Dad left. Myron and Mickey stood and looked at the floor. Ema sighed and said, “Grow up. Both of you.”

The three of them grabbed cold drinks and took their seats around the kitchen table.

“So,” Myron asked, “what’s your impression of Patrick? I mean, if it is Patrick.”

“He’s a normal kid,” Mickey said.

“Too normal,” Ema added.

“What do you mean?”

Ema put her hands on the table. Besides dressing in black and wearing black makeup, Ema had numerous tattoos up and down her arms. She had silver jewelry including two skull rings on her hand. “He knew recent movies,” she said.

“He was up-to-date on the latest video games,” Mickey said.

“He knew about the newest apps.”

“Same with social media sites.”

Myron considered that. “I don’t think he’s been kept in a cage all this time. Especially in recent, I don’t know, years. I mean, he was out on the streets. He lived under an arcade. The guy who was holding him in London is a major gamer. Couldn’t that explain all that?”

“It could,” Mickey said.

“But you don’t buy it?”

Mickey shrugged.

“What?”

“I don’t think he’s who he says he is,” Mickey said.

Myron looked at Ema. Ema nodded.

“His hands,” she said.

“What about them?”

“They’re soft.”

“It wasn’t like he was doing hard labor,” Myron said.

“I know,” Ema said, “but they don’t look like the hands of someone who’s been out on the streets either. And more than that, his teeth. They’re straight; they’re white. He may have incredible genes, but a safer bet would be that he’s had proper dental care and braces.”

“It’s hard to put a finger on it,” Mickey added, “but Patrick doesn’t look or sound, well, street. He doesn’t look abused, except, you know, for the recent stuff. I mean, ugh, he might have been ‘kept’ or taken care of by some . . . whatever . . . but . . .”

“Did you talk about the kidnapping at all?” Myron asked.

“We tried,” Ema said. “But we always got shot down.”

“Francesca was running interference,” Mickey said.

“Interference how?”

“She was protecting him,” Ema said. “Which is understandable, I guess.”

“So whenever we raised what happened—”

“Or even mentioned Rhys’s name.”

“She would interrupt and get all emotional, crying and hugging him,” Mickey said. “I mean, Patrick seemed kind of normal, but the sister was off.”

“I’m not sure I’d use the word ‘off,’” Ema said. “Her brother comes home after ten years. I think it would be weird if Francesca wasn’t all emotional.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Mickey said. But he didn’t say it with much enthusiasm.

“We tried to raise the kidnapping again after she left with Clark.”

“Wait,” Myron said. “Clark Baldwin? Rhys’s brother?”

“Yes.”

“He was there?”

“He came in to pick up Francesca,” Mickey said.

“They go to Columbia together,” Ema said. “He was giving her a ride back to campus.”

Myron said nothing.

“Is that a big deal?” Ema asked.