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Kerri held her breath.
“I ... don’t understand the question. Why do you ask?”
“When did you move from Mexico?” Jen rephrased. “Never mind. It’s not really important. I was just curious. You have an excellent command of the language. And your home is so cozy. It looks as if you’ve been here ages.”
“Thank you. Last year. August.”
Kerri’s heart started to beat faster.
“To take care of Alice,” Jen suggested.
“Yes.”
Another of those pauses elapsed.
“I ... I lived here before,” Cortez blurted. “I went to university here. I’m a nurse. I don’t work any longer ... because of Alice.”
Another last-second save. The woman had her part nailed. Except Kerri wasn’t buying it.
“You and your husband have sacrificed a great deal for Alice. That’s very kind of you.”
Good job, Jen!
“Well, all right then. I think I have everything I require except for having a look at Alice’s room. I’m sure it’s fine, but I have to follow the rules.”
The silence was longer this time.
“I’ll only take a moment, I promise,” Jen reassured her.
The swoosh of fabric told Kerri someone had moved.
“This way,” Cortez offered.
Kerri surveyed the block in both directions. Just a few minutes longer. If her heart beat any faster, it was going to jump out of her chest.
Footsteps echoed in Kerri’s ear. The squeak of hinges warned when a door opened.
“Alice loves crosses, too, doesn’t she?” Jen said, sounding bright and maybe a little too cheery.
“Yes, very much.”
“What are the masks?”
Ice formed in Kerri’s gut.
“Just ... you know ... decoration. She loves playing dress-up.”
“Are these Alice’s drawings?”
“She has big imagination also.”
“She does,” Jen agreed. “Well, I’ll just take a couple of photos with my cell phone, and I’ll be on my way.”
“Sure ... sure.”
Kerri didn’t breathe again until Jen was at the door, thanking the lady for her cooperation. She had started toward her car when an approaching vehicle snagged Kerri’s attention.
Instinctively Kerri eased down in the passenger seat.
