“Did you tell anyone about it?”
“I told my mom because I wanted to make sure he didn’t come over again.”
“What did she say?”
“She didn’t look that surprised. She just told me to stay away from him.”
“You mentioned before you had another interaction with Liam that was very unsettling for you.”
“Yeah. That was last year.”
“What happened?”
“Okay, so Liam’s sister—you know, Hannah—she’s a huge pain in the ass. She got all pissed off at me for some reason, and I guess she told him about it. So he felt like he had to avenge her or something. Even though I didn’t even do anything wrong.”
“What did he do?”
“So there was this stray cat that used to hang out by our house. My sister used to feed him, so he kept coming back. I didn’t really care either way. I never fed the cat—I mean, that’s not my responsibility, to feed a damn stray cat. And sometimes he’d be right in front of the door, so I had to kick him out of the way. Anyway. I got home from school one day and the stupid cat is in my bed. Can you imagine? I thought Emma let him inside. But then when I tried to shoo him away, he didn’t move. So then I tried to pick him up to move him and…”
“Yes?”
“His insides fell out.”
“…”
“Shit, I feel sick thinking about it. Somebody sliced him through the belly, and then when I picked him up… BAM, cat guts all over my bed!”
“That must have been very upsetting.”
“Damn right. Oh, sorry. Am I allowed to say that?”
“Say what?”
“Damn. Because it’s, like, a curse word.”
“It’s okay. So what did you do next?”
“I told my parents obviously. And I told them I thought Liam did it. But they asked if I had any proof, and I didn’t. So we didn’t do anything. My mom just kept saying to stay away from him and his family.”
“And that was your last serious interaction with Liam?”
“Yeah. Well, if you don’t count me kicking his ass the other day.”
“Tyler, how do you know Olivia Mercer?”
“Oh, just from around. She was in my year. And she was friends with Madison Connor, who’s dating my buddy Aidan.”
“Are you friendly with her?”
“I don’t know. A little.”
“Did you ever ask her out on a date?”
“No…”
“Some of your friends from the football team said that you did ask her out. And she told you no.”
“That’s not… That’s not what happened at all. Some of us were going out for burgers and I just invited her along. No big deal. And she was busy.”
“Did it bother you when you saw her out with Liam?”
“Hell no. She’s not even that hot. She could go out with whoever the hell she wants. Liam… half the football team, for all I care.”
“So you weren’t jealous?”
“What the… I thought we were talking about Liam. Liam is the crazy one.”
“Tyler, how many times have you been suspended for fighting?”
“Jesus Christ, just twice. Is that a lot?”
“It’s more than any of your peers.”
“Yeah, but… The first time wasn’t my fault. The guy stole my girlfriend. You don’t do that to someone.”
“But you threw the first punch.”
“Yeah. I did. But—”
“And you were the one who punched Liam in the hallway first. Weren’t you?”
“Fine. Yes. Look, I was mad at Liam because I thought he killed Olivia. That’s the reason… I’m not crazy like he is. Yeah, we used to be friends. But after I realized what he was like, we stopped being friends. I’m not like him. And I sure as hell didn’t do anything to Olivia.”
Chapter 37
Erika
Jason texts me that the police are still searching the house, so I take the kids to McDonald’s for lunch. I want to warn Liam about what’s happening, but I’m not quite sure how to tell him.
Hannah agonizes over the menu at McDonald’s, complaining about how it’s going to ruin her diet. Then she goes ahead and orders a bacon double cheeseburger with large French fries. Liam says he’s not hungry, but he reluctantly orders a Big Mac and Coke. I don’t have much appetite either, but I pick something randomly from the menu. We’ve got to eat.