The five of us were all laughing as we walked past the office and out the front doors of the school. Then Ben’s smile died on his face.
The same two police officers were back and hanging around outside the school, but they weren’t leaning against their squad car or eating donuts this time. Today, they were wrestling with a hysterical woman on the front stairs. One had both arms wrapped around her waist and was trying to throw her to the ground while the other had one hand gripped on her arm so tightly, his knuckles were white. His other hand was holding a Taser, which he was waving at the screaming woman. Tears were running down her face and she was sobbing as if her heart was broken.
“Robin!” Ben yelled, breaking away from us and running down the stairs. “Get away! Leave her alone!” He reached the woman before any of us even registered what was happening.
“Ben!” Mia screamed and practically shoved me down the stairs as she rushed towards him. We all followed, trying to reach Ben before he punched one of the cops. A crowd was gathering, shooting video with their cell phones and watching from a safe distance.
“Get off her!” Ben shouted, grabbing one of the cops by the arm. Unfortunately, not the one with the Taser. Taser cop pointed his weapon at Ben just as we reached him.
“Stop!” I screamed, jumping in front of Ben. I admit, I didn’t really think that one through. The last thing I wanted was to be hit by a Taser, but there I was, in front of Ben, blocking the cop’s shot.
Jake pulled Ben away from the cop and both men let go of the crying woman — Robin — and she slumped down onto the stairs.
“I’m okay,” Ben told Jake. He knelt down beside the woman and touched her shoulder. “Robin? What are you doing here?” The woman slumped into Ben’s arms, crying uncontrollably.
“I came to talk to you,” she sobbed. “They told me I had to leave and called the police.”
“Get her out of here before I arrest her!” one of the cops said.
“For what?” I asked him. She didn’t look like much of a threat.
“Disturbing the peace? Assaulting a police officer?” he replied, straightening his uniform.
“From what I could see, you were assaulting her! We all saw it.” Jake, Matt and Mia nodded. “Ben, what can we do? Should I call someone?”
“No. It’s okay. This is Robin, Carli’s foster mom.” He rubbed her back. Her sobs started to taper off and she looked up at him, her face red and tear-stained.
“Ben, they won’t listen to me! I told them Carli wouldn’t kill herself.”
“I know she wouldn’t, Robin. I told them the same thing.” We hung back, unsure what to do.
“I saw her, Ben. I had to go and identify her.” She choked on a sob. Ben looked shocked.
“I didn’t know, Robin. I’m so sorry.”
“She had bruises on her neck. Like someone had choked her. Her hands were all cut up, like she was trying to fight off someone. She didn’t kill herself. I know she didn’t. Someone did that to her!” She was looking at him, begging him to hear her.
“Wait . . . what? She had injuries? Why didn’t they do an autopsy?” Ben asked. She just shook her head.
“I don’t know,” she said helplessly. “They said she had been in the river too long to tell when she had been injured. I told them the marks weren’t there when she left the house but they said it could have happened any time before she died. Why won’t they listen? Someone killed her and I didn’t protect her.” She buried her face in Ben’s shoulder and he stared up at us, shock written on his face.
I looked at the cops standing nearby. “Why didn’t they do an autopsy?” I asked.
“I assume because the coroner didn’t think they needed to.” He shrugged carelessly but his partner looked extremely uncomfortable.
“But if she had injuries? Why wouldn’t they check?” I’d watched enough TV crime shows to know it was important they start looking for a killer right away. Once the evidence was gone, they wouldn’t have a chance of finding out who had done this to Carli.
“I don’t know, kid. I’m not the coroner, okay?” The cop strolled over to his car and got in. He honked for his partner, who stood with his hat in his hands.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he mumbled before walking to the car.
“Ben, we should take her home,” Jake told him. He helped Ben get Robin to her feet and lead her to his car.
I looked around at the kids sending videos to their friends, as if this were entertainment. I shook my head and walked to my car, followed by a speechless Mia and Matt. The kids were already whispering behind us.
“I knew her boyfriend killed her!”
“The cops have to arrest him now.”
I heard the gossip escalating until I closed my car door and shut out the voices.
Chapter 15
Bye-Bye Blackbird
He stared at the empty room, scrubbed clean and tangy with the sharp smell of bleach. His mother’s old records echoed in here when it was empty. They echoed around him now.
He hated being alone. He was only truly happy when he had someone there with him.
Someone to complete him.
Until she disappointed him.
They always disappointed him.
And when he was disappointed, it was time to take out the trash.
So to speak.
He saw a long black hair stuck in a crack in the wall and plucked it out. He studied it for a second and then dropped it into the garbage bag at his feet before hitting the light switch and plunging his special room into complete darkness.
Chapter 16
Coming Clean
When we dropped Matt off at his house on the way to Mia’s, he hugged us both tightly. I felt the air whoosh out of me as he squeezed me.
“I couldn’t have gotten through this day without you guys. It means a lot that you stood by me.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Mia told him, hugging him back. He walked up to his front door with his head up and a smile on his face. He was far from the slump-shouldered, dejected guy who had walked the school hallway this morning. It was nice to see and I was proud to have helped in some small way. As we pulled out of the driveway, Matt’s mom opened the door and gave him a huge hug before they went into the house.
“I’m so glad his family is cool with him,” I told Mia. She nodded in response and glanced down at her phone.
“Yeah. But I’m not sure Jake is,” she said.
“What do you mean? He’s trying, Mia.”
“Stop making excuses for him! It’s pretty clear that he’s not all right with Matt being gay.”
“You saw him today,” I insisted. “He met us after every class! He’s making an effort, unlike half the Neanderthals at our school.” My heart was pounding.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Maybe I’m wrong.”
“You are,” I told her even though I knew deep down that she wasn’t. I didn’t even know why I was defending him.
I pulled into Mia’s driveway behind Leonard’s black pickup truck. He had no job and no money of his own but he sure loved putting cash into his truck. Big monster tires and a custom paint job. All paid for by Mia’s mom, of course. I felt rather than heard Mia’s intake of breath beside me. I looked at her quizzically. We may be butting heads about Jake but she was still my best friend.
“You okay?” I asked.
She sighed and slumped down in her seat. “Yeah. It’s just . . . he told me he’d be out tonight.”
“He’s still hassling you?” I already knew the answer before she nodded. She hadn’t invited me over as much as usual. I figured it was because he was home. It appears I was right.
“Yeah.” She left it at that and made no move to get out of the car. I touched her arm so she’d look at me.
“Maybe you should stay at my place for a couple of days,” I told h
er.
She shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Are you coming in for a bit?”
Mia reached for the door handle. I wasn’t going to leave her alone with her scumbag stepfather any longer than I had to. “Yeah, of course!” She looked at me with a funny expression. “I mean, we do have math homework.”
She nodded again. “Just . . . nothing.” She frowned as she got out of the car and grabbed her bag from the back seat. I grabbed my own backpack and followed behind her. It bothered me that her posture looked a lot like Matt’s had looked that morning. It was as if she was on her way to an execution. I started to think things had become even worse for her at home. Considering how bad they were in the first place . . . I had Matt’s back and I definitely had Mia’s back too.
Leonard was waiting at the door when we walked in, a lecherous smirk on his face.
“Well, hello lovely ladies,” he bowed to us. It was almost comical, him in his stained wife-beater shirt, trying to be classy.
Mia skirted around him, deftly avoiding any contact. “I thought you were going out,” she muttered in his general direction.
He scratched his crotch absentmindedly and looked at Mia’s chest. “Your mom is coming home early. I thought we could have a family dinner tonight.” He looked pointedly at me.
“I’ll be on my way when she gets here then,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“I hope you don’t expect me to make dinner,” Mia told him.
“Nope, I’ve got it covered.” He nodded towards the stove. “Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans.”
Mia walked over to the stove and lifted the lid off one of the pots. Before she could turn around or walk away, Leonard was behind her, pressing his body into hers and pretending to reach for something above her head.
“Hey!” Mia yelled, pinned against the stove.
“Get off her!” I grabbed Leonard’s arm and pulled him backwards. He turned and looked at me, shock written all over his face. His fist was up in an instant, threatening to come down on my face. He might have done it if the front door hadn’t opened at that moment. Mia’s mother called out a greeting.
“I’m home!” she sang out, her heels clicking down the hallway towards us. Leonard lowered his hand and Mia grabbed mine. She dragged me around him and out of the kitchen.
“Hi, Mom,” she called over her shoulder as she pulled me into her bedroom and firmly closed the door behind us. She slid the lock closed and turned, falling onto the bed with a sigh.
“Mia, what the hell was that?”
“Do not start with me, Feather. I know, okay? I need to tell my mother. And she’s actually home tonight,” she told me. “I know.”
“So you’ll talk to her?” I asked.
“Sure, Feather. Should I talk to her before or after she sleeps with Leonard while he pretends that she’s me? Yeah, he actually told me he does that.”
“Oh my God, Mia. Has this been happening with him every night?” I gestured towards the door, and then noticed for the first time that it was hanging crookedly. The frame looked as if someone had kicked it in. “Mia,” I breathed, looking at her as she refused to meet my eyes. “What the hell happened here?”
“Nothing.”
“Mia! Tell me the truth for once!” She looked at me, suddenly furious.
“Fine. What do you want to hear, Feather?”
“The truth!” I told her angrily.
“The truth? Okay. Like how he got drunk and didn’t like that I locked him out so he kicked in the door?”
“No,” I breathed.
“Yes. How he climbed onto my bed and put his hands all over me? How he tried to pin me down and told me he knew I wanted it while he undid his pants?”
“Oh my God, Mia. He raped you?” I asked.
“No, Feather. He didn’t. Because Carli taught me to keep this close.” She slid a knife from under her pillow and held it up. “I held this against his crotch and told him I’d cut it off before I let him have sex with me. And you know what he did?” I shook my head wordlessly. “He laughed. He did his pants back up and laughed at me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, wiping tears from my eyes. “You could have stayed with me.”
Mia stopped and looked at me before sighing.
“I’ve been staying at the rec centre a lot.” She glanced over at me through her hair. “And hanging out down by the river.”
“Mia!” I sputtered. “Why? You know you can stay with me any time! Why would you go down there? Carli went missing somewhere along the Riverwalk!”
“I didn’t stay with you in your perfect house with your perfect mother because I didn’t want yet another lecture about why I wasn’t talking to my own mother!” she blurted out. I felt the colour drain out of my face.
“Mia . . .” My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to . . .” I trailed off. “I had no idea you were so upset with me. That’s why you’ve been acting so secretive.”
“Yeah, well . . .” she said, not meeting my eyes. She didn’t look angry. She looked guilty.
“Mia, we’ve been friends since we were kids. I’m sorry if I lectured you. I worry about you. You can always stay with me if you need to. And if you’re pissed off at me, you can relegate me to Kiowa’s disgusting room.” She smiled at that. “I mean it, Mia. I will try not to push, but if I do, it’s because you’re like a sister to me and I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“I know,” she said. “But you have to let me handle it in my own time, okay? You have to trust me, Feather.”
I nodded.
“I trust you, Mia. Do you want to stay with me tonight? I can’t sleep in Kiowa’s room, because he’s home right now, but the basement couch pulls out.” She threw a pillow at my head.
“No, I’m going to stay home and eat some amazing meatloaf because believe it or not, the bastard can cook and I’m starving.” I shook my head and laughed. “And I need to talk to my mom.”
I looked over her head, nodding sagely. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. If you want to talk to her.”
Mia smacked me on the arm. “Oh shut up.” There was a knock on the door and Mia’s mom stuck her head in.
“Dinner’s ready, Mia. Are you staying for dinner, Feather? Len made his world famous meatloaf.” She smiled at me and I felt a jolt of sadness for her. She could be such a sweet woman sometimes. And she worked her ass off to support her deadbeat husband who, apparently unknown to her, couldn’t keep his hands off her daughter.
“I can’t tonight. I’m sorry. Kiowa’s home for a couple of weeks and I promised we would eat together as a family.”
“Some other time then. Mia, wash up and come to the table.” She disappeared and I stood up and grabbed my bag.
“Call me later, okay?” I leaned over and gave her a hug.
“I will,” she told me, hugging me hard. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.” She looped her arm through mine and smiled. “I’m actually feeling pretty good about talking to my mom,” she told me. “She seems to be in a decent mood tonight.”
“I think it’ll help,” I told her.
“Me too.”
I left with the smell of Leonard’s meatloaf wafting around me.
Chapter 17
A Cry in the Night
The ringing of my cell phone woke me up from a dead sleep around midnight. I rolled over to reach for it and got tangled in the sheets, nearly sending myself crashing onto the floor. I spit a mouthful of hair out and grabbed the phone off my night table. I fumbled to answer it with my eyes still firmly shut.
“’Lo?” I muttered, falling back against my pillows. Silence. Then a sob. I sat up, my blood running cold. “Hello?” I was wide awake now. “Who is this?” More crying.
I barely registered the sound of the front door closing, and then re
membered Kiowa was home.
“Feather?” A heartbreaking voice I only barely recognized as being Mia’s.
“Mia? What is it? Did he do something to you?” I was on my feet in an instant, pacing the room.
“Nnnnooo.” I had never heard her like this. Her breath hitched as she tried to stop crying. “She didn’t believe me, Feather.”
“She didn’t . . . what?” I felt ice cold. This was my fault. I pushed Mia into telling her mom about Leonard. My hands were shaking so hard I nearly dropped my phone. “How could she not believe you?” I asked.
“He told her I was lying! He said I was always throwing myself at him when she wasn’t home and he was too embarrassed to tell her.”
“Oh my God, Mia. And she believed him?” I couldn’t wrap my head around this. She was Mia’s mom! And Leonard was disgusting. How could she not believe her own daughter?
“Yyyeeessss,” Mia wailed.
“But you’re her daughter!” I was outraged.
“She doesn’t care! She said he was her husband and a good relationship is based on trust. She believed he was telling the truth.”
“But why would you lie about something like that?” I asked her.
“She said maybe it was because she wasn’t giving me enough attention and I wanted to get back at her for neglecting me. Or maybe I was jealous of their relationship.”
“I can’t believe this. I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to her,” I promised. “I’ll tell her what I saw.”
“It won’t make a difference. I told you this was a bad idea. I told you I couldn’t talk to her! If I don’t apologize to Leonard for lying about him, I have to leave.”
“Then you can stay here! I’ll come and get you right now.” I grabbed a hoodie off the back of my bedroom door and started to pull it on, holding the phone against my ear with my shoulder.
“No, it’s okay, Feather,” she replied quickly. Too quickly.
The Missing Page 6