Avenger

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

He answered on the third ring.

“Hello?” came a deep, unfamiliar voice. It hit me how long we had been separated and despite this, our time together still felt so close to me, both in time and in an emotional sense. Yet I had spent more time with my husband than I had with Mikey. It made me wonder how key a childhood is in shaping a person.

“Mikey Wellis?”

“Speaking,” he said. “Though I go by Michael these days. Hello, Ada.”

That time I heard it. At that moment, he sounded like my Mikey. I had already decided how I was going to approach this phone call. If he was going to be fake with the police, and by extension with me, I would be fake with him.

“You’ll always be Mikey to me,” I said friendly. My husband rolled his eyes and I knew then that he knew my game. He really could read me like a book. I shot him an angry look.

“Ada, I’m so glad you called,” he replied, “listen, I’m – I’m so sorry to hear about your little one. I can’t imagine how you must be coping. It’s really – it’s truly one of the worse things that can happen to a family. I didn’t want to bother you at this time, so I’m glad you were happy to call me. I wasn’t sure if I should.”

He really was a brilliant actor. “Thank you,” I said in a monotone. “Listen, my husband is here, you’re on speaker, just so you know.”

“Hi Michael,” my husband said loudly.

“Oh, hello, Steven is it?” Mikey asked.

“Steve, yeah,” he replied. “It’s good to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Ada.”

Mikey chuckled. “Good things I hope.”

My husband and I shared a tense look. His eyes pierced mine, challenging and fierce, and I shook my head microscopically, then glowered at him. An unmistakable warning. I think in that moment he knew that if he interfered with my plan, it would result in irrevocable damage to our trust. He lowered his gaze, then spoke.

“Nothing but,” he said.

There was a brief silence where none of us said anything, and I worried that Mikey may have heard something in my husband’s tone. But then he spoke ahead.

“Guys, I know you must have a lot of people saying this,” he began, “and I know I live far away these days but really, if there’s anything I can do for you or your family, please let me know. Ada I’m so, so sorry this had to happen to you after our childhood, I mean I know she was my sister but it can’t have been easy for you either. So just, if there’s something you need, I think times like these are when we really all need to be here for each other.”

“Didn’t the police come and speak to you?” I asked suddenly, half angry.

“Oh, yeah, I thought that’s why you called me. Because I gave my number for them to give you and all.”

“Yeah it is,” I said, trying to act natural again. “What I meant was... was why? Did they tell you why? What sort of things did they ask you? I mean, they didn’t say you were searched or arrested or anything.” I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but judging by the look on my husband’s face I had failed in spectacular fashion.

“Oh, yeah they knocked the door and asked to come in,” he began, and then launched into his story in a no holds barred fashion, giving me every damn piece of information I needed. I don’t know what his game was with this, but maybe he was just stupid.

“I asked them why, because obviously they hadn’t explained themselves first because they never do. They said they wanted to ask me some questions about a missing child case and of course I assumed this was about my sister from all those years ago. But then it became clear their questions were, well, not accusatory, but, more like trying to suss me out, and that’s when I realised it was nothing to do with Lucy so I stopped answering any questions until they told me what it was about. That’s when they mentioned your name and I just... I couldn’t believe it, Ada. I can’t believe how cruel the world can be to such genuinely good people. I mean my youth wasn’t always happy, as you know, but when I was with you, Ada, I was always happy. Anyway I was much more ‘co-operative’ after that. Their word, not mine. I answered everything and when they asked to walk through my house, I let them. I mean by then I really didn’t mind that, I wanted to cooperate given who it was. Anyway, they thanked me for all my help and left, and I gave my number to one of them to give to you, if you wanted it, as she was walking out.”