“I don’t think it had anything to do with your stepdad, Sadie. James told me he’d talked to him, discovered that you weren’t there, and he was heading out when he called me.”
A lot of assholes live in that place; anyone could have been hanging around. There’s Cady on the floor below … I went to school with Cade. He’s a low-level crook, and he and his goons are always dicking about in the stairwell, smoking weed. I wouldn’t imagine he’d be up for assault, but he might have some information about James or know who to talk to.
“I’ll head out there, Des, see what I can find out.”
“No fucking way, Sadie. Call the police. I think if I called them from South Korea, they’d think I was a scammer and wouldn’t take me seriously.”
“I’ve lived in Jamaica Houses all my life, Des. I know people. I can ask around. I’ll be fine.”
“At the very least, call the cops before you go. Christ, I hope he’s okay. I wish I was there. After the last time …” He stops abruptly. I understand. I hate thinking about James on the roof of that building.
“Why did you disappear today?” Des says.
Does heknow? God, I can’t talk to Des about my nonexistent degree, can I? I owe James that conversation first. But how lame does that whole liefeel now that James has beenattacked? I shouldn’t have run off like that.I’m an idiot.
“My mom had a few problems that I needed to deal with.” It’s all I can come up with. “I’m so sorry, Des.” At least it’s not wholly untrue. One lie begets another, as my mom always says—and she’s not wrong. “I don’t want to make excuses, though. I should have called James. You have every right to fire me.”
“Okay, okay, chickadee. Less of the crazy talk. Let’s find James first. Call the police and update me as soon as you know anything.”
He definitely doesn’t know about my lack of a degree: He wouldn’t react like that if he did. Anyway, I’m not calling the cops, but Iamgoing to go and see Cady. He owes me.
Chapter 34
Sadie
By the time I reach Queens, I’m jittery and sweating, and there’s a tremor in my hand as I push through the barrier to exit the subway. But the cooler September air soon makes me pull my cardigan around my shoulders. I’ve been calling and messaging James with no luck, and I’m getting more and more worried. I head down the familiar route from the station toward Jamaica Houses, and once I’m there, I start scanning across the open area between the buildings. If Cady’s not in our stairwell, he’ll be around somewhere, at the bodega, or at the bar … all the usual hangouts. But when I reach my mom’s building, there’s no sign of anyone. I wasn’t expecting to find James, but Christ, where the hell is he? The police? Thehospital? I bite my lip. Maybe I should have tried those places first. But, to be honest, if I can get some information from Cade, I’ll know where to go.
Jake doesn’t answer my mom’s door—I can’t bear to think of it as his place as well as hers—so I head back down the stairwell and knock on Cady’s mom’s door. She leans against the doorjamb, cigarette dangling from her mouth, and tells me she has no idea where Cady is, but he’s been favoring the liquor store on Brewer recently. So I walk between the apartment buildings, looking for any of the usual suspects hanging around, but it’s all quiet. By the time I reach Brewer Boulevard, the sunhas just disappeared below the horizon. I head past the African market and the Deli & Grill, then left, where the Bravo supermarket’s shutters are down and several other stores are boarded up. This is the continuing cycle of bust that seeps into the pores of everyone who’s trying to escape this place. As I head up the street, I realize that I’ve never noticed just how many delis and laundromats there are on it. A big sign above the events company proclaims, “We buy houses, all cash!” No real estate offices here, just predatory money men taking advantage of people in financial trouble.
As I scan up the road, a group of guys is hanging around outside the liquor store, and I recognize Cady’s bulk immediately. Am I glad I’ve found him or not? Well, at least I might get some answers now.
When I reach him, there’s a bottle of vodka tucked in his jacket. His eyes widen in surprise when I step in front of him.
“Sadie.” He lifts his chin at me.
The boys next to him are laughing, and one of them bats the other’s hand, who then gets him into a headlock.
“Heard you moved away,” Cady says, taking a swig out of his bottle.
I stare at him.
He scowls at me. “What you staring at?”
By rights, I should be scared, but it’s hard when you’ve known someone all your life and used to play in the playground together. I purse my lips. “A friend of mine had some trouble tonight, at my mom’s place.”
His eyes shift left, then right. “Don’t know nothing about that.”
Hmm. “Got into a scuffle, so I heard.”
He puts a hand on my shoulder, and I try not to flinch. “Don’t go getting involved in things that don’t concern you, Sadie, yeah? Told you before about staying out of trouble around here. You get me?”
“That’s a bit tricky for me. You see, this friend also happens to be my boss.”
Cady’s eyes widen. “That fuckingyoung!”
Christ, he’d be terrible under questioning. He’s not even smart enough to deny that he ever saw him. He caves like a cheap lawn chair.
“Unfortunately, my boss isn’t the kind of person who’d let something like this go, which puts me in a difficult position.” It’s a long shot, but … “Do you think he could pick you or your friends out of a lineup?” I wave my hand at the guys who are now trying to pull each other’s pants down.
