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Authors: Suzanne McKenna Link
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face a final time before I followed the cops
out the door. I hoped I was coming back. It was obvious that Dev must have done
more than just mess around with the guy. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d
gone too far.
When we got to the precinct, I was put into an interrogation
room and told a gas station attendant, a man named Ricardo Velerio, had been stabbed
and left on the road. Someone found him hours later, but the knife had nicked
an organ. The guy was in intensive care. His condition was listed as serious.
Velerio was unconscious and unable to identify his attackers.
What had brought the cops to my door was information from his co-worker, the
other gas station attendant. He’d gotten a good look at Ray, Devlin, and I and
had noted the car make, model, and license plate along with descriptions of the
three of us. He ID’d us and told the cops we’d harassed Velerio earlier that
night before the attack.
A couple of detectives questioned me. I told them I had been
out, but because of my sick mother, I was home well before ten o’clock. Claudia
would be able to confirm that. They wanted to know my whereabouts prior to
arriving home, and where Dev and Ray were going when we parted ways.
I offered very little, and since they had nothing they could
charge me with, they had to let me go. When they dropped me back at the house,
they told me that if I ‘remembered’ anything more about that night I should
call the detective in charge.
I puffed a cigarette outside the house, pacing and swearing
silently. I dipped out of this town to get a fresh start away from the mess.
And I had never looked back. Until Julia got sick. I was here only to take care
of her, so what the hell was I doing wasting my time with Dev Van Sloot again?
Listening to him boast about his shady accomplishments the
other night was enough to make me sick. But now, after this? I was so done
with Dev.
Claudia came into the kitchen as I was getting a beer out of
the refrigerator.
“You’re home,” she breathed out. “Are you all right?”
I twisted the top off the bottle. It would be great to
unload some of the burden, but I couldn’t do that to her.
Instead, I said, “Just some confusion about the other night.
But it’s fine. Is Julia awake?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know anything.” Claudia stepped
closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I snapped the bottle top between my fingers and sent it
flying across the room before I turned to face her. I wished I could pull her
close like the other night. I would tell her how glad I was that she was here,
mostly for taking care of Julia, but for being concerned about me, too. That
would be too much too soon.
“Thanks, but it’s nothing to worry about,” I said, shaking
the hair out of my eyes.
She watched me pensively and bit her bottom lip. The stress
of the situation seemed to unite us for a moment, like a gravitational force
pulling us towards each other. I admired her mouth and felt myself growing
warm. It would be a bad time to make a move on her. I turned away and forced
the thought from my head.
“Why don’t you go? I’m not going anywhere else tonight,” I
said, pretending to be interested in the pile of mail on the table.
“Are you sure?”
When I looked up, she was standing in exactly the same spot,
staring at me. Around her, I didn’t trust the thin control I had over my
tongue. She seemed to have a knack for making me reveal stuff.
“Yeah, go,” I said. Though I really wanted her to stay.
9. Claudia
I got home that night and went straight up the stairs to my bedroom.
I needed privacy to talk to April about what had happened.
“The police took Toby to the station,” I said. “We decided
not to mention it to Mrs. Faye. We didn’t want to upset her. I’m dying to know,
but he wouldn’t tell me either.”
“I hope it doesn’t have something to do with those
trouble-making burnouts he used to hang out with,” April grumbled. “I wouldn’t
trust
out the door. I hoped I was coming back. It was obvious that Dev must have done
more than just mess around with the guy. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d
gone too far.
When we got to the precinct, I was put into an interrogation
room and told a gas station attendant, a man named Ricardo Velerio, had been stabbed
and left on the road. Someone found him hours later, but the knife had nicked
an organ. The guy was in intensive care. His condition was listed as serious.
Velerio was unconscious and unable to identify his attackers.
What had brought the cops to my door was information from his co-worker, the
other gas station attendant. He’d gotten a good look at Ray, Devlin, and I and
had noted the car make, model, and license plate along with descriptions of the
three of us. He ID’d us and told the cops we’d harassed Velerio earlier that
night before the attack.
A couple of detectives questioned me. I told them I had been
out, but because of my sick mother, I was home well before ten o’clock. Claudia
would be able to confirm that. They wanted to know my whereabouts prior to
arriving home, and where Dev and Ray were going when we parted ways.
I offered very little, and since they had nothing they could
charge me with, they had to let me go. When they dropped me back at the house,
they told me that if I ‘remembered’ anything more about that night I should
call the detective in charge.
I puffed a cigarette outside the house, pacing and swearing
silently. I dipped out of this town to get a fresh start away from the mess.
And I had never looked back. Until Julia got sick. I was here only to take care
of her, so what the hell was I doing wasting my time with Dev Van Sloot again?
Listening to him boast about his shady accomplishments the
other night was enough to make me sick. But now, after this? I was so done
with Dev.
Claudia came into the kitchen as I was getting a beer out of
the refrigerator.
“You’re home,” she breathed out. “Are you all right?”
I twisted the top off the bottle. It would be great to
unload some of the burden, but I couldn’t do that to her.
Instead, I said, “Just some confusion about the other night.
But it’s fine. Is Julia awake?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know anything.” Claudia stepped
closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”
I snapped the bottle top between my fingers and sent it
flying across the room before I turned to face her. I wished I could pull her
close like the other night. I would tell her how glad I was that she was here,
mostly for taking care of Julia, but for being concerned about me, too. That
would be too much too soon.
“Thanks, but it’s nothing to worry about,” I said, shaking
the hair out of my eyes.
She watched me pensively and bit her bottom lip. The stress
of the situation seemed to unite us for a moment, like a gravitational force
pulling us towards each other. I admired her mouth and felt myself growing
warm. It would be a bad time to make a move on her. I turned away and forced
the thought from my head.
“Why don’t you go? I’m not going anywhere else tonight,” I
said, pretending to be interested in the pile of mail on the table.
“Are you sure?”
When I looked up, she was standing in exactly the same spot,
staring at me. Around her, I didn’t trust the thin control I had over my
tongue. She seemed to have a knack for making me reveal stuff.
“Yeah, go,” I said. Though I really wanted her to stay.
9. Claudia
I got home that night and went straight up the stairs to my bedroom.
I needed privacy to talk to April about what had happened.
“The police took Toby to the station,” I said. “We decided
not to mention it to Mrs. Faye. We didn’t want to upset her. I’m dying to know,
but he wouldn’t tell me either.”
“I hope it doesn’t have something to do with those
trouble-making burnouts he used to hang out with,” April grumbled. “I wouldn’t
trust
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