Unspeakable Things(75)

“Another Lilydale boy was assaulted this afternoon,” Sergeant Bauer said, grim and forceful. “This leads us to believe that the man we have in custody for misdemeanor trespass is not the same person who abducted Gabriel Wellstone on the evening of June 1, as we’d hoped. Lilydale and its surrounding area are under complete lockdown. No children are allowed outside unsupervised.”

Sephie grabbed my ankle and was holding it so tight that the skin was turning purple around her grip. My cake had morphed into sawdust in my mouth. I spit it onto my plate.

“We have two people of interest in the case,” Sergeant Bauer continued, adjusting his police cap as if it hurt him. “We’re following up on both.”

“Connelly and Godlin,” Dad said too quickly.

“It’s not Mr. Connelly,” I said, swiveling to glare at Dad. I poured all my anger in his direction, but it was anger tainted with fear, because I didn’t think it could be Sergeant Bauer, not anymore, not if another boy had been taken. Sergeant Bauer would have been working all day long with the other police in town. Wouldn’t he?

Dad pointed at the television. “You could ask your friend. Looks like he’s the latest victim.”

I flinched. I didn’t want to see what he was referring to, but my face was pulled toward the screen. A newscaster had appeared. The banner on the bottom of the screen read, FOURTH CONFIRMED ATTACK IN LILYDALE. The newscaster stood on the road that ran in front of a familiar house.

Wayne Johnson’s.

Sephie sucked in her breath.

The singing of frogs was the only sound other than the far-off rumble of a car. The vehicle grew nearer, its tenor changing as its tires hit the gravel. It kept coming. I expected it to drive past, I think we all did, but then its headlights turned toward our house, pinning us in our living room.





CHAPTER 52

“Aunt Jin!”

I used a month’s worth of exclamation points to greet her, running toward her car like a bat out of hell. She leaped out and wrapped me in her gauzy, patchouli-scented arms. I was so happy to see her that I couldn’t breathe normal. I kept sucking in fast baby sips of air, and it made me feel light-headed, like boom, time to pass out. She was just so beautiful, her hair loose and wavy, her clothes flowing.

My prayers had been answered.

“You’ve had quite the summer so far, baby girl,” she said, murmuring as she held me, safe and tight. I pulled back just enough to look at her. She was so beautiful, so glamorous and strong. She was ten years younger than Mom, but it wasn’t just that. She was so alive. The setting sun turned her skin tawny. Her ankle bracelets tinkled like fairies. Fireflies popped and waned in the woods, like they were signaling to her.

“Sephie too,” I said, pointing. Mom, Dad, and Sephie had followed me out of the house, but I was the only one who ran up to Jin. Jin! She was here. “She needs a hug, too.”

“Of course she does,” Jin said. “Come on over here, princess.”

Sephie walked toward us, brittle as glass.

“Are you hungry?” Mom asked.

“Starving,” Jin said, smiling at her sister. “And thirsty.”

She winked at Dad at this, but I was okay with that. She’d known him since she was a little girl. He was like a brother to her, always had been—I knew it from the letter of hers I’d found in his drawer.

Jin stepped away from me and Sephie, just far enough that she could turn a full circle and check out the property. “I’ve always loved Minnesota this time of year! Why don’t you girls fill me in on what’s been happening while your mom and pop set me up. Sound good, munchkins?”

I nodded and led her into the house and then the living room, where I steered her onto the couch. She sat in the middle. Sephie had gotten small and inside herself, like she always did when Jin was around, which meant I had to catch Jin up to speed all by myself. And I did—on the boys being attacked by the river, Mr. Connelly and how he hadn’t done anything wrong, and Gabriel and how the police had to find him, but I didn’t think they would because now Wayne had been attacked.

That’s where I broke down.

“There, there now.” Jin threw an arm around me. “With a friend as good as you, I know Gabriel is going to be okay.”

But she didn’t know that. When had she stopped listening to me? She was reaching up to take the drink Dad was offering her.

“Thank you, Donny. I see this is as strong as usual.” She winked again. Had she always winked so much? “You still dealing?”

The line between Dad’s eyebrows grew deep enough to hold a sheet of paper.

“Art, silly,” she said.

I glanced at Mom. She’d taken her usual chair next to Dad’s, a smaller, stiffer-looking version of his recliner. Her face was stony. I tried to remember the last time we’d seen Jin. I wrote her so much that it seemed like she was always around, but . . . had it really been a year?

Dad laughed at Jin’s joke like we hadn’t all just seen him flash and then hide his angry face. “Sold a big piece yesterday.”

I was still watching Mom. If anything, her face grew harder.

“You finally turned him around, Peg!” Jin called out. She fake whispered to Dad along the back of her hand. “I always knew she’d be able to fix you.”

Dad guffawed at this, that same exposed-throat laugh he only trotted out at his twice-a-year parties. My heart froze and then started pounding. Dad and Jin were flirting right over my head. Had they always? I glanced at Sephie. Her shoulders were drooped, her eyes wet, apologetic.