Misplaced (40 page)

“Modern madness is more like it,” Khara huffed.

V
ictori
a
undi
d
th
e
to
p
butto
n
o
f
he
r
blouse
.
“Mos
t
o
f
my
client
s
ar
e
‘immigrants’—th
e
one
s
wh
o
lea
v
e
e
v
erythin
g
they’
v
e e
v
er known behind to forge a new life in this country.”

“An
d
yo
u
ar
e
thei
r
protector
,
a
s
yo
u
ha
v
e
s
o
generously
been mine. But why?”

“Of all people, you should know what it’s like. When you
firs
t
com
e
here
,
e
v
erythin
g
i
s
so…
”
a
tea
r
stol
e
dow
n
her
cheek
,
whic
h
sh
e
flicke
d
a
w
a
y
a
s
sh
e
trie
d
t
o
gathe
r
herself,
“terrifying.”

“Y
ou say this from experience?”

V
ictoria turned a
w
ay. “It
w
as not supposed to happen.
W
e
w
ere so happy in Mexico.”

“What
w
as not supposed to happen?”

“It
w
as my fault,” she said softly, wiping her e
y
es.

“What?”

When Khara saw that she
w
as incapable of ans
w
ering, she
rushe
d
t
o
he
r
side
.
“Come.
”
Sh
e
le
d
V
ictori
a
t
o
th
e
comfort
o
f
he
r
favorit
e
o
v
erstuffe
d
armchai
r
befor
e
returnin
g
t
o
th
e
kitchen
. A
fe
w
minute
s
late
r
sh
e
returne
d
wit
h
a
cu
p
of
w
armish,
w
eak tea.

Gratefully,
V
ictoria
took
it.
“Wow, you’
v
e
learned to
work the micro
w
a
v
e.”

Squeezin
g
be
s
id
e
he
r
i
n
th
e
c
hair
,
Khar
a
ob
s
er
v
e
d
her
carefully.
“
A heart’s anguish is lessened when it is shared.”

Tha
t
w
a
s
al
l
i
t
took
.
V
ictori
a
hel
d
nothin
g
back
,
re
v
ealing
details
she
had
ne
v
er
spoken
before,
not
e
v
en
to
Elias
or
Marta,
who
knew
better
than
to
ask.
She
sobbed
until
she
w
as
out
of
breath
and
exhausted.
When
Khara
spoke,
her
voice
w
as
gentle
and much older than her
y
ears.

“How old
w
ere you when this happened?”

“What difference
does it make?”

“It makes all the difference.”

“I
w
as eight.”

“Y
ou
w
ere a child. The responsibility
w
as ne
v
er yours.”

“How can you say that?”

“Did you know of their plans?” she asked.

V
ictoria shook her head.
“No.
I
thought
as
much.
Y
our
parent’s
destiny
w
as
written
long before that day.”

“Ther
e
w
er
e
risks
,
bu
t
I
’
l
l
be
t
the
y
ne
v
e
r
imagine
d
thei
r
own
daughte
r
woul
d
b
e
on
e
o
f
them!
”
Completel
y
spent
,
V
ictori
a
sat
in silence as Khara’s hand gently stroked her back.

“The
n
i
t
i
s
a
s
you
r
theor
y
suggests
;
th
e
perso
n
yo
u
ar
e
today
w
as forged by tremendous loss.”

“Lea
v
e me alone.
P
lease.”

Her cell phone rang, but she lacked the energy to ans
w
er it.
A
n
hou
r
later
,
i
t
ran
g
again
.
Whe
n
sh
e
sa
w
tha
t
i
t
w
a
s
he
r
uncle
calling, she s
w
allo
w
ed a couple of times, and ans
w
ered.

Chapte
r
Seventeen
Vic
t
oria

Thi
s
time
,
ther
e
w
er
e
n
o
playfu
l
question
s
whe
n
they
ran
g
a
t
th
e
rea
r
o
f
th
e
museum
.
Onc
e
inside
,
Elia
s
ga
v
e
V
ictoria
the
obligatory
peck
on
the
cheek
and
said
to
Khara,
“
Y
ou
won’t
min
d
i
f I
spea
k
t
o
m
y
niec
e
alone?
”
I
t
w
a
s
no
t a
question.
“Ther
e
ar
e
se
v
era
l
benche
s
i
n
th
e
lobb
y
wher
e
yo
u
ca
n
make
yourself comfortable.”

Khara looked apprehensi
v
e. To reach the lobby, she would
ha
v
e
t
o
cros
s
th
e
threshol
d
o
f
th
e
staircase—
a
crue
l
reminde
r
o
f that afternoon when her world had turned to ashes.

“
As you wish.”

“I won’t be long,”
V
ictoria promised.

Inside
his
office,
Elias
straightened
his
tie
before
closing
the
door
.
“I’
v
e
don
e
a
s
yo
u
aske
d
an
d
sol
d
th
e
bracelets.
”
H
e
shook
his
head.
“
Y
ou
know
that
I
am
of
the
opinion
that
your
selfless
nature
is
being
taken
ad
v
antage
of.”
He
opened
a
dra
w
er
from
which
he
remo
v
ed
two
white
en
v
elopes
that
had
been
rubber—
bande
d
togethe
r
an
d
hande
d
the
m
t
o
her
.
“Fift
y
thousand
dollars.
More
than
enough
to
get
her
safely
home,
regardless
of
where that is.”

“Tha
t
’
s
mor
e
t
ha
n
I
expec
t
ed
.
A
lo
t
more.
”
Sh
e
s
t
are
d
at
the
bulging
en
v
elopes
before
stuffing
them
in
her
purse.
“
Y
ou
ha
v
e
no
idea
how
much
this
means
to
Khara,”
she
said, wrapping her arms around her uncle.

He stood rigid, his face unusually drawn. “Just promise me
tha
t
you
’
l
l
pu
t
he
r
o
n
a
plan
e
a
s
quickl
y
a
s
possibl
e
an
d
b
e
done
with this.”

“I’m
working
on
it.
Once
w
e
arri
v
e
in
Egypt,
w
e
should
be
able to figure
things out pretty
quickly.”

“Y
ou
’
re going with her?” he gasped, stepping back.

“What
good
is
putting
her
on
a
plane
if
she
doesn’t
know
what to do when she gets there?”

“That’
s
wha
t
embassie
s
ar
e
for
.
A
t
tha
t
point
,
it’
s
ou
t
o
f
your
hands.”

“The
last
thing
Khara
needs
is
some
bureaucrat
examining
her
passport
too
closely—or
worse,
asking
questions
she
can’t
ans
w
er.”

“I thought you said she had no documents.”

V
ictoria’s face said it all.

“
Y
ou
had
her
passport
forged?”
A
rush
of
color
flooded
his
face
as
his
expression
changed
from
shock
to
disappointment.
“Thi
s
tim
e
you’
v
e
gon
e
to
o
far,
”
h
e
pronounced
,
shakin
g
his
head.

She stared at the floor.

“I
take
it
you
ha
v
e
nothing
more
to
say.”
The
red
in
Elias’s
fac
e
slo
w
l
y
faded
,
an
d
h
e
cleare
d
hi
s
throat
,
remo
v
e
d
a
crisp
white
linen
handkerchief
from
his
breast
pocket,
and
wiped
his
brow.

“Uncle,”
V
ictoria implored.

Elia
s
looke
d
a
t
her fo
r
a
lon
g
time
.
“
I
kno
w
wher
e
your
courag
e
come
s
from,
”
h
e
declared
,
hi
s
voic
e
patien
t
again
.
“
Y
ou
ar
e
no
t
th
e
onl
y
on
e
wh
o
grie
v
e
s
fo
r
them
.
An
d
non
e
o
f
this
will
bring
them
back,
will
it?
It’s
time
you
spent
some
of
this
misdirected
energy
on
your
own
life.
Ha
v
e
you
gi
v
en
a
single
m
o
m
ent’
s
consideratio
n
t
o
th
e
d
amag
e
you
r
reputatio
n
will
s
uffe
r
i
f
th
e
I
N
S
fin
d
s
ou
t
you
’
v
e
bee
n
inv
o
l
v
e
d
i
n
co
unterfeiting
passports?
Y
ou’
v
e
ne
v
er
been
good
at
knowing
when
to
draw
th
e
line
,
bu
t
this—bu
t
thi
s
coul
d
ge
t
yo
u
disbarred
,
thoug
h
I
suppos
e
n
o
on
e
i
s
mor
e
a
w
ar
e
o
f
tha
t
tha
n
you.
”
H
e
pushed
pas
t
her
,
an
d
the
n
stoppe
d
fo
r
a
moment
.
“Suc
h
desperation
i
s
beneat
h
you,
”
h
e
sai
d
sadly
.
“No
w
yo
u
mus
t
excus
e
me;
th
e
museu
m
i
s
closin
g
an
d
I
stil
l
ha
v
e
thing
s
t
o
do.
”
Without
turning
to
face
her,
he
added,
“
Y
our
father
would
be
disappointed.”