events weighed me down with the force of a pile driver, and I dropped onto the arm of my couch. “You’re not going to convince me there’s no chance Justin hasn’t done this. And I’m not going to convince you he’s still a threat to society. And neither one of us has the energy to argue.”
The corner of his thin mouth lifted into a weary, half-smile. “That’s the truth. I’m exhausted.”
“How’s Jenna holding up?”
“Better than most people,” he said. “She’s by herself, though. No family’s come to be with her. A couple of friends from work have been in and out, but as far as I know, no one else.”
“I’m sorry she’s alone.” Jenna was lucky, in my opinion. Most friends and family who come to help in times of crisis never know what to say, and the person suffering ends up trying to make everyone else feel like they matter. Unless you’ve got a mother who demands the attention be solely on her. Never mind the girl who’s just found her sister dead in the bathroom.
“Do you have any leads?” I asked, deciding to omit the obvious one.
“A couple of creeps in the neighborhood we’re following up, but so far, there’s nothing. No one saw her get into a vehicle with anyone. She just disappeared.”
My throat tightened, and I asked the question I’d been thinking since I heard Kailey was missing. “Do you think she’s still alive?”
Shadows passed through Todd’s eyes, his tall frame seeming to wilt in front of me. “We have no reason to believe otherwise.”
His tone said differently. I knew the statistics and so did Todd. After the first twenty-four hours, chances of finding a missing child plummet. I thought of Kailey’s smiling face in her school picture, of the innocence shining in her eyes. I hadn’t prayed in years, but I would pray for Kailey tonight.
Todd’s stomach growled. “I need to get going. Get something to eat and sleep a few hours.”
“I’d offer you something,” I said as I got to my tired feet, “but there isn’t much here. I forgot to go to the grocery store.”
“I’m a bachelor. I’m used to fending for myself.”
An awkward silence simmered. I noticed Todd’s coat was buttoned up wrong, leaving a goofy looking gap. “Let me just fix that for you.”
He stiffened as I reached for his coat and fumbled with the button. “There,” I patted his coat. “Now you look slightly less harried.”
“Thanks.” The planes of his face relaxed. His eyes misted over. “You did that once for me before, remember?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“When Justin was arrested, you showed up at the house. You looked pale as a ghost. I remember your hair looking extra red against your skin, almost like you’d colored it. Your eyes looked like they were stuck wide open.”
“I couldn’t believe it.” The words made my throat raw. “I never thought something like that would happen.”
“I was sitting at the kitchen table. My dad and stepmom were with the police. You tried to talk to me.”
The spark of memory flickered to life. I remembered Todd, slouched and glaring at me, acne spattered across his chin. He was too thin as a teenager, his metabolism barely able to keep up with his height. “You told me to go to hell, that this was all my fault. I should have saved Justin before he did something like this.” I felt the tears welling in my eyes and quickly rubbed them before they fell.
“I’m sorry for that,” Todd said. “I was an angry kid and looking for someone to blame.”
“Do you know who hurt him?”
He looked at the floor, the lines in his forehead deepening. “Both of them did–my dad and stepmother. Verbally and physically. But I never saw them do anything sexual. I never thought…” his voice caught.
“You couldn’t have,” I said. “It’s nature and nurture, and it’s a shitty mess.”
He grunted and then cleared his throat. “I told you to get lost that day, and you didn’t push me. But you did fix my
The corner of his thin mouth lifted into a weary, half-smile. “That’s the truth. I’m exhausted.”
“How’s Jenna holding up?”
“Better than most people,” he said. “She’s by herself, though. No family’s come to be with her. A couple of friends from work have been in and out, but as far as I know, no one else.”
“I’m sorry she’s alone.” Jenna was lucky, in my opinion. Most friends and family who come to help in times of crisis never know what to say, and the person suffering ends up trying to make everyone else feel like they matter. Unless you’ve got a mother who demands the attention be solely on her. Never mind the girl who’s just found her sister dead in the bathroom.
“Do you have any leads?” I asked, deciding to omit the obvious one.
“A couple of creeps in the neighborhood we’re following up, but so far, there’s nothing. No one saw her get into a vehicle with anyone. She just disappeared.”
My throat tightened, and I asked the question I’d been thinking since I heard Kailey was missing. “Do you think she’s still alive?”
Shadows passed through Todd’s eyes, his tall frame seeming to wilt in front of me. “We have no reason to believe otherwise.”
His tone said differently. I knew the statistics and so did Todd. After the first twenty-four hours, chances of finding a missing child plummet. I thought of Kailey’s smiling face in her school picture, of the innocence shining in her eyes. I hadn’t prayed in years, but I would pray for Kailey tonight.
Todd’s stomach growled. “I need to get going. Get something to eat and sleep a few hours.”
“I’d offer you something,” I said as I got to my tired feet, “but there isn’t much here. I forgot to go to the grocery store.”
“I’m a bachelor. I’m used to fending for myself.”
An awkward silence simmered. I noticed Todd’s coat was buttoned up wrong, leaving a goofy looking gap. “Let me just fix that for you.”
He stiffened as I reached for his coat and fumbled with the button. “There,” I patted his coat. “Now you look slightly less harried.”
“Thanks.” The planes of his face relaxed. His eyes misted over. “You did that once for me before, remember?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“When Justin was arrested, you showed up at the house. You looked pale as a ghost. I remember your hair looking extra red against your skin, almost like you’d colored it. Your eyes looked like they were stuck wide open.”
“I couldn’t believe it.” The words made my throat raw. “I never thought something like that would happen.”
“I was sitting at the kitchen table. My dad and stepmom were with the police. You tried to talk to me.”
The spark of memory flickered to life. I remembered Todd, slouched and glaring at me, acne spattered across his chin. He was too thin as a teenager, his metabolism barely able to keep up with his height. “You told me to go to hell, that this was all my fault. I should have saved Justin before he did something like this.” I felt the tears welling in my eyes and quickly rubbed them before they fell.
“I’m sorry for that,” Todd said. “I was an angry kid and looking for someone to blame.”
“Do you know who hurt him?”
He looked at the floor, the lines in his forehead deepening. “Both of them did–my dad and stepmother. Verbally and physically. But I never saw them do anything sexual. I never thought…” his voice caught.
“You couldn’t have,” I said. “It’s nature and nurture, and it’s a shitty mess.”
He grunted and then cleared his throat. “I told you to get lost that day, and you didn’t push me. But you did fix my
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