Aspirin said, enjoying his small victory. “You must have parents . . . or some guardians or something. And you must live with them—those are the rules. So where are they?”
“My guardians are very, very far away.” The girl smiled. It was a strange smile, more fitting for a wrinkly, experienced old woman. It made Aspirin wary for some reason.
“Where is that?”
The girl touched the paper tag and lifted the wet brown tea bag above the amber liquid in her mug.
“Wow.”
She dipped it into the mug and pulled it out again.
“You’ve never had tea from a tea bag, have you?” Aspirin asked softly. “What sort of boondocks are you from?”
“Alexey.” The girl’s eyelashes stuck together like icicles. “Don’t kick me out.”
Aspirin almost choked on his tea. Although it was exactly what he wanted to do, it galled him to have her voice it aloud. Spluttering, he exclaimed, “I am not kicking you out! Finish your tea in peace. Have a cookie. But we don’t live in a forest, for god’s sake. You must have some sort of identification. A passport of your own. Or a birth certificate. And . . . I have to leave—a business trip!” He made that up on the fly and became very enthusiastic. “Yes. I must be leaving shortly for a business trip. And it’s a long one. My train leaves in one hour. So you see, I’m not kicking you out. But you can’t stay here. We both belong in other places, you know?”
As he spoke, though, the girl seemed to have suddenly lost interest. She was staring at a toy silver bell, a simple knickknack sitting on one of the kitchen shelves.
“What is that?” she asked. And without asking for permission, she reached for the bell and picked it up.
“Put it down,” Aspirin said and frowned. “Haven’t you been taught to ask first? It doesn’t belong to you. Come on!”
The girl didn’t put it down, though. Rather, she shook the bell. A sound flew around the kitchen, weak but clear.
“The note A,” the girl said.
And immediately the doorbell rang, squawking like a deranged chicken.
“Here we go.” Aspirin got up, any guilt for getting rid of the girl fading once more. “This guy is here to help you.”
Walking to the door, he had a fleeting idea of giving her the bell. Especially if it got her to leave sooner. He opened the door.
“Hello,” Whiskas said, stepping over the threshold.
“Hello.” Aspirin tried not to fidget. “Want a cup of tea?”
“A cup of tea? Seriously?” Whiskas gave him a suspicious, sidelong glance. “Let’s deal with your problem first.”
They entered the kitchen as the girl poured her tea into the saucer to cool it, her sharp elbow up in the air.
Whiskas stopped abruptly, making Aspirin collide with him.
“A tea party?” Whiskas inquired.
“She was hungry,” Aspirin mumbled apologetically.
“Not at all,” the girl said softly. “We are just having a cup of tea. With Mishutka.”
She petted the bear, nearly making the toy’s heavy head dip into the scalding liquid.
Whiskas looked at Aspirin. Aspirin looked away, his expression signaling yes, he was an idiot, and he knew it.
“What is your name?” Whiskas asked the girl.
She hunched over the saucer; a single blond hair fell from behind her ear and snaked along the surface of the tea.
“What is her name?” Whiskas addressed Aspirin. Aspirin shrugged. “What, haven’t you learned her name?”
“I haven’t had a chance.”
Whiskas looked incredulous. “Not enough time?”
“Not quite . . .” Not sure how to answer, Aspirin picked a cookie from the platter and devoured it with abandon.
“All right, finish your tea,” Whiskas said to the girl. “We’re going to the juvie.”
“Where?”
“If you don’t tell me immediately who your parents are and where you live, I will take you to the juvenile detention center, and you will have to speak to the specialists.” Whiskas smiled unpleasantly as he said this.
“I don’t live here,” the girl said softly.
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Whiskas said in a high, reedy voice. “Then you will be sent home. If you have any money. Come on, bottoms up.”
“If you need money for a ticket, I can give you money,” Aspirin offered. Whiskas groaned and glanced at him without a hint of respect.
“What the hell is wrong with you? She’ll happily leech off you, and all you need right now is someone pestering you.”
“I won’t,” the girl said, even more softly. “I don’t need anything from him. I just want him to admit he’s my father.”