I walked back to the stool next to mygrandfather.
“Everything alright?” heasked.
“As ever. How long do you think we need to stickaround?”
“We can’t duck out before dessert, Everett!” Grandpa Hen was aghast. “That would berude.”
I sighed. “Right.” I pulled my cracked cell phone from my pocket so I could play agame.
“Ev?” Si’s voice in my ear made me shiver, but I gripped my phonetighter.
“Get going, Silas,” Hen said in a low voice. “Ev doesn’t need to talk toyou.”
I smiled slightly. It was nice to be on this side of my grandfather’s temper foronce.
“It’s fine,” I said. “What did you need, Si?” I didn’t turnaround.
“I need to talk. Please. Just five minutes. Here orwherever.”
For an apology, no doubt. Silas hadn’t meant for me to overhear him talking about me. Probably thought he’d tarnished his halo a little. Mostly because hehad.
“I’m sorry,” he said when I didn’t respond. And thatdidmake me turn around. Was he really going to do this here? “I was a total asshole, and Ijust…”
I widened my eyes in disbelief. There were at least three people who were avidly listening while pretending not to listen, and one — my grandfather — who wasn’t giving us even the pretense of privacy, but Si didn’t seem to notice orcare.
“Silas, now’s not the time,” Icautioned.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “When would be a betterone?”
I opened my mouth to answer when the door to the diner slammed open so hard it hit the wall. Every conversation stopped and we all turned to see Karen Mitchener-Martin walk in, wide-eyed and wind-blown, with one hand braced on her babybump.
“I was just with Mitch and Darius Turner down at the station,” she announced, with a quaver in her voice for maximum dramatic effect. “Elliot Marks, one of Dare's men, ismissingjust like the camper! There's amurdererin thistown!”
