Page 29 (2/2)

She spins her chair around and stares at the bag skeptically "One moment please" She rolls to the phone and takes her sweet ti up "That’s all that was collected"

Glancing at the bag, I shakemaroon jewel"

"Well then, it sounds like you’ll be able to find it easily when you get home" She huffs out of her chair and walks out the side door

I dump the bracelets on the counter, fasten thes intomy necklace"

Raven and her brother, Todd, are sitting in the waiting roo an egg McMuffin Raven runs up to giveback, she zips up the suede jacket over her silk pajama set

Todd is twenty-three years old and is the spitting , and tattoos all over his ives h my nose until it’s over "What the hell did you do this tilass doors and I bask in my freedom The sun is awake, the sky a clear blue, and elderly couples stroll up the sidewalk and eat breakfast out on the patios Pink flyers with Mackenzie’s face on them are plastered all over the street posts, doors, and walls of the surrounding buildings

"Well, apparently, it’s a crime to crash your car into a lake and then not tell anyone" I slide into the backseat of his 1980 Pontiac Firebird with a large eagle painted on the hood, and then Raven pushes the front seat back and clier?" he asks as he cliine backfires "Like, it’s gone?"

Raven exchanges a look with me and I shake my head She wants to knohat really happened, but I don’t want to tell her in front of Todd The first thing I need to do is talk to Asher Because I think I’m ready to hear his answers now

Todd takes us to breakfast at Sherry’s Diner It’s a seventies themed restaurant where they still allow people to s beehive hair, oval glasses, and a white apron over her pink dress

"Hi, y’all," she draith an order book and pen in her hand "What can I get you?"

Raven and I are sitting side-by-side in the booth across fro over the same menu "Can we have just a second?" Raven asks

Todd hands Betty Lou his s, scrambled, wheat toast, and a hao put this order in and coone, Todd gets up froo use the men’s room"

He struts toward the back area of the restaurant and Raven whispers inthe waitress"

I pull a disgusted face "Betty Lou?"

She rolls her eyes and points her finger at a slender waitress with fiery red hair standing behind the serving counter "That one… wait just a second and she’ll walk back toward the bathrooms"

We pretend to stare at oursays, Steph She’s pretty, maybe a few years older than Todd, but other than that, she seeh, about a oes wandering back there

"How do you know about the the list of beverages "He’s been bringing me to either dinner or breakfast here al routine So are you going to tell me what’s up with the police?"

Betty Lou appears at the end of our table and we hurry and give her our orders She gathers the lasses of water for the people at the bar

"Before I tell you," I say in a hushed voice "I need you to tell ot on your shoulder"

She frowns and unzips her jacket to show ot when I wasout of it"

There isn’t anything left of the scratch "Okay, then ere you acting so… happy after he died?"

She puts her jacket back on and flips her bubblegu really bad happened that night… Laden almost raped me"

My heart literally stops, dies and withers "What? Why didn’t you tell ht after it happened and I worried I’d become a suspect" She peeks over her shoulder and then drops her voice "Besides, you have your own stuff to deal with, like death and your mom and Ian"

"You could have told me," I whisper "I wouldn’t have told anyone And I can handle more than you think"

"No, you think you can handle lass back down on the table "But it’s okay I talked to Asher about it and he really helpedwas just my need to deal hat happened"

"When did you talk to Asher?" My voice comes out sharp and I clear my throat "I’ out with each other"

"Calm down" She scoots the utensils out of the way and rests her elbow onto the table "We’re just friends And I was talking to hi raped"

"That’s… that’s not possible," I staht"

She thruer on her lip "Well, it was before or after he saved me then"

I shake my head in denial "There’s no way he could have made it to both places in time"

"I’m not sure, Em Maybe you should ask him because all I know is that Laden is a rapist and I don’t feel bad that he’s gone And Asher was basically el that day"