Page 57 of Don't Say a Word

“Send me the game times,” I said. “I’ll see if I can make one. But don’t tell Sam, in case I don’t.”

“Roger that.” Rick waved and drove off in his truck.

I sat there a few minutes, sipping my iced coffee and wondering if I should just forgive Rick and see if we still had something. I didn’t see it happening unless he apologized. If he didn’t see how he had overreacted, then he’d do it again, and the next time would be worse. Right now, we could be friends. And maybe that was all we could be.

Checking my phone, I saw I had a message from Josie with the home address of Danielle Duran, and the comment:You’re welcome.

I sent her a thumbs-up and mapped the address. Danielle lived only a few blocks from my parents’ house—I used to have a friend who lived on the same street. I was heading there when my phone started vibrating. I recognized the number only because this wasthe third time she had called—Detective King. I was about to answer it, when I saw another call come in. It was an unfamiliar local number, so I declined King’s call and picked up the second.

“Margo Angelhart,” I answered.

“Margo? It’s Angie. I need help.”

Her voice was quiet and strained, but I heard noise in the background, possibly traffic.

“Where are you?”

“On the bus. I’m going to the Central Library. I’ll be there in, like, maybe forty minutes.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“They think I killed Mrs. Clark. Please come, I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll text you when I get there.”

I would call King after I found out what had got Angie so spooked.

Chapter Eighteen

Margo Angelhart

In a private study room in the Central Library, Angie told me about her interview with Detectives King and Chavez. It angered me that they’d talked to her without an advocate, even if the vice-principal thoughtshewas Angie’s advocate. It was a dicey legal area that I wasn’t well-versed in, but it was probably allowed because Angie wasn’t a suspect or detained. At least, that’s how it started. Based on Angie’s description, Detective King was suspicious of her.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“I lied.”

“To the police?”

“No—to Mrs. Villines. In the office yesterday. I told her I had a meeting with Mrs. Clark, but I didn’t. She let me in. Then I told Mr. Borel that I was picking up something she left me.”

“But he saw you leave.”

“He saw me leave her office. What if they think I, like, I don’t know, hid? The way they were talking to me—I know they think I killed her. I didn’t, I swear to God.”

“They can’t arrest you without evidence. They can, however,ask you more questions. Do you have the receipt from the Cactus Stop?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t even take it.”

“Still, they could have security cameras somewhere between the Cactus Stop and the school.”

“Benny!” Angie exclaimed. “He saw me there.”

“Who’s Benny?”

“Benny Vallejo, he’s a junior at Sun Valley. And, um, he’s my ex-boyfriend’s brother. He started working at the Cactus Stop last week, after Elijah...” Her voice trailed off.

“Good,” I said. “He can give you an alibi. But listen to me—do not talk to the police without a lawyer.”