Dylan
IHEADED INTO my bathroom just as my phone rang, and I smiled to see Asher’s name pop up. “Hey there.”
“Hey, beautiful. How goes the investigation?”
“Slow.” I sighed, plopping down on my bed. “Please reassure me that we don’t totally suck at this.”
He chuckled. “You guys took down one of the biggest players in Portland before you were even licensed. Small-town criminals don’t have achance.”
I couldn’t help but smile. He always knew the perfect thing to say. “If you were here right now, I’d kiss those smooth-talkin’ lips right off you.”
“Promise?”
“Yep.” I glanced at the note pages spread out behind me on the bed. “And maybe you could help me piece together the shoddy clues we’ve collected, because I got nuthin’.”
“I’m sure you’ve got something. It’ll come to you.”
Sometimes his faith in me made a mockery of reality. “So far, I’ve learned that Mrs. Rogers is trying to get into the pants of a guy who graduated the same year I did, Grandma thinks Addie and I are either Lebanese or lesbians (the jury’s still out on which one she meant), and Ms. Samuelson—my kindergarten teacher—doesn’t remember anything. Including me.” I paused, looking for the notes I’d writtenon Ms. Samuelson. “Which is really weird, because Dad said she was asking about me the other day.”
“Hmm. Maybe that’s a clue,” Asher said.
“Maybe. I don’t know what it has to do with jewelry theft, but it did upset me a little. She was my favorite teacher ever. I used to mow her lawn and help her grocery shop after her hip replacement surgery. She was such a nice woman, always got me a cardfor my birthday. Never forgot.” Yet today she looked at me like I was a complete stranger and it broke my heart.
“Dylan, you still there?”
“Sorry. Yeah. I was just thinking. We still have to interview Ms. Long, but after Ms. Samuelson and Grandma we needed a break.”
“I bet. How’s Addie doing?” he asked.
“Not good, Ash. She’s totally devastated by this Jake thing.”
He sighed. “Yeah, it’s probablywhy she’s not answering my calls.”
“She’s ghosting you?”
“No, she’ll text back, but I haven’t heard her voice since you guys left.”
