Then, I do something I never do. I hang up.
My heart pounds, adrenaline circulating through my system, but my brain is struggling to understand my body’s reactions. I don’t know why I suddenly felt so uncomfortable staying on the phone with Barry, only that I did.
“Why do you want to talk to him?” Dread’s voice jars me out of my thoughts. I look up at him, my mouth hanging open as I try to process what he even asked.
I jut out my bottom lip while I think of how to respond. But that’sthe problem—Ican’tthink. At least not properly. So, I settle with the only answer I can give him right now.
“I don’t know,” I whisper.
My tongue darts out to wet my bottom lip, but I might as well be dragging sandpaper across a dry sponge. “Something about this entire situation feels so fucking off,” I say, the volume of my voice rising. “None of this makes sense, and I— Someone could be lying, okay? I-I don’t know who, but I just feel like someone is lying.”
My heart pounds as the words stutter from my mouth, like my body wants to physically stop them. There are very limited options on who could be lying to me, and that’s why it feels so wrong to say.
Dread studies me closely, giving nothing away and only making me more uncomfortable with my thoughts.
“Do you think Barry is?” he asks after a few tense moments.
I shake my head, except not as an answer, but to reject his question entirely.
“I don’t know,” I say again, my voice quiet and subdued once more.
He looks like he’s trying to get a read on me while I avoid his stare at all costs, even going as far as to stare at the floor. I know what he wants—for me to assure him I don’t thinkhe’slying.
But I can’t.
So, for several minutes, we wait in thick, unnerving silence.
By the time my phone buzzes, an unknown number displayed across my screen, I’m ready to crawl outside of my own skin.
I quickly answer the call, grateful for the reprieve from the tension. “Hello?”
This time, I don't put it on speaker, yet another inexplicable feeling poking at me to keep this conversation to myself, something Dread seems to notice when he cocks his brow at me after I nervously glance his way.
“Ms. Adams.” The voice is deeper and mature, yet smooth and friendly. “My name is Officer Nathan Hillcrest. I’m your father’s parole officer.”
Sweat blooms across my entire body, and it feels as if my blood sugar has suddenly dropped into the pits of hell. My hand flies to my North Star necklace, zipping the pendant back and forth on the chain, seeking comfort in it despite this odd, foreign feeling clinging to my nerves.
“Hi.”
That’s all I can manage.
“Special Agent Jones reached out and asked me to call you. I’m not fully briefed on the matter, other than Lionel being suspected of crossing state lines without approval.”
“Yes.” The word comes out as a hoarse croak, so I clear my throat and restart. “Sorry, yes. I, uh, have received some threatening…gifts… where I’m addressed as Angel, and no one knew about that nickname except him and my mom. He’s the only one who ever called me that. But, uhm, anyway, I just received another one today. It’s uh… It’s a black box with a note and two eyeballs inside of it. I-I don’t know whose it is, but only Lionel could’ve sent me this note, or someone working with Lionel, at least.”
By the time I'm finished, my tone has become demanding, like he holds all the answers.
“Okay, okay,” Nate says, his voice gentle. “Let’s see if we can figure this out together, then, yeah?”
I nervously lick my lips again and nod. “Okay.”
“So, let’s start with Lionel’s location. When I do random drop-bys, California requires I wear a body cam to ensure my safety and your father’s. They’re all recorded with time stamps and dates, which means if you need to see for yourself Lionel's home, I can provide you with that evidence, and I’m happy to do so.” His voice is even and assuring as he speaks. “Is that something you’d want?”
It’s pretty much the same explanation Barry provided, but for some reason, it doesn’t make me feel better.
“I— Maybe?”
Truthfully, the thought of seeing Lionel, even through video, makes my skin crawl and my stomach twist with nausea.
