Page 122 of Mr. Edwards

I don’t look back as I head for my car. I’m on a mission to track down the man responsible. The night I found out what had happened to Carlee when she was a child, I swore if the person responsible was standing in front of me would die. Nothing’s changed. By the end of the day, I may be locked up, but reaping vengeance for my girl, and everything he’s put her through, would be worth it.

The moment I’m seated in my vehicle, I reach for my phone in the center console, and search for his number in my contacts, hitting call.

My free hand is clutching the steering wheel so tight my knuckles have turned white. One of my legs is bouncing up and down at a furious pace as I try to rein inmy anger. I need to keep my shit together until I find his whereabouts. I don’t want to say or do anything that may cause him to flee, that’s if he hasn’t already. If what Carlee is saying is correct, there’s a good chance he’s already gone. I hope that’s not the case.

Either way, he won’t be getting away with this. That’s a promise.

The longer his phone rings, the more agitated I become. When his voicemail kicks in, I hang up and dial again. This time he answers.

“My boy, we don’t speak for ages, and now we’re talking for the second time today.” He chuckles into the phone and it’s a serious struggle on my part not to lose it. He sounds so calm… so normal. “Is everything okay? Or do you just miss me?”

Is this fucker for real? I count to ten in my head before I answer. “Everything’s fine,” I lie. “I’m getting ready to head home and thought maybe we could catch up for a bit before I leave. Who knows when I’ll get to see you again?”

“Okay, sure. Do you want me to meet you somewhere? We could grab some lunch.”

“No, I’ll come to you. Where are you staying?”

The line goes quiet and for a moment I wonder if he’s trying to think of an excuse, but then he finally says, “I’m staying at the Embassy Suites on Rancho California Road. Let me know when you’re close. I can meet you down in the lobby.”

“What’s your room number, I’d rather come there?”

“Are you sure everything is okay, you sound… kind of off?”

This time I’m the one who remains silent as I punch the name of his hotel into my GPS. It’s only a few miles away. I’m already pulling out of the trailer park by thetime I reply. “I’m on my way, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“What’s going on, Grayson?”

“You tell me?” I ask.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I don’t want to show my hand before getting there, but my resistance is slipping by the second. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you go after leaving me this morning?”

“I… I came back to my room.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“What are you implying, boy? I’m many things, but I’m not a liar. I have nothing to hide.” He’s lying through his teeth right now, and that only serves to amplify my rage.

I grit my teeth together, shaking my head. “Everything about you is a lie, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what your problem is, but I think this conversation is done.”

“Are you going to stick by the story you told me a few years ago about never making it up to the cabin that day?”

Despite how fucked up I was at the time, I remember that discussion vividly. I’d been driving around in circles for hours trying to track Carlee down; I was going out of my damn mind when I suddenly remembered him telling me that morning he may drop in for a visit. It was a long shot, but on the slim chance he did come, he may have seen her leave.

When I called him, he confirmed he never made it, saying something had come up at home, which I now know to be untrue. At the time I had no reason to doubt him.

I was a mess when we spoke, and I poured my goddamn heart out to him, confessing all my fears andconfusion about Carlee leaving. He listened, he sympathized, and he even asked if there was anything he could do to help. I want to tear him apart. He’s the reason the last two and a half years of my life have been a living hell.

“What?” I hear the change in his voice as he speaks. “I don’t know what that bitch told you, but I can assure you it’s all lies.”

“The only person lying here is you.”