My mom throws a hand on Negan’s desk. “He never asks that of her.”
“Well, it was my birthday,” I blush, playing with the pendant at my neck.
She pulls her hand back and shrugs. “Yeah, maybe he was feeling celebratory.”
“I declined his offer,” I add. “I was offended that he rushed out of my birthday party to go to a random get-together with his team. But now…” I inhale, trembling. “But now I regret not staying the night.”
My mom grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly.
I add, “He had his car there. And then Judge Ravenshaw had me pick up his car to drive to his house yesterday. I thought it was weird to see Cody’s car in the parking lot near the rink.”
He pulls out a map and says, “Can you please circle where you found his car?”
I grab the pen and circle the E12 lot.
“Anything else you can think of, Miss Kalkaska, please do not hesitate to call. Here’s my card.” He points at his phone number on it before handing it to me.
“Okay. Is that all?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Do you have any leads?”
He stares at me. “I’m working on it. We will get to the bottom of this. When he wakes up, he may remember what happened.”
I look over his shoulder at the gray sky and zone out for a moment.
When he wakes up?
My mom drives through downtown Seattle, and the detective’s voice won’t stop echoing in my head.
“Mom?”
She turns to me. “Yes?”
I search her face for something –– any emotion, any tell that she’s bothered but there’s nothing. “They’re not going to do anything, are they?”
She chuckles like it’s a joke. “What do you mean, Adela? They’re the police, that’s their job.”
“Did you hear what he said, though? When Cody wakes up… he’s going to remember what happened. He implied that they’re barely doing their job, relying on the fact that the doctors are saying he’s going to wake up from his coma.”
“Dear,” she says as we wait in traffic. “I know this has been really hard on you. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, butmaybe there is hope. Why don’t we take a trip somewhere in the meantime? It could take your mind off things.”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, I’m not going anywhere. Cody needs me.” I grab the pink pendant around my neck. I wish I could travel back in time to when he placed this around my neck. It feels like a lifetime ago already. Anxiety curdles in my stomach, thinking about the immediate future. I can’t just take a trip somewhere. I have adjusting to do at my new school, which reminds me that I haven’t told my mom yet.
“I’m transferring to UW Seattle.”
My mom scoffs. “Very funny.”
I knew she’d brush it off to hide her disappointment. I add, “Dad approved it. I’m starting this week.”
She nearly hits the stopped vehicle in front of us. “But you love Puget Sound, honey. Why would you…”
“It was meant to be a surprise…for Cody. I’ve been planning it for months, and it turns out, it was all for nothing.”
My mom sighs. “Well, I always knew you were serious about him. He could wake up tomorrow, and then you two could live happily ever after at the same college.”
I shake my head, gritting my teeth. I don’t have the energy to determine if she’s being kind or sarcastic. “It’s not looking good for him right now. They have everything hooked up to him. I don’t know what to think.”
