The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

again and she turned me down. I went a different way, going on about not having a place to leave Elektra tomorrow. Officer Cunningham sighed, “Please don’t do this to me.” I apologized. Then I begged. Soon we both knew she was about to cave. “This is a onetime event, you understand?”
    After leaving Elektra with the goth girl at the internet café, I passed through the jail’s metal detector. Officer Cunningham didn’t look pleased. “Let’s not talk about this, all right?”
    Ten minutes later Officer Kane was settling my mom onto the stool on the opposite side of the glass. We stared at each other for some time and it was like we were playing a game of who’s going to go first. She picked up the receiver and said, “I feel like we ended on a bad note last time. I didn’t know if you’d be back.”
    “Me neither.”
    “I was hoping we’d come to some sort of understanding.”
    “I went to see Mr. Heber.” She stopped and through the glass she had the faded, frozen look of an old portrait in a frame.
    I started to describe my meeting with Mr. Heber, but I hesitated when I got to the meat. “He said some pretty difficult things. About what might happen. You sure you want to hear this?” She nodded, and I asked again, just in case. “In a nutshell, it’s not looking good. How should I put this? He thinks…you might…well, there’s a chance—” But I chickened out. How do you tell your mom she will be executed?
    “Jordan, you can tell me.”
    “You know what, he really should tell you all this.” She urged me on. I resisted, but she kept asking, and no matter what, moms are pretty good at wearing down their kids. “It’s just that there’s a lot of evidence,” I said. “I mean, a lot of facts, that, well, kinda indicate you did it.”
    She was looking into my eyes as only a mom can. “I see. You don’t believe me.”
    “Mom, it’s hard to know what’s true. I mean, everything out there is so messed up.”
    “You have to believe me.” This wasn’t a plea, it was a statement.
    I told her about my trip to Mesadale. “I went to the house,” I said. “I saw Sister Rita.”
    “So you believe her over me?”
    “She wouldn’t really talk to me. I wanted to go up to your room, but she wouldn’t let me in.”
    My mom set the receiver on the counter to say something to Officer Kane. She seemed agitated, her finger moving through the air to make some point. She picked up the receiver again. “Jordan, I only get three visits a week. You can’t come back until Friday. We don’t have a lot of time.”
    “I know,” I said. “That’s why I came today: to say good-bye. I’m going to have another meeting with Mr. Heber, help him with some basic info about Mesadale, then I’m headed back to California.”
    She stared at me calmly, her nostrils flickering. “Please don’t go until I’m out of here.”
    “That could be a long time.” I balled up my courage. “That might not happen. Ever.”
    For a long time she didn’t say anything. Finally, “He thinks I’ll be put to death, doesn’t he?” The amazing thing was she seemed settled and certain, her eyes sharp and clear.
    “Yes.”
    “And you’re giving up.”
    “It’s not like that.”
    “I guess you’re right. You don’t owe me anything.”
    “Mom, I just don’t think I can help you.”
    “You should probably go.”
    “Mom, if there’s something I can do, tell me.”
    “Please go.”
    “Is there anything else I can—”
    She hung up. Officer Kane helped her from the stool. She looked at me once—Officer Kane, I mean. A face that said, She’s your mother. They left, and I was on my own.
             
    “Look who’s back.” Maureen was at her desk, typing. “We weren’t expecting you till tomorrow.”
    “I need to see Mr. Heber.”
    “I’m afraid he’s all booked this afternoon.”
    I wasn’t going to wait. Elektra and I walked down the hall, right into Mr. Heber’s office. He was on the phone,