At the Quiet Edge(49)

“He has nightmares,” she said quietly. “I don’t want him hearing anything about his dad. Please. I’m begging you. He’s just a little boy.”

Mendelson held up his hands. “Listen, I’m out here trying to find a missing woman. What I want from you is some honesty.”

“I am being honest, and I’d help if I could.” An outright lie, but Amber had a right to disappear if she wanted to.

“You didn’t see her?”

“I don’t know anything about her. And Jones has nothing to do with us, with our family, and I have no idea where he is. I swear.”

He stared at her. She held his gaze until he finally shrugged. “You have my card. Call me if you see anything. I’ll be sure to check on you and your boy soon.”

She watched him walk back to his car. She waited, making sure he started the engine, eyeing him as he pulled away. She didn’t want to go inside, didn’t want to lie to her son. And she certainly didn’t want to tell him the truth. Full darkness had fallen suddenly, and spring frogs sang somewhere beyond the buildings, living whole lives in rain puddles that would disappear by summer.

She heard a door open, and then Everett’s small voice. “Mom?”

After taking a deep breath, she set her face into cheerful calm and turned toward him. “How was dinner?”

“Um . . . good. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“That was a cop?”

Clearing her throat, she pushed through the gate and locked it behind her. “Yes, just some stuff that was stolen from a unit. No big deal.”

His eyes went wide as she moved past him to the door. “You’re acting weird,” he said to her back. “What’s wrong?”

“Just worried about the theft, that’s all.”

“What was stolen?” His voice had turned slightly squeaky, so Lily held up her hands.

“Sweetie, it was only a divorce dispute. Furniture, that kind of thing. There aren’t dangerous thieves around.”

He visibly deflated, his shoulders lowering from around his ears to their normal place. Determined to change the subject, Lily unlocked the apartment and said, “Barbara texted that she took you two to the library. Did you get anything good?”

His backpack rubbed against his shirt, signaling a shrug.

Desperate to take his mind off the cop, Lily almost mentioned her own night out and had to snap her mouth closed on the idea as she locked the apartment door behind them. She couldn’t believe that had been just tonight, just an hour ago. She’d had so much fun. A handsome man had flirted with her. She’d felt freer than she had in a long time.

And now her past was back, stomping her down again. What if Jones was back too?

No. She wasn’t scared of him, not physically, but she felt terrified all the same. Because what the hell did he want?

“Where were you?” Everett asked, glancing at her purse as she set it on the table.

Jesus, what a time for him to actually start paying attention. “I, uh, went out to dinner.”

He frowned. “By yourself?”

“No.”

His frown deepened. “With who, then?”

“Just . . . just a new customer I ran into. He’s in town for a couple of weeks taking care of some things for his uncle. He was by himself and asked me to . . .”

His frown went crooked. “So you were on a date?”

Lily blanched. “No! We had dinner at Mia’s. That’s all. Then I came home. Obviously, because I’m right here.”

“You’re allowed to date,” he grumbled. “I was just worried about the police.” He glanced at her, eyes narrowed a bit. “Was it about Dad?”

“Dad? Everett, why are you asking that?”

“Because he’s wanted by the police?” he snapped back.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Yes, it had been a stupid question, but Everett seemed more and more on edge these days. “I’m sorry,” she said in the most even voice she could muster. “I already told you the police were here about some missing items. It wasn’t about your dad,” she added, lying through her teeth. “Ev, are you doing okay?”

“Yes,” he said, but that was all.

“Do you . . . do you want to talk about your dad?” God, she hoped he said no.

He did, thank God.

Lily let out a long sigh. He could have been more polite, but the truth was he had a right to be snippy. And he wasn’t even wrong. Detective Mendelson had been here about his dad. Oh, he was using Amber as an excuse, but he’d obviously caught Jones’s scent. Because Jones was here.

No. No, she didn’t know that. He couldn’t be here. If he’d buried a bunch of money in the backyard, that would certainly be a reason to stop by but definitely not a reason to stay. He wouldn’t risk that.

Maybe seeing their old house had made him think more of Everett. Maybe even someone like Jones had regrets, and that’s why he’d phoned only a month after the last call.

She needed to think this through. “I’m going to take a bath. Unless you wanted to watch a movie?”

Everett shook his head, looking sorry now, his head ducked low. She knew this wasn’t easy for him. He probably felt lost, unable to control his life or any of the adults in it. She could understand that because she felt the same.