Page 18

Theo

Late that afternoon, I return to the police station and sit across from Inspector Harris in a cold, plain room. I feel like he’s about to blame me for something.

Harris watches me closely, like he’s trying to solve a puzzle with pieces that all look the same.

“When did you last see Justin?” he asks, ready to write something down.

I’ve answered this question so many times. Does he think I’m going to say something different? “Friday night, right before he went missing on Saturday,” I tell him. I think back to that evening—the restaurant lights, the sound of silverware, the laughter that now feels far away. “Justin, Crystal, my date, and I went out to dinner.”

“Did they seem happy?”

I pause. “ Happy is a big word. Who’s happy all the time?” I try to smile, but he doesn’t smile back.

“Would it surprise you to know Justin was talking to a divorce lawyer?”

My stomach twists. I just found that out today. It still feels wrong. “Yeah,” I say, the word feeling heavy. “Mr. Wilks mentioned it earlier, but they seemed excited to start a family.”

His chair creaks as he leans forward. “What were the days like before he went missing?”

“Busy,” I respond. “Deadlines. Stress. I wasn’t in the office much. None of us were.”

Harris nods like he expected my answer. “How angry were you at Justin for supposedly stealing almost a billion dollars?”

The question rattles me. My brain scrambles to keep up. “I’m confident now that he didn’t do it,” I counter. “If he had, we would’ve found the money.”

“Who do you think took it?”

“The only people who had access to his computer were Mackenzie and Crystal. Mackenzie’s still here and Crystal is missing, soooo, seems like all signs point to Crystal.”

Harris leans back and taps his pen. “Or maybe someone he was paying off killed him.”

I shake my head, holding firm the one thing I believe. “No way. Justin wouldn’t do that behind our backs. We were close, even with everything going on.”

Harris lifts an eyebrow. “Even with everything.”

The talk feels like it’s going in circles, slowly closing in. But I know this for sure—whatever happened to Justin, it wasn’t because he betrayed us.

At least not the way they think.

I run my finger along the lines on the tabletop, focusing on the tiny bumps and grooves. It helps calm my thoughts while Harris writes something in his notebook.

Then comes his next question. “What about your relationship with Austin? How would you describe it?”

“Great,” I say. But in my mind, I see the arguments, the late nights, the slammed doors. “We’ve had our moments, sure. High pressure brings out tension. But we’ve been tight since college.”

“Even when he was CEO?” Harris asks.

“Especially then.” I smile a little. “We ran EnergiFusion as a team. The title didn’t matter. No one wanted to be CEO, so Justin took it. And none of us wants it now.”

“But aren’t you currently the CEO?”

I sigh. “Yes, but we’re changing the job. The company’s become too big for one person to have so much responsibility.”

Harris nods again and writes something down. Then he moves on. “What about Crystal? How did she fit in?”

“Crystal…” I lean back and let out a dry laugh. “At first? She was like our Yoko Ono. Almost broke us apart.”

His eyes light up with interest, but I’m already looking past him. Through the window blinds, the City skyline is a mix of lights and shadows. “It was hard,” I say. “She wanted Justin’s time, but we were busy trying to change the world.”

“Did it get better?” His voice is soft but probing, like he’s trying to pull the truth out of me.

“When EnergiFusion started running more smoothly and we hired more staff, things got easier. We found a way to make it work, and Crystal went back to school and took a break from the company. EnergiFusion was never her passion.”

Harris stares at me a second too long, like he’s trying to figure out if I’m hiding something.

But I’m not. It wasn’t always easy, but we built the company together. We worked through every challenge. And for a while, it all made sense.

Eventually, my interview ends, and as the detective walks Grantham and me out, he says, “I’ll be in touch.”

Grantham and I step out into the cool San Francisco air. It feels strange. Inside, everything was heavy and full of questions. Out here, the world just keeps going, like nothing’s wrong.

We walk together without talking until we reach the stairs leading down to the street.

“Two hours,” I mutter, shaking my head. That’s a long time to be grilled. Though less than they spent with Mackenzie, I suppose.

“Yep. Two hours,” Grantham says. “You got off easy. Mackenzie’s interview was the longest.”

A chill runs through me. “Do you think she could be a target?” I ask.

Grantham rubs his jaw. “Nah, I don’t think so,” he says. “She’s just a part of the investigation, like all of you are.”

I let out a deep breath. “Keep her safe, okay?”

Grantham nods. “Of course.” He turns and walks back toward his waiting car, leaving me alone.

Deep down, I know. We’re not as safe as we pretend to be. Ever since we learned that Kerrie Bailey was hired to fake Justin’s voice and messages, I know there’s someone out there who wants to hurt us. We just don’t know who it is—or why.

Phillip’s car is waiting at the curb, like always. I slide into the passenger seat. The door shuts with a soft thud.

“Where’s Mackenzie?” I ask.

“She’s at your place with Levi.” Phillip looks at me in the rearview mirror. “Would you prefer to go back to the office or home?”

I don’t want to go back to the office. The pile of work will be there tomorrow.

“Home, please.” I reach for my phone and order Chinese takeout for Levi, Mackenzie, and me—probably more than we need, but after today, I’m hungry.

Traffic is slow. Brake lights stretch out ahead of us like a glowing red line. I tap my fingers on my leg. The ride feels too long.

Finally, we get to my building, and for once, the timing is perfect—the delivery guy shows up right as I step onto the sidewalk, his arms full of hot food.

“Order for Reed?” he asks.

I nod and trade him a tip for the bags. “Thanks,” I say, trying not to drop anything as I head inside.

Upstairs, before I can even put the food down, I hear Levi’s voice.

“Theo?”

He runs straight at me. I almost drop the food but get it to the table just in time.

“Hey, kiddo. Dinner’s here.”

“Awesome!” He grins and peeks into the bags. But then he stops, like he just remembered something. “Mackenzie’s talking to Dad.”

My hands tighten on the containers. “Is she now?”

“Yup,” Levi says, nodding. “She seemed serious.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t take her too long,” I say, forcing a smile. “I’m hungry!”

As I set the table, there’s a tight feeling in my chest. Mackenzie almost never calls her dad unless she really has to. If she did…something’s wrong.

“Can you grab some plates?” I ask Levi while I spread out all the Chinese food containers on the counter.

He hurries to the cupboard.

“Hey, what’s your favorite again?” I ask as I open the containers. The smell of soy sauce, garlic, and sesame fills the kitchen.

“Anything without vegetables,” he says.

I laugh. “Buddy, most Chinese food is vegetables.”

He grins.

We’re just about to sit when Mackenzie walks in from the other room. One look at her and I know. Something happened. Her cheeks are red, and her hands shake a little before she squeezes them into fists.

She takes a deep breath and sits down across from me. “Smells good,” she says, giving a small smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

I lift the lid off the cashew chicken. Her face changes, surprised, but in a good way.

“That’s my favorite.” She seems puzzled.

That’s why I ordered it . “Really?” I say, pretending I didn’t know. I’m glad I remembered. It’s the little things that count.

We start eating, letting the food become our focus for a while. I catch myself really enjoying the General Tso’s chicken. Eating dinner together feels like the one normal part of this day.

Levi gets a big scoop of sweet and sour pork—without the peppers and onions—and digs in like he hasn’t eaten all day.

“Good, huh?” I ask.

“The best ever!” he says, sauce all over his cheek.

When I’m done eating, I push my plate away and feel something I haven’t felt in a while—a hint of calm. Amazing what a little sustenance can do.

“I’m gonna go play Madden.” Levi stands and looks at me, hopeful. “Maybe we can play together?”

“Sure thing. Go ahead and start without me. I need to talk to your sister.”

“Sure.” He disappears down the hall, and I turn to watch Mackenzie push a piece of chicken around her plate. The anger she carried after talking to her dad is gone now, but something else has taken its place.

“Levi said you were talking to your dad?” I ask.

She looks up. She hesitates, and then her jaw tightens.

“He’s been back in LA for over a week and hasn’t even checked on Levi or me.”

“Seriously?” I say. That hurts. I knew family stuff was hard for her, but this is even worse than I thought.

“Yep.” She stabs at her chicken like it did something wrong. “And today, I had to track him down because Levi’s teacher told me he’s falling behind in reading and math. He needs a tutor.” She lets out a long breath, every part of her showing how frustrated she is.

“Hey, we’ll figure it out,” I say. I reach across the table and give her hand a squeeze. “We’ll get a tutor and help him catch up. We’ve got this.”

She nods. “I know. Thanks. I guess I’m used to being forgotten. I just didn’t want this for Levi. It really pisses me off.”

“Levi is very lucky to have you.” My heart soars when she smiles.

But the moment doesn’t last. Mackenzie’s face tightens again, like she’s slipping back into fight mode. “So,” she says, changing the subject, “do you think Crystal could be behind Justin’s death?”

I shake my head. “The divorce lawyer thing surprised me, but I don’t think that’s who Crystal is.” Though even as I say that, I realize I only know her so well. We were friends, but Justin was always her primary focus. “And anyway,” I add, “the logistics don’t add up. There’s no way Crystal could’ve put Justin in a freezer by herself.”

“Turner Bishop, then?” she asks.

“Maybe,” I say, the thought making my stomach turn. “He’s always hanging around, hiding in the background. But let’s not jump to any conclusions. He’s been our friend for a long time.”

Mackenzie nods, but I can tell her mind is somewhere else now. After a long pause, she lets out a deep breath and rubs her forehead. “I just worry I’ve sent the police off in the wrong direction.”

I shrug. “They’re relatively smart. They’ll figure it out.”

“It’s just… This is also bringing back memories of my mom’s death,” she says quietly.

I reach out and cover her hand with mine. I wish I could protect her from the pain, from the hard memories that won’t stay buried. “I’m sorry,” I tell her.

We sit in silence for a bit. Then I spot the unopened fortune cookies near the edge of the table. Time for a break. I slide one toward her. “Dessert?” I ask.

She lets out a soft laugh. “Why not?” She takes it, cracks it open, and reads the little paper out loud: “Do not rush through life—pause and enjoy it.”

I grin and waggle my eyebrows. “In bed.”

She groans and rolls her eyes, but I catch the tiny smile on her face.

“Your turn,” she says, tossing one to me.

I open mine and read it in a solemn tone: “You have more chores to do.” I lower my voice. “In bed.”

Mackenzie bursts out laughing—for real this time. “You’re impossible,” she mutters, shaking her head.

But her eyes are lighter now, even if it’s just for a moment.

I stand and gather the empty containers and brush away the crumbs from the fortune cookies. Mackenzie watches me, following everything I do, but she doesn’t say a word.

I turn to her. “Justin being gone for good… It changes everything.”

“Change scares me,” she says softly, her voice shaky.

“Change happens whether we want it to or not,” I say, rubbing the back of her hand with my thumb. “But it can also be something good. A chance to grow. A chance to start fresh.”

She pauses, perhaps stuck between being afraid and being hopeful. I see the moment where everything could shift.

I’ve been waiting for her to see me and let me in, but she’s kept her walls up high. I suppose I can’t blame her. But I also can’t resist.

I lean in and kiss her, soft and sure. It’s a quiet promise that no matter what happens next, we’ll face it together. The future is waiting if she’s brave enough to step into it.