“With all due respect,” says Alex, “I understand my son.”
CHAPTER 19
THE REST OF THE questions from Detective Hugh Malone are rote: Damon’s age, height, weight, any tattoos, scars, or other distinguishing marks. As he reels off the answers, Alex feels lost in some kind of waking nightmare. He can’t help thinking about all the timeshe’sbeen the one asking these questions.
And all the times his own family has been victimized.
Across the field of cubicles, phones are ringing, officers standing up from their desks. A hum of energy fills the space.
A tall woman with a detective’s shield clipped to her belt steps near the entrance of Malone’s cubicle. She stands there for a few seconds, clearly trying to get Malone’s attention.
“What’s up, Gail?” asks Malone.
“Sorry to interrupt. The boss wants a status meeting pronto.”
“Tell him I’ll be late.”
“He says—”
Malone’s voice hardens: “Tell him I’ll be late, Gail. Thanks.”
Gail shrugs. “He won’t be happy,” Alex hears her mutter as she walks away.
“What’s going on?” he asks, craning his neck to look over the cubicle walls. “Seems like your department is gearing up for something.”
“The Young Freedom Fighters speech?” asks Bree. “Michaelson Woods?”
Malone sighs. “That’s right. It’s turning out to be a real shitshow. Some student anarchist organization invited the nutjob to speak. Since then, we’ve had complaints, suits, countersuits. Students are getting into brawls over it.”
“We know,” says Alex. “We’ve seen it.”
“Problem is,” says Malone, “this is more than just a campus debate. I’m getting crap from all sides and from the top down. The governor, the mayor, and the city council all want peace and order. But everybody’s got a different idea of how to manage it. Do we flood the campus with cops in riot gear? Not a good look. Do we stand back and give both sides some space? Nobody wants a repeat of what happened in Charlottesville—one dead, thirty-five injured. But nobody wants an armed camp either.”
“Detective Malone,” says Alex, “we know our son spoke at a rally protesting Woods’s appearance. Could that have exposed him to danger? Drawn the wrong kind of attention?”
“This is a real touchy area,” says Malone. “Anything’s possible.”
CHAPTER 20
AFTER LEAVING THE Chapel Hill Police Department, Alex and Bree check in at the Carolina Inn, a luxurious hotel smack in the middle of campus.
Once in their suite, they flop down on the bed side by side. After a few moments, Bree sits up and opens her laptop. “I ran an under-the-radar Bluestone search on Melissa’s phone.”
Alex leans over as Bree scrolls through Melissa’s outgoing texts to Damon, which take on an increasingly urgent tone as time passes.
Will u b home tonite??
What’s going on??
Hey! Take your phone off DND!
Why are u ignoring my texts?! Where are U??
I’m getting rlly worried now! If you’re working on something, LMK!
Bree slams the laptop shut. “If she’s keeping any dark secrets, they’re not here. At least, they’re not obvious.”
Alex stands up and walks over to the window. “Look. Damon trusts her. Maybe we should too.”
