We wait for the chaos to end, and when Jansen comes back, I can practically see him bouncing on his toes, his solution bright in his voice.
“Remember how Trips mentioned a cabin his family owns? Out west? We could move the stuff there. I’m sure it would tie back to their family. And then, the cops could do a deeper dive into the Westerhouse properties. I bet the country cops hate rich assholes like Trips’ dad.”
Walker leans back. “I’ll see if I can find it. But yeah, that might work.”
I turn back to my computer, uncertain, but willing to let them figure this out. “If you need help cleaning the paper trail so the cops can follow it, let me know,” I say, already moving onto what’s next. There’s a chance I could get away with pretending to be one of these pedo creeps, even if itmakes me sick. I’m not sure I can, but if I need to so I can find out what’s going on, I will.
At least I’m much better at lying online than I am in person.
My phone rings, Trish’s name popping up, and Walker leaves, taking Jansen with him.
“Hey,” I say, hoping this won’t be a long conversation. I just saw my sister for Thanksgiving last week. I might not be a stellar brother right now, but she’s more than capable of telling when I don’t want to talk.
“RJ, have you heard from Mama? Or Pops?”
I stop typing. “I haven’t talked to them since Thanksgiving. Why?”
“Um, so I don’t want to worry you, but I was talking to Mama, and a call beeped in. You know how she is with her phone. She accidentally added me to the call instead of switching over. And, well, it was Pops. He said he’s at the police station.”
My heart plummets. “Which one? Is Mama going to get him?”
“I don’t know. Mama started crying and yelling, and I snuck off the call. I wasn’t supposed to hear all that. But I don’t know. You weren’t surprised when we told you about Pops’ gambling problem. How long have you known? Has this happened before?”
I curse under my breath, and Trish goes silent.
“So ithashappened before.”
“Not like this.”
Trish lets out a groan on the other end. “Listen. I know you like to keep things private, close to the chest and all that. But this is serious. This is about Pops. And you’ve kept it from mefor who knows how long. You’re my brother, RJ. We’re a team. You, me, and Jade. Teams don’t keep secrets.”
“Trish—”
“I’m not done. I get it. Maybe I was a kid when this started. Maybe I wasn’t ready. But I’m an adult now. I have been for a while. So talk to me.”
I close my eyes, the brightness from the screens suddenly too much. “He’s been like this since his second tour. And I’ve known about it nearly as long. If you don’t tell me which precinct he’s at, I’ll look it up, but there’s nothing to be said, Trish. This is his problem. I’ve been trying to get him help, I thought he was doing well, but…”
“But now he’s in jail. Any idea why?”
How the hell does my sister always know when I’m not saying the whole truth? “Because I blacklisted him at every legal gambling establishment within 250 miles of home.”
Trish doesn’t answer, which hurts. Instead of focusing on it, I pull up my internal access to the police database, looking up my dad, annoyed to find him at the closest precinct. The one Clara went to last fall. The one Tom Reed works out of.
“RJ, will I ever know why you keep so many secrets?”
I stop what I’m doing, my sister’s voice small and a little broken.
“Trish, it’s not safe for you to know all my secrets.”
“Do I need to be safe? From you?”
My exhale is percussive, and I’m sure she can hear it on the other end. “No. You’re always safe with me, Trish. Look, I’ll find Pops, and when you’re back over spring break, we can hang out. Just you and me. Or with Jade, or Clara, or whatever you want.”
It’s a promise I’m not sure I can make. Who knows what January will bring, let alone March. But I want to make it. Trish is more than my sister. She’s been my shield. And when I try to shield her in return, she gets hurt. I’ve got to make it up to her.
“That’s a long time from now, but if that’s all you can offer…okay.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, before ending the call.
