Chương 8
Then Rose said, “The sheriff’s office.”
Daniel did not answer immediately.
His eyes stayed on mine while Rose breathed into the phone.
“Why are you at the sheriff’s office?” he asked.
“They asked me to come in.”
“That isn’t what you said.”
“What?”
“You said come get you.”
“I need a ride.”
“You have a car.”
Silence.
Daniel’s face tightened.
“Rose.”
“My car is at work.”
“Why?”
“Because Deputy Hale picked me up there.”
I stood without realizing it.
“Are you under arrest?” Daniel asked.
“No.”
The answer came too fast.
Then Rose added, “I don’t think so.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“That’s usually something you know.”
“They said I’m not being charged right now.”
Right now.
The phrase seemed to expand in the kitchen.
I moved closer to the phone.
“Ask her about the lockbox.”
Rose heard me.
“Claire, I can explain that.”
Daniel looked at me, then at the phone.
“Do it.”
“I didn’t steal it.”
“That wasn’t the question.”
Her voice sharpened.
“I know.”
Daniel took a breath.
“Why were you talking to whoever had Claire’s lockbox?”
Rose did not answer for several seconds.
When she finally spoke, the panic had gone out of her voice.
What replaced it was worse.
Resignation.
“His name is Tyler.”
“Who is Tyler?”
“A guy Melissa brought.”
“Last name?”
“I didn’t know it then.”
I folded my arms.
“Then?”
Rose heard that too.
“Claire, stop.”
“No.”
Daniel put the phone on speaker and set it on the counter.
“You wanted us to come get you.”
“Then talk.”
Rose exhaled.
“I saw Tyler coming down the stairs with the box.”
“And?” Daniel asked.
“And I asked him what he was doing.”
“What did he say?”
“He said it was mine.”
I stared at the phone.
Daniel’s eyebrows pulled together.
“Why would he think it was yours?”
“He didn’t.”
There was a beat of silence.
“He was drunk, Daniel.”
“That doesn’t answer anything.”
“I know.”
Rose sounded tired now.
“He said he found it in the bedroom and thought it was some old cash box.”
“And you let him leave with it?”
“No.”
Another pause.
“I told him to put it down.”
Deputy Hale had said the video showed Rose talking to the person carrying the box.
He had not said what happened afterward.
“What did Tyler do?” I asked.
Rose ignored me.
Daniel repeated the question.
“He laughed.”
“And?”
“And I told him I was serious.”
“And?”
“He said he was just messing around.”
I felt my nails press into my palms.
“Did he put it down?”
Rose went quiet.
Daniel stared at the phone.
“Did he put it down?”
“No.”
The word was almost too soft to hear.
“Then what happened?” I asked.
“He walked toward the kitchen.”
“And you did what?”
“I followed him.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
“I tried.”
“You had thirty people in the house.”
“Most of them were drinking.”
“So?”
“So I didn’t want some huge scene.”
I laughed without humor.
“You didn’t want a scene in the house you stole.”
“Claire.”
“No, keep going.”
Rose snapped, “I was trying to keep things under control.”
That almost made me lose whatever restraint I had left.
“Under control?”
Daniel raised a hand toward me.
Not to silence me.
To hold the conversation together.
“What happened after you followed him?” he asked.
Rose hesitated.
“Melissa came over.”
“What did Melissa say?”
“She told him to quit being an idiot.”
“And?”
“He gave her the box.”
I stared at Daniel.
His expression changed too.
“Melissa had it?”
“For a second.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know.”
“Rose.”
“She took it from him and set it by the back door.”
“Why there?”
“She said she’d put it back upstairs later.”
“Did she?”
“I thought she did.”
“You thought.”
“Yes.”
“Did you see her do it?”
“No.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
I leaned toward the phone.
“Did you see anyone take the box after that?”
“No.”
“Did you see Melissa leave?”
“Yes.”
“With what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Was she carrying a bag?”
“Everybody had bags.”
“Was Tyler still there?”
“For a while.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know.”
I straightened.
“Then you lied to me.”
Rose’s breathing changed.
“I panicked.”
“You told me you had no idea anyone had taken anything.”
“I didn’t know the box was gone.”
“You knew a stranger had carried it out of my mother’s bedroom.”
“I stopped him.”
“No.”
My voice came out flatter than I expected.
“You interrupted him.”
Rose did not respond.
Daniel spoke quietly.
“Why didn’t you tell the deputy this immediately?”
“I did.”
“When?”
“After they showed me the video.”
Daniel looked away.
There was nothing to say to that.
Rose had not decided to be honest.
She had run out of room to lie.
“I need to call Mom,” she said.
Daniel’s head turned sharply.
“Why?”
“Because she’s freaking out.”
“Mom knows?”
“She called me at work right when the deputy got there.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
I knew.
Rose called their mother whenever consequences became too large to manage alone.
Maybe she had called before the deputy arrived.
Maybe during.
Either way, Linda would already be constructing the version in which Rose had made a youthful mistake and everybody else had responded too harshly.
Daniel picked up his phone.
“I’ll come get you.”
I stared at him.
He saw it.
“I’m not bailing her out.”
“She says she isn’t under arrest.”
“I know.”
“I’m taking her home.”
Rose said, “Thank you.”
I walked into the living room.
I did not trust myself to stay.
Behind me, Daniel ended the call.
A few seconds later he followed.
“You’re angry.”
“I’m past angry.”
“She’s scared.”
“Good.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m taking her side.”
I turned.
“Then stop behaving like transportation is the emergency.”
His shoulders dropped.
“What do you want me to do, Claire?”
“I want you to decide what you are doing.”
“I just did.”
“No.”
May you like
I shook my head.
“You’re reacting to whoever is most upset in front of you.”
