The Long Sleep (13 page)

I took out the photocopies Keller had made
and tried to study them. I found I’d lost some of my enthusiasm for
Paula now that I knew Evan was related, if only by parental
remarriage. I knew that was irrational, but couldn’t help how I
felt.

Who could I talk to? I didn’t know any of the
Tiger
staff well and none of them knew about my troubles
with Evan. Nor would they care. Only Hank would be interested. If
Evan turned out to be the one who shot Hank, I would kill him. A
slow death by butter knife.

“Hank,” I moaned aloud, and looked up to find
Ben in my doorway. He leaned in, holding the upper part of the
doorframe. He was tall enough to reach it without straining.

“Who’s Hank?” he asked. Ben didn’t care
enough to remember.

“My editor. The guy who’s in a coma. I wish I
could talk to him. I need his input.”

“Why can’t you? Sometimes just talking helps
straighten things out in your own mind.”

“I can’t get anywhere near him. They won’t
let me in because I’m not family. Did you want something?”

“I wanted to know what you were groaning
about.” He swung back and then forward again.

“Do you really care?” I asked.

“Nope.” He let go of the doorframe.

I spoke quickly, before he could escape. “Did
you know the person who was with Paula that night just left her on
the doorstep, unconscious? Unless she somehow got herself home and
passed out there.”

“No, I didn’t know. Who’s Paula?”

“The Lakeside girl who was in a coma for
eight years and then died.”

He wandered into my room. “I thought it was
three years she was in a coma.”

“Eight years altogether. She was on a
breathing machine for three, and then they took her off it. She
lived for five more years and died of pneumonia. It’s easy to get
sick in hospitals. But can you imagine just leaving her on the
doorstep? They could have at least dumped her at the emergency
room. I wonder who it was.”

“You said she might have gotten home
herself.”

“She might. I just have a sort of feeling
other people were involved.”

Ben shrugged and walked away. I called after
him, “There must be some way I can find out.”

He kept walking. Probably afraid I would ask
him to hack into something. I might, if I knew what could work. It
all happened so long ago. Somebody must have tried to find answers
at the time.

Maybe they found answers but didn’t publicize
them.

Rhoda called me to come and help with dinner.
I wasn’t interested in dinner, but went anyway and unburdened
myself to her.

“You don’t
know
that someone left her
there,” Rhoda said. “She could have gotten home somehow and then
the door was locked and she couldn’t get in.”

“How did she get home unless somebody took
her? She didn’t have a car and she couldn’t have walked.” Although
I had no idea where the party had taken place.

“I see your point,” Rhoda agreed. “Whoever it
was must have been as drunk as she was.”

“Couldn’t make it to the hospital?” I had
pictured just one person, but several seemed more likely.

“They probably panicked,” Rhoda said.

“Then they should have done the right
thing.”

“Do people always do the right thing?
Especially if they don’t want to be found out.”

“They might have saved her if they’d gotten
help,” I said, before remembering that Paula was Evan’s stepsister.
That part wasn’t Paula’s fault.

However, it was her fault that she drank and
took Valium. And paid for it with the rest of her life.

“I rest my case,” Rhoda said. I tried to
remember what the case was. Oh yes, people panicking and being
stupid and making things worse. Well, wasn’t that human nature?

“I still want to know who it was,” I said.
“If there’s a statute of limitations for dumping an unconscious
person on a doorstep, it must have run out by now.”

At least they didn’t dump her in the woods
where no one would find her. That showed a sliver of
responsibility. And it would have to be someone who knew where she
lived. Wouldn’t most of her friends and classmates know that? Was
it a friend or someone she just met? I found myself back with a
single person. Even at this late date I had to find out who it was.
Evan wouldn’t know, if I felt like asking him, which I most
certainly did not. He’d have been a mere infant at the time.

That got me thinking, unwillingly, about
Evan. Falco said his mom had vehemently insisted that Evan was
still at Garson Academy. Evidently he was steering clear of her, or
she was such a great actress that she had Rick fooled.

So, if Evan wasn’t at home, where was he
staying? Heck, it was November. He’d need some kind of shelter. Did
he have close friends in the Lakeside crowd? The football team, I
supposed. Probably the cheerleaders. Maybe some of the band,
especially now that I wasn’t there anymore. I couldn’t help
wondering how many of them saw Evan as some kind of romantic
cut-up, as besotted as Glyn thought he was, for breaking into my
house that time.

I turned on my phone and checked the
voicemail, but realized how unnecessary that was. If someone had
called in the last half hour and left a message, I’d have heard it
ring. Glynis hadn’t called. Something was going on with her.

What if that was where Evan was staying?

Now I was really getting crazy. Glyn wouldn’t
do that, at least not without saying anything. She was my buddy and
I was hers.

Maybe not anymore. Even though at Perrino’s
it had been like old times.

I couldn’t help recalling that the Goodes had
a heated garage with an upstairs apartment. It was outfitted as a
guesthouse, but it wouldn’t be used much in November. Only in
summer, when the Goodes had pool parties.

It was already dark and we were about to eat
dinner. Tomorrow I would drive by and see if Evan’s car was there.
Would he leave it in plain sight? It wouldn’t be in the garage
because the Goodes needed that. Behind the garage? It could be seen
there if a person thought of looking. That yellow monstrosity and
its bloated tires wouldn’t be so easy to hide.

She’d always been on my side when it came to
Evan. But yesterday she’d seemed defensive. She said she wasn’t,
but to me it came off otherwise. Unless it was just me being
bitchy.

If she really was drifting over to the enemy
camp, she’d had plenty of warning as to what he was like. He must
have turned on the charm. That was part of what he was like and she
should know. Somehow he must have convinced her it would be
different with her. Girls could fall for that line.

* * * *

I tried emailing Cree but it wasn’t till
homeroom that we had a chance to talk. I told her everything.

“Are you sure?” Cree whispered.

“I’m not sure of anything but I’m going to
find out. Want to help?”

Cree hesitated for only a second, and decided
yes. “What if he’s there and he catches you?”

“We’ll have a witness, namely you, and I’ll
have some pepper spray. Maybe he won’t be there. Even if his car
is, we might not see it. But I have to try.”

“This is so exciting—” We had to cut it short
when Mrs. Tarasco rapped for attention.

* * * *

“
How are we doing this?” Cree asked as
we reached the top of the steep hill and the road made a T. Instead
of taking the right onto Lake Road, I went left onto Fremont toward
Glyn’s house.

I hadn’t really thought about how to do it.
I’d just imagined actually being there.

“We’re playing it by ear,” I said. “We might
not find out anything. I brought along some binoculars. They have
this apartment over the garage. Or we might see his car. It’s
yellow.”

“Or he could be shacking up somewhere else,”
she said.

“Cree, I’m not sure of anything. It’s just
that she acted kind of weird and I have to start somewhere.” I
turned onto a smaller road that meandered through woods. We passed
two houses before the road ended at Glynis Goode’s place. With its
huge lawn, its three-story house, the two-story garage, a couple of
sheds and a swimming pool, it seemed almost like a settlement in
itself.

“Nice place,” said Cree. I took out my
binoculars and focused them on the garage apartment. Its windows
were dark. I couldn’t see a thing. I panned around the garage and
house. There was no yellow car.

“Stay,” I told Cree, who was reaching for a
door handle.

“We’re not getting out?”

“What for?” I knew this whole venture was
stupid and pointless. All I wanted now was to get away before
anyone spotted us. I lowered the binoculars, too late. Glyn came
out from the house, shrugging into her jacket. I had no choice but
to open the door.

“I thought it was you,” Glyn said, and added
“Hi,” to Cree. They’d met that time at CVS.

I said, “I just wanted to see if you were
alive.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

This was awkward. “I thought something must
have happened. Or else your voicemail broke down.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was going to . . . well,
see . . .”

“It’s okay, Glyn.” I got back in the car and
turned on its engine.

Then turned it off. “By the way. You haven’t
heard from Evan, have you?”

Glyn turned scarlet. “Why would I hear from
Evan?”

“That’s what I thought. I know he’s around
here someplace. Even if his mother says he isn’t.” Glyn’s coloring
answered my question, but it wasn’t the answer I wanted.

“You saw his mother?” she asked in
surprise.

“No. My friendly neighborhood cop saw
her.”

“How come?”

“He had a few questions about a cut in
somebody’s brake line. It could have been fatal. That makes it
police business.” I turned my key and backed.

Glyn stood rooted. Confused. As if she wanted
to say something but didn’t know how.

“She used to be my friend,” I told Cree as we
drove away.

“You think she’s harboring Evan?

“I think at least she knows where he is.”

“And she wouldn’t tell you?”

“That’s why she
used
to be my
friend.”

“Who is now? Me?”

“Always.
You
wouldn’t hide Evan from
me, would you?”

“Not after what I’ve heard about him. Are you
going to tell the cops?”

“I don’t know. There’s nothing really to
tell. All I know is she turned as red as a chili pepper. But that
doesn’t actually prove anything.”

“I think you should report him. It’s not
safe, him being on the loose. He did try to kill you.”

“What could they charge him with?” I
asked.

“Attempted homicide?”

I pulled up at my own house and then thought
better of it. “Would you rather go home?”

Cree shook her head and smiled as Ben came
out to meet us.

I stayed in the car and ran the possibilities
through my mind. What if the police did manage to find Evan? What
if they charged him with attempted homicide and put him on trial? I
would have to testify. That would give me great pleasure. What if
the jury acquitted him? I would have no choice but to enter the
Witness Protection Program.

I had just gone into the house when my cell
phone rang. There was no ID. I took a chance and answered it.

An almost voiceless voice hissed in my ear.
“I’ll get you for this.”

Chapter Eleven

On Friday night I
went to bed looking forward to the weekend. Like most people, I
treasured my weekends. Even if I didn’t have big plans, it was a
couple of days when I could do as I pleased.

Except for homework, but I’d learned to get
that out of the way fast. I used to put it off until Sunday night
but I didn’t like it looming over me. Spoiled the whole
weekend.

I was almost asleep when the dogs
erupted.

A car door slammed. Or maybe it was a hood. I
did lock the car, didn’t I?

The window next to my bed looked out on the
back yard. I peeked, but couldn’t see anything moving there. I knew
that slam came from the front.

I opened my bedroom door and listened. My
parents were awake, I could hear them talking. I almost knocked but
that would get into a whole big discussion. It could wait until
morning. I
had
locked the car.

What if Evan had a skeleton key? Or one of
those things they use to pry open a window. What if the car
exploded when I started it? Or even if I just opened a door?

I really wanted to visit the hospital that
day. It would have to wait until Ben went over the car, looking for
bombs, damaged brake lines, or any other sabotage.

Worry kept me awake most of the night. Toward
morning, I drifted off for about half an hour. This must have been
what he meant by “getting” me. It was a war on my nerves.

* * * *

Ben slept late. I wished I could, too. Evan’s
war would end up giving me a breakdown. It wasn’t as easy as Glynis
thought just to “get over” it.

My parents hadn’t seen anything last night,
they’d only heard it. Evan must have gone running after he slammed
that hood. It might have been his own hood, just to make a noise
and keep me awake all night.

“I’m scared to get in the car,” I told my
father. “I was hoping Ben could inspect it first. He’d know what to
look for.”

“I’ll do my best,” Daddy said. It was not
reassuring. Ben was the one who knew about cars and would be more
observant.

I watched carefully while Daddy poked through
the engine, and hoped he knew what he was doing. “What about
underneath?” I asked, thinking of bombs. He scanned the
undercarriage with a flashlight. That wasn’t good enough. I
wondered if the dogs could sniff out a bomb. Didn’t they have to be
trained for that?

“All clear,” Daddy announced. I gave him a
watery smile, not quite trusting his know-how.