pulse sped up. “And what did he find?”
“I’m sorry to tell you it wasn’t Elliot. The boy the motorist saw that day wasn’t my son. He was some runaway called Tommy Squires, who’s now back safe and sound with his family.” The line went silent for a few moments. I wondered if Neil was crying.
Finally, I asked, “Neil, are you still there?”
“Yes, poppet, I’m still here,” he said, his voice breaking.
I felt so bad for him. “Oh, Neil, I’m sorry. I know you and Anne were really hoping it was going to be a breakthrough.”
“Yeah, well, we have to stay positive, I suppose,” Neil said. “No news is good news, right?”
“Of course it is,” I said, trying desperately to think of something else to console him. “So what happens now?”
He sighed deeply. “Well, Harry says he’s got some other leads, so we’ll see where they take us.” Then Neil paused before adding, “But that wasn’t the only reason I called, Sam. There’s something else bothering me.”
“What?”
“It’s Anne. I’m worried about her. She isn’t coping with this very well, and I keep telling her she needs to see a doctor, but she refuses to. She won’t eat, she won’t go out, and I’m afraid that she might do something foolish.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” I gasped.
“Do me a favor, Sam,” Neil said. “Talk to her and try to make her see sense.”
“Do you really think she’ll listen to me?”
“I definitely think she needs to hear it from you. I think she can relate to you better because you’re a girl. Please. If you can only just get her to start eating again—”
Neil’s voice trailed off and the line went silent again. I sensed that Mum was hovering by the door, eavesdropping.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do my best,” I said. “I’ll call Anne tomorrow, okay?”
“Please do.”
“Don’t give up hope. The two of you just need to stay strong.”
“Thanks, Sam, you’re an angel. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
The line abruptly went dead without any goodbyes. As I set the phone on the dresser, Mum appeared in the doorway.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, her voice cold.
“What did I do?”
“Why are you giving Neil false hope again? Why are you pandering to his crazy delusion that Elliot’s still alive?”
“Mum, that’s harsh. How can you ask a thing like that?”
Her face darkened. “I’m a realist. I don’t live with my head in the clouds. Elliot has been missing for ten years. If he was still alive, don’t you think the police would have found him by now?”
“That doesn’t mean he’s dead,” I countered.
“Yes, it does,” Mum said firmly, “and you know it as well as I do.”
Still standing in the doorway, she continued glaring at me. “Sam, I want you to cut off all contact with Anne and Neil from now on. Your relationship with them isn’t healthy. How can they ever find peace with you constantly reinforcing their hopeless fantasy?”
Tears stung my eyes. I hated Mum’s unfeeling cruelty. “Would you have given up if it was me who was missing?” I asked, looking her straight in the eye. “What if I had been the one they took that night? Would you have given up on me?”
For the first time, Mum’s eyes turned away. In all my seventeen years, I’d never seen her cry, but I sensed something in her expression. Not empathy exactly. It was despair.
“What would you have done?” I demanded again. “Would you have held a funeral for me, even if you didn’t know for sure I was dead? Would you have gone on with your life as if nothing had happened? Would you have forgotten all about me, like you want Anne and Neil to forget about Elliot?”
“Sam, I—” Mum began, but caught herself. Then her voice became steely as she said, “You don’t understand the first thing about being a parent.”
“Maybe I don’t,” I agreed. “But I do know you’re starting to sound like you have a heart of
“I’m sorry to tell you it wasn’t Elliot. The boy the motorist saw that day wasn’t my son. He was some runaway called Tommy Squires, who’s now back safe and sound with his family.” The line went silent for a few moments. I wondered if Neil was crying.
Finally, I asked, “Neil, are you still there?”
“Yes, poppet, I’m still here,” he said, his voice breaking.
I felt so bad for him. “Oh, Neil, I’m sorry. I know you and Anne were really hoping it was going to be a breakthrough.”
“Yeah, well, we have to stay positive, I suppose,” Neil said. “No news is good news, right?”
“Of course it is,” I said, trying desperately to think of something else to console him. “So what happens now?”
He sighed deeply. “Well, Harry says he’s got some other leads, so we’ll see where they take us.” Then Neil paused before adding, “But that wasn’t the only reason I called, Sam. There’s something else bothering me.”
“What?”
“It’s Anne. I’m worried about her. She isn’t coping with this very well, and I keep telling her she needs to see a doctor, but she refuses to. She won’t eat, she won’t go out, and I’m afraid that she might do something foolish.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” I gasped.
“Do me a favor, Sam,” Neil said. “Talk to her and try to make her see sense.”
“Do you really think she’ll listen to me?”
“I definitely think she needs to hear it from you. I think she can relate to you better because you’re a girl. Please. If you can only just get her to start eating again—”
Neil’s voice trailed off and the line went silent again. I sensed that Mum was hovering by the door, eavesdropping.
“If that’s what you want, I’ll do my best,” I said. “I’ll call Anne tomorrow, okay?”
“Please do.”
“Don’t give up hope. The two of you just need to stay strong.”
“Thanks, Sam, you’re an angel. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
The line abruptly went dead without any goodbyes. As I set the phone on the dresser, Mum appeared in the doorway.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, her voice cold.
“What did I do?”
“Why are you giving Neil false hope again? Why are you pandering to his crazy delusion that Elliot’s still alive?”
“Mum, that’s harsh. How can you ask a thing like that?”
Her face darkened. “I’m a realist. I don’t live with my head in the clouds. Elliot has been missing for ten years. If he was still alive, don’t you think the police would have found him by now?”
“That doesn’t mean he’s dead,” I countered.
“Yes, it does,” Mum said firmly, “and you know it as well as I do.”
Still standing in the doorway, she continued glaring at me. “Sam, I want you to cut off all contact with Anne and Neil from now on. Your relationship with them isn’t healthy. How can they ever find peace with you constantly reinforcing their hopeless fantasy?”
Tears stung my eyes. I hated Mum’s unfeeling cruelty. “Would you have given up if it was me who was missing?” I asked, looking her straight in the eye. “What if I had been the one they took that night? Would you have given up on me?”
For the first time, Mum’s eyes turned away. In all my seventeen years, I’d never seen her cry, but I sensed something in her expression. Not empathy exactly. It was despair.
“What would you have done?” I demanded again. “Would you have held a funeral for me, even if you didn’t know for sure I was dead? Would you have gone on with your life as if nothing had happened? Would you have forgotten all about me, like you want Anne and Neil to forget about Elliot?”
“Sam, I—” Mum began, but caught herself. Then her voice became steely as she said, “You don’t understand the first thing about being a parent.”
“Maybe I don’t,” I agreed. “But I do know you’re starting to sound like you have a heart of
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