Derek complained more about the situation, swearing left and right. His airing of grievances did not help the situation, and Nell ignored his voice so she could think. She looked to her hands for guidance, as if they would spontaneously construct a solution for her. Alas, they were no help. They fidgeted blindly, knowing that they had some kind of job they were meant to do, but unsure of how to do it. At first they braided an invisible rope, precisely and meticulously working to keep the pattern of string regular. Then they pressed nonexistent buttons on a tiny calculator.
No. Not a calculator, Nell realized. A phone. And she was dialing a number. What number? She watched her hands repeat the blind action with rapt attention. It was Richard's number. Of course. Maybe he knew something. "Hang on," she told Derek. She didn't care if he stopped talking or not, she just wanted him to think she cared.
He stopped talking and waited as she limped/ran across the room to her bag, which was still by the door. Nell fished out her phone and dialed the number. She looked back to Derek briefly. He was scowling.
"Hello?"
"This is N--Fixer. Can I ask you a favor?"
"Uh-huh, anything you need to know."
"You know that boy that went missing from that school for smart kids not too long ago."
"Yeah, don't worry, they find him."
"When? Where? How?"
"Next year, he shows up in a building a while from now... lemme check my notes--" Nell heard Sneak Peek rifling through some papers. "--He was pretty little, but he said he was taken because... ah... it was about building something. Sorry, I can't always read my own handwriting. Oh! Here! He said that he could smell metal where he was held, and it was usually cold--until they moved him at the very end. That's all I have. I'll look for that news special if I see it again, but it doesn't always work that way..."