Free I See You by Patricia MacDonald

she had breathless offers from the usual companies. She deleted them one by one, and then she noticed that she had an email from Taryn Bledsoe, the mother of Alicia, one of Lisa’s high-school friends with whom Lisa still hung out occasionally.
    The email had no title but for a series of exclamation points, and it did have an attachment. Hannah frowned at it curiously. She and Taryn, who worked as a legal secretary, had been friendly when Alicia and Lisa first went to high school together, but their relationship had been strained when the girls were suspended for a prank they pulled together. In recent years, though the girls remained friends, Hannah had hardly seen Taryn. Hannah opened the email and looked at it. It was only one line. ‘This is called asking for trouble.’
    Hannah’s heart started to pound. Trembling, she opened the attachment. It was a photograph of Lisa. With the superb technology of current phones, the photograph was crystal clear despite the fact that it was taken in a dark bar. Lisa was wearing a blouse which was unbuttoned to reveal a black push-up bra. She was hoisting a bottle of Jack Daniel’s to her lips, her eyes merry. Hannah’s scalp prickled and her stomach churned as she stared at it. The photo was dated and timed that evening. The time when Hannah was picking up Sydney. The time when Lisa was unreachable, ‘delayed’ at the hospital by an emergency.

EIGHT
    H annah thought about waiting for morning. She knew how tired her daughter was. How badly she needed her sleep. But right at this moment she didn’t care. She went into Lisa’s room and shook her.
    Lisa’s eyes shot open but they looked merely puzzled at the sight of her mother. ‘What?’
    ‘Get up,’ she said. ‘Come with me.’
    Lisa was too groggy to argue. She pulled on her robe and followed her mother down the hall to Hannah’s room. ‘What’s going on?’ she mumbled.
    Hannah closed the door behind them and turned on Lisa. She held up the iPad with the photo on it. ‘Do you want to explain this?’
    Lisa squinted at the image. ‘Is that my iPad?’
    Hannah stared at her. ‘No, it’s ours. And I want an explanation.’
    Lisa shrugged. ‘What is there to explain?’
    ‘You told me that you were held up by an emergency at the hospital. Instead, it appears that you went out drinking when you were supposed to be picking up your child.’
    Lisa frowned. ‘What are you talking about?’
    ‘Don’t deny it, Lisa. This photo has a date. And time.’
    Lisa yawned. ‘All right. Yes. I went out. I figured that you would get Sydney. I needed to relax. I had a drink. Couldn’t this have waited till morning?’ she asked, rubbing her eyes.
    ‘Are you kidding me?’
    ‘Sorry. You’re right. Sorry,’ said Lisa.
    ‘Sorry? That’s all you have to say? Besides the fact that you neglected your child and lied to me about where you were,’ Hannah cried, ‘you were in a public place! Under the terms of your bail, alcohol is forbidden.’
    Lisa rolled her eyes. ‘The alcohol police.’
    ‘They can revoke your bail if you get caught.’
    ‘I’m not going to get caught,’ said Lisa with a sigh.
    ‘Oh, really? This picture might be on the front page tomorrow,’ Hannah said, shaking the iPad at Lisa.
    ‘How did you get that, anyway?’ asked Lisa, squinting at the photo.
    ‘Taryn Bledsoe emailed it to me. To warn me.’
    ‘She’s always been a tight ass.’
    Hannah was furious. ‘She wanted me to know that you are in danger of losing your freedom. If the court gets wind of this …’
    ‘I was with some friends. Nobody’s going to rat me out. Just chill, Mom.’
    Hannah glared at her daughter. ‘Don’t you tell me to chill. We put our house on the line for you. For your bail. If your father knew that you went out drinking …’
    ‘I’m sure you’ll tell him,’ Lisa observed drily.
    Hannah shook her head, incredulous. ‘Do you realize how serious this could be? For all of us?’
    ‘And you’ll remind me