Read Online Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gemma Halliday
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didn’t you say anything? How awful for you!”
I shot Raley a look, wondering just how much “everything” was, but his face was a blank, unreadable thing.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“Fine? My God, your friend was killed, Hart. Clearly you’re not fine.”
I didn’t point out that Courtney and I were hardly BFFs. In Mom’s world everyone under the age of eighteen was friends with everyone else, like we were all part of some secret society of minors.
“Really, I’m okay.”
“Good. Then you won’t mind answering a few questions,” Raley said.
For a brief moment I thought about faking hysteria to avoid his interrogation. Maybe I wasn’t fine. Maybe we were BFFs. Maybe I did need a few more SMotherly hugs.
But since I knew Raley wasn’t really giving me a say in the matter, I nodded mutely and sat down on the sofa to face the music. Mom sat next to me and patted my hand.
“When was the last time you saw Josh?” Raley started.
“Yesterday,” I said slowly. Which was the truth.
“What time?”
“Early.” Which was definitely not the truth. I prayed I wasn’t as bad at lying as Chase seemed to think I was.
“Can you be more specific?” Raley pressed.
“Before school.”
“ Before school?” Raley asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Yup.” I nodded so hard my hair fell in my eyes. Which was just as well, because if I lifted them to meet his, I’m pretty sure he would be able to tell I was on the downside of truthful.
“Okay.” Raley scribbled something in his notebook.
I leaned forward to see if it was “liar, liar, pants on fire,” but he turned the page before I could make it out.
“Any idea where Josh might be now?” he asked.
I shook my head. This time I was being 100 percent truthful. Of course, he hadn’t asked if I knew how to contact Josh later tonight . . .
“Wait—” my mom said, holding up one hand. “What do you mean, ‘might be’? Is he missing?”
“He’s not at home, ma’am,” Raley answered noncommittally.
“As in missing?” Her voice rose an octave.
“We don’t have information about his current whereabouts,” Raley said carefully, though he looked straight at me when he said it. I averted my gaze, finding an incredibly interesting stain on the carpet.
“Is he in danger?” she asked.
“We don’t believe that’s likely,” he hedged.
“So . . . if you don’t believe he’s in danger . . .” Mom said, trailing off as I watched her mental hamster jump on his little wheel. Mom may be a little quirky, but she’s no dummy.
“Josh is a ‘person of interest’ in this case,” Raley said, doing his air quotes thing again.
Mom leaned forward in her seat, a hand going to her chest. “You’re not saying Josh had anything to do with this, are you?”
“We’re exploring all possibilities,” Raley said. “At this time, we’d really like to talk to the boy. If you have any idea where he might be . . .” His eyes bored holes into me.
My eyes? Still glued to the carpet stain. You know, it kind of resembled a fish on its side. Mom might want to think about getting it steam cleaned sometime soon.
“We have no idea. We haven’t seen him since . . .” Mom turned to me.
“Yesterday. Before school,” I repeated. Unfortunately no more convincingly than the last time.
“Oh, Hartley,” Mom said, hugging me again. “To think I let you go out with a killer!”
“Mom!” I squirmed out of her grasp. “He didn’t kill Courtney.”
“It could have been you, Hart.”
“It could not have been me. Because he didn’t do it.”
“Should I call his parents?” Mom asked, looking at the cordless on the end table.
“His parents have been notified about the situation,” Raley told her. “They’re currently on a cruise in Alaska, but will be flying in as soon as the ship docks at the next port.”
“God, I can’t believe it. I played tennis with Josh’s mom just last month,” Mom said. “And here she was, raising a
I shot Raley a look, wondering just how much “everything” was, but his face was a blank, unreadable thing.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
“Fine? My God, your friend was killed, Hart. Clearly you’re not fine.”
I didn’t point out that Courtney and I were hardly BFFs. In Mom’s world everyone under the age of eighteen was friends with everyone else, like we were all part of some secret society of minors.
“Really, I’m okay.”
“Good. Then you won’t mind answering a few questions,” Raley said.
For a brief moment I thought about faking hysteria to avoid his interrogation. Maybe I wasn’t fine. Maybe we were BFFs. Maybe I did need a few more SMotherly hugs.
But since I knew Raley wasn’t really giving me a say in the matter, I nodded mutely and sat down on the sofa to face the music. Mom sat next to me and patted my hand.
“When was the last time you saw Josh?” Raley started.
“Yesterday,” I said slowly. Which was the truth.
“What time?”
“Early.” Which was definitely not the truth. I prayed I wasn’t as bad at lying as Chase seemed to think I was.
“Can you be more specific?” Raley pressed.
“Before school.”
“ Before school?” Raley asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Yup.” I nodded so hard my hair fell in my eyes. Which was just as well, because if I lifted them to meet his, I’m pretty sure he would be able to tell I was on the downside of truthful.
“Okay.” Raley scribbled something in his notebook.
I leaned forward to see if it was “liar, liar, pants on fire,” but he turned the page before I could make it out.
“Any idea where Josh might be now?” he asked.
I shook my head. This time I was being 100 percent truthful. Of course, he hadn’t asked if I knew how to contact Josh later tonight . . .
“Wait—” my mom said, holding up one hand. “What do you mean, ‘might be’? Is he missing?”
“He’s not at home, ma’am,” Raley answered noncommittally.
“As in missing?” Her voice rose an octave.
“We don’t have information about his current whereabouts,” Raley said carefully, though he looked straight at me when he said it. I averted my gaze, finding an incredibly interesting stain on the carpet.
“Is he in danger?” she asked.
“We don’t believe that’s likely,” he hedged.
“So . . . if you don’t believe he’s in danger . . .” Mom said, trailing off as I watched her mental hamster jump on his little wheel. Mom may be a little quirky, but she’s no dummy.
“Josh is a ‘person of interest’ in this case,” Raley said, doing his air quotes thing again.
Mom leaned forward in her seat, a hand going to her chest. “You’re not saying Josh had anything to do with this, are you?”
“We’re exploring all possibilities,” Raley said. “At this time, we’d really like to talk to the boy. If you have any idea where he might be . . .” His eyes bored holes into me.
My eyes? Still glued to the carpet stain. You know, it kind of resembled a fish on its side. Mom might want to think about getting it steam cleaned sometime soon.
“We have no idea. We haven’t seen him since . . .” Mom turned to me.
“Yesterday. Before school,” I repeated. Unfortunately no more convincingly than the last time.
“Oh, Hartley,” Mom said, hugging me again. “To think I let you go out with a killer!”
“Mom!” I squirmed out of her grasp. “He didn’t kill Courtney.”
“It could have been you, Hart.”
“It could not have been me. Because he didn’t do it.”
“Should I call his parents?” Mom asked, looking at the cordless on the end table.
“His parents have been notified about the situation,” Raley told her. “They’re currently on a cruise in Alaska, but will be flying in as soon as the ship docks at the next port.”
“God, I can’t believe it. I played tennis with Josh’s mom just last month,” Mom said. “And here she was, raising a
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