Off the Deep End (73)
He reaches underneath the table and pulls his phone out of his pocket. His hair falls forward as he scrolls through the messages on the screen. His face goes pale. Whatever information he’s learning about, it’s not what he expected. I hope it’s not bad news about Isaac, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. After all, it’s day fourteen.
“It never gets easier, you know?” Dr. Stephens says with emotions thickening his throat like I’m supposed to know what he’s talking about, but I’m clueless. “I was part of the team at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Did you know that?”
I don’t know anything about him. Nothing other than what his profile says on LinkedIn, and that’s all very brief. There’s nothing personal. Not even his marital status. “The elementary school where all those kids were shot years ago? Is that what you’re talking about?”
He nods. “I was part of the federal team that went there afterward. There were so many of us that volunteered to help. I’ve never seen such a devastated community. The psychologists that worked with the victims and their families? Those people from the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress? They actually moved to Newton and lived there for nine months.” He tucks his phone back in his pants. “Anyway, I thought we’d see huge changes afterward, but nothing’s changed. It’s still happening. It just happened again.” He wasn’t doing a very good job communicating. Guess he hadn’t been lying about not being able to talk about his feelings.
“What happened? What are you talking about?” I’m not like him. I can get to the point.
“There was a shooting at a high school close to here. It’s still early, so they have no idea how many people are hurt or injured. Just that one is critical and others have been shot.”
“That’s awful. I’m so sorry,” I say to him because something like that automatically deserves an apology. There’s only one high school near here. It has to be Falcon High.
“I’m actually going to have to cut our time short today so that I can get over there and help stabilize the scene. I’m the closest person to it.” He reluctantly pushes back his chair. “You might be right, you know? This community is under some kind of a curse. I’m not superstitious or any kind of a religious man, but bad things just keep happening to you people. Horribly tragic things.”
“They say it happens in threes.” I shrug. I hadn’t meant to sound so flippant and uncaring, but thankfully, he doesn’t notice because I’m as concerned about the situation as he is.
He stands and puts his hand out to shake mine like we’re in a formal business meeting, or maybe he just wants to touch me, and it’s the only appropriate way that he can. I feel so bad for him. I wish I could help. I extend my hand and take his in mine, grateful I used lotion this morning so my fingers are nice and soft. I rub the top of his hand. That electric charge again. I know he feels it too. There’s no mistaking the chemistry between us.
“I have to go,” he says, reluctantly pulling away from me and heading for the door.
“It’s okay,” I call out after him as he leaves. “I have things I have to do too.”
TWENTY-TWO
AMBER GREER
I scooted down the embankment, doing my best to keep my footing on the icy rocks and not go crashing down. Mark put his hand on my back to steady me. I grabbed the pine tree in front of me to stop myself and catch my breath. Mark followed behind me. Just like he’d followed me out of the basement window so the police wouldn’t know we’d left.
“You okay?” he asked, hunched over and breathing hard. His entire body shivered since he was only in a T-shirt and it was a few degrees below freezing. Neither of us had brought coats. There wasn’t time for that. There wasn’t time for anything except finding Isaac.
I nodded as I scanned behind us to make sure we hadn’t been followed. The harsh winter sun blinded me. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, and my chest burned from a combination of the cold and the run. We’d snuck out of the house without anyone noticing, but they had to know we were gone by now. Katie was going to be furious when she realized we’d left her alone in the middle of all that. I shoved the thoughts aside.
“That way,” I said, pointing to the deer path leading to the side of the lake where Gabe had drowned. We’d just hopped the railing at Paradise Point.
Mark nodded and hurried forward, bracing himself against the wind. We’d barely spoken since crawling out of the basement window. We’d watched in stunned horror as Falcon Lake High School was swept and searched from top to bottom with no sign of Isaac. And there was no denying it was him. Every student reported the same thing—Isaac Greer tried to gun down the basketball team on their way to practice. And now he’d gone missing again, just like before.
But I knew where to find him. My instincts told me he’d be here in the same way they’d told me the Dog Snatcher didn’t have him. I couldn’t think any further than that. All I wanted to do was find him. That was the only thought that went through my head. It was still the one driving me forward. If only I could find him, then I could save him. From himself. From what he’d done. From whatever he was planning to do next.
That’s why I’d excused myself to go to the bathroom and slowly crept down to the basement when no one was looking. I’d been wrestling with the window when Mark had reached over from behind me and tugged it open.