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“Yeah, right. Why else would you two be looking for him?”
“Ma’am,” Rob says in a calm voice. “We really just want to help your son. Is there anything you can tell us? What was the last city he lived in?”
Alice folds her arms across her chest. “I don’t know nothin’ about where my son has been for the past five years or so. I can’t tell you anything.”
“When was the last time you talked to him?” Rob asks.
“I told you. I can’t tell ya nothin’!” she says.
Rob and I glance at one another. I know he’s thinking the same as me. Shit! Another dead end on this guy. We were really hoping his mom, of all people, would be able to shed a little light on where we could possibly find him. As one of the country’s most-wanted domestic terrorists, he’s proving to be impossible to find.
I’m about to thank Alice for her time, but when we look back at her, she’s clutching her chest, obviously in pain. “Ma’am, are you okay?” I ask as Rob and I move closer to her.
She bends at the knee. “I-I think I’m having a heart attack,” she says, her voice now breathless.
Fuck!
Rob pulls out his phone and begins dialing. “I’m calling 911,” he tells her.
“Can I help you back inside?” I ask, approaching her.
“No! Get away from me,” she spits, then clutches her chest harder, doubling over in pain.
I rush up the steps to catch her before she tumbles down the stairs, and she falls into my arms. “I said get away,” Alice says, her voice a shouty whisper now. Her breathing is labored, and I know this is not good.
“Let’s go inside so you can sit,” I say, guiding her toward the door.
Surprisingly, Alice allows me to help her into the house. Rob follows us as he speaks with a 911 operator.
The smell of cigarette smoke hits my nostrils before I even walk through the door. Alice is obviously a chain-smoker, evident from the scent and the ashtray full of cigarette butts I see on her coffee table. I help her to the couch, where she lies down. I have to move some newspapers off the cushions to give her more room.
“You’re going to be okay. Do you have any aspirin in the house?” I ask, remembering you should give aspirin to someone having a heart attack.
Alice shakes her head but doesn’t say a word, which has me worried. She must be in a lot of pain if she can’t utter a word.
“The paramedics are on the way,” Rob announces. “Do you have aspirin, Alice?”
“I just asked her, and she said no,” I reply.
“I’ll go check the bathroom medicine cabinet, just in case,” he says as he stalks off down the hallway.
Alice is still silent. Her eyes are now closed, but I see she’s still breathing. I put my hand on her shoulder. “Alice, can you hear me?”
She opens her eyes and nods.
“Okay, good. Hang in there. The ambulance will be here soon.”
As if on cue, I hear a siren in the distance.
Looking around the room, I see the place is a mess. Magazines and newspapers are strewn about, the tables are littered with ashtrays, and everything is covered in dust. The living room is dark, with just one lamp lighting the room. The curtains are open, but there’s a sheer curtain still covering the window. The smell of cigarettes is really starting to bother me, and I know I’ll need to shower and change my clothes as soon as possible to rid the smell from my body.
Rob comes back into the room, shaking his head. “I couldn’t find any aspirin.”
Just then, the siren gets louder, and we see the ambulance pulling up to the house.
Today did not go the way I expected.
* * *
