Page 44

I waited for the line of teenage boys in front of me to file out onto the street before I crossed the jammed parking spaces. When she spotted me, she cut her conversation short, coming to meet me.

“You going with them?” I asked, looking around us.

She lifted a walkie-talkie into the air. “You’re looking at this weekend’s caravan captain.”

I followed her gaze to the boys kneeing a soccer ball in the street, completely unaware that a car was trying to pass them. “Which one’s yours?”

She pointed at a kid with red shaggy hair. “That one there.”

The driver of the car gently tapped the horn until the boys moved and Amelia gave an exasperated sigh.

“I know this probably isn’t the time,” I said, wrapping my arms around the bulging tote. “But since you’ll be gone for the next few days…”

Amelia turned to me, giving me her full attention. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to know if you had any reason to think that Johnny wasn’t alone out at the gorge when he died?”

I managed to get all the words out in one go, but the question clearly caught her off guard. She tucked the walkie-talkie under her arm, taking a step toward me.

Her voice lowered to a discreet volume. “How do you mean?”

“I’m not really sure, I guess. I’ve just been going through everything for the CAS project, and I’m having a hard time accounting for what exactly he was doing out there.”

“From what I’ve gathered, Johnny made pretty regular trips to the gorge for the study.”

“He did. But he didn’t have his camera or his field notes. They’re all still at the house.”

She fell quiet, eyes focused on the pavement beneath our feet as she considered it. “Do you have reason to believe hewasn’talone?” She turned the question back to me.

I bit the inside of my cheek. I wasn’t willing to tell a law enforcement official that I thought my thirty-seven-year-old brother might have had the habit of taking his eighteen-year-old protégé out to a remote location overnight to work with him.

“No,” I lied. “But if there’s any chance that someone saw what happened, or…”

Amelia didn’t quite look convinced. She was watching me more closely now, her eyes roaming over the details of my face.

A horn honked behind me and she sighed, giving someone a discreet wave. “Why don’t we sit down and chat when I get back? How’s that?”

I nodded, but that curiosity in her gaze made me uneasy.

“Thanks,” I said, a little unevenly. “I appreciate it.”

Amelia’s walkie-talkie beeped before a pulse of static came through and a man’s voice cut in and out. She frowned, staring at it.

“Sorry.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I think they’re rounding everyone up.”

I managed a smile. “No problem.”

“I’ll give you a call in a few days.”

I watched her go, clutching the tote to my chest before I took out my phone, checking the time. It was only a little after threep.m., which meant that the school was just about to get out. I pulled up my text messages with Olivia, fingers fumbling over the words as I typed.

Hey, are you still at the school?

I hit send. It took only a few seconds for the three dots to appear ahead of Olivia’s reply.

Yep! Need something?

Do you mind if I come by?