thing about Rose,” Ezra says, looking at the page over my shoulder, “is that she had to have a reason to be involved in something like this. She had money. She had you. What was the point? Just for thrills? Was she just bored, like she said? Maybe she left her car on that bridge and her ‘Daddy’ came and picked her up and she left Thistle Cove for good.”
“It’s possible,” Ozzy says. “But, it’s also pretty fucking scandalous. Especially when you have a father in politics. Maybe we aren’t the only ones that found out about this account?”
I grab the bottle again and take another swig. The deeper we dig into Rose’s life; the more complicated things are.
“Should we tell the police about this?” I ask.
“I think we have to,” Ozzy says. “She could still be out there.”
“And she could be in trouble,” Ezra adds.
I nod in agreement.
Ozzy takes back the phone. “In the meantime, I’ll see if I can get into her account—maybe see who she’s matched up with.”
My phone vibrates at the same time as the others. We all check. It’s Kenley.
Home safe.
I’m not sure about the other guys, but one thing runs through my mind; we may have failed Rose, but at least there’s one girl in Thistle Cove we can protect.
25
Kenley
Ozzy gives us the heads up that he’s going to tell the police about the SugarBabies app and Rose’s connection to it.
“Can I go with you?” I ask when I pick him up the next morning. “I think I should tell them about the conversation Rose and I had at the pool.”
“Sure.”
I drive over the bridge, the emergency vehicles long gone. A small shrine has started in the spot where they found her car. I divert my gaze. We pass the high school and head into the small town of Thistle Cove. On paper, it’s perfectly quaint, with a town square that has a gazebo in the middle, the courthouse, and parallel rows of shops. The police station is on the backside of the courthouse. I find a parking spot out front and ease in.
Before I get out of the car, Ozzy reaches over the gear shift and rests his hand on mine, squeezing gently.
“It’ll be okay,” he says, probably to himself as much as for me.
There’s a thrill that runs up my arm from his touch. I like Ozzy. A lot. More than I ever expected. I had some crazy idea in my head that if I couldn’t have Finn, then I wouldn’t have anyone as long as I lived in this town. But the more Ozzy and I rekindle our relationship, the more I see him in a different light. He’s smart and handsome. He’s not the buff athlete that Finn and Ezra are, but I like his lanky build and the way his clothes fit. I like the way he looks at me and how his skin feels against mine.
But I’m not sure how I feel about Finn. Especially after his confession last night.
My thoughts shouldn’t be on boys, I remind myself and get out of the car. Ozzy meets me at the front, and we walk toward the station. We pass a few officers on the way in and at the front desk Ozzy tells the woman in a dark blue uniform, “We need to talk to Chief McMichael or one of the detectives about the Rose Waller case.”
We don’t have time to take a seat in the empty waiting room. Detective Jones walks out with his neat beard and pensive eyes and waves us back.
“What can I do for you?” he says, taking us past a series of messy desks to a small room that only has a table and a couple of chairs. He sits on one side. Ozzy pulls out my chair and we both sit.
“We had some information about Rose.”
“What kind of information.”
Ozzy looks at me, and I take a deep breath and start. I tell him about speaking to Rose before school started and how she apologized for the rift in our friendship as well as confiding in me that she was in trouble. Detective Jones quietly takes notes and then says, “Is there a reason you’ve waited until now to come forward?”
“I don’t know,” I say, running my hand nervously down my thigh. I’m making my third pass when Ozzy reaches out and takes my hand under the table, threading his fingers with mine. “I guess I didn’t think it was important.”
“And you do now? Why’s that?”
Ozzy clears his throat. “Because none of us really thought Rose would get herself into any trouble. She seemed very much in control of her life and happy. But all the pieces started clicking together and,” he reaches for his phone, pulling up the app, and sliding it across the table, “I found this.”