At the Quiet Edge(74)

“Alex? Did he?”

“On Friday, while I was gone, my cousin thought he heard someone downstairs. He found a broken picture frame on the floor. I think maybe . . .” He trailed off, waiting for Everett’s reaction.

Everett sniffed hard and scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “I knew something was wrong. That’s all. Something isn’t right, Mom! I wanted to protect you. I didn’t break in. It was unlocked.”

Lily blinked back her own tears. She wanted to scream at him. Wanted to squeeze him and never let him go. She tried to calm her breathing. “Alex, I’m very sorry. You have every right to be furious. I didn’t realize how far this had gone. I—”

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “I understand curiosity. I may even have stepped over the line a time or two during an investigation. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. Everett, this is outrageous. You’re grounded for starters. You’re not going anywhere except school. No friends over. No internet. But first you’re going to apologize to Alex.”

“You haven’t even asked him about the girls!” Everett yelled. “Ask him about the women and the pictures!” His voice pitched up into panic. “Ask him who did it!”

She was still inhaling a sharp, shocked breath when another car pulled up. Lily recognized Detective Mendelson’s vehicle immediately and wanted to scream in frustration. But then a thought occurred to her. A terrible, soul-breaking thought that seized her like snapping teeth.

She swung back around to look at Alex. “Did you . . . ? Oh my God, did you call the police about Everett?”

“Of course not,” he scoffed, but then he followed the path of her eyes to the man parking behind him, and fear stretched over Alex’s face. He finally opened the gate and stepped in.

Everett backed away, pulling her along.

“Lily, no. Absolutely not. I would never do that to you or Everett. Listen to me, please. Don’t say anything to the cop about this. About any of it. I’ll explain later, I swear.”

“Why?” Goose bumps rose on her arms at the panic twisting his features as he stepped closer.

“I’m begging both of you not to say anything. I won’t say anything about what Everett did either. Nobody needs to know that.”

Her gaze darted from him to the detective rising from his car to glare at them past his mirrored sunglasses. “Why?” she whispered. “What’s wrong?”

But it was too late. Detective Mendelson was already walking toward the gate. “Ms. Brown,” he drawled. “Everything okay here?”

They must’ve all looked terrified. She could feel the horror on her own face. But an expression was proof of absolutely nothing. “Everything’s fine,” she said, trying her best to sound light. “Everett, go on inside. Get started on your homework.”

Everett didn’t move. She felt his stillness beside her. Felt the tight wire of tension stretched between them, pulling her nerves so taut they hurt. She swung casually toward him, hiding her face from Mendelson so she could screw her expression into a caricature of urgency.

Go! she mouthed to Everett. But he wasn’t looking at her. His eyes rolled wildly from Alex to the police detective, back and forth. “Everett,” she growled. “Homework now.”

He finally looked up at her, and her heart wrenched at the violent uncertainty that seemed to tremble through him like an awful quake. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’ve got this.” She slid her eyes toward the door and tipped her head, and he finally relented, his body easing toward the office.

She knew he was lurking at the door, though. She could still feel him, her son, flesh of her flesh. And she’d do whatever it took to keep him safe, even if he wasn’t quite an innocent baby anymore.

“Detective Mendelson,” she said, swinging back around to stare at him with as little emotion as possible. “Checking in again?”

He shrugged one shoulder and sucked in air through his teeth. “I’m following up on everything.”

“I’ve still seen nothing around here. Just me, my son, and our friends and family.”

His mirrored sunglasses shifted toward Alex. “That you? Friends and family?”

Alex crossed his arms and lifted his chin a little. “I’m a renter, actually. Is something wrong?” He glanced around like he might be worried about the security of the place. “Do I need to be concerned about my stuff?”

Mendelson stared at him silently for far too long. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

“I don’t see how. I just moved here a couple of weeks ago.”

The detective stared longer, then longer still. Something felt wrong here. Someone felt wrong. Was she putting her son in danger by ignoring his instincts about Alex? After all, he was nothing more than a stranger who’d shown up at her door with a charming smile.

And hadn’t she fallen for that exact con before? Zoey told her all the time how important it was for women to trust their instincts in dangerous situations, but Lily couldn’t trust herself at all. Her track record was as bad as they got.

Her lips were parting to ask Mendelson exactly what he was hinting at when a dark blur began racing up the road toward them. She frowned in confusion, then registered the whir of bike tires and realized it was Mac. She’d never seen him approaching before, and she’d assumed it would be a leisurely ramble.