here,â he said, his jaw clenched, when I realized what exactly the police were after. Why Laura thought they might come to me next. Daniel. His name was getting dragged out of the box.
âYou know what I thought when they showed up? I thought something had happened to Dan,â Laura said, her hands back on her stomach. She took a deep breath. âThey shouldnât be allowed to do that.â Her hands tightened into fists. âThis is our life. â
Daniel rubbed her back. âAll right. Itâs done,â he said.
âItâs not done, â Laura said, her eyes glistening as she looked up at Daniel. âTheyâre just getting started.â
Neither of us had any words of comfort after that. Weâd lived through it once before, after all.
Even though Annaleise had been our alibi, had corroborated my story that Daniel and I were fighting and he hit me, that didnât clear him. In fact, that made it worse. By the time the story rolled through town, people wondered what else he did to me behind closed doors. Were those bruises on my back? What happened in that house without a mother, with a half-vacant father?
Were he and Corinne ever involved? they had asked. Theyâd asked him. Theyâd asked all of us.
Never, said Daniel.
Never, said Bailey.
Never, said I.
----
DINNER WAS BARBECUE CHICKEN and vegetables that Laura had grown herself. Sheâd also made the sweet tea, which Everett had obviously never tasted before. His eyes gave him away when he took a gulp, but he recovered well enough, and I squeezed his leg under the table.
âSugar and liquor,â I said. âWe take them very seriously.â
He smiled, and I thought maybe we would get through this all right. But it took only until the second gap of silenceâknives sliding against the dishes, bread crunching in my mouthâfor Laura to start up again.
âThey should be looking at the workers from ten years ago, see if thereâs any working the fair. I told them that. Two makes a pattern, right?â The ends of her long blond hair were centimeters from brushing her dinner, and I motioned my fork toward her plate. âOh,â she said. âThanks.â She brushed it back behind her shoulders.
âDinnerâs delicious,â I said.
âPass the butter?â Daniel asked.
âTheyâre looking in all the wrong places,â Laura went on. I tried to catch Danielâs eye, but he was focused on the chicken he was cutting from the bone, his expression unreadable. She pushed her chair a little farther out, twisting to the side. âHonestly, they should be talking to Tyler more.â My hand froze, my knife over the chicken. She leaned closer, conspiratorially. âNo offense, Nic. But he was seeing her, and I heard he was the last phone call on recordââ
Daniel put his cup down on the table a little too hard.
âWhoâs Tyler?â Everett asked.
Laura laughed at him before she realized he was serious.
Daniel cleared his throat and answered for her. âA friend we grew up with. He was seeing Annaleise. He and his dad own a construction company, and theyâve been helping us with a few repairs.â
âYou know, Nicâs Tyler,â Laura said, like that should clear it all up.
âOh my God,â I said, rolling my eyes. âEx-boyfriend, Everett. Tyler was my high school boyfriend.â
Everett smiled tightly at Laura. âNicâs Tyler, huh?â Then to me, âAnd heâs helping with the house?â
âOh,â Laura cut in. âBut that was years ago. Heâs good people. Youâd like him.â
Daniel choked, coughed into the crook of his elbow, and Laura reached an arm for him. âAre you okay?â
My fork trembled over my plate, and I pressed my hands to my legs to still them. âYou think heâs involved in Annaleiseâs disappearance?â I asked. âIs that what you
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