Replica (Replica #1)(99)

But there was no pretending. The replicas were gone.


Jake still hadn’t texted her back. She tried calling again, then remembered he had said his aunt’s house was pretty rural and cell phone service was bad. He’d written down his address and home phone number on the back of a piece of tinfoil that looked like it had come from a cigarette pack, and she tried calling this as well, three times in a row. She switched back to trying his cell phone, and her next two calls went straight to voice mail. She couldn’t understand what it meant, but she was afraid. Printouts from the Haven Files had been recovered from the bomber’s bag. It seemed obvious that he would get in trouble. Maybe he was with the cops even now. What if they thought he’d had something to do with the explosion?

It was ten thirty now, and she was getting desperate. No way was she going to be here when April returned—she’d rather hitchhike. She’d rather walk.

Then she remembered Pete.

He picked up on the first ring. “This is your knight in shining armor,” he said, in a baritone. “To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?”

“A lady in distress,” Gemma said. The sound of his voice lifted her spirits, just a bit. “I need help.”

Pete cleared his throat. “You’re in luck. That’s what knights in shining armor do. Helping is basically our bread and butter. What’s the trouble?”

“I need you to pick me up”—she gave him April’s address in Bowling Springs—“as soon as possible. I’ll explain when you get here.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Pete said. “Be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means sit tight. I’m coming.”

She hung up, feeling better already. Pete could be annoying, but he was reliable and sweet. A distraction, too. Kind of like having a fluffy Pomeranian for company. If Pomeranians could drive and knew all the words to “Baby Got Back.”

He was there in less than half an hour, and her heart lifted again when she saw the ridiculous purple minivan swanning down the road. He leaned over to pop open the door for her, and she nearly sat on a bag of doughnuts in the passenger seat.

“Figured you hadn’t eaten,” he said. “There’s coffee, too, if you want it.” Two jumbo Styrofoam cups were straining against the cup holders.

Pete must have gotten sun yesterday, because his arms and the bridge of his nose were more deeply freckled. But the freckles looked good on him, like a dusting of stars. She was super aware of the fact that when she sat, her shorts cut hard into her thighs, and wished she had worn jeans instead. Even her knees looked fat. To conceal her embarrassment she looked down, fumbling with the lid of her coffee.

“You weren’t kidding about the knight-in-shining-armor thing,” she said.

He beamed at her. Actually beamed. His smile nearly blinded her. “So where to?”

She knew that there was no point in trying to go after the replicas. She wasn’t Sherlock Holmes, and there were no footprints to track. They had most likely left in the middle of the night and could have been anywhere. She needed to talk to Jake. He might have ideas about what to do next. Fortunately, he’d written down his address when he’d given her his aunt’s landline. At least the replicas hadn’t stolen her entire wallet. Small mercies.

“Here.” She fished out the piece of foil and handed it over to Pete. He raised his eyebrows.

“Is this a clue or something?” Pete said. “Because I think it was Sergeant Pepper in the pantry with an egg cozy.”

“Just drive, okay? I need to talk to my friend Jake,” she said. “He’s not picking up his phone.”

Instantly, Pete’s face changed. “When you said help, I didn’t think you needed a ride to your boyfriend’s,” he said, and although he put the car in drive, she could tell he was hurt.

“Jake isn’t my boyfriend. Trust me,” she said. “He’s—” She was about to say he was way out of her league, but she didn’t think this would make Pete feel any better. Especially since she was kind of starting to hope Pete might be in her league. “Look, he’s been helping me. It’s complicated. . . .” She trailed off.

Pete made a face, as if he wasn’t convinced. “So why couldn’t Prince Charming come and get you?”

“I told you. I can’t get in touch with him,” Gemma said, and Pete snorted. “Look, you’ve got it wrong. Jake’s dad was a big Haven freak. After he died, Jake kind of took over for him.”

“Haven?” Pete looked confused. “The place we heard about on the radio? The one that got blown up?”

“Yeah. That one.” Gemma took a deep breath. The GPS was directing them out of the subdivision now, speaking in its measured mechanical voice, and Gemma found herself unconsciously scanning the streets for April in her jogging clothes. She was seized by the sudden idea that once they turned onto the highway, that was it. She would never see April again. And she knew, in part, it had been her fault. She should have talked to April, trusted her sooner, let her in on the secret, explained. She turned back to Pete. “There’s a lot of stuff I haven’t told you. It’s going to sound crazy, okay? If I tell you, you’re going to think I’m bananas. You have to promise not to think that.”