His eyes brimmed with tears, and he brought the beer bottle to his mouth, downing half of it in one gulp. I tried to not look too surprised. Clearly Detectives Newbury and Pullman were thinking different things. Pullman didn’t seem to suspect Dad of killing Alexandria.
“They’re just speculating,” Tommy assured him.
“And you have an alibi, right?” I asked, changing gears. “Weren’t you working?”
Dad gave me a look. “It’s flimsy. Or so I’m told.” He brought a hand up to wipe his mouth, and I clutched my beer bottle tighter.
“How flimsy?” I knew enough about this from Will’s case to be a little helpful.
“I stayed at the office until seven thirty doing paperwork, but I was alone. Jessie at the front desk left at five,” he said. Tommy sighed, knowing just like I did that this wasn’t a good thing.
“Do you have security cameras at the office?” I asked.Please god, say yes,I thought, curling my legs underneath me.
Dad shook his head. “They already looked at the footage. It only tracks a small section of the parking lot. So they kept saying I could have left right after Jessie and had plenty of time to come home and …” He trailed off, not wanting to finish the implication. I sank into the couch. None of this was comforting.
“Fuck,” I groaned.
“Fuck’s right,” my father said, and we all sat in silence.
17
Then: May 2010
Matty Mueller’s house was disgusting.
The house was outdated and smaller than it looked from the outside. Alex and Sam had turned their noses up at the sight of it. An actual “shithole,” Alex had announced, while Victoria hung back with Cassandra and me. Whatever tension had built up at their house hadn’t dissipated. Victoria had stared out of the window of the back seat for the entire drive over. Alex didn’t say a word to her. She seemed to relax only after we’d arrived and followed the steady stream of people up the road and toward the house.
The inside of the house was being used only to lay out the snacks and for people to use the bathroom; the bulk of the party was happening in the backyard. The glass sliding doors to the patio were open, and folding tables were set up on the concrete. One table was littered with cans and bottles of alcohol and Solo cups. The others were set up for drinking games, with people clustered around the beer pong table cheering loudly. Speakers were blaring a Justin Bieber song Cassandra loved.
Sam reached into her bag, unearthing two of the bottles of liquor, and plopped them down on a table. Victoria grabbed one of the beers already out and cracked it open.
The space was packed. Outdoor lights illuminated the hundred or so bodies of high school kids all clutching their drinks. I recognized a lot of people: older siblings of people we knew, friends of Will.
“Alex!”A girl in a strapless top ran over, squealing, sounding slightly drunk. She threw her arms around Alex and hugged her tightly. It was Casey Kerrigan. A friend of both Alex and Victoria.
Casey turned to Victoria. “Hey Vic—”
Alex cut her off, holding her hands up in the air. “We’re not talking to Victoria right now,” she said. “She’s being a massive bitch.”
Casey looked from Alex to Victoria. “I don’t …”
“Come on,” Alex pressed, taking Casey’s hand and leading her toward the crowds. “I’ll explain.”
Alex and Casey disappeared into the group of people, all of whom seemed to cheer at Alex’s arrival. I watched them light up at the sight of her. Victoria stared at her sister’s retreating form, her upper lip quivering.
“Are you okay?” I asked. Her eyes were teary, but her mouth was twisted into a snarl.
Victoria gripped the beer can in her hand harder, crinkling the aluminum. “I’m fine,” she snapped, and headed into a crowd of people farthest from her sister.
Beside us, Sam sighed. “That’ll be fun to deal with later,” she said. She spared only a second for an eyeroll before she pulled on Isaac’s arm. “Let’s go. I want to introduce you to a few people.”
“Like all your past boyfriends?” Isaac joked as she led him away. Cass and I stood alone, unsure of ourselves.
She turned to me. “What do we do now?” Her eyes flitted around nervously.
“Have a drink, I guess?” I reached for a can of Miller Lite. Cassandra was bolder, picking up one of the bottles Alex had brought and a Solo cup. She poured herself a generous amount.
She caught me watching her. “Too much?”
