“Well, among others, I own a company that controls the company where your mother works.”
Right then I knew what he was going to say next. He didn’t disappoint me.
“You know the economy is in a bit of a mess right now, don’t you?” he said. “A lot of places have been letting people go. It would be a shame if your mother were to lose her job.”
I couldn’t believe it. I glanced at Mrs. Carson, who all of a sudden didn’t look like a person who was interested in charity, and at Mr. Deacon.
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Carson?” I said.
“No, I’m not, as I’m sure Mrs. Carson and Mr. Deacon will be able to attest. Besides, I have no direct say over the day-to-day operations of the company.”
Right. But I bet he had plenty of indirect say.
“Think about it, Tegan,” he said. He stood up and reached out an arm to help his wife. Mr. Deacon threw some money onto the table to pay for the tea that neither of us had touched. They all walked out of the restaurant together.
I was shaking as I looked across the table at Detective Zorbas an hour later.
“I’ll talk to Mr. Carson when I get a chance, Tegan,” he said.
“But he can’t really do it, can he? He can’t get my mother fired—can he?”
“He shouldn’t have threatened to have her removed from her job because of you. But the economy is in a mess right now, and if other people are let go at the same time…He’s upset. But I will talk to him.”
I hesitated before I asked the next question.
“He said you’re pretty sure the shooting was drug-related.”
“I wouldn’t say that we’re sure of anything at the moment.” He ran down the facts for me. Maybe I’m stupid, but it had never occurred to me that the police wouldn’t be able to find whoever killed Clark and Martin. If it was TV or the movies, they’d come up with something. But Detective Zorbas seemed genuinely stumped. No shell casings. No fingerprints. No hairs. No fibers. No footwear impressions. No one saw anyone in the street. No one saw anyone running away from the scene. No one saw a car driving away from the scene. No one knew of anyone who had been in a fight or an argument with either Clark or Martin. No one knew anyone who had a grudge against either of them. The cops had absolutely zero leads.
“The one thing we do know is that Martin was involved with drugs,” Detective Zorbas said. “I thought he’d learned his lesson, but…”
Learned his lesson?
“What do you mean?”
Detective Zorbas looked evenly at me. “He didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“About the time he was arrested. For drugs.”
“Martin was arrested?” No, that couldn’t be right. If Martin had been arrested, I would have heard about it. The whole school would have heard about it.
“It was six—no, seven months ago. He was arrested. I gather he called his buddy Clark, and Clark called his father, and some kind of deal was made. Charges were dropped on condition that Martin successfully complete a drug rehab program.”
“Rehab?” No way! “You make it sound like he was a junkie or a meth-head or something.”
“He was dealing drugs, Tegan.”
“He was getting stuff for his friends from time to time. That didn’t make him a drug dealer.”
“That’s splitting hairs, and I think you know it. He was getting drugs from a dealer and was reselling them to his friends. According to the law, that’s dealing. I know he went to the program. I know he quit drugs.”
Was that why Martin had turned serious all of a sudden? Was that why he never wanted to party anymore? Because he’d got caught and had made a deal?
“But apparently that didn’t stick. He smoked up the night he was killed.”
God, and it was probably because of me. I’d been after him—Come on, Martin, stop being such a bore. Let’s have some fun. Get some stuff. For me? Please? I’m tired from all that studying. It’s a party. We’re supposed to unwind. I’d seen that look on his face. I had the feeling he was going to say no, and it pissed me off. What was wrong with him?
Now I knew.
And that night—he’d handed the stuff to me. He’d said, “Here. A present.” And he’d looked deep into my eyes. He’d said, “I have to talk to you, Tegan.” And, stupid me, I thought he was going to tell me that he was interested in me, that we made a great couple, that we should be together. He’d seemed nervous, and guys are always nervous when they’re about to declare themselves. I mean, there’s always the chance of rejection, right? But maybe that wasn’t what he’d been nervous about, at least not according to Gina. Maybe he was going to drive a knife through my heart. Maybe he was going to tell me how he felt about Kelly. Maybe that’s why he was nervous. Jeez, it was probably why he’d finally said yes after months of being a total stick-in-the-mud.
It was probably why he’d finally caved and smoked a joint with me after telling me half the night that he wasn’t interested.
“The drug scene is changing, Tegan,” Detective Zorbas said. “Some of the players now, they’re not so nice, if you know what I mean. He knew that. We thought he understood—kids who get involved with drugs often end up knowing the wrong kind of people. People with guns. We’ve been working on trying to find out who Martin’s connection was, but so far we’ve come up empty.” He peered somberly at me. “Do you have any idea where he got the stuff?”
“I never asked. I guess I didn’t want to know.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and studied me for a few moments.
“The gangs that run drugs in this city aren’t stupid,” he said at last. “They’re criminals, but they’re sophisticated. They read the papers. They listen to the news. They’re on the Internet.”
I frowned. What was he getting at?
“We didn’t release your name, Tegan. That’s not something we do. But it’s all over the media. And the Net. You know what I’m saying?”
“You mean, they know who I am?”
“Whoever did it knows you haven’t told us anything. They know that so far they’ve gotten away with murder. We’re pretty good at what we do here, Tegan. But a lot of times, contrary to what you see on tv, we have to rely on ordinary people to help us. People like you. People who saw something or heard something or who know something—anything at all. People like that can give us the edge we need. When there are people like that around, we end up making an arrest. Then there are cases like this one—when it’s gang-related and people are too scared to come forward. I understand why people are afraid, Tegan. But unless someone is willing to stand up, we’ve got nothing. The killer goes free. The gangs continue. They know they can intimidate people, and that’s exactly what they do. It makes the city—your city, Tegan— a worse place to live in.”
“I didn’t see anything,” I said for what seemed like the millionth time. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”
“All I’m asking you to do is think it over. Think about the times Martin had drugs on him. Do you remember him saying where he might have got them? Did he mention a name? How did he find his connection? Did someone at school hook him up? Did he ever mention he had to go somewhere, maybe to get something? It might seem like it isn’t important, but it could make all the difference. Just think about it, okay, Tegan? Think about it and let me know if you come up with anything.”
I said that I would. But I felt like a fraud because I didn’t know anything.
I was pretty shook up when I left the police station. The killer knew who I was. He knew what school I went to. He knew what I looked like—my picture was on the What Tegan Saw website. He also knew that the police had been questioning me. What if he started to get nervous about what I had seen? What if he started to stalk me, waiting to get me alone? What if he decided to make sure that I never said anything? What if…?
I slammed awake in the middle of the night, my heart racing, a silent scream echoing in my head. I had just been face-to-face with Martin�
��s and Clark’s killer. He was in the shadows, so I hadn’t been able to make out much—just a long black smudge against the black of the shadow. I couldn’t see his face, but I heard his voice. He was laughing.
He was laughing because he had killed two people and had gotten away with it.
Because there had been someone else in the car when he’d pulled that trigger, and so far that person—me— hadn’t said a word to the police.
He was laughing at me because he had scared me into silence, and everyone knew it.
He was laughing at how terrified I was, because my terror guaranteed his freedom.
He was laughing at scared little me.
TWENTY-ONE
Kelly
INT.—TYRELL KITCHEN—NIGHT
KELLY and mrs. TYRELL are seated at a small table in the kitchen. Each has a plate of food in front of her. Each is pushing that food around the plate, but neither is eating. MRS. TYRELL keeps staring at the ceiling. KELLY stares out into space. She fingers the charm on a gold chain around her neck.
MRS. TYRELL
She’s been up there ever since she got home from school. She’s so upset. I know something happened, but she won’t tell me what.
KELLY says nothing. She isn’t listening to her mother.
MRS. TYRELL (CONT’D)
Well? Do you know?
KELLY
Huh?
MRS. TYRELL
You were at the same school all day. You must have heard something or seen something. Are people giving her a hard time?
KELLY
I don’t know. I have my own life, Mom. My own problems.
KELLY gets up with her plate, scrapes the food on it into the garbage and sets the plate into the sink.
KELLY (CONT’D)
I have homework.
KELLY leaves the kitchen.
CUT TO:
INT.—TYRELL UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—NIGHT
KELLY comes up the stairs and starts downs the hall to her own room. She pauses in front of a closed door— the door to Tegan’s room. She stares at it. It is silent in the hall. She raises a hand and reaches for the doorknob. She seems frozen for a moment. She drops her hand and continues down the hall to her own room. She enters.
CUT TO :
INT.—KELLY’S ROOM—NIGHT
KELLY is sitting on her bed, staring at her now-closed door.
KELLY
(to the camera)
If Anna is right and the cops are right, then it was Tegan’s fault. Martin got out of drugs. He did a whole rehab program. He didn’t even want to be involved anymore. But Tegan wouldn’t leave him alone. She kept bugging him. I bet some of the others did too. Some of his so-called friends who used him to get their supply.
She stands up and walks to her door. Her hand goes out again, just as it did when she was standing in front of Tegan’s room a few moments earlier. Once again, she drops her hand.
KELLY (CONT’D)
But would she really let Martin’s murderer get away with it? Maybe she would, if she was scared enough. I mean, I guess the cops could offer to protect her, but if the guy who did it is part of a gang, then, really, what can they do? It’s not like they’re going to assign cops to her 24/7. They don’t have the manpower for that. And those gangs have a long memory. So, yeah, maybe she’s afraid. Maybe I’d be afraid if I was in her place.
She turns and goes back to her bed. She sits, her hands clasped in her lap.
KELLY (CONT’D)
But what’s that saying? I don’t remember it exactly, but it’s something like the only thing you need for evil to win is for good people to do nothing. If Tegan saw something, even if she’s afraid, she should do the right thing. Otherwise, Martin’s killer gets away with murder. Maybe she’s got another reason for saying nothing.
Her fingers go to the chain around her neck.
KELLY (CONT’D)
Maybe she was mad at Martin—because of me. Maybe her way of getting even with him is to do nothing. Is that possible? Is my sister really that kind of person?
TWENTY-TWO
Tegan
I told myself, Calm down. I told myself, It’s going to be okay.
But it wasn’t.
How could it be?
Nobody believed me when I said I hadn’t seen who did it.
Nobody would speak to me. Nobody would even look at me.
Clark’s dad was threatening to get my mother fired from her job.
Detective Zorbas said that whoever had done it probably knew everything about me—where I lived, where I went to school…where to find me. What he was trying to tell me was, That guy is out there, and he’s out there because you haven’t done anything about it.
But what was I supposed to do?
What was I supposed to do?
I have no idea how long I sat on my bed asking myself the same question over and over.
I still couldn’t believe how everything had changed so fast. One day my life was normal and I was happy. Midterms were over, I was doing my favorite thing— having fun kicking back with my friends—and the way Martin was looking at me, I was sure Gina was wrong. Martin wasn’t interested in Kelly; he was interested in me. I was even more sure of it on the way back to the car when he stumbled and put an arm around my waist and told me he thought I was gorgeous—drop-dead gorgeous. I couldn’t wait to get into Clark’s car. I wanted to get to my house. I wanted Martin to get out of the car and walk me up to my porch. I wanted him to pull me close to him and kiss me. It was going to happen. I knew it was.
And then everything changed.
Now Martin was dead, and everyone hated me because I wasn’t doing anything about it. But what was I supposed to do?
Then, bang, like the shot that had started it all, there was the answer.
I jumped up off the bed and opened the door to my room. I walked down the hall to Kelly’s room. She hated me more than anyone else, but I needed her help. I rapped on her door.
“What?” she snarled from inside.
“I need to talk to you.”
There was silence for a few moments, but then her door opened.
“What?” she said again. She was scowling at me.
“I need your help.”
She stared at me and started to close her door. I put out my hands to stop her.
“Please, Kel? It’s important.”
“Martin is dead because of you.”
“I know.”
Her scowl vanished, but her suspicion didn’t.
“What do you want?”
“Your webcam.”
“What for?”
“Can I use it or not, Kel?”
She stared at me. “You don’t know how.”
“So show me. You’re always telling me how easy it is.” Actually, the way she put it was that she didn’t understand how I couldn’t do something even an untrained monkey could figure out.
It took a few moments, but she finally stepped aside to let me in.
“What are you up to, Teeg?”
“Just show me how to use it, okay, Kel? And how to post what I shoot.” “Does this have something to do with Martin?” “Show me and I’ll owe you big-time. Anything you want, anytime you want.” Another few moments ticked by. I was afraid she was going to say no.
Instead, she said, “Sit down.”
I sat in front of her computer. She pulled a chair up beside me.
“Okay,” she said, “here’s how the camera works.” She had to show me a couple of times and got exasperated with me, as usual, but I finally felt confident I knew what I was doing. Then she sank down on her bed cross-legged. She was planning to watch me.
“Um, I sort of need privacy,” I said.
“If you want privacy, you should go to your own room.” “Please, Kel?” I had never begged so much from her in my whole life.
“Fine,” she said. She slammed out of her room, and I heard her feet as she stomped down the stairs. I heard Mom, too, asking if a herd of elephants had broken
into the house.
I got up and closed the door. Then I sat in front of the computer and got to work.
TWENTY-THREE
Kelly
INT.—TYRELL LIVING ROOM—DAY
KELLY is curled up on the sofa, sound asleep in front of the TV, which is on, the sound turned down low. She stirs. Her eyes open a little. She stretches. Slowly, she sits up. Yawning, she reaches for the TV remote and flicks to a news channel, where she sees the time that is shown on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. It is 6:00 AM. She flicks the TV off, stands and stretches more fully, arms over her head, arcing just enough to stretch out her back. She scratches, runs her tongue over her teeth and makes a sour face. She heads for the stairs.
CUT TO:
INT.—TYRELL UPSTAIRS HALLWAY—DAY
KELLY appears at the top of the stairs and starts down the hall to her own room. She pauses at Tegan’s room, opens the door and peeks inside. Tegan is not there. Her bed is made. KELLY frowns. She continues to her own room and opens that door. Tegan is not there either.
CUT TO:
INT.—KELLY’S BEDROOM—DAY
KELLY stumbles across the room to her bed. She is sinking down onto it when she realizes that her computer is still on. She goes over to her computer table and sits down. She sees a piece of scrap paper with something scribbled on it—the url for the What Tegan Saw website. Frowning, KELLY clicks on the site and sees that a video has been posted. She clicks on it to watch. Close-up on computer screen. TEGAN’s face appears. Looking directly out from the screen, TEGAN speaks.
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