“That is the thing about a small village,” Helena said. “We are all dependent on each other.”
Willem and Helena had taken the weekend off for Mother’s Day and plan to go to their restaurant today. “If the workers don’t see the bosses regularly,” Helena says, “they get up to no good.” They start their car to leave, and I notice the next-door neighbor, a tall, stooped older gentleman, waving for them to stop at the end of the driveway. Willem rolls down his window, and the man says something and then clasps him on the shoulder before Helena and Willem drive off. The neighbor catches sight of me watching from the window and gives me a friendly nod before returning to his house.
There’s no sign of Lukas. I go into the kitchen and light some incense at the altar for Grandma and the gods. As I bow to the photo of Grandma, I see Ma in the shape of her face, this woman I never knew. Grandma, please keep Sylvie safe. I called Ma yesterday to update her and to wish her a happy Mother’s Day. She sounded so frail and sad, with both her daughters far away. After I change the water in the little vase of flowers in front of the altar, I phone the police again.
Danique sounds surprised to hear from me, but she is warm and polite. There have been no further developments. Yes, they are checking all possibilities and if they find anything, they will certainly contact us right away. Have a nice day, goodbye.
My hands are shaking when I disconnect the line. Then I take out the card Filip gave me and call Epsilon.
The connection is bad but I reach the Karin that Filip had mentioned and she sounds smart and competent. I explain the situation with Sylvie, and she says, “I will come to your house and we can talk further. Is tomorrow all right?”
A wave of relief floods through me. At last, someone willing to take action. “Can you tell me what your fees are?” I hold my breath, waiting for an answer. I have never wanted anything as much as I want this woman to come and help me. I would pay anything, somehow.
Her soft voice fades in and out as she says, “We are [static]—not need to worry.”
I decide to leave it at that for now.
The next day, after Helena and Willem leave, I wait anxiously for Karin to arrive and text Filip again to thank him—in case he missed my earlier texts. He still hasn’t responded. I’m sure his schedule is busy and he forgets to check his phone. I am pleased to see Lukas roar off on his Vespa as well. He’s carrying his camera bag. I hope this means he will be away for much of the day. I shouldn’t be sneaking around their house like this when I’m a guest. But Sylvie’s more important. Please let this woman not be a fraud.
Karin pulls up a few minutes early in a black minivan with a pet barrier and two large dogs inside. She strides toward me and shakes my hand with a firm grip. She’s probably in her midforties, with short tawny hair and stocky, muscular legs. She is dressed like a hiker in heavy-duty climbing pants and solid boots. “Can I bring the dogs inside?”
Her eyes are direct, her grip firm. She seems solid and dependable. Maybe this will work out after all. I relax a little. “We have a cat. Would that be a problem?”
“Oh no, they are very well-behaved.” She clicks leashes onto the dogs, one brown and one black, and leads them inside. Despite their tails, which are waving furiously, the dogs are calm. I hear a hiss from the staircase and see a flash of orange as Couscous bolts upstairs.
The dogs sit quietly at Karin’s feet. I make coffee while we chat a bit. She’s warming me up before we get to the real deal. I learn that the smaller black dog is named Feyenoord and the brown one Ajax, after two rival Dutch soccer teams.
I take the coffee to the dining room table. After she sits, I pour us each a cup and then start to pace in front of her. I should sit to be polite, but there’s too much adrenaline coursing through me. The dogs perk up at the motion and follow me with their heads, wagging their tails. This could be it. This could be our breakthrough. Or it could be yet another big disappointment. “So can you tell me a bit more about how you work?”
Karin leans back in her chair and gestures with her left hand. “We are mainly a volunteer organization. It depends on the case, but mostly we use our dogs, which have been specially trained. In addition we also employ sonar, underwater cameras, GPS, ground radar, metal detectors, and magnetometers. If we need to search in the water, we have our own specialized diving team. The dogs can greatly reduce the possible area and then our divers, for example, can do a more specialized search.”
Yes! This is exactly what I’d been hoping for. I start bouncing from foot to foot. Ajax gives a little bark, wagging his tail, but quiets after Karin shushes him. “That’s wonderful! You’ll be able to follow Sylvie’s trail and bring her back from wherever she’s gone.” I am beaming.
Karin’s face turns severe. “We will do our best. Do you know why we are named Epsilon?”
I shake my head. Why does she look so serious all of a sudden?
Her brown eyes pierce straight through to my heart. She says gently, “Because while we approach the limit of what the human soul can bear, we always attempt to remain a small positive force. Sometimes, Amy, we are the takers of the last hope. Do you understand me? We cannot take on a case unless the family accepts this possibility.”
I draw in a shuddering breath. She thinks Sylvie might be dead. It’s not true. I know it’s not but I need to play along so she’ll help me. In a small voice, I say, “I understand.”
Then she asks me a number of questions about Sylvie, and takes down the license plate of her rental car, which the family also gave to the police. “Can you tell me about her daily habits? Does she have a job here? Any hobbies?”
“Sylvie mainly came to see our grandmother before she passed away.”
“So Sylvie did not leave the house much?”
I scratch my head, trying to remember. “I don’t really know because I wasn’t here. I was told that she was taking some kind of music lessons. Bass or cello or something, I think. But I don’t know where.”
Karin purses her lips. “That could be important. I would like to know where the lessons were and the route she took to get there. Also if you could find out if there were any spots she liked to visit in particular.”
“All right, I’ll ask.” I worry my lip with my teeth. “What about your fees?”
Karin waves a square hand. “Oh, that is not a problem.”
I know it is unwise, but I let it go. I want her help too much. I cannot bear anything else on my shoulders right now.
She wants to walk the property with her dogs. I follow along as the dogs sniff all of the bushes and trees. It is a cloudless day and the air smells like spring.
We pause underneath one of the trees in the front yard. The dappled light plays over our faces, first light, then dark.
Karin asks, “Is there anything else about Sylvie that might be useful? Places or people she likes? Things she is afraid of?”
I lean back against the rough bark of the trunk and fiddle with my hair, trying to think. “She can’t swim. There was a prophecy that Sylvie would die by water and so she’s supposed to avoid it. When a baby is born, Chinese parents sometimes ask a feng shui master, a kind of mystical specialist, to write their destiny. It’s just superstition.”