Page 93 of Cougar Point

FIFTY-NINE

Rebecca calls for an update. Ronnie tells her, “We found Uncle Vinnie. Or rather he found us. Maybe don’t tell Dad quite yet.”

“What did he tell you?”

“We haven’t asked many questions yet. I’ll call you.”

“Here’s an idea. How about we FaceTime and I can meet my uncle. I’ll go out back.”

Ronnie says, “I’ll put it on my iPad so we can all see each other. I’ll call you back in a minute.”

Ronnie tells Vinnie and me what she’s decided, and we all gather on the sofa with the iPad on the stained coffee table. Rebecca accepts the call and her face comes up in a box on the side of the screen.

“Hi Rebecca,” Vinnie says, and Rebecca gapes, speechless. She’s never met this man in her life.

She finally says, “Uncle Vincent.”

“In the flesh. I’ve always wanted to meet you and your sister. I’m so sorry for not being around to watch you two grow up.”

I look at this man and he has tears in his eyes and the sisters are dabbing at theirs. I say, “I’ll let you talk. I’m going to watch the street.” That’s why we were here. We’ve found Vinnie but the kidnappers could show up at any time. Ronnie starts to standbut I say, “I’ve got this. You visit. When you’re ready to ask some questions, let me know.”

The curtain is still open and I lean against a wall where I can see most of the street without being seen. If someone comes up and looks in the window, they’re in for a nasty surprise. I just hope Vinnie is what he appears to be. If he hurts my friends, I’ll make him pay.

They’ve talked for ten minutes or more when Ronnie says, “Megan.”

“I’ll watch and you can ask the questions.” If she misses something, I’ll ask it.

Ronnie says, “First of all, Rebecca, where is Dad, and have you gotten any more messages?”

“Dad went for a walk in the woods. He said he needs some space. He’s got his phone and if I get a call, I can put you on hold.”

Ronnie says, “If you get a call, don’t forget to record it.”

“Gotcha.”

Ronnie asks, “Uncle Vinnie, are you ready to answer some questions?”

Vinnie is still wiping at his eyes with the back of his shirt sleeve. “Anything I can do to help, I’ll do. Ask your questions.”

Ronnie doesn’t miss a beat. She’s thorough and asks for clarification when there is any ambiguity in the answer. She ends with, “Did you go to Semiahmoo Resort to see Mom?”

“No. Did someone say I was there?” he asks.

Answering a question with a question is usually a sign of a lie, or a delay tactic. But my gut tells me he’s telling the truth.

“Did you and Mom have nicknames for each other when you were kids?”

Good question.

“Is that important?”

“Answer, please, and when we’re done I’ll tell you what we know. Okay?”

He nods. “Sorry. I’m a little awkward sometimes. Yes. We had nicknames for each other. She called me ‘Luigi’ like the character in theMario Brothersvideo game. We played that every chance we got. Of course we didn’t have anything like that at home but we had friends.”

“And what was Mom’s nickname?”

“Dinky. Because she was so little when we were kids.”

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