You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Kevin O'Brien Page B

insulted, Evelyn had vehemently denied doing anything to harass Angela .
    The last time he’d seen Evelyn was three weeks ago, after one of those meetings at the school. At the time, it seemed they’d managed to curtail the physical abuse heaped upon their son—the shoving and tripping. But that didn’t stop Damon from being ostracized and teased.
    â€œI really want Damon to get some therapy,” he told her as they walked toward the school parking lot. It was a beautiful, balmy September evening. “He needs to talk to a professional about what he’s going through—what he’s been through. I know you don’t like therapists, but I really wish you’d reconsider it, Evelyn.”
    â€œAll right, I will.” Her eyes searched his, and she sighed. “You know, that whole thing with Troy was a huge mistake. You were right about him, of course. What a loser. I mean, the guy had a meth habit, for God’s sake.” She blushed and gave a little shrug. “I’ve been seeing this younger guy, very energetic. It’s been sort of off and on. It’s off right now.” She laughed. “I don’t think I like being a cougar . . .”
    He tried to work up a smile. But all he could think was that Evelyn hadn’t changed one bit. He’d been so worried about Damon. And Evelyn wanted to take this moment to flirt and talk about her love life.
    â€œWell, I’m sure you’ll find somebody who will suit you,” he said. “In the meantime, see if you can’t get Damon on board with this idea of seeing a therapist. Okay?”
    â€œOf course, sure,” she said. “G’night, Luke.”
    She touched his arm, and then turned to head toward her BMW. He watched her. She was wearing black slacks and a pink sweater, which always made her look sensational. She knew it, too.
    The next time he saw Evelyn, she was bound and gagged in the backseat of that same BMW—and she would be dead within minutes.
    No one talked about that at the memorial service.
    Yet it was certainly on everyone’s mind. Segments of Damon’s webcast had gone viral. For the second time in his life, Luke was featured in a People magazine article—this time about his son’s suicide, the murders, and the hot topic of bullying in schools.
    A single TV news van was parked in front of the Ballard Bay Club to cover the memorial, not much of a media presence compared to last week.
    That was because KC Cunningham’s funeral was being held across town at the same time. The pretty cheerleader’s death—and the scandalous revelation that she’d been having sex with her English teacher—was a bigger, juicier news story. It was all over the Internet that McAfee had nude photos of KC on his home computer. The press was still digging for more lurid details.
    The bullied high school boy who had killed his mother and himself was now yesterday’s news. Reporters had stopped asking Luke for possible explanations about why his son had gone berserk. They were already on to the next story.
    But Luke hadn’t stopped asking himself why.
    Cynthia Werth-Hyland finished her reminiscence to polite, dignified applause. “Next,” Cynthia said, “Damon’s best friend at school, Tanya McCallum, will say a few words.”
    Stepping down from the podium, Cynthia walked over to Luke. He got to his feet, and they hugged. “Thank you, Cyn,” he whispered.
    He’d phoned her earlier in the week. In fact, he’d called several of Evelyn’s friends. He’d asked Cynthia and all the rest of them the same thing: Had Evelyn recently mentioned anything that might explain why Damon had snapped the way he did?
    â€œI’m sorry, Luke, but I haven’t talked to Evelyn in weeks,” Cynthia had told him. “As for Damon’s motives, I thought he was pretty clear about that in the video he made. It was all the bullying he had to