you if you overreact.
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Bunny knows who you are and probably where to find you.”
Shit! Fuck! Damn! Piss!
“Oh?”
“Man, you’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would. I thought you’d be mad at me.”
“No, I’m not mad.”
I’m freakin’ petrified!
“I’m glad you told me. So, just out of curiosity, how did she find out?”
“Remember when she saw us together? Well, I’ve got this little tear in my backpack, and your card fell out. I didn’t tell her on purpose, I swear it.”
My guess was she did, but felt bad about it.
“So, did you tell her I’m helping you look for Star?”
Crystal shook her head. “Not at first. I just told her you were lost and needed directions. But…”
She stopped and I waited. “But then she started hassling me about wanting to be my street mom and I thought—I thought if she knew Star was coming back she’d leave me alone.”
Crystal’s shoulders slumped, the magnitude of her situation finally catching up with her. “I fucked up so bad. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. But it just came out. And now it’s not just Bunny I have to worry about. She’s going to tell everyone I was the one who got you involved in street business.”
The news report said the woman who was murdered was a case worker for homeless youth. Did Bunny thinks Olivia Bowen had somehow gotten all up in her business too? Wow. If she did kill Bowen, I got off lucky. If I hadn’t knocked Bunny out, I could’ve been the warm-up act.
“Crystal, did Bunny and Olivia Bowen know each other?”
“I don’t know. I stayed away from Bunny as much as possible. Why?”
“I was just wondering what their connection might be. If she is involved in this woman’s death, what would be her motivation?”
“Maybe she got pissed off because of Star.”
“What do you mean?”
“That Bowen lady was Star’s case worker.”
I tried to keep the “Why
the hell
didn’t you tell me” tone out of my voice and said calmly, “Crystal, that’s the kind of information that could be very helpful. I’m wondering why you didn’t mention it sooner.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. I had to remember I was dealing with a teenager trapped in an alternate universe. What was obvious to me wasn’t always the case with Crystal.
I needed time to sort all this out, but right now, there was a more pressing problem.
While Crystal helped herself to another cupcake, I got off the couch and sauntered over to the television, and casually deposited the gun in the plastic palm tree my parents sent me from Florida. The thing is hideous, and I suspect the cat has used it as a litter box on more than one occasion, but I can’t throw it out. That would hurt its feelings.
Now that the lethal weapon was out of plain sight, I turned back to Crystal. “Listen, kiddo, I don’t know how to say this except to just, well, say it. I think we should tell the police about Star going missing. Her disappearance may be tied in somehow to Olivia Bowen’s murder.”
Crystal’s delicate blond eyebrows arched and I could feel the heat rise from her body.
“Now before you get all bent out of shape, just hear me out. You said it yourself that everyone was going to blame you anyway for the police showing up, so it’s not safe for you to go back there. And what if by withholding information from the cops we end up endangering Star’s life? Look, Bowen was Star’s case worker. Star’s missing and Bowen’s dead, and Bunny was involved with them both.”
“But what if I’m wrong about Star? What if she’s fine and she doesn’t want to be found?”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
Her silence spoke volumes.
“Listen, the important thing right now is getting you to a safe place. I can arrange for that if you’ll let me.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can take care of yourself. But for once you don’t
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Bunny knows who you are and probably where to find you.”
Shit! Fuck! Damn! Piss!
“Oh?”
“Man, you’re taking this a lot better than I thought you would. I thought you’d be mad at me.”
“No, I’m not mad.”
I’m freakin’ petrified!
“I’m glad you told me. So, just out of curiosity, how did she find out?”
“Remember when she saw us together? Well, I’ve got this little tear in my backpack, and your card fell out. I didn’t tell her on purpose, I swear it.”
My guess was she did, but felt bad about it.
“So, did you tell her I’m helping you look for Star?”
Crystal shook her head. “Not at first. I just told her you were lost and needed directions. But…”
She stopped and I waited. “But then she started hassling me about wanting to be my street mom and I thought—I thought if she knew Star was coming back she’d leave me alone.”
Crystal’s shoulders slumped, the magnitude of her situation finally catching up with her. “I fucked up so bad. I should’ve kept my mouth shut. But it just came out. And now it’s not just Bunny I have to worry about. She’s going to tell everyone I was the one who got you involved in street business.”
The news report said the woman who was murdered was a case worker for homeless youth. Did Bunny thinks Olivia Bowen had somehow gotten all up in her business too? Wow. If she did kill Bowen, I got off lucky. If I hadn’t knocked Bunny out, I could’ve been the warm-up act.
“Crystal, did Bunny and Olivia Bowen know each other?”
“I don’t know. I stayed away from Bunny as much as possible. Why?”
“I was just wondering what their connection might be. If she is involved in this woman’s death, what would be her motivation?”
“Maybe she got pissed off because of Star.”
“What do you mean?”
“That Bowen lady was Star’s case worker.”
I tried to keep the “Why
the hell
didn’t you tell me” tone out of my voice and said calmly, “Crystal, that’s the kind of information that could be very helpful. I’m wondering why you didn’t mention it sooner.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. I had to remember I was dealing with a teenager trapped in an alternate universe. What was obvious to me wasn’t always the case with Crystal.
I needed time to sort all this out, but right now, there was a more pressing problem.
While Crystal helped herself to another cupcake, I got off the couch and sauntered over to the television, and casually deposited the gun in the plastic palm tree my parents sent me from Florida. The thing is hideous, and I suspect the cat has used it as a litter box on more than one occasion, but I can’t throw it out. That would hurt its feelings.
Now that the lethal weapon was out of plain sight, I turned back to Crystal. “Listen, kiddo, I don’t know how to say this except to just, well, say it. I think we should tell the police about Star going missing. Her disappearance may be tied in somehow to Olivia Bowen’s murder.”
Crystal’s delicate blond eyebrows arched and I could feel the heat rise from her body.
“Now before you get all bent out of shape, just hear me out. You said it yourself that everyone was going to blame you anyway for the police showing up, so it’s not safe for you to go back there. And what if by withholding information from the cops we end up endangering Star’s life? Look, Bowen was Star’s case worker. Star’s missing and Bowen’s dead, and Bunny was involved with them both.”
“But what if I’m wrong about Star? What if she’s fine and she doesn’t want to be found?”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
Her silence spoke volumes.
“Listen, the important thing right now is getting you to a safe place. I can arrange for that if you’ll let me.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I know you can take care of yourself. But for once you don’t
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