril indicated to the girl.
“Why do you want to
pay for my time?” The woman gave her a puzzled look. “Do I look like a hooker?”
“Oh no, of course not. Allow me to explain.” Avril pulled a hundred-dollar bill from her purse and placed it on the counter. “I’m fostering Mandy until we can locate her parents. She doesn’t speak English. I need someone to ask her some questions and perhaps help her learn a few words of English so I can communicate better with her.” She met the woman’s gaze. “If you can help me, the money is yours and, of course, I’ll pay for the meal separately. I want Mandy to feel at home while she is with us.”
“Why didn’t they place her with a Vietnamese family?” The woman narrowed her gaze. “We have a different culture than you, different ways. She should be with her own people.”
Avril nodded. “I agree, but for now, she’s in my care. Will you help me or not?”
“Yes.” The woman turned and called out something. Moments later, a younger woman came from the back. “I have ordered some food for her. Come inside and we’ll talk.” She led them to a quiet booth at the back of the restaurant near the kitchen.
The woman smiled at Mandy and the girl responded, but she seemed to be sluggish and kept blinking her eyes as if trying to stay awake. After a few minutes the woman stared at Avril unblinking. “What is it? Did you find out anything?”
“Yes, I did.”
The food came out and the little girl ate slowly, ignoring everyone and just staring at her plate. Avril cleared her throat. “What did she say?”
“Her name is Ly Mai. Her first name is Mai. She and her sister and parents were on a ship that stunk of fish. Her father vanished. She said he went with some men and never returned. Same with her mother. Her sister was with her when they left the boat, but the men separated them. They gave her food and drink and she fell asleep and woke up in your house. A man called her Mandy and gave her another drink that made her head feel funny. Then she met you. She likes you.” The woman studied her face. “Has she been drugged?”
The idea had crossed Avril’s mind. She smiled. It seemed she had become a convincing liar and could pull one out of the air without a second thought. “I believe the doctor who checked her out gave her a sedative. She was hysterical when she arrived. Can you tell her she can trust me and that I’ll care for her? Tell her I’m trying to find her family.”
The woman spoke rapidly and the girl nodded before saying something. Avril looked at the woman. “What did she say?”
“She called you friend. Ban be.”
The pronunciation sounded like “bat bey” and Avril smiled and touched her chest. “Avril… Ban be.”
The little girl repeated the word but not her name. Avril smiled at her and then turned to the woman. “Do you know of anyone who could give her English lessons? We need to be able to communicate with her. I’ll pay whatever it costs. I live at Carlos Winery.”
“Oh, I know who you are, Mrs. Carlos.” The woman nodded, but her expression wasn’t at all friendly. “If you’ll leave me your details. I’ll see what I can do.”
Avril nodded. “Thank you.”
As Mai finished her meal, Avril wrote down her phone number and handed it to the woman. “I’m happy to pay cash for the lessons. Money isn’t a problem. I just want to make her happy.”
She stood and, taking Mai’s hand, led her from the restaurant. As she stepped onto the sidewalk, she ran slap bang into her dentist. They chatted for a few moments about her tardiness at getting her checkups and Avril smiled. It was the first time in her life she’d welcomed a visit to the dentist. “How about Thursday? I’m coming into town to do some shopping.”
“Wait just a second.” The dentist called his office and smiled at her. “I can fit you in at eleven, how does that sound?” He pulled a business card out of his pocket and scribbled the time and date of the appointment and handed it to her. “See you then.”
Avril stared at the card. The bodyguard had heard every word and would report back to Michael. She smiled to herself as she pushed the card into her purse. Now she had a legitimate reason to be in town on Thursday.
Five
Over the next few days, Avril spent much of her daylight hours with Mai. A delightful child who wanted to please her by learning English, she soon had a few words in her vocabulary. It had surprised her how attached she’d become to the little girl and the plans to take her with her when she escaped her own personal hell had been uppermost in her mind. In the middle of the night, she snuck out again to confirm the movement of the drugs. It seemed the shipments went out Sunday through Wednesday nights and these times coincided with the previous times she’d heard Michael leave and return to the house.