Free The Pearl Diver by Sujata Massey

himdown in his own blue-and-yellow bedroom. I turned off the light but left the door open a crack after he whimpered that the room was too dark. He still hadn’t asked for his mother. I wouldn’t have known what to say if he had.
    I checked back in on Jacquie to adjust her covers, and when I heard the sound of deep, even breathing from both babies’ rooms, I went downstairs.
    Social services. Why had Louis Burns brought that up? Children went into social services only if there wasn’t another parent or family member to care for them. Did the detective think there was a reason Win wouldn’t be able to care for the children? When a woman went missing, was her husband automatically a suspect?
    It was eleven o’clock now. I leafed through the family address book, looking for contact information for Kendall’s parents on St. Barth’s. Nothing. I put in a call to my mother, in San Francisco, who was packing for a long-anticipated holiday with my father, and some close friends, in Fiji. But when she heard what had happened, she started talking about canceling the eighteen-day trip.
    “Rei, that’s—oh, my Lord, so terrible! What kind of neighborhood were you in? Are you and the children safe right this minute?”
    “It was a fine restaurant, and to answer your second question, I’m at Kendall’s house with the children. I’d hoped you’d know where Aunt Deborah and Uncle Bill are staying.”
    “It’s the Breakers—no, that’s where they go in Florida. St. Barth’s, let me think. I think it’s a bed and breakfast they use. They sent a lovely postcard last year, which I’m sure I tossed in the spring cleaning—”
    “I guess I’ll have to wait for Win to get home, then,” I said.
    “Don’t count on him to know anything.” My mother’s opinion of Win was about the same as mine. “Ask Dougie.”
    She was talking about Kendall’s brother. “I don’t know where he lives. Do you?”
    “He lives in Howard County somewhere—Millersville, that’s it. Haven’t you seen him?”
    “No. Since I’ve been here, Kendall’s been the only one of theHowards who has been interested in doing things.”
    “It takes two to tango. Have you gone to visit Grandmother yet?”
    “Not exactly,” I said. My grandmother and I had unfinished business that I meant to keep that way. “Mom, I’d better get off the line. I heard someone at the door. Maybe it’s the cop.”
    “What?”
    “‘Bye, Mom.” I clicked off quickly, because I didn’t need any more flack from my mother about not seeing my relatives. And it was true that there was the sound of something happening outside the door. I walked toward the foyer, Kendall’s wedding picture in hand. I’d been expecting a police officer, but from what I could see through the leaded glass pane next to the front door, this probably wasn’t one. The shape of a tall man was clear through the pane, leaning against it as if he thought he could push it in. Adrenaline surged as I thought about the possibilities: a random break-in. Or maybe, the man who’d taken Kendall had brought her home.

5
    I was glancing back at the kitchen, trying to decide whether to run back to the phone, when I heard metal sliding into metal. The chime went off as the door flew open and Kendall’s husband, Win, staggered through. His hair was slick with the night’s rain and his skin had a greenish cast.
    “Hey, Rye. Whassup?” He blinked at the sight of me.
    “Rei,” I said, correcting his pronunciation. “Actually, I have bad news.”
    “The restaurant’s going to tank?” He laughed shortly. “Don’t let a slow first night scare you. And I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, I had something else to do—”
    “It’s not a problem with the restaurant.” I could hardly get out the next two words. “Kendall disappeared.”
    “You mean, she didn’t show up?” He snorted. “She called me earlier today, bitching about child care problems. That’s probably why she didn’t