2
Providence Falls,
Present Day
Police investigator Cora McLeod crossed her arms and stared in exasperation at the lanky teenager who was doing his utmost to impress her with his street swagger. “For the last time, Billy, this isn’t about me.”
She’d been grabbing lunch at her favorite diner in downtown Providence Falls, just minding her own business—sort of—on her day off, when she happened to see the kid. Billy was a wealth of information, and on more than one occasion he’d tipped her off and helped put criminals behind bars. If she’d been driving past the seedier end of the city today specifically looking for him, she’d never admit it. Hey, it was a lovely summer afternoon. Why not take the scenic route home? But now that she’d finally found him outside the Gas n’ Go, she might as well try to get some information.
Billy MacCarron, or “the Mac” as he liked to call himself, was wiser than his fifteen years. He’d been in and out of foster homes his whole life, and he was no stranger to the streets of Providence Falls. As a police investigator, Cora often relied on her connections to help track down people of interest, and even though it was a Saturday and officially her day off, the previous week had been a headache. Three reports of aggravated assault on Friday, and still no one could find the attacker. Nero Polinsky, a petty criminal with an ever-growing rap sheet, was in the wind. But Cora was determined to change that.
“Nah, girl. It’s about you and the Mac.” Billy wagged a finger between them with a crooked grin. “When’re you going to admit we got something going on?” His boyish face, along with the peach fuzz on his chin and freckles across his nose, reminded Cora just how young he really was. He drew a cigarette from behind his ear and pulled a lighter from his pocket. With an expert flick of his fingers, he lit the cigarette and took a long drag.
“Billy, I’m practically old enough to be your mom.” It wasn’t exactly true, since she was only ten years older, but it sounded good. She gave him her best stern-parent face, which might’ve worked better if she wasn’t so much shorter than him. At five feet three inches tall, the top of her head barely came up to his chin. “And I don’t have time to talk. I’m looking for Nero Polinsky. He’s been on a rampage since last week, and we need to bring him in before he does any more harm.”
Billy’s gaze slid away, and he shrugged a bony shoulder. “I ain’t seen him.”
Right. The kid might smoke with the practiced ease of a Vegas slot machine addict, but he sure as hell didn’t have a poker face. “You sure about that? Because I just came from Rock & Bowlers and the manager saw you talking to him an hour ago.”
Billy took another drag on the cigarette. “I guess I saw him earlier, yeah. But that don’t mean I know where he is now.”
Cora fought for patience, knowing from experience she’d get a lot further with Billy if she gave him a little time. At heart, he was a good kid, even though he tried his best to portray the image of a tough bad boy. “Look, this isn’t the first time Nero’s been in trouble, and you know it. He hit up a convenience store yesterday. Beat the owner with a baseball bat. Did you know that?”
Billy’s face blanched, making his freckles stand out even more. He shook his head.
“He’s been getting worse, and if you have any idea where he is, you need to tell me. It could be a matter of life or death, depending on whose path he crosses next.”
Billy swallowed visibly. “I didn’t talk to him for very long. He just wanted to know if I had any weed—” He glanced up sharply. “Which, I didn’t. I swear.”
Cora nodded encouragingly. “Okay. Did he say where he was going?”
Billy looked worried. “If I tell you, do you promise not to rat me out?”
“I would never do that,” Cora said with feeling. The last thing she’d ever do is put a kid like Billy at risk, or anyone in her city, for that matter. Cora had lived in the small North Carolina city tucked in the Appalachian foothills her entire life. It wasn’t nearly as big or as cosmopolitan as the larger cities to the east, but what it lacked in glamour, it made up for in charm. Providence Falls had a small university known for its creative arts programs, and the town was often a summer vacation destination for state residents who wanted to go “glamping.” It had all the benefits of city life, with the perk of being surrounded by forests, lakes and state parks. Cora couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, and her job of keeping the peace and protecting the people meant everything to her.
“He said he was going to The Lusty Lady to talk to his ex-wife,” Billy said. “Something about her owing him money.”
Bingo. The Lusty Lady was a gentleman’s club several blocks away near the old warehouse district. Every city had its shady side, and The Lusty Lady was smack-dab in the center of it. Cora knew Nero was as slippery as an electric eel, and just as dangerous. He seemed to have a sort of sixth sense when it came to cops, so he’d probably be long gone before she even showed up. But with any luck, she could talk to his ex and maybe get some useful information. While it crossed her mind that she wasn’t on the clock, she didn’t see anything wrong with driving by The Lusty Lady, just to check things out. Hey, she was in the neighborhood, after all. And people could do whatever they wanted on their days off. Some people liked to go shopping or see a movie. Today, she just happened to feel like heading down a dark alley past stinking dumpsters to a shady strip club with questionable, sticky floors. Yep.
Cora gave Billy a brilliant smile, snagged the cigarette from his mouth and crushed it on the pavement.
“Hey!” Billy looked mournfully at the ground. “That was my last one.”
“Good. You’re not supposed to be smoking, anyway. Here.” Cora opened her tote and pulled out a take-out bag from Munchies Diner. She’d just bought lunch, but Billy probably needed it more. “Crispy chicken with all the fixings. Plus curly fries.” She handed it to him.
His face lit up, but then smoothed out like he was trying to play it cool. “I’d rather have my cigarette.”
She raised a delicate brow. “Just be glad I don’t slap a fine on you for underage smoking.”
He gave her a wounded look. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I so totally would.” She grinned and jerked a thumb at her chest. “Police, remember?”
“After all we’ve been through? I thought we had a thing going, you and me.” Billy’s dejected expression morphed into eagerness as he yanked the warm sandwich out of the bag.
“We do,” Cora said, turning toward her Mini Cooper parked along the sidewalk. “We’ve got that thing next Tuesday afternoon, remember?”
“I wasn’t talking about no internship at the Teens in Action club,” Billy called over a mouthful of sandwich.