The woman nodded.
“What about a cell phone?” Decker asked.
She nodded again.
“Do you have his cell phone number?”
“Yes.” She recited the digits and McAdams wrote them down. He said, “Are you allowed to have cell phones here?”
She smiled and said something.
McAdams repeated, “It’s not a jail.” She talked for a few seconds. “You’ve called his cell phone and he doesn’t answer. You must be worried.”
“Yes.”
“Then you and Bertram are friends?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Girlfriend?”
She answered McAdams, but Decker had difficulty understanding her slurred words. McAdams said, “What was his girlfriend’s name? Did he tell you?”
“Kathrine.” She added a sentence.
McAdams said, “He hasn’t seen her since he left his old place, and he’s sad about that. What’s your name, by the way?”
“April.”
“Pretty name,” Decker said. “What’s your last name?”
She said something and McAdams said, “K-E-L-L-Y?”
She nodded.
“Hello, April Kelly. And, may I ask, how old are you?”
“Thirty-five.”
“Where is your room?” She pointed and answered. McAdams said, “Down the hall. Is there a room number?”
“Thirty-eight.”
Decker said, “April, could Bertram read?”
She nodded.
“Write?”
She answered, and McAdams said, “He typed words on his iPad.”
“Yes.” April looked down. “I gotta go.”
“Of course,” Decker said. “Thank you for your help. And you’re sure he took his cell phone and iPad with him on the field trip?”
When she answered, McAdams said, “He showed you the iPad while you were waiting to get on the bus to leave here?”
“And the phone,” she added.
“Do you know if Bertram has an email address?” Decker asked.
“Yes.” When she recited it, McAdams wrote it down. She said a few more words. “But he’s not answering your emails?”
“No.” She frowned and looked down. “I gotta go. Therapy.” She rolled her eyes.
“You don’t like therapy?”
“No. And I don’t like the therapist.”
McAdams said, “What’s wrong with the therapist?”
“She’s stupid.”
“What’s her name?”
“Mary. She’s stupid.”
“Is she Bertram’s therapist as well?” Decker asked.
She spoke and McAdams said, “There are three therapists. Do you like any of them, April?”
“James.” April smiled. “He’s cute.” A frown. “I gotta go.”
Decker said, “Thank you, April. You’ve been a big help.”
She looked down. “Find Bertram. It’s scary that he’s lost.”
McAdams said, “We’re doing everything we can to find him. Please don’t worry.” She nodded, waved, and took off. “Poor girl. They all must be traumatized.”
“I’m sure that’s true.” He dialed Bertram’s cell phone. There was a garbled message. Decker spoke slowly and clearly as he left a message with his phone number. “Straight to voice mail. I’ll see what I can do about getting his phone records and his IP correspondence.”
McAdams was writing on his iPad. “Eventually, I’ll need a password. I should have asked April about it. Maybe he told her.”
“Try Kathrine.”
“Good idea.”
Waiting a moment, Decker said, “Have you worked with people with Down syndrome before, Harvard?”
“Nope.”
“You understood her speech very well.”
“There’s a rhythm to it if you’ve heard it enough.”
A pause. “Okay. I won’t pry.”
“I’m the only child of my two parents.” McAdams gave a sad smile. “But I do have half sibs. My father has a daughter and a son from his second marriage. My sister, Danielle, just got into Harvard. My brother’s name is Charles. Chucky, but he likes to be called Chuck now that he’s a teenager.”
Decker smiled. “Burgeoning adulthood.”
“That is true.” McAdams looked around the room, but his eyes were focused far away. “One thing I’ll say about my stepmom. She insisted on keeping the baby when my dad wanted to give him up. Chucky has had the same nanny for fifteen years. She’s the primary caretaker, and she’s a good one.”
“How often do you see them?”
“My sibs?” McAdams shrugged. “When I go to New York I’ll drop in on them—my mother’s kids as well. When I was in boarding school I saw Chucky in the summers.” A smile at the memory. “He’s a great kid. My stepmom ignores him, but she ignores my sister too. My father . . . well, you know my dad. He’s either absent or overinvolved. At least that’s how he is with me.”
“I now understand why he’s so invested in you.”
“Yes, but he should take some of that investment and give it to the son who really needs him.” McAdams shook his head. “But that’s not going to happen.” A pause. “Kathrine as a password doesn’t work. I’ll go check out the bathroom. Wonder where Dr. Lewis went.”
“With any luck he forgot about us and we can take our time without someone looking over our shoulder.”
McAdams said, “What do you think about him?”
“Haven’t spent enough time with him to form an opinion. I’m sure he’s worried about Bertram, but I’m sure he’s also worried about a lawsuit if we don’t find Bertram alive and well.”
“If we find Bertram and he’s fine, the parents won’t sue. I think they’re happy he’s in a good place. There aren’t a lot of them around.”
Decker nodded. “What do you think about Bertram having a girlfriend from his old place?”
“You think they decided to meet up?”
“We can’t rule it out. Like April said, the place isn’t a prison. He could go anywhere especially if you’re right about his owning a passport.”
McAdams said, “But like you said, it might be hard for Bertram to travel without help.”
Decker said, “In the photos we’ve seen, it doesn’t look like Bertram has Down syndrome. But the pictures aren’t very good.”
McAdams said, “There are a lot of other things that can qualify for being disabled. Sometimes it’s a syndrome, sometimes it’s a birth defect, sometimes it’s someone on the spectrum, sometimes it’s just one of those things where the wiring just doesn’t work properly. Chucky’s school is filled with different kids with different issues. Talk about diversity.”
“I’m sorry if this is painful for you to talk about,” Decker said.
“It’s not, really. I don’t feel sorry for my brother. I feel sorry for people who feel sorry for my brother. Chucky is loving, kind, and funny. And he’s deep. Over the years, we’ve had some very interesting conversations. Chucky has a rich life. He appreciates everything. Unlike my dad, who has everything but appreciates nothing.”