I held my breath as I waited for her answer. Rebel had Down Syndrome and was on the autism spectrum, so routines were a really big deal around their house. So even though I was waiting for Tommy to show up, I still had to make sure that having her over to my house wouldn’t set her off.
“No,” Molly answered. “Will would rather you weren’t out driving by yourself this late. We can just drop her off if that’s okay?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
“Okay, we’re leaving now. See you in ten.”
When she hung up I tossed my phone on the bed and scratched my hands through my hair in frustration. The Hawthorne meeting had to be about Tommy, but I still had no fucking clue what was going on. Had he been arrested? Oh, God.
Vomit burned at the back of my throat, and I raced to the bathroom but by the time I got there, the feeling had passed. “Stop,” I whispered, turning on the sink to splash water on my face. “Stop freaking yourself out.” I braced my hands on the counter and counted backward from a hundred. Then I did it again.
By the time Molly was knocking on my door, I’d mellowed enough that I didn’t look like a crazy person when I opened it.
“Hey, Sparrow,” I greeted Rebel, reaching for her before Molly and Will had even stepped inside. “You gonna hang out with me for a bit?”
Rebel didn’t answer, just laid her head down on my shoulder and sighed.
“She wasn’t happy we were leaving the house, but she calmed down about halfway here,” Molly said ruefully, setting Reb’s bag down at the foot of my bed.
“Eh, it’s all good,” I assured her, rubbing Rebel’s back. “We’ll climb into bed and watch some Elmo for a while.”
“Okay.” Molly glanced at Will. “We shouldn’t be gone very long, right?”
“Couple hours, max,” Will replied with a nod. He looked at me. “You and Tommy, huh?”
“Um,” I mumbled.
“You have any idea what the fuck’s going on?”
“Language, Will,” Molly chastised with a grimace.
“I was there when the cops came today,” I said softly, rocking Rebel from side to side. “They said it had something to do with Mr. Phillips.”
Will looked at me in confusion for a moment, then his expression cleared. “The teacher?”
“Yeah. He went missing a couple years ago.”
“I remember that,” Molly said in surprise.
“Anyway,” I said. “That’s what they told Tommy it was about.”
“What the fuck would Tommy have to do with any of that?” Will scoffed.
“I don’t know,” I lied.
“We’ll know more once we get to your parents’ house,” Molly said, putting her hand gently on Will’s back. “We should probably get over there.”
“Yeah,” Will muttered. He turned and walked toward the door, then waited for Molly to come give Rebel a kiss and say goodbye before ushering her out of the apartment.
“Just you and me, kiddo,” I said as I locked the door behind them. “Want to watch Elmo?”
A silent nod gave me my answer.
* * *
An hour and a half later I woke up to knocking on my front door. Rebel had fallen asleep, which was a huge deal considering she didn’t have all of her sleeping stuff with her, and I’d fallen asleep shortly after. I’d been strung so tightly all day that by the time I’d gotten cozy with Reb, I’d been completely wiped.
“Who is it?” I called quietly before I disengaged the lock.
“Good answer,” Will’s deep voice called back through the door, making me smile.
“Hey,” I whispered as I opened the door wide and let them inside. “She fell asleep.”
“Seriously?” Molly asked, her eyes widening.
“Yep. My bed is magic.”
Will snorted as he passed me.
“Everything okay?” I asked Molly as Will picked Rebel up and tucked her against his chest.
“Yeah.” Molly glanced at Will then gave me an uncomfortable smile.
Well wasn’t that some shit. I’d guessed Molly’s loyalty had shifted, but I hadn’t seen it in action until that moment.
“Save your questions,” Will said as he grabbed Reb’s bag off my kitchen counter. “If I know my brother, he’s less than ten minutes behind us.”
My heart thumped hard at that news and I smiled just a little.
“Thanks again,” Molly said as she followed Will to the door.
“No worries.”
As I closed the door behind them, I took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. I reached up and locked the deadbolt, but I couldn’t force myself away from the door. I just stood there. Waiting.
Chapter 8
Tommy
“How well did you know Mark Phillips?”
“Was he your teacher?”
“How often did you see Mr. Phillips?”
“What can you tell me about the altercation you had with Mr. Phillips in the high school parking lot?”
“Have you ever been to Mr. Phillips’ house?”
“Have you ever been in Mr. Phillips’ car?”
“Did you ever spend time with Mr. Phillips outside of school?”
The questions had felt never-ending. I was pretty sure that had been the point. You keep someone long enough and they’ll answer you just to make you stop asking them the same thing over and over. Their answers will change to better fit your questions. They’ll give you what you’re looking for eventually.