Carter held me tighter. “What do you see, Emma?”
“Nothing. Him.”
“Look at him. What do you see?”
What did I see? Nothing.
“Tell me what he’s wearing.”
“What? He’s wearing baggy pants. So what?” I tried wiggling out of his hold again. “Carter, stop this.”
“What’s in his pants? Look, Emma.”
Anger rose in me, but I looked. Then I saw it. There was a bag in his back pocket. “Is that what you’re talking about?”
“What’s in it?”
“I can’t see it.”
“Look. Yes, you can.”
“Fine!” Then I saw the corner that peeked out of his pocket. “White stuff. You already said he was on drugs.”
“Keep looking.”
I noticed a bulge in the same pocket and moved to get free. Carter let me go this time and I knelt closer to Ben. I pulled the bag of white powder out. Another knife came with it. His phone was in the other pocket, along with a set of keys. “What does this all mean?”
“Why did he come here?”
“What are you doing?”
“He butchered your friend, Emma. He should’ve run, but he didn’t. He came here. Why? To break the news to your friend? I doubt it. Open his phone. Look at the last number he dialed.”
I didn’t recognize it. “There’s no name saved to it.”
“Read it to me.” When I did, he said, “That’s the same number Graham dialed. My guess, it was his last connection to Franco.”
“Franco’s dead.”
A groan came from Ben and Carter hit him in the head again. No more sounds came again.
“I want to talk to him.”
He shook his head. “You’re not ready.”
“Why are you doing this?”
His nostrils flared as he pierced me with his eyes. “Are you kidding me? All you do is blame yourself for your friend’s death. I get it. You just found out today, but I’m not going to let you keep blaming yourself. That’ll screw with your head. I want you to mourn your friend, but you have to have the facts straight. You need to start doing it in a healthy way and your head’s not clear, not when it comes to your roommate. I’m trying to help you with this guy. He’s scum, but he was scum that your roommate brought in. You had no say over him. She brought him in. She stayed with him. She chose to go to him. Not you. I want you to be clear - you couldn’t have stopped her from going to this guy. You can’t blame yourself for that.”
“And making me take inventory on Ben is going to help that?”
He lifted his hands. “It’s a start. You need to really look at him for who he is. You never did. I heard you interact with him before. You thought he was annoying and stupid. You laughed at him. You never took him serious. You did what most girls do, you only see the surface. Every person gives you an image of what they want you to see. This asshole looked pathetic to you, maybe lovesick?”
Everything was swirling inside of me. I was confused by what he was saying, but I only wanted to yell at Ben. He took her from me. He shouldn’t have taken her from me. “Make him pay, Emma. Promise!” Amanda’s shout came back to me and I shook my head. She was right. I was tired of Carter’s lesson.
I started forward for him, but Carter hauled me back. His hand stayed on my arm. “What were you going to do?”
“I...” I had no idea.