were others.’ ”
Luke nodded. “That makes sense. Somebody kidnapped the remaining girls. There had to have been others working with him.”
Alex shook her head slowly. “No, it wasn’t like that. He said, ‘Simon was mine. But I was another’s.’ ” She grimaced. “Like it was some kind of . . . cult or something. Creepy.”
I was another’s . A nasty shiver raced down Susannah’s spine as a memory nagged, an overheard conversation, so long ago.
“Did he say who the others might be?” Luke was asking.
“He might have, but that’s when O’Brien came in and shot his head off,” Alex replied.
“ Tick ,” Susannah murmured and Luke turned to her with a puzzled frown.
“What did you say?”
“ Tick ,” she repeated, remembering now. Now it made sense. “I heard them.”
“Who, Susannah?”
“Simon and someone else. A boy. I didn’t see his face. They were in Simon’s room, talking. Arguing. The other boy had apparently bested Simon at some game and Simon accused him of cheating. But the boy said he’d been taught how to win by another.” Mentally she put herself back to that day. “Something to the effect that he knew how to anticipate his opponent’s moves, manipulate his opponent’s response. Simon was still going to beat him up. But the boy convinced him to play another game.”
Alex leaned forward. “And then?”
“Simon lost again. Simon was a bully, but he was also very smart. He wanted to learn how the other boy had done it. I think he was already trying to figure out how to use the skill. He demanded to be taken to the person who’d taught the boy. The boy said it was his tick . His master. I thought at first he was joking, and Simon did, too, but the other boy was very serious. He spoke so . . . reverentially. Simon was intrigued.”
“So what happened?” Luke asked.
“The boy said if Simon went with him, he’d be forever changed. That he’d ‘belong to another.’ Those were his exact words. I remember because it made my skin cold and I shivered even though it had to have been a hundred degrees in . . . where I was. Then Simon laughed and said something like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.’ ”
“How did you overhear them?” Luke asked.
“I was hiding.” Her wince was involuntary.
“In your hidey-hole?” His voice was gentle, but his jaw was taut.
“Yeah.” She drew a breath. “In my hidey-hole. When I was hiding behind the closet I could hear every word that was said in Simon’s room.”
“Why were you hiding that day, Susannah?” Luke asked.
“Because earlier in the day Simon had told me to be home. He said he had a friend coming who wanted to ‘meet’ me. I was only eleven, but even then I understood what that meant. It was a good thing I’d hid. The boy said he’d take Simon to his tick , but he wanted to visit my room first. He was very angry when I wasn’t there.”
“Who?” Luke asked. “The boy or Simon?”
“Both.”
“Simon didn’t know about the hidey-hole at that point?”
“I guess not, but I’m not sure. He might have known, but let me think he didn’t so I’d think I was safe. Simon was big on mind games like that. Being able to manipulate his opponent’s responses would have been very attractive to him.”
Luke frowned. “What the hell is a tick anyway? Like an insect?”
“I don’t know. I tried looking it up in the library the next day, but couldn’t find it. And I couldn’t risk asking anyone.”
“Why not?” Alex asked warily.
She hesitated, then shrugged. “Because my father would have found out.”
“Your father wouldn’t let you talk to librarians?” Luke asked, very carefully.
“My father wouldn’t let me talk to anyone.”
Luke opened his mouth, then closed it again, opting against saying whatever was on his mind. “Okay. So is it possible the boy that day was Toby Granville?”
“Highly possible. Toby and Simon were friends back then. Simon had just lost his leg and most of the
Luke nodded. “That makes sense. Somebody kidnapped the remaining girls. There had to have been others working with him.”
Alex shook her head slowly. “No, it wasn’t like that. He said, ‘Simon was mine. But I was another’s.’ ” She grimaced. “Like it was some kind of . . . cult or something. Creepy.”
I was another’s . A nasty shiver raced down Susannah’s spine as a memory nagged, an overheard conversation, so long ago.
“Did he say who the others might be?” Luke was asking.
“He might have, but that’s when O’Brien came in and shot his head off,” Alex replied.
“ Tick ,” Susannah murmured and Luke turned to her with a puzzled frown.
“What did you say?”
“ Tick ,” she repeated, remembering now. Now it made sense. “I heard them.”
“Who, Susannah?”
“Simon and someone else. A boy. I didn’t see his face. They were in Simon’s room, talking. Arguing. The other boy had apparently bested Simon at some game and Simon accused him of cheating. But the boy said he’d been taught how to win by another.” Mentally she put herself back to that day. “Something to the effect that he knew how to anticipate his opponent’s moves, manipulate his opponent’s response. Simon was still going to beat him up. But the boy convinced him to play another game.”
Alex leaned forward. “And then?”
“Simon lost again. Simon was a bully, but he was also very smart. He wanted to learn how the other boy had done it. I think he was already trying to figure out how to use the skill. He demanded to be taken to the person who’d taught the boy. The boy said it was his tick . His master. I thought at first he was joking, and Simon did, too, but the other boy was very serious. He spoke so . . . reverentially. Simon was intrigued.”
“So what happened?” Luke asked.
“The boy said if Simon went with him, he’d be forever changed. That he’d ‘belong to another.’ Those were his exact words. I remember because it made my skin cold and I shivered even though it had to have been a hundred degrees in . . . where I was. Then Simon laughed and said something like, ‘Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.’ ”
“How did you overhear them?” Luke asked.
“I was hiding.” Her wince was involuntary.
“In your hidey-hole?” His voice was gentle, but his jaw was taut.
“Yeah.” She drew a breath. “In my hidey-hole. When I was hiding behind the closet I could hear every word that was said in Simon’s room.”
“Why were you hiding that day, Susannah?” Luke asked.
“Because earlier in the day Simon had told me to be home. He said he had a friend coming who wanted to ‘meet’ me. I was only eleven, but even then I understood what that meant. It was a good thing I’d hid. The boy said he’d take Simon to his tick , but he wanted to visit my room first. He was very angry when I wasn’t there.”
“Who?” Luke asked. “The boy or Simon?”
“Both.”
“Simon didn’t know about the hidey-hole at that point?”
“I guess not, but I’m not sure. He might have known, but let me think he didn’t so I’d think I was safe. Simon was big on mind games like that. Being able to manipulate his opponent’s responses would have been very attractive to him.”
Luke frowned. “What the hell is a tick anyway? Like an insect?”
“I don’t know. I tried looking it up in the library the next day, but couldn’t find it. And I couldn’t risk asking anyone.”
“Why not?” Alex asked warily.
She hesitated, then shrugged. “Because my father would have found out.”
“Your father wouldn’t let you talk to librarians?” Luke asked, very carefully.
“My father wouldn’t let me talk to anyone.”
Luke opened his mouth, then closed it again, opting against saying whatever was on his mind. “Okay. So is it possible the boy that day was Toby Granville?”
“Highly possible. Toby and Simon were friends back then. Simon had just lost his leg and most of the
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