Page 104 of Tear Me Apart

Juliet knows all the shortcuts to the cafeteria. Zack and Kat follow slowly; he is already feeling a little odd from the medicine. Inside, she pays for their coffees and leads him to a seat by the window. A light snow is beginning to fall, and he looks at it with the wonder of a southerner. Kat watches intently too; she loves snow.

Juliet hasn’t even noticed it until she sees him staring outside.

“What are you looking at?”

“The snow. It’s pretty.”

“Pretty? It’s cold and wet and is going to mean a ton of accidents at the tunnel. Hopefully Parks and Woody won’t be too delayed.”

“I get it. You lack a sense of wonder about something you see practically daily five months out of the year. For us southerners, this is magic.”

She sips her coffee and looks out the window. She leans closer to the glass, suddenly on alert. “Is that Lauren out there? What in the world is she doing?”

It is Lauren. He recognizes the fluffy blond ponytail. “I don’t know. She was supposed to be going home to take a nap. It looks like she’s messing—”

“With my truck. What the hell?”

“Does she have keys?”

“No, but I keep a spare set under the wheel well, and she knows that. I better go see what she’s looking for, she must have lost something from her purse. We went to lunch the other day. She could have just texted, for heaven’s sake. I’ll be right back.”

He watches her go, then retrains his sight on Lauren, who is definitely searching for something. A few minutes later, Juliet appears. Lauren jumps away from the car, looking incredibly guilty. The two exchange words, which quickly becomes a heated argument. Lauren turns away first, and he watches Juliet get into the car, head disappearing as she looks for something. She holds it up, and Lauren scurries away.

What in the world just happened?

He finishes his coffee, gets up and grabs a Milky Way. He needs the sugar rush; he is starting to feel a little woozy.

He sits down, and Juliet comes in, clearly in a huff. She throws herself in the seat.

“What was all that about?”

“She lost a glove.”

“Big fight for a lost glove.”

“The lack of sleep has gone to her head. She’s worried that whoever killed Vivian will come back to finish the job on Mindy. Like we’re inBreaking Bad, or you’re mobbed up. I think she’s delusional. I told her so, and she blew up at me. She’s really in a mood today. I don’t remember the last time I saw her yell at Jasper. Me, well, we yell at each other all the time, always have. What in the world is going on with her?”

He steeples his hands. “You know what I used to do, right?”

“You were military intelligence.”

“Yes. Which means I was trained to be a paranoid motherfucker. Lauren just found out her daughter was stolen in the commission of a murder, and for all intents and purposes, that it was designed to sendmea message. And now I’m here, and Lauren feels like she can’t protect Mindy anymore, from anything. If she thinks she’s in danger, in her mind, it’s because of me. It stands to reason she might be a little freaked out. Considering that, maybe we cut her some slack. She’s a civilian, through and through. She doesn’t think logically about crime like you and me.”

“You know her awfully well for someone who just met her.”

“I’m an observer. She’s completely freaked out, her husband is furious with her, her daughter is sick and bewildered, her sister is bringing down law enforcement and the media, and then there’s me. Her whole world just blew up. I’m willing to see things from her side.”

“I am too, don’t worry. She’s a basket case right now, I know. I’m curious why you aren’t.”

“Because I’ve been living with the reality of Mindy’s disappearance and Vivian’s loss for a long time. I’ve had seventeen years to wrap my head around this moment. She’s had seventeen hours.”

Juliet rubs her chin. “Well, if we’re going to split hairs, she’s known all along that Mindy wasn’t her child.”

“I think we don’t split hairs, okay?” He covers her hand with his. “How was she supposed to know about this? The doctor deceived her. She’s a grieving mother. And she’s petrified she might lose Mindy. I think it’s clouded her judgment all of Mindy’s life, but it’s especially bad now since Mindy is afflicted with something Lauren can’t control.”

“Are you sure you’re an English teacher?” she asks, eyes narrowed. “You seem awful Dr. Phil-ish to me.”

He laughs, he can’t help it, a great boom that makes the people around them start and turn, and she smiles, trying hard not to join him, but finally starts giggling. Kat watches them like they’re insane.