Page 134 of In Case You Didn't Know

West lifts an eyebrow, but carries on reading. He gets his pen and strikes through a clause, writing something so small I can’t read it.

“That’s good. How about Mommy? Is she okay?”

“Yup. She and Aunt Francie looked super funny when they started shouting at Uncle Jesse.”

I look at Hudson’s phone. “She got there okay?” I ask.

There’s a little kerfuffle. Jesse comes back on the line. “Sorry, gotta go. Unicorn poop emergency.” The call disconnects and Hudson frowns.

“Did he say if Francie was there with Skyler?” I ask Hudson, trying to figure out where she is.

He shrugs. “I’ve no idea.”

There’ve been no more calls or messages since she arrived. There’s a pang in my stomach that she must think I’m ignoring her. I wish I could just pick up the phone. Tell her the truth. But the truth might break her, and I’d rather it break me instead.

Still, just for my own peace of mind, I pull open my laptop and triangulate her cell.

“What are you doing?” Hudson asks.

“Tracking Francie.” Relief washes over me when I see she’s at the Captain’s House, as promised.

“Does she know you do that?” West murmurs. “Because that’s not stalkerish at all.”

“It’s the first time I’ve ever done it. So no.” I glare at him. “And I’m not planning on making a habit of it.”

Hudson leans in, squinting at the laptop screen. “Wait, that’s her phone? At my place?”

“Yep.”

“So why is Skyler at Jesse’s?” he asks, more to himself than to me. “When I asked her to bring Francie home she promised she wouldn’t leave her alone. And now she’s left her there without telling me?”

“I don’t know,” I murmur. Our eyes meet. And for the first time today, I try calling Francie.

And of course it goes straight to voicemail. She’s probably trying to get back at me for the radio silence and I don’t blame her.

“There’s something fishy about this,” Hudson murmurs. “I’m going to call Jesse again.”

“Wait,” West says, looking almost annoyed with us. “Do you still have a tracker on your car?” he asks Hudson.

“Yes.” Hudson nods. “It’s an expensive car.”

“So look it up, if it’s at Jesse’s then Francie probably is too. Now can I finish going through this without you two gossiping like it’s your job, please?”

Hudson is already pulling up the tracker on his phone.

It loads up and his eyes narrow, a frown pulling at his brow. “That can’t be right,” he mutters.

“What is it?” I demand, leaning over to stare at his phone.

And then I see it. The little dot, moving like it’s Pac-Man trying to escape the ghost gang. And nowhere near Liberty.

“Why’s my SUV on the mainland?” Hudson asks.

My stomach tightens.

“They left the goddamned island,” I mutter.

West leans back on his chair with a self-satisfied smirk that makes me want to throw something at him.