“Celeste cracked down on house security after the money went missing. No unattended guests are allowed in or out. They have to be let in by someone who lives in the house. No exceptions.”
“Except for DoorDash drivers when the house mom isn’t around,” I said facetiously. “Celeste didn’t look too happy about whatever’s in the box.”
Zoey squinted at the logo on the side of it as Jackson and Bennett followed Ava inside. It looked like a black-and-white graphic of a printer with a dollar bill shooting out of it. “He brings stuff like that all the time. They’re probably flyers about the big off-campus party next weekend. Jackson majored in graphic design. He makes stuff like that for some of the frats in exchange for free beer. Ava should know better than to let him bring those thingswhen Celeste is here. We’ve gotten in enough trouble for parties as it is.”
“What’s with Bennett’s fancy duds?” Vero asked.
Zoey shrugged. “I heard he got a job at some bougie PR firm in Bethesda and that’s why he doesn’t go to the parties anymore—he doesn’t want to risk his ‘professional reputation.’” She punctuated her eye roll with air quotes.
We all jumped at a loud knock on my window. I whirled around. A stern-faced man in a campus police uniform was staring at me through the glass. I felt Vero shrink against the seat back. I didn’t think any of us were breathing when the officer gestured for me to roll my window down.
“Is there a problem, Officer?” I blinked up at his mirrored sunglasses, unsure if he was looking at me or past me into the cabin.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in a gruff voice. “One of the residents here noticed you’ve got Virginia tags on your vehicle.”Oh god.Had Ava looked outside her window and spotted Zoey and Vero? “You mind telling me what you’re doing here?”
“I was just… visiting a friend.”
“This lot is restricted. Residents only. You need a permit to park here. I’m going to need you to move your vehicle.”
I nearly sagged with relief when he slapped a parking ticket into my hand and got back into his patrol car.
Vero flopped against the inside wall of the van, breathing hard. “I thought we were busted.”
Zoey threw her arms around Vero and stole a quick hug. “You should go. I don’t want you to get in trouble. I’ll ask around about Theo. Maybe I can help you find him.” Zoey scrambled out of the back seat and ran back to her house. She nearly collided with Bennett on his way out. He was on his phone and hardly seemed to noticeher. Vero’s expression was calculating as she watched Bennett walk briskly to his car.
She climbed into the front seat and checked the clock. “I still have ninety minutes left before my curfew’s up. Let’s go home and pick up Javi and Ramón. I have one more essential errand I need to run.”
CHAPTER 10
“Where are we going?” Ramón asked twenty minutes later from the back of my minivan.
Javi leaned forward and put his hands on Vero’s seat. “Tell me you found Theo.”
“Not exactly,” she said. “But we did find Bennett Taylor.”
“Who’s Bennett Taylor?” Ramón asked.
“He was in Theo’s fraternity. They lived in the same house. If anyone will know where to find Theo, Ben’s a pretty safe bet.”
Javi dropped back into his seat and frowned. “If you dated him, too, I don’t want to know.”
Vero ignored that.
“You think this guy will talk to you?” Ramón asked.
“I seriously doubt it, which is why you two are coming with us,” Vero said.
Javi brightened. “I like this plan.”
“Don’t even think about starting a fight in there,” she warned him. “This is a fancy place of business we’re going to. Let me and Finlay do the talking.”
Vero directed me into a parking lot in front of aglass-and-chrome mid-rise a few miles from Norma’s house. Vero tipped her head against her window, craning her neck to see up the side of the building, as if she were counting the floors.
“What’s the plan?” I just hoped it didn’t involve climbing any balconies.
“Do you still keep that box of your books in the back of the van?” she asked.
“Yes.” Only because Sylvia had insisted I keep a box of my backlist paperbacks in my car at all times, lest an opportunity come up for me to hawk my novels.
