to find out what happened to my sister,” said Pine, drawing both of their attention back to her.
Lineberry nodded slowly and put his cup aside. “I thought it must be something like that.” He looked at the shield on her hip. “FBI agent? I guess if I were a psychologist, I could make something out of your decision to go into law enforcement.”
“It wouldn’t take much expertise to figure that one out,” noted Pine.
“How can I help you in your task?”
“You knew my parents. Can you tell me the names of some of their other friends in Andersonville?”
Lineberry sat back. “Can I ask why you want to know?”
“You believed my father had nothing to do with what happened to my sister.”
“Correct.”
“Well, somebody took her. I want to find out who that was.”
Lineberry’s jaw slackened. “You…you think it might have been someone who knew the family? I always assumed it was some stranger.”
“Stranger snatches do happen, but it’s far more likely to be someone familiar with the family.”
“I can’t believe that. I mean, it was such a small community.”
Blum said, “The thing is, sometimes you think you know someone, but you really don’t.”
“Meaning we all have our dark sides?”
“And some people’s ‘sides’ are darker than others.”
Lineberry looked at them a bit warily now. “Well, I was a friend, so I guess that makes me a suspect.”
Pine shook her head. “I’m not saying anyone’s a target; this is just one line of inquiry. Even if it was a stranger, someone who was around my parents and the house might remember someone watching the place or some other information that might be helpful.”
“Well, have you talked to your mother? She would certainly know those sorts of things.”
“I haven’t talked to her, nor is it likely that I will.”
“Can you tell me why that is?”
“Let’s just say that it was because of her choice, not mine.”
Lineberry took this in and said, “Okay, that’s your business. I won’t pry any further.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“So, friends. I can’t imagine there are many left in the area.”
“Just any you can recall. I’ll take it from there.”
“Leave me your contact information and I’ll get back to you.”
“Thanks.”
As they were leaving, Lineberry said, “What if the truth turns out to be worse than not knowing?”
“I’m not sure that can ever be the case. But if it is, I’ll just have to deal with it.”
“I don’t envy your position.”
“Frankly, neither do I.”
Chapter 16
PINE GOT OUT of the shower the next morning and stood in front of the bathroom mirror while she dried her hair. On her sculpted delts were tats of Gemini and Mercury. And tatted down both her forearms were the words, “No Mercy.”
The forearm tats had double meanings to her, neither so esoteric. She had no Mercy in her life because Mercy had been taken from her. And compared to what had happened to her sister, Pine’s life was a breeze. So she couldn’t grant herself a break for anything. It was always pedal to the metal, take no prisoners, and don’t complain when someone kicked your ass.
No mercy for me.
The delt tats were similarly obvious: Gemini, the god of twins. And the planet Mercury, ascendant for twins.
She put her hands on the sink and stared at her reflection.
I guess I do wear it on my sleeve. And my shoulders. And I guess I am that obvious. And I guess I don’t care what people think at this point.
She fingered the St. Christopher’s medal that she wore around her neck. It had been a present from her mother. Her last present from the woman, as it turned out. More than once she had attempted to chuck it into the trash. But something always stayed her hand.
Maybe one day it will bring me good luck. Maybe one day it will lead me to her.
Pine slowly dressed and thought about what she had learned since she’d been here.
It wasn’t much. The intruder perhaps coming through the house was by the far the biggest breakthrough, but only if it turned out to be true. And all these years later would she ever be able to really conclusively prove that one way or another?
She looked out her front window onto the street. She vaguely recalled her parents taking her and her sister to the cemetery here, where white grave markers seemed to go on and on without end. For her they just meant there were dead people everywhere, and that had scared her and Mercy.