"Angie Wells, from high school?"
"Yep, that Angie Wells."
"Wow... and she recognized you?"
"She did. She even called me by my old name."
"You did correct her, right? And tell her about the Simon thing, and why you need to maintain a high degree of secrecy and privacy?"
"I told her. She knows, and she understands. She's not going to go around announcing that she's hanging out with Alicia from high school."
"Wow... it's weird to hear you say your old name like that."
"I know... and it was even weirder to hear it shouted across a crowded bar, totally unexpectedly."
"Damn, that's how it happened?"
"Yeah, that's how it happened. We—"
Our conversation was interrupted by my phone ringing. I picked up the phone and saw a number on the screen that I didn't recognize.
"Oh, hang on, Kerry, I need to get this; it might be Everett calling about Jane."
"Sure thing," Kerry replied.
I answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Miss Vivienne Andrews?"
"Speaking, yes. Who is this, may I ask?"
"I'm Lieutenant Todd, Irvine Police Department."
A sudden jolt of uneasiness blasted through me; what if something had happened to Everett? What if the drug dealers had shot him again? What if... no, even if something had happened, they wouldn't be calling me.
"Good evening, Lieutenant, what is this about?"
"You are the proprietor of ABC Daycare, correct?"
"I am, yes."
"You might want to come down here, Miss Andrews."
"Um, can I ask why?" My daycare was closed on weekends, so I knew there wasn't an issue with a child or one of my staff. So, why on earth would the police be there?
"There's been a break-in. Our guess is that it happened last night sometime. A passer-by saw that one of the windows had been smashed and that it looked like someone had forcibly entered the building. They called us and reported it, and we went to investigate, and we can confirm that the building has indeed been broken into. We need you to come here and check the situation out, and see if anything of value has been stolen. Also, uh, the intruder left a message. Our guess is it's not for you, but maybe when you see it, it'll ring a bell. It might be meant for someone who works here. You're going to have to come see it, and we'll have to ask you some questions about it. Are you able to come down here now?"
"I am, yes. I'll be there shortly."
"We'll be waiting for you, Miss Andrews."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll see you soon."
We said our goodbyes, and I put my phone back in my handbag and stared at the screen with an expression of shock splayed across my face.
"What's wrong, Viv?" asked Kerry, sounding worried.