“That he didn’t mean to do it. And he was trying to think of a way to kill me without anyone knowing it was murder, too. He asked me if I used drugs.”
Smith looks over at Dad. “That’s why he had the heroin.”
Dad sighs. “Thank God Mateo found your phone.”
I stare at Mateo. “I had it with me. How did you find it?”
Mateo looks confused. “It was in the library with your stuff.”
I think about that for a second. “He must have put it back there after he put me in the closet. He sent texts to Charlie and Dad so they wouldn’t be looking for me. I didn’t tell him Mateo was giving me a ride home.”
Mateo nods. “Yeah, so that’s why I went looking for you. And Charlie had sent you a few texts and called. I could tell that he was worried, so I called him.”
I smile weakly at him. Mateo saved my life. “Thank you.”
He grins. “You’re welcome.”
Smith says, “Well, Fraser’s in jail. He’ll be charged with aggravated kidnapping and attempted murder.” He stands and puts his notebook in his pocket. “I’ll go so you can rest. I’ll need to talk to you again in the morning, probably with a detective.”
“What about Mr. Avery?” I ask. “Fraser told me he murdered him.”
“Well, now that we know, we’ll reopen the investigation. Unfortunately, we’ll need more proof than just his confession to you.”
I nod, wondering if they’ll find anything. “Did you find his tablet? I think there was more proof on that. Emails maybe?”
“I’m not sure, but we’ll check it if we did.”
A nurse comes in with a glass of water. “Okay, I think it’s time to give Jade some peace.”
Dad turns toward the door. “Jade, I’ll be right back. I’m just going to walk Officer Smith out.”
“Okay. What time is it?” I ask him.
“Almost nine.”
“When will Mom be here?”
“Soon. They’re driving up now.”
I nod and take the water as they leave. The nurse watches me closely as I drink it. Her name tag says Sheila.
Mateo scoots his chair closer to my bed. “Did you take her necklace off?” Mateo asks Sheila. “She has a key necklace she always wears.”
I raise my hand to my neck, a surge of panic rising. It’s gone.
The nurse pats my arm. “I’ll check to see if they took it off when you came in. Don’t worry. I’m sure we have it.”
“Okay.” I don’t feel comforted, though. My key is gone, and some part of me knows that Fraser took it.
“This is quite a story you two will have to tell at school. Right out of a movie,” Sheila says.
“I know,” Mateo replies. “Are you comfortable?” he asks me.
I nod. “Could I have something to eat?” My stomach feels as though it might eat itself if I don’t get something into it.
Nurse Sheila produces some saltines from her pocket. “Go slow with these.” She smiles at Mateo. “You’ll watch her for me?”
He nods vigorously. Shelia pulls the privacy curtain and leaves us alone.
Mateo takes the package and opens it for me. The crackers break into pieces. I smile as he sets them down and hands me a piece. I put it on my tongue to melt.
He waits until I’ve swallowed then asks, “You knew about Avery before we went to his parents’ house, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“I’ll tell you. I promise I will. Just not here, okay?”
“Okay.” He nods and moves to sit on the bed beside me. “Thank God you’re okay,” he says, touching the side of my face with his hand.
“Thanks to you.” I smile weakly up at him.
“And you. You outsmarted him by not telling him I was giving you a ride. If I’d gotten a text from you that you didn’t need a ride… I hate to think what would have happened.”
“Yeah,” I say, not even wanting to think about what Mateo is suggesting. I’d probably be dead now instead of sitting here in the hospital.
Mateo drops his face closer to mine as if he plans to kiss me. I close my eyes, unable to move or protest because it feels right that he should. He presses a soft kiss on my forehead. He stays there, cradling my face in his hand.
The heat of his kiss lingers on my skin. His closeness comforts me. He smells like his woodsy cologne, and I vaguely wonder if this counts as our kiss to be named later.
But as he hovers there, I hear someone slide back the privacy curtain. Mateo jerks back, and I see Charlie and my mother standing at the foot of my bed.
Jade
Chapter 29
“Hi,” I say hoarsely.
I’m so glad Mom’s here. Even though I pretend to hate her, I need her more than ever. Seeing her gives me a rush of euphoria.
“Oh, honey!” She hurries over and grabs me in a hug.
Over her shoulder I see Mateo back away, his fingers laced behind his head. He head is down, eyes on the floor, as if he just got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Mom pulls away and examines my face. “How do you feel?”
“Okay. Hungry.”
Charlie shoots Mateo a death glare as he comes to the other side of my bed. He takes my hand with both of his, gently caressing.
“Did he do anything to you? Anything else?” Mom starts to cry.
I shake my head. “He slapped me once. That’s all.” Tears drip from my lashes. I’m so glad they’re here.
“Where’s your father?” Mom asks.
“Talking to the police. Mom, they don’t know about the…” I glance over at Mateo. “You have to make sure they don’t find out. If everyone finds out…” I swipe at my tears.
“I’ll go talk to them. Don’t worry. You just get better. I’ll get you some more food, too. What’s your nurse’s name?”
“Sheila.”
“Okay.” She strokes my hair. “I’ll be right back. You relax and don’t worry.”
Once she’s gone, Charlie takes both my hands. “I told you not to go,” he teases.
“I know.” I smile through my tears. “I’m sorry.”
Charlie turns his head slightly and says through gritted teeth, “Could we maybe have some privacy?”
Mateo storms out of the room.
Charlie sighs. “I know he saved you, but I can’t deal with him. I hate that he gets to see you all the time when I don’t.”
“I know. Maybe I’ll get to come home now, though.”
Charlie pulls me into a loose hug. “I begged them to let you come home. They didn’t say no, but they didn’t say yes, either.”
I pull back. “Really?”
“Yeah. I think this might make them give in. Even though I wish it didn’t happen, it might end up being good for us.”
“I hope so,” I say, closing my eyes. “I don’t think I can go back to that school.”
He kisses my forehead then my cheek, the touch of his lips whisper soft. “Do you have to stay here overnight?”
“I think so.”
“I want to kill that guy. I want—”
“Charlie, stop. Just sit with me and tell me about home. Tell me about everything going on at school.”
“There’s nothing. It’s all just the same.” He sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, still holding my hand.
“How’s Ally?”
“Fine. She misses you, too. Really bad. I texted her a little while ago and told her you were okay.”
Mom returns with Mateo and a tray of food—Jell-O, more crackers, and some broth. Charlie quickly sits back in his chair.
“I’m going to go home, Jade,” Mateo says, glancing at Charlie. “Here’s your phone.” He lays my cell on
the tray table. “Call me and let me know how you’re doing or if there’s anything you need.”
“Okay. Thank you. Thanks for… everything.” Tears threaten again when I think about what might have happened if Mateo hadn’t gone looking for me.
“Okay. Bye.” He bobs his head and gives me one last longing look before ducking out the door.
I wish I could have hugged him again to let him know how much he means to me. For a new friend, he means a lot. Maybe too much.
Mom smiles. “Have some broth.” She looks tired. Older.
Dad and Mike walk in. If I didn’t feel so horrible, I’d be more freaked out about seeing them together.
“Hi, Jade,” Mike says. He rakes his hair back with his hand.
“Hi.”
“I think we should tell her,” Dad says.
“No,” Charlie snaps.
Fear rises from my stomach like bile. “What?” I ask.
Mom and Mike glance at each other, then she says, “The news has picked up the story. They’re investigating what happened.”
Jade
Chapter 30
“How’d they find out so fast?” I squeak.
“I’m not sure,” Dad says. “But it’s kind of a big deal. A teacher kidnapping and drugging a student, I mean, not the ghost part. They don’t know about that. And they aren’t releasing your name.”
“Is it on now?”
“No!” they all three say at once, making me flinch.
Mom shakes her head. “We aren’t going to watch it. Not tonight. Mike and Charlie are going to get a hotel room, and I’ll stay here with you.”
I glance at Charlie, wishing he’d argue or suggest that he stay with me, but he must know better than to insist in this situation. Mom should stay, and I actually want her with me. Having my mother taking care of me right now sounds fantastic.
“Okay,” I say. “But can I have a few minutes alone with Charlie?”
Mom looks to Mike, and he nods. After they leave the room, Charlie sits on the bed again. I grab him in a hug, pulling him down on top of me.
“Careful,” he says, trying to avoid putting all his weight on me.
“I love you,” I whisper in his ear.
He sighs. “I love you, too.”
He says it as though it sort of hurts him, though—as if loving me is becoming the hardest thing he’s ever done. I can only hope all this won’t change anything, that it won’t be another wind gust knocking us off our mooring, setting us adrift and apart from each other for good.
My phone rings, waking me up. I paw around where my nightstand at the carriage house should be, but all I touch is a plastic railing. Then, I remember that I’m in the hospital. Opening my eyes, I grab my phone from the tray table.
“Hello.”
“Jade?” Gram says.
I’m so excited to hear her voice. “Hi, Gram!”
“Oh, thank goodness. I just got off the phone with your father. I am so upset. I can’t believe you were almost killed.” Her voice cracks, and she sniffles.
In the background, Papa coughs.
“I’m okay, Gram. Really. I’ll be fine.” But I don’t feel fine. In fact, I feel like I got run over by a bus, thrown into a rapidly flowing river, and beaten with rocks along the way. But I’m alive. Fraser did not win.
“I’m coming. I need to help you with this ghost.”
“No, Gram. It’s okay. The ghost wasn’t the bad part. The ghost shouldn’t be a problem now.”
“But you can’t do it alone. You are too new. I’ll need to help you.”
I hear more coughing in the background, louder and harsher.
“You need to stay with Papa. He needs you more than me. Plus, I have a new friend who can help me. Her name is—”
“Breakfast!” A worker sweeps past the curtain that was supposed to give me privacy.
“Hold on, Gram. Someone just came in.”
“A new friend? Is she a seer?”
“Yes.”
“A real one? You’re sure?”
The worker sets down a tray of not-so-delicious-looking breakfast items and leaves.
“Yes. She’s from Haiti. Her name is Noemie.”
“How did you meet her?”
I pick up a fork from the tray and fiddle with it. “Through another woman I met on the Internet. It’s kind of a long story.”
“I wish you had called me, sweetheart. I could have helped you.”
“I know, but I was thinking about Papa. I didn’t want to stress you out any more than you already were. How is he?”
“He’s doing okay. Still not good, though. I just hope he can shake this before winter sets in.”
As if on cue, the barking cough starts up again.
“You need to stay with him. I have lots of help here—Dad and Mom and Charlie and Mike. I’ll be okay. I promise to call and let you know how we handle the ghost, too. I’m not as scared anymore. Noemie has taught me a lot.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Gram. I’m sure.”
“All right, I’ll stay here but on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have Noemie call me. I want to make sure you’re in good hands, that she isn’t teaching you dark things.”
“I promise. I’m sure she’d like talking to you. She’s really great.”
“Okay. You get some rest, and I’ll be waiting for her call. If I don’t get it, I might just be showing up there, you hear?”
“Yes, Gram. I promise to have her call.”
“I love you, sweetie. Bye.”
After I hang up, I think about going back to sleep. Based on the noises in the hall, though, I’m sure a nurse is about to come in and take my vital signs again. So instead, I text Charlie. I can’t wait to go home. Maybe all this trouble will lead me home, back to Nantucket where I belong. I can only hope.
“Is Charlie coming by?” I ask for the third time.
Sitting in the back seat with my parents in the front hasn’t happened for a long time. Seeing them there, side by side, talking and ignoring me, is a strange sight—an unwelcome flashback to my childhood.
“I don’t know. He’s with his dad right now,” Mom says.
She tries to sound like it’s no big deal, but I know they’re still trying to keep me away from him. I reach up to touch my key for comfort, only to find it gone. The hospital didn’t have it. Just as I suspected, Fraser took it. Somehow, he knew how much that necklace meant to me, and he decided to strip me of it. Bastard.
“There were news people outside the entrance to the Northwick Club this morning,” Dad tells me. “They know your identity, but they aren’t reporting your name.”
My stomach clenches, then I’m distracted by my phone ringing. I look at the screen and see it’s Noemie calling. I answer it with a quiet hello because I haven’t told my parents about her, yet.
“Hello, dearest. It’s good to hear your voice.”
“You heard?”
“Yes. I heard. I am so very relieved my chou chou is all right.”
“I am. I’m driving home now from the hospital with my parents.”
“I see. Call me back later? When we can talk?”
“Okay. Thanks for calling.”
“Bye-bye, dearest.”
When I hang up, Mom asks, “Who was that?”
“Just a friend from school,” I answer.
Two satellite trucks are parked on the shoulder in front of the club. Reporters and camera people stand in clusters, watching us approach. Mom looks back at me.
“I’m fine,” I tell her.
When we stop, I get out of the car as fast as my mushy body will allow. I want to hustle inside so I can put on th
e TV and see what they’re saying about me. Mom and Dad lag behind, having a conversation about health insurance. I’m still on Mom’s policy, but they’re hoping Dad’s will pick up whatever hers doesn’t pay.
Once I get in the living room, I grab the remote off the coffee table and put on an all-day cable news channel. I’m on the couch waiting for my story to come on when Mom and Dad walk into the room.
“Jade,” Mom says. Disapproval is clear in her voice.
I hold up my hand and shush her when I see the school appear on the screen. The reporter is a tall, Hispanic-looking dude. He’s standing in front of the huge oak tree at the start of the Northwick Club driveway, just a few hundred feet away from where I’m sitting.
“The identity of the young victim hasn’t been released, but we have been told her father works here at the Northwick Club and that she’s new to the area. The police aren’t releasing any information about the motive for the attack, but sources have told us that it had to do with the suicide of David Avery last spring. When we reached out to Mr. Avery’s parents for a comment, they said they weren’t sure if the two incidents were connected. Clarke Fraser, the teacher who’s under arrest, was Avery’s roommate at the time of his death.”
“I think we should shut it off,” Dad says, touching my arm.
“No.” I clutch the remote in my lap.
“The young woman was treated overnight at North Shore Medical Center and released this morning. The extent of her injuries is not known. A statement from Layton Academy reads, ‘We are relieved that our student was not seriously harmed in this incident. Mr. Fraser will not be returning to his position here at the school. We ask for privacy at this time while our school community comes to grips with this terrible incident.’”
Yeah, privacy would be nice. The camera returns to the anchor, and they move on to the weather.
Mom takes the remote from my hand and shuts off the television. “I’d like to hear the whole story, Jade. All of it,” she says.
Ever Lost (Secret Affinity Book 2) Page 17