Augie started to say she was sorry when TC burst through the kitchen door.
“Got him,” he yelled. “Once again, our girl Liss is the Cooper whisperer!” He shook his fists in the air. “He was down in the parking lot, trying to get something from their car. It’s good. He’s all good. You can call off the troops.”
Augie’s body sank with relief. Aida clasped her hands together.
From there, the staff gathered. Aida gave a pep about salvaging the night and, after chugging Diet Cokes and coffees, everyone reluctantly returned to their posts outside. Augie stayed put.
“I don’t feel well. I’m sorry, Aida. I just, I can’t.”
“I’m sorry, too, Aug. You do look sort of pale.”
Augie didn’t know how to explain. She didn’t want to lie.
“Tonight is not our night, huh?” Aida sighed. “Mr. Dryer’s giving a speech now and getting the DJ back on track, so if you could help clean up real quick, you can be first cut. I’m sorry to ask, but it’s a disaster out there, and the sooner we get this place straightened, the better. Give it twenty or so minutes, okay?”
Augie nodded.Twenty minutes, she repeated to herself. All she wanted was to get out of there—to go back to her house with Leahand work through everything Chat had told her. She was glad they’d decided to sleep at her house, too, since her mom was out of town with Peter. It would be easier to talk without Lyle’s photos hanging all around them. Augie knew they needed more information, though. They needed to talk to Chat again. Still, she knew it wouldn’t be tonight; he wouldn’t leave Danika and Cooper’s side.
At least now, she understood why.
When Augie returned outside, she noticed the sky was fully dark, that last shade of blue before black. Cooper must have been missing longer than she had thought. She took a gulp of night air.Just focus, she told herself as she went to the cocktail tables on the upper patio, adjusting their tablecloths and votives.Twenty minutes.
Augie moved from table to table as the crowd below returned to chatting and drinking, yet as she crouched to the base of the table closest to the stairs—she froze. She stood up fast. Out in front of her, Mrs. Crawley was clambering up the steps.
She looked even more hysterical than earlier—even more unhinged than Augie had seen her in her closet that night. Lines of mascara ran down her face; blotches of red colored her cheeks. Her whole body radiated rage.
“You,” Mrs. Crawley hissed, pummeling toward her.
Augie stumbled backward.
“You,” she repeated as she jabbed her finger in the air, still coming closer.
Augie stuttered, so stunned, she barely noticed Chat rushing up the stairs behind Mrs. Crawley, followed by Bill. Augie looked from side to side, feeling trapped.
“What is your fucking problem? What do you fuckingwant?” Mrs. Crawley spat, leaning into Augie’s face.
Augie couldn’t move. Around her, the fake flowers and animalsand tiki torches all bobbed back and forth in the dark night, making the whole scene feel ridiculous and fake, like they were actors in a play—though Augie’s panic was real.
“All summer”—Mrs. Crawley swallowed dryly—“you’ve been after him.” She threw one hand back toward Chat, who was coming closer. Out of the corner of her eye, Augie noticed a crowd now forming around them—the Harrisons, the Fravels. Wyatt and Leah.
“Don’t you dare!” Mrs. Crawley cried, raising her palm to Chat, telling him to stop. “You stay with my children. You do yourjob.
“You.” She twisted back to Augie. “You sneak over to my cabin. You sneak over to my house. You put my boys at risk—my family!” She moved closer with each phrase, until finally, her face was inches from Augie’s. Augie could smell the liquor on her breath, see the veins of her eyes and the pores of her nose.
“I, I don’t know—” Augie knew the door was nearby, and she imagined sprinting to it, racing inside and down the hall to the safety of the cage; the keys were still in her pocket.
But suddenly, something inside her snapped.
“You thinkI’mthe one putting your boys at risk?” Augie was so surprised by the ferocity of her voice, it was like hearing someone else.
Mrs. Crawley seemed equally taken aback. She straightened, blinking.
Augie was now the one hunching forward. “You’rethe one putting your family at risk. With all your lies, your secrets.” She was gaining momentum now—she enjoyed the panic on Mrs. Crawley’s face.
“You’re the one sneaking around! With Chat, his uncle. Your, your ex-husband?”
Mrs. Crawley stumbled.
“And you and Trey knew Lyle? What else are you hiding?” As lostas Augie felt, she also felt empowered—like she was reaching into a bag of ammo, firing one emotional bullet after another.
