Read Online The Escape by Hannah Jayne - Free Book Online

detective resumed his questioning. “You say you left Adam’s house and—you were driving, correct?”
    Fletcher nodded, distracted.
    “Fletcher, son, are you okay?”
    The first blow came out of nowhere, and his entire body vibrated with the impact. Even his teeth rattled. He wasn’t sure if he was still standing or if he’d been knocked off his feet. He tried to look around but all he could see was the mosaic of pine needles on the ground, and then his vision clouded and everything went red. Sweat pricked at the back of his neck and someone was talking to him, trying to get his attention.
    “Fletcher? Fletcher? Are you okay, son?” Malloy’s beady eyes looked concerned, his bushy brows diving into a V.
    Fletcher blinked, the slap of pain clearing immediately. He was in the conference room. He was safe. He rubbed his hands against his jeans, his clammy palms catching on the fabric. His heart was wailing against his chest.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, working to focus on Malloy. “I just—”
    Malloy held up one hand and blew out a long, slow breath. “That’s okay, son. We’re going to find this guy. You’re going to be okay.”
    • • •
     
    There was no parking at Dana & Mo’s. But there was always parking at Dana & Mo’s, especially on Thursday nights when Avery and her father came in at six forty-five for mammoth slices of the Kitchen Sink, a pizza laced with more toppings than Avery could count, all blended together in one harmonious, delicious mess of cheese and grease.
    This Thursday night though, the parking lot was packed with cars. Kids from Dan River Falls High streamed from the doors and congregated in circles, laughing.
    “What is going on?” Avery wanted to know.
    Her father leaned over the seat and fished something out from a mass of papers, handing Avery a single blue page.
    “A fund-raiser?”
    “You didn’t get one? Some kids were by the station earlier this week dropping them off. Weren’t they up around school?”
    Avery nodded, knowing that she had seen the fliers posted. She just hadn’t stopped to see what they were advertising.
    A black-and white photo of Fletcher was centered on the page, with FUND-RAISER FOR FLETCHER CAROL! and MEDICAL BILLS ARE EXPENSIVE in bubble writing with little frown-y faces bordering the shot.
    “You didn’t know about it?” the chief asked.
    “I guess I’ve been a little distracted at school. Besides”—Avery pointed at FLETCHER CAROL—“this was obviously put on by Fletch’s closest friends. The ones who don’t even know how to spell his last name.”
    “Be nice. It’s good that his peers are doing something for the Carrolls. They’re going to need a lot of support to get through this.”
    She nodded. “I guess. I’m glad people are actually coming together for a good cause. It just sucks that this is what it takes for Fletch to get some recognition. I don’t think anyone even noticed him before.”
    Avery thumbed at something on the window, not wanting to look at her father, not wanting to think about Fletcher and all the kids inside who were pretending like he was their friend. The same thing had happened after her mother died. The kids who came around just wanted a firsthand account of the story, so they pretended they wanted to be there for Avery, pretended they had ever paid her any attention before. Then, once the story was no longer interesting and Avery wasn’t getting back to “normal,” they started to avoid her. She wondered if they would do the same thing to Fletcher.
    “In that case, we’ll get two Kitchen Sinks apiece,” her dad said.
    • • •
     
    The news was officially out: Fletcher had narrowly escaped a savage murderer, but Adam hadn’t been so lucky. Bouquets had poured into the Dan River Falls Community Hospital with notes calling Fletcher “a survivor” and “a miracle.” The same floral arrangements were delivered to the Templeton house with deepest sympathies. And Avery was deemed a hero for