I sit in my car for a moment, then I power up Quinn’s phone. I see the little Apple logo appear on the screen, and a second later, the phone prompts me to enter a passcode.
What would Quinn choose as her passcode? Her birthday? I try it, but no luck. My birthday? That doesn’t work either.
My own phone buzzes. It’s Rob, texting me: Where did you go with my truck???
I don’t answer. Instead, I type in Derek’s birthday.
And now I’m locked out.
It doesn’t matter. I didn’t come here to get into Quinn’s phone. I came here to get rid of it.
My phone buzzes again. I don’t even look at it. I’m sure it’s Rob.
I walk along the row of parked cars. Most of them are locked up tight, but a couple have their windows cracked open. I come to a stop when I see a car with Vermont license plates. The back window is cracked open just a hair. Just enough for me to slide Quinn’s phone in.
There. Let’s see Scott track her down now.
I look back up at the cemetery. I haven’t been here for at least a year. At first, Quinn and I used to come here every month. I would drive us and we would stand together in front of their headstones, holding hands. Quinn would usually cry. She blamed herself. After all, they had been going to see her play.
If only I hadn’t tried out for that stupid play, she would sob.
After a while, we started going every other month. Then every few months. Then once a year.
Well, I guess that means it’s time for a visit.
I step through the iron gates to get into the cemetery. The snow is mostly untouched in here. It’s thick and flawlessly white. My legs sink almost to my knees as I walk over to our parents’ gravestones.
They’re all the way in the back. Maxine Turner Mackey and Samuel Mackey. Beloved wife and husband, parents to Quinn and Claudia.
Sometimes I imagine what our lives would’ve been like if they hadn’t died. I would have completed college. Maybe I would be a lawyer right now, like I wanted. I would have made smarter choices in my life if I knew I had my parents backing me up. I doubt I would have married Rob.
Maybe Quinn would have made better choices too.
Well, there’s no point in debating what would’ve happened. They’re dead, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
Chapter 21
When I get back home, Rob is waiting for me in the kitchen. He’s eating a bowl of cereal and he glares at me as I stomp the snow off my boots in the foyer, silently daring him to come yell at me. He doesn’t.
“Where were you?” he asks as I walk into the living room in my bare feet.
“Just driving around, looking for Quinn.”
He grunts. “You think you could find her better than the police?”
That’s the problem with Rob. He never believes in me. A few years ago, I talked to him about the possibility of going back to college, or at least taking a few classes. You’re way too old for that, Claudia. I hate to admit it, but his words got to me. I never ended up doing it.
“Maybe,” I say.
“Well, did you?”
I roll my eyes. “No, I didn’t.”
He frowns. “You be careful, Claudia. You know, if you help her, you’ll be aiding and abetting a criminal.”
“Quinn isn’t a criminal.”
“She killed her husband. I would say that makes her a criminal.”
“Watch it.”
Our eyes meet across the table. I see a muscle twitch in Rob’s jaw. Finally, he drops his eyes.
“If you’re going to take my truck,” he mutters, “at least let me know first.”
“I wasn’t gone long.”
“Yeah, but I got a job to do, Claudia.”
I snort. “What? Unclogging someone’s toilet?”
He stands up so quickly, he nearly knocks his chair down. “Guess that’s not as important as giving somebody a back rub, huh?”
I open my mouth to reply, but Rob has already brushed past me. He grabs his coat and his car keys, then he’s out the door. The entire house shakes on its foundation when he slams the door shut.
I don’t expect to go out again today anyway. I got rid of the phone. Presumably, the phone is currently making its way to Vermont. Nowhere near us. By the time the police track it down, Quinn will have had time to get even further away from here.
And when she calls me to tell me where she is—and I’m sure she will—I’m going to be ready.
_____
I had a couple of massage clients scheduled in the afternoon, but everyone canceled because of the snow. It means I end up sitting around the house, worrying about what’s happening with my sister. I also do a bit of laundry. Rob never, ever does laundry. He would keep buying underwear for months to avoid doing a load.