Take the Fall(74)

Kirsten rises right away. “I’ll walk down with you.”

Sheriff Wood stands awkwardly in the diner kitchen. He looks like he’s aged since the last time I saw him. He holds his hat in one hand, the fingers of his other hand tracing absently over the items on his duty belt. Shelly once told me how much all that gear weighs. The gun, the nightstick, the handcuffs. I don’t remember what the exact number was, but the sheriff’s posture is so slumped, it might as well be a thousand pounds.

“Kirsten, I’m glad you’re here too,” the sheriff says. “I already spoke to your parents—”

“We were just talking about it. You had to let him go,” she says.

“For the time being, unfortunately.”

I step forward. “How can you be sure he’s telling the truth if it’s just his friend vouching for him?”

The sheriff gives me his stony media face. “Don’t worry, we’re sure.”

I ball up my fists. “Sure like you have actual evidence, or sure like you’re guessing?”

My mom opens her mouth, but Sheriff Wood holds up one hand.

“It’s all right, Marlene.” His face is calm, but serious. “There’s time-stamped security camera footage of him driving into the shop with Gretchen’s car. We have that and the time Mr. Meyer found him in her bedroom. It takes about fifteen minutes to drive to Jamesville under the speed limit. Mr. Burke made it in eleven.”

I swallow. Marcus doesn’t have time-stamped anything.

“Look, this isn’t to say he couldn’t have been involved. The guy’s only twenty-one, but he has quite a history. We’re still looking into his whereabouts the rest of the evening. We’ll be watching him closely.”

My mother’s hand rests on my shoulder. “What about Marcus Perez?”

Sheriff Wood glances at Kirsten. “I think I’d like to speak to each of you girls alone.”

Kirsten and I exchange a look, but she nods, then surprises me by leaning in for a hug and whispering in my ear. “I’ll show him my postcard. He’ll figure out who did it.”

She disappears around the corner, but my mother doesn’t move. Aunt Elena is helping out tonight behind the grill, melting cheese on a couple of burgers, but she’s so focused on what she’s doing, I doubt she’s listening.

“Sonia, your mom tells me Dina found you and Marcus sneaking around together.”

I sigh. My mom would call it sneaking around.

I lower my voice. “He stopped by Noah’s last night to see if I was okay.”

“I wasn’t aware you two were friendly.”

“Look, we were just talking. Marcus didn’t do anything wrong.” I’m aware how defensive I sound, but I just can’t stop digging myself a deeper hole. I should just shut my mouth, let the sheriff track down a suspect without interfering, but after last night I can’t help it.

I don’t want it to be Marcus.

“Did he tell you something about that night?” the sheriff asks. “Is there some reason you’re having this change of heart?”

“I just think it’s worth focusing more on the guy with the actual criminal history.” I look down. “Besides, I never said I thought he was guilty.”

“No, but you were never so sure of his innocence either.”

I raise my head, staring him in the eyes. “All I’m saying is, you have two guys with alibis. Maybe neither of them did it.”

“Or maybe somebody’s lying,” he says.

I cross my arms and look away.

My mom and the sheriff have one of their wordless eye-contact conversations. He puts on his hat like he’s about to leave, but then he turns to face me.

“With no strong suspect in custody for Gretchen’s murder, we’ll be refocusing the investigation on the money found inside her purse, as well as the photos and postcard left inside your locker, Sonia.”

My mother looks back and forth between us, confused, while my stomach drops.

“Sonia’s locker? What are you talking about?”

I lower my head, clutching my arms around my waist.

“This might be overly cautious,” he continues, “but I’ll have a deputy assigned to keep an eye on you here during the day, and we’ll be doing regular patrols after hours. Deputy Brennan will be monitoring you at school. I still think you’re perfectly safe there, but since that’s where the alleged threats have come in, I want to be extra cautious.”

“Threats?” My mother’s face is pale, her voice growing shriller by the second. “Someone tell me now. What is this about?”

I can’t look at her. I stare at the ground. “But you said they weren’t overt threats.”

“They’re not, which is why I’m not taking more drastic measures.” Sheriff Wood turns up his radio to hear an incoming call and frowns. He moves for the door, tipping his hat apologetically at my mom. “Sonia, I think it’s time you brought your mother up to speed.”





THIRTY-FOUR


THE CLOCK IN THE ADMISSIONS office at Penn hesitates every time the second hand comes around to one. I’ve witnessed it almost twenty times now, but it must have gone through at least ten cycles before I focused on it. Before I had to see it happen to know another minute had passed.