Gabriel looked at me.
His expression was calm. Expectant.
His eyes said, “Help me out here.”
Oh God.
Oh God, he wants me to make something up.
He wants me to LIE to a social worker about neighborhood concerns.
I’m going to jail.
I’m going to jail for lying to Child Services, and Megan’s going to grow up visiting me in prison and...“Well,” I started, my brain frantically searching for anything that sounded remotely plausible, “we were just—we were discussing—”
From inside the house, there was a muffledTHUD.
Then what sounded like something rolling across the floor.
Ms. Rodriguez’s eyes flicked toward the door.
She heard it.
She definitely heard it.
SAY SOMETHING.
“—the traffic!” I said loudly. Too loudly. “The traffic patterns. In the neighborhood. They’re very... patterned.”
What does that even mean?
“They’re very patterned.”
Traffic patterns are, by definition, patterned.
That’s why they’re called patterns.
“The traffic patterns,” Ms. Rodriguez repeated slowly, writing something on her clipboard.
She’s writing down that I’m an idiot.
She’s writing, “Wife appears to have suffered recent head trauma.”
“Yes! Because, you know, we have Megan, and safety is so important, and we just want to make sure that the—the cars—they’re going at appropriate speeds. For the area. Which is residential. Very residential. Extremely residential. The most residential area that’s ever existed.”
Another sound from inside. This one sounded like something being dragged across the floor.
Something heavy.
What the hell are they doing in there?
Are they moving furniture?
“And the sidewalks!” I continued, my voice getting higher. “They’re very well-maintained. We walk on them frequently. Megan and I. We walk. On the sidewalks. Because they’re safe. And well-maintained. Did I mention that already? I feel like I mentioned that already. But it’s worth mentioning twice because they’re very well-maintained. Like, impressively well-maintained. Award-winning sidewalks, really.”
Gabriel’s jaw was ticking.
That little muscle that only ticked when he was trying very hard not to react to something.
