“It’s fine.” She smiled weakly and rubbed the spot. “Dolores has hit me lots harder than that.”
“We heard about your aunt and uncle, that’s really good news,” said Pine.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Did you have a good relationship with them?”
“They didn’t live that close to us. I suppose that’s why I went into foster care. But they have a daughter my age, Sarah. We used to get together way back.”
Pine said, “It was very brave what you did. You saved our lives.”
Gail put her sandwich down and took a drink of the water. “I couldn’t believe she was just going to abandon me like that. It made me so mad. After all I’d done for her.”
Pine and Blum exchanged a nervous glance. Blum said, “She’s not a good person, Gail. You’re far better off without her. Just put her out of your mind. She’s not worth thinking about anymore. She’s really not.”
Pine added, “You can see that, right?”
Gail looked up at her. “I just don’t want to be left alone again. It’s . . . scary.”
“You won’t be. But after what happened to you, you’re going to need some counseling.”
“Counseling?” Gail looked terrified.
“Just someone who’s trained to help people through some bad events in their lives. The person will just talk to you, Gail. And you can talk to them about . . . things. It’s only meant to help you put this awful experience behind you, and get on with your life in a positive way.”
“Oh, okay.” She munched on her sandwich, but still looked wary of the whole thing.
“And like you said, you have a cousin your age. You can grow up like sisters. It’ll be fun. Always someone to talk to and share stuff with.”
Gail looked intrigued by this possibility. “I never thought about having a sister. Do you have a sister?”
Pine said slowly, “Yes, I do. A twin sister, in fact. It’s . . . pretty cool. She was . . . she is my best friend.”
Gail smiled. “That’s pretty dope. A twin. Are you identical?”
“I . . . I, uh, think you could probably tell us apart now.”
“Okay.”
Pine handed her a card. “This is my contact information. Any time you want to, please give me a call. I mean it, okay?”
They exchanged hugs with the girl and left her there.
“Do you think she’s going to be all right?” asked Blum.
“Right this minute, there’s no way to tell. She was with Desiree only six months, so maybe the damage won’t be permanent. She’s been through a lot for someone so young. She probably just needs time to heal.”
As they walked down the corridor Blum said, “Are you okay?”
“I will be okay. If I ever find my sister.”
“And if we don’t find Mercy?”
“I’m not going to think about that possibility right now.”
“What do we do next?”
“We need to talk to Desiree again, hopefully for the last time.”
CHAPTER
33
THE DETENTION FACILITY WAS CLEAN, sleek, and modern looking, but it still had bars and secure doors to keep the bad people away from the good. Pine had learned there were more than five hundred prisoners kept here in the main facility and in a jail annex. She was only interested in one.