“Anyone who lived there could have let him in,” Javi pointed out.
Ramón raised an eyebrow. “Ben said Theo left the party with a girl. What if that girl lived in Vero’s building? He could have used her to get in.”
We all paused to consider that. It wasn’t just a plausible theory. It was starting to sound like a damn good one. Theo would have had means and opportunity to take the cash for himself. And the motive was obvious; whatwouldn’ta broke college senior do to get his hands on two hundred grand if he thought he wouldn’t get caught?
“We should go to the police,” I said. “They can talk to Ben.”
Vero gave an emphatic shake of her head. “Ben will only cover for Theo. And even if he does tell the cops he saw Theo leave the party, that still leavesmewithout an alibi. All that stuff about Theo leaving with some girl only makes things worse. You heard what Ben said: not even Jackson could say for surewhohe saw in Theo’s car. What if the cops suspect it was me? They might assume Theo and I stole the money together. Apparently, everyone else does,” she added tartly. “I need to talk to Theo myself.”
“And get him to do what?” Javi asked doubtfully. “Admit he stole two hundred Gs and let you take the fall for it? There’s no amount of talking that’s going to get him to do that, V. If he thinkshe’s got a solid chance of getting away with it, he’d be smarter to deny it.”
“And if we show up at his door and accuse him, he might skip town,” Ramón pointed out. “We’ll be right back where we started.”
Vero drummed her fingers on her crossed arms. “Then we’ll just have to find proof Theo took the money.”
“Ben said Theo’s slinging drinks at a sports bar,” Javi reminded us. “How hard could it be to figure out where he works?”
Vero sat up. “Give me your phone,” she said to her cousin. Reluctantly, he handed it over.
“What are you doing?” he asked as she tapped the screen.
“Searching for a list of local sports bars. There really aren’t that many. I’ve got a get-out-of-jail-free card tomorrow night for mass. We can probably visit all these bars in less than three— Hey!” she said when Ramón snatched his phone back.
“You’renot going anywhere,” he said, setting it out of reach of her charger. “What if that cop checks up on you and she sees you’re not at church tomorrow night?”
“What’s she going to do? Stake out the pews at St. Pete’s?”
“Ramón’s right,” I said to Vero. “It’s not worth getting you in any more trouble. And we’ll have more time to track Theo down if we don’t have a curfew to worry about. Leave the list to us. The three of us will handle it.”
On Saturday evening, Vero was still giving Javi, Ramón, and me the silent treatment. She seethed quietly on her stool, charging her ankle monitor as Javi finalized our route to the local sports bars. Norma and Gloria had left a pan of pork chops on the stove for us, along with a pot of rice. They’d taped a note to the refrigerator before leaving the house, saying they had an errand to run beforechurch and we should help ourselves to dinner. I offered Vero a plate of food, but she turned her nose up at it, refusing to speak to me as I set it beside her on the counter.
When it was time for us to leave, Vero yanked her cord from her charging station and stormed out the back door, slamming it behind her. She jerked open a folding chair and sat down at the edge of the patio with her back to the house.
I considered trying to talk to her until she plucked a pair of pruning shears from her mother’s garden cart, snapping them open and closed in a mindless rhythm while she scowled into the forest. Javi, Ramón, and I were probably the last people she wanted to see right now. She looked like she wanted to murder all three of us and was contemplating where to hide our bodies.
I went upstairs to change my clothes, peeking out her bedroom window to make sure she was still there before going to the bathroom to freshen my makeup. I glanced at my phone as I brushed my teeth, hoping for a message from Nick. When I didn’t find any, I decided to check in. I sent a quick, breezy text, aiming for a tone that fell somewhere betweenWhy haven’t you called oh god is something wrongandI completely trust you can handle my children.
Finlay:Hey, I miss you. How’s everyone there?
Nick:We’re good!
Finlay:Anything I need to know?
Nick:Nothing you need to know. We spent the afternoon at the park, picked up groceries on the way home, and I’m making Hamburger Helper for dinner.
Finlay:Is it strange that I find that a turn-on?
Nick:How would you feel if I said I did some laundry and mopped?
Finlay:
Nick:How’s everything at Norma’s? Any luck finding your witness?
Finlay:Not yet, but we tracked down a known associate and we might have a lead on his place of employment.
Nick:Is it strange that I find *that* a turn-on?
It was my turn to laugh.
