Lies Never Sleep

by Stacy Claflin

  There was no time to worry about that. They needed to find Emmett and Atlas. He headed across the street and rang the James’s doorbell.

  Lila answered, looking as worried and exhausted as he felt. “Zion, is everything okay? I mean, you didn’t hear worse news, did you?”

  He shook his head. “Rowena and I are just concerned. How are you two holding up?”

  She frowned. “You saw us arguing last night, didn’t you?”

  Zion nodded. “We don’t mean to pry, but want to let you know that if you need anything, you’re welcome to come over any time. I’m not sure how much help we can be, but we know the stress of a missing son.”

  Lila leaned against the door frame. “Thanks. You two can come over here if you need to, also. How are you holding up?”

  “About as well as can be expected.”

  “I can let Morgan know you stopped by. He went to the school to talk to the boys’ friends.”

  “Good thinking. Tell him to let me know if he hears anything promising. And really, stop by any time.”

  “Thanks. I’ll let him know. Tell Rowena I said hi.”

  “Will do.”

  “Bye, Zion.” She stepped inside and closed the door.

  He stared at the closed door for a moment. Was it just him, or was everyone acting weird? Could be him. He was more rattled than he ever remembered being, between Emmett’s disappearance and Nastasia’s call from the office the afternoon before.

  Maybe it was just him. He could usually read people well—that was one thing that made him a successful attorney—but anyone would be off their game after the week he’d had.

  Zion headed back over to his house, looking up and down the street for any other neighbors he could ask if they’d seen the boys. The street was quiet, other than a lawnmower on another block.

  Larry didn’t glance over as Zion came back. Just grumbled to himself as he clipped more branches. Crazy old coot.

  Inside, the house was quiet. Rowena was probably still on the treadmill trying to run off her worry. Not that it would help any more than another vice. Some people drank or ate when troubles came, but his wife burned calories rather than consuming them. Being in the fashion world, that wasn’t uncommon. A lot of her friends and colleagues did the same.

  He went up to the exercise room to find her on the elliptical, her top now soaked in sweat.

  “Maybe you should take a break.”

  She shook her head no and kept huffing and puffing.

  “You’re making me tired just watching you.”

  “Exercise is good for you,” she said between breaths.

  “I’m too tired right now. I talked to Lila, but she didn’t say much, so I told her they could come over any time.”

  “That’s good.”

  Ding-dong!

  Rowena glanced over at him. “Who’s that?”

  He pulled out his phone and checked the app. It showed Layne at the front door.

  “It’s Layne.”

  Rowena stopped. “Get the door, and I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “Sure.” Zion rubbed his temples as he made his way downstairs. He answered the door and found Layne standing there, pale and with dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was messy and she wore a hoodie instead of the stylish clothes she normally did. “Come in.”

  “Thanks.” She trudged inside. “I hope it’s okay to come over.”

  “Of course.” He closed the door behind them. “Do you want to go to the kitchen? Are you hungry?”

  Layne shook her head. “I can’t eat.”

  “It might help.”

  “I tried. Can we just sit in the living room?”

  “Okay.”

  Instead of sitting, Layne walked around the large room, studying all the pictures of Emmett. She picked up one of his senior photos and turned to Zion. “Do you think he’s okay?”

  “Can’t let myself think otherwise.”

  “You’re lucky. I keep thinking the worst.” She stared at the picture for a moment before setting it down then collapsing on the loveseat.

  Zion sat on the couch and raked his fingers through his hair. “How are you holding up?”

  She looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot. “Not very well, I’m afraid. I can’t stop thinking about him, you know?”

  He nodded. “I can’t, either.”

  Rowena came into the room, still in her workout clothes but with a towel around her neck. “Layne, how are you?”

  “I’m so worried!” Her eyes widened, then she jumped up and threw her arms around Rowena.

  Rowena returned the embrace and threw a surprised expression to Zion, who shrugged. Layne was often over at the house, but she had never been one to chat with Rowena or Zion.

  “Would you like to have a seat?” Rowena stepped back.

  Layne nodded. “Have you guys heard anything?”

  They both shook their heads. Zion leaned forward. “Have you? Are the kids talking to each other about anything?”

  “Everyone’s only talking about the viral video. People are trying to figure out what they were going to do, and if it got them killed.” Her eyes widened. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  Rowena swallowed. “It’s okay. Just tell us everything you know.”

  Layne chewed on her lower lip. “Mostly it’s just theories. Some say they went skydiving, but that’s dumb. How would that go viral?”

  Dumb as it was, Zion still considered it. “What else are they saying?”

  “Most of it’s stupid like that. People saying they went to race their cars somewhere dangerous, but neither of them are into that. Others say they tried some new drug, but again, that’s not like them. They’re not into drugs.”

  “What else?” Rowena asked. “Anything likely?”

  Layne fidgeted and looked deep in thought. “Brielle said maybe a haunted house. That’s the only one I actually believe. I looked up that asylum, and that night was the anniversary of the slaying.”

  Zion glanced over at Rowena. They exchanged a knowing look.

  “What?” Layne looked back and forth between the two of them, stopping at Zion.

  “The police looked there, and they found signs of a struggle.”

  She gave him a pained stare and her face paled even more. “Really?”

  “They also found drugs there.” Rowena frowned. “Not that it means they belonged to Emmett. The struggle doesn’t mean it was them, either.”

  Layne covered her mouth, and her eyes shone with tears. “What does it mean?”

  Zion opened his mouth to respond, but his phone rang. “Hold on.”

  It was the police.

  His stomach plummeted to the floor. Did they have bad news?

  “Who is it?” Rowena demanded.

  He waved her quiet and accepted the call. “This is Zion Powell.”

  “Zion, this is Deputy Alvarez,” the woman replied. “I’m working on your son’s case.”

  “Hello, Deputy.”

  Rowena’s eyes widened. Her face showed the same fear Zion felt. Was their world about to come crashing down around them?

  Layne sat up straight and she chewed on a nail.

  “Zion,” Deputy Alvarez said. “Would you and your wife be available to come down to the station?”

  His stomach lurched, but then he realized she hadn’t said morgue. She’d said station. “What for?”

  “We have an article of clothing we’d like you to look at. If you’re able to identify it as your son’s or not, it can help us know if we’re moving in the right direction.”

  “An article of clothing? What is it? Where’d you find it?”

  Rowena moved closer to him and put her head by his phone.

  “It’s a jacket.”

  “A jacket?” Zion exclaimed. “That doesn’t tell me anything. Where’d you find it? What does it look like?” And the question he didn’t want to ask—was it bloody and mutilated? He hated to even think it, but unfortunately, it was a possibility. Why else would
they want them to come to the station to see it?

  The deputy cleared her throat. “I can’t tell you over the phone. We just need you to come downtown and see it. Then you can tell us what you know. We’ve already asked the other boy’s family to come down, too.”

  That couldn’t be good.

  Both Rowena and Layne stared at him, unblinking.

  He cleared his throat. “Okay. We’ll come right down.”

  “Thank you, Zion. We’ll see you soon.”

  “Okay.” He ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket.

  “What’s going on?” Rowena demanded.

  He took a deep breath to calm his breathing. “They want us to go to the station and see if a jacket belongs to Emmett.”

  Rowena gasped. “Why? Is something wrong with it? Did he get hurt?”

  “I don’t know. They’re also having Lila and Morgan come down to look at it.”

  “I have to go.” Layne fled the room, and a few moments later the front door slammed shut.

  12

  Lila James

  * * *

  Every moment passed slower than the last. Lila scooted as far away from the guy next to her as possible. He reeked of body odor and spoke to the woman next to him with a raspy voice.

  Where was Morgan? The police had already taken Zion and Rowena in to look at the jacket. They were waiting to take Lila until Morgan got there.

  The door opened, and he walked inside.

  Lila jumped up, glad to get away from the guy next to her. “Where have you been?”

  Morgan frowned. “I ran into traffic near the school. Had to take a detour. Have you seen the coat?”

  She shook her head. “They wanted me to wait for you.”

  “Do you know anything?”

  “No. The Powells are looking at it now. They’re going to get us soon. I’ll tell them you’re here.” Lila hurried over to the desk and let the woman know Morgan was finally there.

  When she turned around, the waiting room was even fuller than just a moment ago. She stood next to Morgan between a pop machine and a window. Some of the other people were talking so loudly, she could hardly think.

  Lila wanted to go back to the desk and demand someone bring them back. She and Morgan didn’t belong there. They just needed to see the jacket and get out of there so they could get back to trying to figure out where their son had gone.

  Her mind quickly went back to Morgan and his lies. How could he hide a marriage, divorce, and a child from her for all these years? Did he really trust her so little? Why even marry her? Why—?

  The guy she’d been sitting next to howled with laughter, a sound so obnoxious she wanted to cover her ears. People around the waiting room exchanged annoyed glances.

  Once he calmed down, someone called for Lila and Morgan. She raced over, eager to get out of the waiting room.

  The officer led them through a door, unlocking it with a keycard. They went down a narrow hallway and finally stopped outside a door. The officer turned to them, his face serious. “We’re going to show you a jacket. You need to tell us if you recognize it as your son’s or the other boy’s. It’s evidence, so we can’t have you touch it. We only need to know if you know who it belongs to.”

  Morgan and Lila agreed. Her stomach twisted in knots and lurched. Would they recognize it?

  “Where are the Powells?” Morgan asked.

  The officer unlocked the door with his keycard. “You can see them after this.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “They’re waiting in another room. We’ll discuss the jacket together after you see it.”

  Lila’s heart leaped into her throat. “Did they recognize the coat?”

  “We can talk about it after you take a look.”

  Lila’s knees went weak. Surprisingly, Morgan put an arm around her and steadied her. He held her up as they followed the officer into the room.

  The first thing she noticed was a long table. On it was the coat, but she could hardly see it at her angle. She and Morgan walked closer. It was a black leather jacket with a fluffy white interior. And it also had several gashes throughout.

  “Do you recognize it?” asked the officer.

  Lila glanced at Morgan. They both knew who it belonged to.

  Morgan turned to the deputy and nodded. “It’s Emmett’s. He’s worn it to our house plenty of times.”

  Lila covered her mouth, the reality of the situation hitting her. Her son’s friend loved that coat, and he wouldn’t have willingly let anyone harm it, much less cut it up like that.

  The boys were in serious trouble, if not worse.

  The officer spoke, but Lila couldn’t take in any of the words. All she could think about was Atlas alone and scared somewhere, probably hurt. Maybe even severely injured. She couldn’t let herself think of anything worse than that.

  She shook, and Morgan’s grip around her tightened. They left and followed the deputy to a room with a long table and a mirror. Another officer and the Powells sat across from them. Rowena sobbed in Zion’s arms.

  The sight was more than Lila could take. It was like a dam breaking and a river bursting free. She crumbled against Morgan, who held her and rubbed her back. He led her to the table, and they sat. He kept his arms around her.

  The officers spoke with the husbands. Lila tried to listen, but Emmett’s jacket kept flashing back into her mind. Where were the boys, and what had happened to them? What was keeping them from returning home?

  She took a few deep breaths then looked up at the officers. Tried to focus on their words. It took a minute to gain her bearings and fill in the blanks. They’d found Emmett’s coat outside the old asylum, behind the building. That was the only thing of theirs they found, aside from the drug paraphernalia but that had been sitting there for months, so that meant the boys hadn’t used it.

  Lila struggled to breathe normally. She glanced over at Rowena, who was wiping tears from her eyes.

  “We didn’t find any blood at the scene, but a forensics team is taking a closer look. There could easily be trace evidence too small to be seen. We’ll keep you updated. Do you have any more questions?”

  Lila wanted to ask where Atlas was. That was the only question she really wanted an answer to, but nobody could tell her that. Or if someone could, they weren’t talking.

  One of the officers led them back to the waiting room. The four grieving parents headed outside. The sun and fresh air felt like a refuge.

  “Where are our children?” Rowena demanded. “We should go to that mental hospital ourselves and look around. Nobody could find more evidence than a worried mother!”

  “I’ll go with you.” Lila stepped away from Morgan. “I want to see that place for myself.”

  “Hold up,” Zion said. “It’s a crime scene. They aren’t going to let anyone near it. You heard what they said—there’s a forensics team there now. We show up, we could destroy evidence.”

  “Emmett could be there!” Rowena pulled away from him. “I have to do something. Don’t you understand?”

  “Don’t you think I want to tear that place apart, too?” Zion put his arms around her again. “Believe me, I do. But we have to trust in the process. They’re doing everything they can to find our boys.”

  “It’s not enough!”

  “I agree,” Morgan said. “We need to do more. There has to be something we can do.”

  “Let’s talk to the media,” Zion said. “We can hold a press conference and get the word out far and wide.”

  Lila wiped her eyes. “I’ve been posting on social media. One of my posts has been shared over twenty thousand times. It might be a lot higher now. Last I checked was this morning.”

  “Good.” Zion nodded. “But reaching out to the TV stations, the newscasts, will reach more people. There are still people out there who get their news from the evening broadcasts.”

  “You can reach them?” Morgan asked.

  He nodded. “I’ve spoken with plen
ty of reporters. There are more than a handful of them I can call.”

  “Aren’t they already covering this?” Rowena asked. “I haven’t watched personally, but two local missing boys would make the headlines, I’d think.”

  “They have,” Morgan confirmed.

  “But there’s nothing more personal than the parents pleading with people. It’ll touch their hearts. They’ll want to help.”

  Lila stepped forward. “Let’s do that. I’ll do anything to help bring them home.”

  Rowena nodded. “So will I.”

  Zion turned to Rowena. “Are you up for driving, so I can start making calls on the way home?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  Zion pulled out his phone and glanced at Lila and Morgan. “I’ll call you as soon as something is set up.”

  “Thank you,” Lila said.

  Morgan nodded, then the Powells headed for the parking lot. “Are you going to be okay to drive?”

  “I got here, didn’t I?”

  “I’m just trying to look out for you. You don’t have to snap at me.”

  “I didn’t snap, but if you keep talking to me like this, I probably will.”

  They stared each other down before Morgan spoke. “We need to be on the same team, Lila. This is about finding Atlas.”

  She glared at him. “You don’t get to talk to me about being a team player! All these years we’ve been together, you’ve been anything but.”

  “Are you going to hold this against me for the rest of our lives?”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but you need to give me time to process your news.”

  Morgan pulled on his hair. “I’m sorry I never told you. If I knew it was all going to play out like this, I would’ve said something long ago. It hurt too much to talk about.”

  “You know, if you’d have given me the chance, maybe I could’ve helped you work through it! We could’ve grown closer as a result. Instead, you never gave us a chance. You pushed me away from the start. Did you really expect this to work out any differently?”