At the Door

Emma called James Morrison before visiting him. James was Claire's brother. He agreed to a short visit, but he did not promise to answer her questions.

On the train, Emma read her old newspaper article. In 2011, she had suggested that Claire disappeared because of a family argument. She had never found good evidence for that story. She felt ashamed.

James opened the door only a little.

“I know who you are,” he said.

“I wrote something about your sister that I could not prove,” Emma replied. “I'm sorry.”

“You made people think she left because she was angry with us.”

“I was wrong.”

James looked tired. Emma remembered his face from photographs taken after Claire disappeared. He looked older now. His anger was still clear.

“I don't want another story about my family,” he said.

“I won't use your words without asking you first.”

“That's what reporters always say.”

Emma stepped back. “Then I'll leave. You have my number if you change your mind.”

She was almost at the gate when James called her back.

“Five minutes. In the kitchen. No recording.”

A child's drawing was on the fridge. Emma saw it but did not ask about it. James had a family and a life outside Claire's story.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I want to correct my article. And I want to understand what happened.”

“You want to find Claire.”

“I don't know if she's alive,” Emma said. “And finding someone doesn't mean I should tell everyone where she lives.”

James looked at her for a long time.

“That's a better answer than the one you gave fifteen years ago.”

James filled the kettle and asked whether Emma wanted tea. She said yes, although she had already had two cups on the train. The ordinary question made the room feel less like an interview. Emma put her recorder back into her bag where James could see it. She opened her notebook only after he sat down.