help.
“Yesterday,” he said, rubbing the claw marks I’d left on his arm.
“One day without seeing him, that’s nothing to worry about.”
Frankie shook his head vigorously. “Something was going on. When I saw him in the morning, he was all smiles. Said he had something big up his sleeve. Something life-changing. But then I called him in the afternoon to see ifhe’d tell me what this big thing was and he was completely different.”
“How so?”
“Scared. Billy doesn’t get scared. And now he’s gone. I think he ran.”
Damn. What did he see that frightened him enough to make him bolt? Did someone threaten him? I thought about Perry, also missing, and hated how these threads were coming together.
“Wouldn’t he have told you where he was going?” I asked. “You two are like brothers.”
“I dunno. He’s not answering his cell phone. I can’t find him anywhere.”
“So why are you acting all sketchy, pulling me under the boardwalk to talk to you?”
“I know what everyone in town says.” He mimicked a high voice. “ ‘Billy and Frankie share a brain.’ ”
“So?”
“So whoever scared Billy enough to make him run away might think I’m in on whatever Billy did. I’m staying hidden until he comes back.”
“And if he doesn’t?” I asked, but a thundering boom muffled my words.
I jumped and twisted around. The night sky lit up with sparkling purple and blue hues, followed by applause and a smattering of “oooh"s and “ahhhh"s. I’d have to bring Frankie somewhere else to continue this conversation if either of us was going to hear a word. I turned back.
Frankie was gone.
I ducked and peeked under the boardwalk but saw only black. I wasn’t about to head under there again. So Frankie was free of me.
For now.
I called Gabriel’s cell and quickly relayed the information to him. We made plans to catch up tomorrow. But now, all I wanted was sleep.
I made my way back through the swarms of people, fireworks booming overhead, and by the time I got home the grand finale had ended and most of the crowd were working their way home as well. I trudged up the walk toward the front porch, then stopped.
The outside light was off. That’s weird, I thought. I never forget to put the light on, and I was the last one to leave. With the entire porch shrouded in darkness, it seemed different, scary. I told myself to grow up and keep walking. I’d probably been so distracted by Gabriel’s company that I’d forgotten to put on the light on my way out.
I pulled out my key and squinted at the darkness so I wouldn’t trip on the stairs. The wood creaked beneath my feet. Then I heard something else. Steady, deep breathing. I gazed at the shadows along the porch. One shadow in particular on the porch swing. I squinted hard, desperate for enough light to make out what or who it was.
The shadow moved. Slightly, but enough for me to recognize that it was a person. With my key held out before me like a weapon, I yelled, “Get up and tell me what you want!”
“Ahhhhh! Wha? Huh?”
I’d recognize that babbling anywhere. “Perry?”
“Clare?”
I quickly turned my key in the lock, opened the door, and switched on the outside light. The once menacing shadow morphed into the familiar frame of my brother as he sat up.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I should be asking you that. I was this close to stabbing your eye with my house key. What are you doing sleeping on the porch swing?”
He raked his hands through his hair. “Sorry. When I left this morning, I didn’t bring my key. No one was home so I lay down to wait for you or Mom, and I must have fallen asleep.”
My blood pressure ballooned. “Where have you been all day and night? You missed your readings. Mom’s wicked mad.”
Perry picked at a chip of paint peeling off the swing. “I didn’t want her to read my thoughts. To know I was with Vicki the night she was murdered.”
I crossed my arms. “You can’t stay away from
“Yesterday,” he said, rubbing the claw marks I’d left on his arm.
“One day without seeing him, that’s nothing to worry about.”
Frankie shook his head vigorously. “Something was going on. When I saw him in the morning, he was all smiles. Said he had something big up his sleeve. Something life-changing. But then I called him in the afternoon to see ifhe’d tell me what this big thing was and he was completely different.”
“How so?”
“Scared. Billy doesn’t get scared. And now he’s gone. I think he ran.”
Damn. What did he see that frightened him enough to make him bolt? Did someone threaten him? I thought about Perry, also missing, and hated how these threads were coming together.
“Wouldn’t he have told you where he was going?” I asked. “You two are like brothers.”
“I dunno. He’s not answering his cell phone. I can’t find him anywhere.”
“So why are you acting all sketchy, pulling me under the boardwalk to talk to you?”
“I know what everyone in town says.” He mimicked a high voice. “ ‘Billy and Frankie share a brain.’ ”
“So?”
“So whoever scared Billy enough to make him run away might think I’m in on whatever Billy did. I’m staying hidden until he comes back.”
“And if he doesn’t?” I asked, but a thundering boom muffled my words.
I jumped and twisted around. The night sky lit up with sparkling purple and blue hues, followed by applause and a smattering of “oooh"s and “ahhhh"s. I’d have to bring Frankie somewhere else to continue this conversation if either of us was going to hear a word. I turned back.
Frankie was gone.
I ducked and peeked under the boardwalk but saw only black. I wasn’t about to head under there again. So Frankie was free of me.
For now.
I called Gabriel’s cell and quickly relayed the information to him. We made plans to catch up tomorrow. But now, all I wanted was sleep.
I made my way back through the swarms of people, fireworks booming overhead, and by the time I got home the grand finale had ended and most of the crowd were working their way home as well. I trudged up the walk toward the front porch, then stopped.
The outside light was off. That’s weird, I thought. I never forget to put the light on, and I was the last one to leave. With the entire porch shrouded in darkness, it seemed different, scary. I told myself to grow up and keep walking. I’d probably been so distracted by Gabriel’s company that I’d forgotten to put on the light on my way out.
I pulled out my key and squinted at the darkness so I wouldn’t trip on the stairs. The wood creaked beneath my feet. Then I heard something else. Steady, deep breathing. I gazed at the shadows along the porch. One shadow in particular on the porch swing. I squinted hard, desperate for enough light to make out what or who it was.
The shadow moved. Slightly, but enough for me to recognize that it was a person. With my key held out before me like a weapon, I yelled, “Get up and tell me what you want!”
“Ahhhhh! Wha? Huh?”
I’d recognize that babbling anywhere. “Perry?”
“Clare?”
I quickly turned my key in the lock, opened the door, and switched on the outside light. The once menacing shadow morphed into the familiar frame of my brother as he sat up.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“I should be asking you that. I was this close to stabbing your eye with my house key. What are you doing sleeping on the porch swing?”
He raked his hands through his hair. “Sorry. When I left this morning, I didn’t bring my key. No one was home so I lay down to wait for you or Mom, and I must have fallen asleep.”
My blood pressure ballooned. “Where have you been all day and night? You missed your readings. Mom’s wicked mad.”
Perry picked at a chip of paint peeling off the swing. “I didn’t want her to read my thoughts. To know I was with Vicki the night she was murdered.”
I crossed my arms. “You can’t stay away from
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