By 6:00 she’d been watching for Jones to pull into the driveway. By 7:00 she’d assumed he was spending the night in jail. By 8:00 she’d locked all the doors and shut herself and Everett in the bathroom so he could play in the tub and she could hide.
She’d been primed for his phone call when it finally came at 1:00 a.m. and had snatched up the receiver, gasping out his name.
“You know the place Everett likes to skip rocks?” he’d said. “Meet me there. Bring your keys. Please. I need help, baby.”
And so she’d gone. As soon as Jones hung up, she’d left Everett deeply asleep, and she’d stolen out her back door to jog the three blocks to the duck pond at the local park. The cold had seeped into her as she stood there, vulnerable, waiting for a police spotlight to explode on her at any moment, to illuminate her like a flamethrower and consume her.
Instead she’d heard the whisper of her name from a line of fir trees and moved closer as if there were a rope pulling her toward a pit. “Jones?”
And then his arms had been around her, his face buried in her neck. “I don’t know what’s happening,” he’d sobbed over and over.
She’d held him tight until he’d calmed enough to speak. “I’m being set up. I think I found incriminating evidence in the books at the dealership. I told the manager about it. That’s the only thing I can think of. It must be him. It must be Rolly.”
“Oh my God,” she’d breathed over and over. “Oh my God.”
“I’ve hired an attorney,” he promised. “He knows what’s up, and he’s willing to help. But I am not going to turn myself in to those bastards. Rolly’s cousin is the chief of police. If they get their hands on me, I’ll never be seen again.”
“They can’t do that!” she’d responded.
“I’ll get railroaded into prison, Lily. I just need to lay low for a couple of days until the real evidence works its way through the system. I’ve contacted the newspaper already. It’ll go public. I won’t let them get away with this.”
“Where are you going to hide? I’m sure they’re watching the house!”
“I have a spot. But . . . I need your car. They’re on the lookout for mine.”
Lily had thrust over her keys immediately. “Take it. We’re fine. I can walk to the store for a couple of days, and we’ll figure it out from there.”
He immediately gave them back. “When you get home, move the car one block over. Under that willow. You got that?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Are you okay?”
He shook his head. She didn’t realize until much later that he hadn’t asked about her. Or about Everett.
That was the last time she’d seen him. The last time she’d seen her car. There’d been no attorney. No conspiracy. No article in the paper. Just more lies.
And she’d added to them. Her lies to the police after that night had given Jones a five-day head start before they’d realized her car was gone. Even then, even when doubts about Jones had begun to creep along her limbs at night, she’d still told the police she believed the car had been impounded along with everything else they’d taken. She’d lied about a lot of things that first week, scared that Jones was being framed.
It was no wonder they thought she’d helped him. She had.
Was it her guilt and hatred that made her keep Everett from his father? She told herself she was protecting him, but maybe she was making his pain worse.
When her text alert dinged, it finally occurred to Lily that she should be in a good mood. She should be texting Zoey to tell her the news or baking cupcakes to surprise Everett. Instead she was chewing her thumbnail and freaking out.
But when she flipped her phone over and saw the text, Lily’s heart froze.
Ms. Brown, I’m worried about Everett.
CHAPTER 26
“Come on, come on,” Everett muttered to the computer monitor. He’d sent the message five minutes ago, and so far there’d been no response. Josephine’s dad would be at the library in fifteen minutes.
He watched Josephine emerge from the bathroom, and he hunched in defensiveness. But she didn’t join him. Instead, she glanced at him with a deep frown and turned away, making her way to the YA section of the library.
She was upset. He knew she was upset, but he’d explain everything once it was done. She’d understand. Maybe she’d even enjoy the story.
When a bubble popped up, Everett nearly shouted with triumph.