by S. Massery
“Downstairs,” Robert says. “We should all go down. Try not to… contaminate anything.”
Lenora shudders. “After this is over, we’re redoing that room. New window with many locks. Whatever furniture or paint you want. Anything—”
“It’s okay,” I whisper.
We go downstairs. I perch on a stool at the breakfast bar while Lenora paces the kitchen. And Robert lowers himself onto the couch, groaning under his breath.
This really isn’t fair. Not by a mile.
My phone has been silent. No new messages from Riley or Caleb—nothing from Unknown, either.
Detective Masters comes back inside. “They’ll be here in a few moments. You don’t have any idea who might’ve done this? Or what the words on the wall meant?”
I shake my head. “I thought it had to be someone from school, since they texted Caleb and warned him that Ian was taking me into the woods. And they were at a party at Ian’s house, too. But lately…”
The car belonging to Tobias, who’s a known associate of the Ashers, is just too coincidental.
“I don’t know,” I finish lamely.
“This is probably enough to find out the number that’s been texting you,” he says. “I’m going to head back to the station and work on that. I’ll be in touch.”
Lenora nods sharply. “Thank you, Detective.”
We sit in silence for a moment.
Police aren’t the bad guys in this situation. I’ve had my fair share of fear when it comes to cops—especially that one time I ran away—and Detective Masters does have a tendency to look down his nose at me, whether because I’m a foster or a teenager, I don’t know.
Still. Worth a shot.
I get up and rush after him, outside without even a coat on.
He stops beside his car, eyebrows raising.
“Ms. Wolfe?”
“I have a… theory.”
He waves for me to continue.
“How does a public defender rise to partner at a big law firm in two years?”
Detective Masters says nothing.
“When I asked Tobias Hutchins that very question—”
He holds up his hand. “You know him? When did you meet him?”
“Riley and I went to his office in the city. He defended my dad—badly. If you know anything about that trial—”
“I was a rookie,” he says, softening. His eyes go to the sky. “Let’s go back inside. You’ve intrigued me.”
Hope flares inside my chest. And hope? It’s a dangerous thing. It can lift you up and drop you when you least expect it.
So I shove the hope away and remain cautious. Lenora and Robert both start to ask questions when I walk back in, but they’re silenced by the detective’s reappearance.
We go to the dining room. My painting of Caleb is on the floor in the corner, but he makes no comment about it.
“Okay,” he says once we’ve sat. “Let’s hear it.”
“You know I lived with my parents in the Asher guest house. My mom and his dad were having an affair, which apparently everyone knew except me and…” I shake my head. “I was upstairs in Caleb’s room one day—before I found out about the affair—and I heard Mrs. Asher talking to someone.”
“Someone. How old were you?”
I wince. “I had just turned ten.”
“Okay, so, we’re dealing with unreliable memory.”
“Yeah… I didn’t know who she was talking to, but I remember the guy was upset about what she was asking him to do. She said she was paying him enough. I mentioned it to Caleb, and he told me it was Tobias. That’s how, when Caleb and I ran into Tobias in the city in October, Tobias knew Caleb.” I pause and suck in a deep breath.
“So you’ve established a relationship between your dad’s lawyer and the Ashers. Go on.”
“Why would he have a car in the city? Does he drive it a lot?”
The detective smiles. “You’re asking the right questions, at least. And I’m going to humor you.” He flips through his notebook. “I talked to Mr. Hutchins myself. He said the car was stored in a garage, and he was planning on a Sunday drive to visit family when he noticed it missing.”
I grunt. “It’s too neat. He reports it missing mere hours before it’s involved in my…”
“Or it’s good timing, and we avoided a lot of hassle because he did notice.”
“You’re supposed to be humoring me.”
He sighs. “Margo, I’ll humor you as far as logic will allow. But reaching for pieces of facts to make them fit your theory is bad detective work.”
Like you did with Caleb? I bite my tongue instead of spitting out that accusation.
“Okay, okay.” I bite my lip. “You don’t find it fishy that there’s a link from Matt to Lydia, and then also a link from Lydia to Tobias?”
“Matt, who allegedly kidnapped—”
“He did take me, Detective.”
His eyes bore into mine, then he nods. “Okay. I agree, there’s a connection there.”
“Aha!” I lean back in my chair. “Now what?”
“Is that your whole theory?”
I raise my eyebrow. “Honestly? Yeah. I have no idea who Unknown is, just that they’re probably my age. Which means they’re someone who knows Lydia—and maybe Matt—and goes to Emery-Rose.”
“Matt Bonner went to Emery-Rose,” Robert says from the doorway.
I jump.
“He transferred, but I suspect he knows quite a few kids at your school. Still friends, even.” Robert frowns. “Sorry, that’s unhelpful.”
“Quite all right,” Masters says. “How are you feeling?”
He lets out a small chuckle. “Like someone scraped through my insides with a blade. I’ll be fine in due time.”
“You’re welcome to join us.” The detective motions to a chair. “You knew Matt?”
“Not personally.” Robert lowers himself into the seat next to me. “What are you chatting about? Besides Matt.”
“He has to be working with Lydia,” I insist.
Masters shakes his head. “Where’s the motive? She moved away after the trial and would have no reason to… what, exactly? And the other factor: usually kidnappers call the family with demands. A ransom. That didn’t happen.”
“Because Caleb and Eli found me.”
“Caleb confirmed that Matt was the one who led them to your location.”
I pause. “Huh?”
“It’s why I ruled out Matt as a suspect.”
“That and his bullshit alibi,” I grumble.
Masters pats the table. “Lying about it would be interfering with an ongoing investigation, which would result in jail time if he was caught. We confirmed it with the girlfriend. Ran them through their stories separately forward and back. It was solid.”
“Margo, maybe you’re reading too much into this,” Robert suggests. “You’ve had a crazy few weeks.”
“You don’t think the person who has been texting me and who kidnapped me—apparently without an actual reason—was the one to do that to my room?” I shoot to my feet, except there’s nowhere to go.
“I’m going to go take some pictures,” the detective says. “I’ll dig around the Ashers, see if I can find anything suspicious, okay?”
“Is this the first time?”
His eyebrows scrunch. “The first time for what?”
“That anyone has ever looked into the Ashers?” I shake my head. “Caleb’s uncle has been beating him since he was a kid. But I guess it’s all too easy for the Asher family to sweep everything under the fucking rug.”
“If that’s true—”
“Fuck your truth,” I yell. I storm out and up the stairs, locking myself in the bathroom. I grab my bag on the way, sinking to the floor once I’m alone.
God, I just yelled at a police detective. He was going to help me, but I probably just ruined any chance of that.
I slide my phone out. I stare at it, debating calling Riley.
But wasn’t
it me who said Caleb and I needed to work together?
That means relying on him sometimes.
Me: You remember anyone calling me a pretty bird?
Caleb: ?? No. Why?
Me: Someone wrote it on my wall. It’s bugging me.
His contact picture fills my screen, showing the incoming video chat request. I wipe at my face, then answer it.
He frowns at me. He seems to be walking down the hall, his phone held at a low angle. It shows off his sharp jawline. “Please tell me I read that wrong.”
“I wish.”
“Have you been crying?”
“Do I look it?” I fixate on the tiny picture of me in the corner, wondering if he sees something I don’t. My eyes do seem a bit puffy, and my face is pale.
“You’re upset. I can tell that much.”
I sigh. I hear the detective moving around my room across the hall, so I lower my voice. “Unknown vandalized my room. Destroyed everything.”
He loses all expression on his face. “You’re joking.”
“Why would I be joking? Lenora called Detective Masters. He’s taking pictures right now.”
The phone drops, and all I can see is the black fabric of his shirt.
“Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Simmons. Liam, family emergency.”
He reappears a moment later with Liam just over his shoulder, scowling.
I shake my head at him. He repeats the same thing in two other classes, and finally, he raises the phone back up to his face.
“All hands on deck, right?”
“What the fuck, man?” Liam snaps.
“My room got vandalized,” I say.
A muscle in Caleb’s jaw clenches. “We’ll be there in five minutes. You guys shouldn’t be alone.”
Someone knocks on the bathroom door, and I freeze.
“Margo, it’s Detective Masters. I took some pictures of the room and am heading out. Just wanted to let you know that I’m going to look into what we discussed.”
“Thanks,” I call.
Caleb stares at me. “Can’t wait to hear what you discussed.”
“The police are supposed to be the good guys,” I whisper.
He just shakes his head. They’re outside now, and someone is yelling after them. Theo yells back, but the words are snatched away on the wind.
“We’ll be there soon, okay?”
I nod, and he hangs up.
My head falls back on the door. I don’t know what the hell we’re going to do. What can we do? We’re teenagers. Kids, really.
My eyes fill with tears. The whole situation is hopeless.
See what I said about hope? It can drop you.
Real fast.
26
Caleb
“Food,” Eli demands. “We can be hospitable and bring food.”
Theo rolls his eyes. “How about delivery? That’s easy.”
“I’m in the mood for sushi,” Liam adds, “but only if someone else is buying. Or lobster.”
I twist around, looking him up and down. “Your mom isn’t doing the soup for every meal thing again, is she?”
He shrugs. “It’s all we can afford at the moment. Do you know how cheap it is to make a million different soups? They last us a while.”
“You’re starting to run more,” Eli points out. “Which means you need to carb up…”
“Winter sucks for us,” he mutters. “Always has, always will. Doesn’t mean we won’t get through it.”
“So, maybe Chinese?” Theo says. “The Jenkinses aren’t going to like us crashing their house.”
I contemplate that. Robert just got out of the hospital, and it’s the first night Lenora has been back, too. Anyone who saw them in the hospital would know she’s been sleeping there. It wasn’t rocket science.
Eli gets us to Margo’s house almost too fast. He drives recklessly at times, but right now… There’s a growing feeling of dread building up in my chest, and it’s going to explode if I don’t see Margo safe.
I jump out before the truck has fully stopped, jogging up the walkway.
Margo yanks the door open and launches into my arms.
I scoop her up, breathing in her scent, and she locks her legs around my waist.
“Thanks for coming,” she whispers in my ear. “I told them you all were on your way. I think Lenora is going to ask if I can stay with you guys again.”
I wince. “It’s that bad?”
She leans back into my arms, eyebrows raised. “It’s…”
I set her down, and we all enter the house.
Robert is on the couch, flipping through television stations, and he waves to us. “Hello, boys. I’d get up, but…”
“Please don’t stress,” I say, going over to shake his hand. “You look better.”
He laughs, and it turns into a cough. “Better than what? Being at death’s door?”
I shrug.
“I’ll take it.”
Eli nods at him, and Theo waves.
Liam’s eyes are wide. “I like what you’ve done with the place.” He walks farther in, peering into the kitchen. “This is new.”
Margo tilts her head. “Why are you acting like…”
“My family used to live here,” he says. “Although there used to be a wall here.” He mimes a wall that would’ve made the kitchen a lot smaller. “And the dining room didn’t open up onto this porch.”
We follow him as he wanders.
He goes up the stairs, pausing on the picture of Lenora and Robert, then into the bathroom. “That’s the same.”
He comes out and points to her door. “Your room, Margo?”
She grimaces.
“Caleb and I practiced sneaking out of here quite a bit in our youth.” He winks at me. “Dare I say that’s helped him out quite a bit in recent months.”
“Whoever did this came in through the window, too.” she shoves the door open.
My mouth drops, and I step into the room. My friends follow me, while Margo stays in the hall. Honestly, I don’t blame her. A tornado of fury went through the room, destroyed every good thing about it. The walls will need several coats of paint to cover the red, and the writing…
Pretty bird, broken wings.
I narrow my eyes. It’s chilling, but… wholly unfamiliar.
“What the hell is that?” Liam points to something on the ground.
“It looks like…” Oh god.
I cover my mouth. I’ve never been one to have a weak stomach, but this…
A white bird sits just below the words.
Dead.
Oh, what a glorious fall.
“Fucking hell,” Theo growls. He herds us out of the room, slamming the door closed. “Did you see it?”
“See what? The writing?”
“The fucking dead bird,” he says, eyes narrowed at Margo.
She blanches. “Excuse me?”
“It’s a threat,” I declare. “Calling you a pretty bird, then giving you a dead one?”
She bursts into tears.
Shame flushes through me, and I go to her. Cradle her head against my chest. “I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault.”
She grabs my shirt, holding me close. “I don’t want to die.”
“You’re not going to.” I shake my head. We know the connecting pieces—it’s only Unknown who is still a mystery. But who’s pulling their strings isn’t. “You’re coming with me. I’m sure they’ll let you.”
“You want to bring her home?” Lenora asks, coming up the stairs. “Honestly, that’s… not a bad idea.”
“You’d let me go?” Margo goes to her foster mom and takes her hands. “I almost don’t want to leave, but—”
“This house doesn’t quite feel safe, does it?” She sighs. “Not the warm and fuzzy night we had planned. The detective said we’re free to start cleaning the room, so I’m going to have a service come in tomorrow. Anything you want to salvage?”
Margo’s nose wrinkles. “I don’t think I can go in there.”
“I will,” I say. “I’ll see if anything is… untouched.”
I slip back into the room, closing myself in. Once the fresh air is sealed off, the dead bird smell fills the air. It’s a wonder the whole house doesn’t smell like it.
I grab the tipped over trash bin and dump out the liner, using it as a barrier to scoop the bird into. Poor sucker. It appears to have had a quick, painless death. Hell, maybe Unknown stumbled upon it and just brought it in here.
Sure beats the alternative.
Her clothes look undisturbed in the dresser until I pull them out. Holes have been cut in the fabric of her shirts, her jeans have been cut, but whoever did it folded them back up.
One more fuck you toward Margo, apparently.
We aren’t just dealing with someone who wanted to mess with Margo.
Somehow, she’s made them mad. Worse than mad.
I ball my fists and walk out, giving her a quick shake of my head. “They ruined everything.”
She exhales slowly, leaning against the wall.
“I called Dad,” Eli says. “He okayed her return once I explained what happened.”
“You have the knife, Margo?” Liam asks.
She nods.
“Good.”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s hope she doesn’t have to use it, yeah? Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Downstairs, we wait by the door while Margo says her goodbyes. It’s hard to watch. She latches on to Robert and doesn’t let go for a long while, and he doesn’t force it. In fact, his eyes are closed, and he hugs her just as tightly.
The crash affected them more than physically.
“Margo,” Lenora says. “We’ll pick you up at eight to go into school. The principal wanted to make sure we were on the same page about your schoolwork.”
She nods, biting her lip.
I want to touch her.
Shield her from all this shit.
God, I was an idiot for ever wanting to break this beautiful, strong girl. She stands tall even as her world crumbles around her, while people are out to get her. In the face of tragedy and anger, she’s collected.
If I had it my way, I’d take her far, far away. To somewhere no one could hurt her. We’d live a happy life away from literally everyone. Have outrageous sex everywhere, get her pregnant, marry her—maybe not quite in that order.