Young Jane Young(55)

By the time Embeth and Ruby arrived at the car, Embeth was exhausted. She was not shy, but she was not a natural extrovert either.

“I’ve been thinking, Ruby,” Embeth said. “What if we both played hooky today? I mean, it’s your first time in Miami. Let’s do something. Do you like the beach?”

“No,” said Ruby.

“Me neither,” said Embeth. “I only said it because it’s something people like to do when they come to Florida.”

“I’m kind of a nerd,” Ruby said.

“Me, too,” said Embeth. “What would you like to do?”

“Well, I’d like to meet your parrot,” Ruby said. “I’ve never met a talking bird before.”

“El Meté’s shy. He/she doesn’t always like to come out.”

“Okay… then, what if we went to the movies?” Ruby said.

“Don’t say that because you think it’s something I want to do,” Embeth said.

“That is why it occurred to me,” Ruby admitted. “But it is also something I want to do. Mrs. Morgan says, ‘A woman should never please other people at the expense of pleasing herself.’”

“Mrs. Morgan is correct,” Embeth said. She started the car.

The only movie that was playing at a convenient time was a superhero movie. They bought the largest size of popcorn and the largest drink. Embeth fell asleep before the trailers were even over. She had a strange dream. She was an enormous tree with many branches, perhaps an oak, and woodsmen were trying to cut her down. She should have been in a panic about being cut down, but she wasn’t. It was almost pleasant. It was almost like a massage. The feeling of being hacked into with tiny axes. The feeling of being felled.

Ruby nudged Embeth when the movie was over. “What did I miss?” Embeth said.

“They saved the world,” said Ruby.

“I thought it might turn out that way,” said Embeth.

As they left the movie theater, a policeman in tight shorts with tanned legs and a carpet of black curly leg hair stood in the lobby. Ruby observed discreetly, but with Christmas morning glee, “Police officers in Florida wear shorts!”

“They do,” Embeth said.

The police officer was showing the manager a photograph on a phone. The manager pointed toward Ruby. “That’s her!”

Ruby began to back away.

“Are you Ruby Young?” the police officer said.

“I thought your last name was Grossman,” Embeth said.

“It is,” Ruby said. “My mom changed it.”

“Your mom is very worried about you,” the police officer said.

“How did she find me? I had my phone off.”

“She tracked you down using Find My iPad.”

“There’s a Find My iPad? That’s…” Ruby threw what was left of her popcorn toward the police officer, and then she began to run. But instead of running outside, she ran toward the bathroom.

Embeth and the police officer both headed toward the bathroom. The policeman brushed popcorn from his hair. “What’s your role in all of this?”

“I’m no one,” Embeth said. “I’m irrelevant.”

“You’re the adult who is with the child who was reported missing,” the cop said. “I would say that seems somewhat relevant.”

“I’m not some pervert,” Embeth said. “My name is Embeth Bart Levin. I’m an attorney and I’m Congressman Levin’s wife. This young woman came to my husband’s office, wanting to meet him, and he’s in D.C. until tonight.”

“So you took a thirteen-year-old girl to the movies?” the police officer said. “Is that how you treat every random child who shows up at your husband’s office?”

“You’re making it sound tawdry, but it isn’t like that. She’s a friend of the family,” said Embeth.

“You didn’t say that before.”

“We’ve only just begun talking,” said Embeth. “Ruby’s the granddaughter of an old neighbor of mine. Rachel Shapiro. Call her and ask, if you’d like.”

“I’ll do that,” the police officer said.

They had reached the movie theater bathroom. “I’m going in,” said the police officer. “You wait out here.”

“You’re going into the women’s room?” Embeth asked.

The police officer paused. “It’s not illegal, and this is an active crime scene.”

Embeth rolled her eyes. “Let me go in first,” she said. “Seriously, the kid likes me. I’ll get her to turn herself over. Why have a big scene?”

Embeth went into the bathroom. She didn’t see legs under any of the stalls.

“Come on, Ruby. Just come out. The jig is up,” said Embeth. “I know you’re on a toilet seat. Don’t make me touch all the doors. Public bathrooms are basically the dirtiest places on earth, and I’m immune compromised.”

“I can’t come out. I haven’t met the congressman yet,” said Ruby.

“Well… you’ve met me. We’re friends now, and that means you can meet the congressman later. I can make that happen for you. But you have to go with the police officer.”