Playlist for the Dead(38)

“I know,” I said. “I just didn’t have a free period, that’s all.”

“I see,” he said, though I knew that if he had a copy of my schedule, he already knew I was supposed to have a study hall yesterday afternoon. “Well, we can let that go for now. We’ve got lots to talk about today.”

“Do we?” I wondered what he knew, what it made sense to tell him. For a moment I toyed with the idea of telling him about the Archmage, but the thought of saying the words out loud made me feel even crazier than I already did.

“We do, I’m afraid. I’ve been in meetings all morning talking to people about what happened to Trevor this weekend. Including the police.”

My heart started pounding. “The police?”

“Yes, the police.” Mr. Beaumont sounded stern, not at all the friendly, open confidant he’d portrayed himself to be at our last meeting. “From what I understand, there are two boys who’ve been injured at this school in the past week, and you’ve had altercations with both of them.”

I felt my face start to get red. I hoped it didn’t make me look guilty. Did that mean the police were looking into what happened to Jason, too? I thought he’d insisted on keeping the police out of it. That’s what Rachel had said, anyway. I wondered who’d seen me arguing with the trifecta at the funeral. “It’s not like that,” was all I could think of to say.

To my surprise, Mr. Beaumont nodded. I sank back in my chair, not realizing I’d been sitting ruler-straight. “I told the police I’d met with you, that I didn’t think you were capable of that kind of violence,” he said. “Now I need you to tell me that I did the right thing.”

“Of course you did!” But I couldn’t keep the note of doubt out of my voice.

“Let me tell you what I know, and then you can tell me what you know,” he said. “I know that you and Jason exchanged words at Hayden’s funeral, and then Jason was beaten up by someone he didn’t see. I know that you and Trevor got into a fight at a party this weekend, in front of a lot of people, I might add, and that night someone attacked Trevor, also from behind so he couldn’t see who it was. I know that Jason and Trevor are Ryan Stevens’s best friends, and the three of them, as you told me, treated Hayden very badly. And I know that you’re angry and upset and missing your best friend, and we talked just last week about not lashing out. I believe it was a good talk, and I want to believe that you were listening to me, which is why I told the police what I did. But you have to understand how all of this looks.”

Oh, I understood. I understood perfectly. I looked down at my jeans. There was a little tiny rip right at the knee; I pulled at a thread and it ripped through the fabric. It felt kind of satisfying.

“Sam, I need you to look at me and tell me you didn’t do this.”

I looked back up, remembering the conversation Astrid and I had had about lying. I didn’t want to think of myself as a liar. I didn’t know what to do. I had to tell him something. “I didn’t do it.” It wasn’t completely a lie, since I didn’t think I’d done it.

Mr. Beaumont looked at me. I remembered when he’d seemed to almost read my mind before; I wondered if he could read it now. “Why don’t you tell me where you were when those boys were attacked? That will set my mind at ease, and then maybe I can talk to the police so you don’t have to.”

I felt relief wash over me for a minute, until I remembered that I didn’t really have alibis for either night. But it was comforting to know that Mr. Beaumont was inclined to believe me, even if there was a good chance it wouldn’t be for long.

“I was at that party Saturday night,” I began. I told him how Trevor had showed up and started in on me, how I’d gotten really drunk for the first time and fallen asleep at the 7-Eleven. “I was really, really pissed off at him, but I swear I was totally passed out.”

Mr. Beaumont frowned. “Did anyone see you at the 7-Eleven?”

“Just the guy who worked there. He woke me up in the morning.” My face still felt hot, as if I were lying, but I wasn’t. As far as I knew.

“Do you know what time you left the party?”

I shook my head. “I think it was before midnight because I wanted to make the curfew, but like I said, I was pretty drunk.” It was embarrassing to have to admit that to him, but I didn’t see what else I could do.

“What about the night Jason was hurt? Where were you then?” Mr. Beaumont looked almost hopeful. I could tell he didn’t want it to be me. Not as much as I didn’t, though.

“At home.” It sounded lame even as I said it.

“Who was with you?”

“No one. Mom works nights most of the time, and my sister was out. I think.”

“You think?” His eyebrows arched.

I sighed. “I haven’t been getting much sleep since Hayden died. Everything’s all kind of blurry. I don’t remember whether Rachel was at home; I just remember that she’s the one who told me Jason got beat up, the next day.”

Mr. Beaumont leaned forward, elbow on his knee, chin in his hand. Like that statue of the guy thinking. “It’s a little worrisome that you don’t have anyone who can vouch for you either night. You may want to ask around, see if anyone saw you at the 7-Eleven, or talk to your sister about whether she remembers seeing you that night. I’ll do what I can to help with the police, but you might still have to meet with them at some point.”