First Girl Gone(67)

“So what?”

“So the owner, Demetrio? He gave you up. Said you were the one who brought Kara Dawkins in. I’m not the only one looking for you now.”

That rattled him. She watched his face contort in fear as his mind connected the dots. It was a gamble, laying it all out like this. If he was thinking rationally, he might be willing to let her go. He could take her car and her phone and run. If not… well, then she might end up like Kara and Amber.

“Fuck. Oh fuck.”

The blade began to shake, nudging uncomfortably against Charlie’s larynx.

“The police know that I’m here, Robbie. If anything happens to me…”

The knife glittered where it caught the dome light as the blade sliced the air again. Away from her this time.

She gasped as the blade flopped onto the empty passenger seat. It bounced twice, and then it settled into one of the grooves in the upholstery.

They both stared at the spiky metal for a moment, shocked silence filling the car. Charlie’s chest quivered, sucked in a fresh breath.

Then Robbie’s hands shot up as though Charlie had pulled a gun on him. Palms out. Arms shaking. Fingers trembling.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a wavering voice. “I’m sorry, OK? I thought I could scare you off. I didn’t know what else to do. Everything’s gone to shit, and I panicked. But now…”

She turned to face him fully, found the expression of a frightened child staring back at her. Eyes wide and wet.

He cleared his throat.

“Look, I don’t want to hurt you. Don’t want to hurt anybody. I just… want to tell my side of the story.”

Charlie wasn’t sure what to make of his sudden shift in demeanor, but she wanted to keep him talking.

“I’m listening,” she said.

“I didn’t kidnap Kara or anyone, OK? But I know how the cops think around here. They’ll pin it on me anyway. Maybe even off me and plant a weapon on my corpse or something. An easy way to make all of this go away. I’ve seen the stuff about Jeffrey Epstein on the news. I know how the real world works.”

He was talking too fast, rambling. He’d dropped the knife, but his pupils were huge, which meant he was probably on something. Charlie needed to redirect him, but her instincts told her to be delicate about it. Gentle and soothing. She didn’t want to spook him.

“I understand, and I promise you that I only want the truth. Why don’t you try starting at the beginning?”

He gulped, his Adam’s apple rising and falling at the front of his neck. A quirk played at his mouth, and Charlie thought he was about to talk again, perhaps finding a calmer tone than before, starting from the beginning like she’d said. Instead his bottom lip broke into a full-on tremble.

Robbie burst into tears, sobs racking his torso, throttling him with rough hands. The sounds torn from his throat were not the soft whimpers of a child. They were the anguished, awful sobs of a full-grown man.

“Kara,” he said, unable to go on for a moment. Snot dripped down from his nose.

Charlie thought about saying something but decided it was better to wait. Let this play out on his terms. No need to rush him.

He finally broke his hands-up pose to smear his thumb and index finger at his eyes, the sobs receding and then cutting off. Removing his hand, he blinked a few times, tears gleaming in his eyelashes like crystals.

“I guess you could say we had an on and off thing, me and Kara. Probably doesn’t sound like much, I guess, but I care about her. Shit, I’m worried sick about her. I’d never hurt her. Nothing like that.”

“And you had her dancing at the Red Velvet Lounge?”

For a second, a hard look flashed across his face, but his eyes went soft again just as quickly.

“That was her idea, I swear. She thought she could make a fortune up there, and she was right. I just helped her make it happen.”

“It’s funny,” Allie said. “He didn’t seem so broken up the night he was getting it on with Sharon Ritter.”

“You said you and Kara were on and off,” Charlie said, choosing her words carefully. “Were you two seeing other people?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I figure you know plenty more than you’re lettin’ on, so let’s just get it out there. I been fu— uh, seein’ Sharon Ritter on the side as of late. And I get how bad that looks. Tyin’ me to both girls, but… that one is just a physical thing. Not like with Kara, I mean.”

He blinked a few more times, staring off at nothing.

“Wouldn’t you know Amber Spadafore from school as well?”

“No. I mean, yeah, I knew who she was and all that. Small town. But we didn’t cross paths much. She always ran with a different crew. No. More than that. Like, she lived in a different world from me. Bunch of achievers with their advanced algebra and extracurriculars. Only math I know intimately is to do with, like, the number of grams in an eighth, you know? Anyhow, I always thought she was stuck up. Maybe that wasn’t fair. I guess I know how people judge people and all now, don’t I? Now… Shit. I guess now White Rabbit’s about to ruin my life, so what the fuck difference does it make, right? Just another small-town loser going off to do time.”

Charlie flinched.

“Wait. Back up. You said White Rabbit is ruining your life? What does that mean?”