Against the white tablecloth, the porcelain stood out brightly, the pride of Molly Daniel. The set had belonged to her grandmother and was used only on special occasions. Today was not a special day, yet almost the entire family had gathered in Molly’s house. All except Tara, who spent her days and nights at the hospital. Even she, however, had not remained indifferent to the disappearance of the girl from the cellar. She called every hour, asking if there was any news.
Joshua had brought Sophie, had tea, and then had to leave for work. Now, in the quiet kitchen, Molly, Sophie, and Clive sat, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Sophie was quietly praying for Angela, that the big city would not harm her. She had seen Angela only once, yet worried about her as if the girl were her own sister. Clive stared out the window at the garden, now green and sinking into dusk, occasionally letting out a heavy sigh.
Molly neither prayed nor sighed. She was waiting. Waiting to hear the crunch of gravel outside, the engine cutting out, waiting for the longed-for ring of the doorbell. She believed it was entirely possible. Her faith had grown so strong under the weight of recent events that the sudden knock did not strike her as a miracle.
Sophie rose almost simultaneously with Molly. The two women went into the hallway. Molly opened the door and gasped, more from relief than surprise.
“My God, my girl.”
Angela rushed into Molly’s arms as if into the embrace of her own mother. Sophie wrapped her arms around them both. Tears flowed freely. O’Halloran struggled to suppress the lump rising in his throat.
While the women cried, Shane turned to Clive.
“It was a mistake to take Angela to the hospital. I should never have allowed Doctor Leary to take her. All the procedures could have been done right here. Forgive me, Mr. Daniel.”
“There is no need to apologize, Detective. Angela can live here until she recovers. We will decide what to do next later.” He glanced at the three crying women. “My wife loves her. There will be no problems.”
“Thank you.” Shane drew Clive aside and spoke more seriously. “This house pulls her back. Something is connected to it. When I told her I would take her home, she nodded and then she cried. She wants to be here. Her soul is drawn to this place. Perhaps she will recover in this house. And we will try to find out what happened to her ten years ago.”
“I understand you, Detective. And I already said I have no objections.”
The men returned to the women. Now O’Halloran addressed everyone.
“Without my permission, do not answer any questions, do not let anyone into the house, and do not show Angela to anyone. If anyone gets clever, send them to me. Even Doctor Leary should not make any demands. Mrs. Daniel…”
“You can just call me Molly, Detective.”
“Molly, if you need anything at all, call me without hesitation. I am ready to provide financial support.”
Clive shook the detective’s hand, and Shane was already about to leave when Angela suddenly grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. He turned and looked into her large brown eyes. They seemed to ask, “Have you forgotten something?”
“What is it, Angela?” Molly asked, but the girl ignored her, continuing to hold onto Shane’s hand.
No one understood what was happening. Angela began to hum and pointed toward the door. At that moment, Shane looked lost. She gestured, but he could not guess what she was trying to say.
“Did you forget something?” Shane asked cautiously.
She nodded. From time to time she opened her mouth, trying to say something, but only inarticulate sounds came out. The clearest was “O.” Then she pretended to rock a baby and hummed a lullaby. O’Halloran was at a loss.
“No, I don’t understand.”
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Angela’s face showed desperation. She thought for a moment, then ran into the kitchen. Everyone followed her.
“You.” She poked Shane in the chest with her finger.
“Me.”
A nod.
“Sat here.” She patted the soft seat.
“I sat on this chair. You sat opposite me.”
Another energetic nod. Again she rocked an imaginary baby and hummed the lullaby. And then Molly gasped.
“Toby. You lost Toby?”
Angela exhaled and then made a pleading expression, as if saying, “Give me back my bear.”
“Toby is…?”
“That’s her teddy bear. Her toy. She went to the hospital with it.”
“You left it at the hospital?” O’Halloran asked Angela, but she remained motionless. And then he understood. “They took it from you?”
With a sad look, she lowered her head and then nodded.
Shane returned to his car, cursing Doctor Leary with every word he knew. Because of her, instead of spending the rest of the day at home watching some movie, he had first had to drive all over the city looking for the girl, and now, when she had been found, it was still not over. He had given Angela his word that he would find the toy.
Leaving Cloraine, he bought himself a hamburger because he was starving. After swallowing the bun and patty and washing it down with a cola, he could finally think clearly. He would go straight to the doctor for Toby, having promised himself that he would get it even from under the ground.
As he had expected, Orla Leary was home. When Shane showed up, she had just stepped out of the shower and had applied a medicinal face mask, so the inspector recoiled at the sight of a green face with three holes for eyes and mouth.
“Damn it,” Orla swore, covering her face with her hand, as if that could hide the monstrosity. Her lips barely moved. “You could have called, Inspector.”
“I didn’t think it was necessary. You might have run away.”
“Why would I?” She sighed and stepped aside. “Come in.”
They went into the living room, where everything was in perfect order. The apartment smelled of something baked, and Shane suddenly realized he was still hungry.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back,” Orla said and disappeared behind a white door.
Shane looked around. His mood sank for the rest of the evening. No matter how much desire and enthusiasm he had, he was tired and worn out. If Leary did not help him find the toy, the situation would only worsen. He was about to sit down on the small red sofa when Leary appeared in simple gray trousers and a beige shirt.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Coffee.”
“Lots of coffee,” he wanted to add, but he was not about to give Orla a reason to develop that topic.
“So what brings you here at this hour? Or did you decide to personally inform me that Angela has been found?”
“She has been found,” Shane replied flatly. “And she is now with Molly. No more hospitals, Doctor Leary.”
“Good.”
Had he heard that right?
“Good?”
The woman shrugged.
“Yes. We took all the necessary tests. Fortunately, we managed to do an MRI of the brain. I believe she was frightened by the machine. I couldn’t be there, and perhaps the doctors used force…”
“What did the MRI show?”
“Nothing. I spoke with Doctor Aspen Darren an hour ago. He says there are no growths. She is healthy, Inspector. And I can call that a miracle of miracles. Come into the kitchen, I’ll make you some coffee,” Orla said and, without waiting for him, disappeared down the hallway.
When they were both in the kitchen, equipped with the latest technology, she continued.
“To live for ten years in a dirty, stinking, cold cellar full of infections and not get sick, that takes an incredibly strong body. She was deprived of everything a normal person has, yet she survived.”
A cup of freshly brewed coffee appeared in front of Shane. Leary herself sat down opposite him.
“I don’t envy you, Inspector. This is not an easy case.”
“Did you try to talk to her? There is one drawback. She does not speak.”
“As I assumed, the girl has aphasia. That is, she used to be able to speak, but over time she lost the need for speech and, along with it, the ability.”
“Today she tried to say a word. Why can’t she? She remembers sounds and letters, but cannot pronounce them.”
“She needs therapy. Molly is a teacher. She can work with Angela. And still…”
Orla fell silent. Shane pressed her.
“And still what?”
“This is not like what happens with stroke victims. In her case, it is psychological. Speech will return. But for that, something must happen that forces her to speak.”
“For example?”
“For example?” Orla watched Shane slowly deal with his coffee, sip by sip. “I don’t know. Meeting her mother. Or love.”
Shane smirked and shook his head, making it clear that this sounded absurd to him.
“You think she knows what love is?”
“And you think she doesn’t? And when did we switch to informal speech?”
Shane pushed the empty cup aside.
“Thank you for the coffee. Now I want to ask an important question. By the way, this is probably her only love. Where is the bear?”
“The bear?”
“Yes. The toy she never let go of. Angela says it was taken from her. That bear means a great deal to her. I promised I would return it.”
Orla stood up, pushing her chair back. Its legs scraped against the floor.
“I have never met a detective like you, Shane O’Halloran.”
“And what kind am I?”
“Not heartless,” she replied and disappeared somewhere into the depths of her apartment.
For several minutes, the inspector sat alone, listening to the ticking of the wall clock. Then Doctor Leary returned, holding the very teddy bear, clean and neatly dressed. And then Shane returned the compliment, saying that she, unlike many other doctors, was human.
