Ellsbeth didn’t know exactly what connected the deaths, but she printed out all the obituaries anyway. Maybe it was just a coincidence.But if Banestooth was involved, she would find out how, and she would get proof.
As Ellsbeth returned to her computer station carrying pages still warm from the printer, she stopped in her tracks, a wave of shock flooding through her. Sitting at the next station over, evidently waiting for her, was a dark-haired young man with hollow cheekbones she recognized in an instant.Maxwell Keene.
It felt strange seeing him in person, after having glimpsed his face in so many news articles and imagined him so vividly in the story Rawlins recently unfolded to her. It was like meeting a celebrity—or even more, like a fictional character stepping into the real world.
Max sat in a swivel chair, rotating idly back and forth, and gave a tight grin as she approached. “Ellsbeth, right?”
She nodded and swallowed hard, trying not to show her fear. “And…you’re Max.”
“I’m Max,” he agreed. “Sorry if I startled you, I just saw you over here, and…since we have something in common, orsomeone,really…I thought I’d come say hi.”
“You were…here, in the archive?” she said, glancing around. The large space now felt ominously vacant; she wished there wasanyoneelse in sight.
“That’s not a crime, is it?” he replied, then looked back in the direction of the entrance—far enough away that Ellsbeth wasn’t even sure she’d be heard if she shouted for help. “They’re certainly not very rigorous about security.” He eyed the printed pages she carried. “What’s he got you researching?”
“Oh, this is…just a personal project, actually,” Ellsbeth said.
She took a breath and studied Max; seeing the similarity to Rawlins in his features, the nose and eyes of the man she loved, softened her toward him. He frightened her, but she could also see the pain under the surface, and a wave of compassion rose up. “You know, Max…I can’t imagine how hard it was, what you went through, but…your dad really does care about you. A lot.”
The remark was intended to disarm him, but it was instantly clear it had the opposite effect. Max’s features darkened. “So…he toldyou? Wow. You two must bevery close.”
Ellsbeth’s skin prickled at the insinuation in his voice, but shedecided to ignore his contempt and try to get through to him sincerely. “I just think you should give him a chance,” she said. “He’s made mistakes, like anyone, but he’s…a good person.”
Max’s lip curled into a mirthless smirk. “That’s what you think, because you’re stillin it.I feel bad for you, really. I know how it feels, when his light shines on you. You feel like the most brilliant person in the world, I bet. Like you can doanything.”
Ellsbeth said nothing. His words rang a bell of truth inside her.
“It’s funny,” Max went on, looking away as he lost himself in memory. “When he was working with me, it felt like I actuallygotthe father I’d always wanted. But…” He shook his head, fury showing through the pain, then locked his gaze on Ellsbeth. “Whatever you think he’s giving you…it’s a lie. All he does istake.So…fair warning: Get away while you still can.”
With that, Max stood up, pulling on his coat, and headed off. Ellsbeth remained frozen in place for a long time, only realizing after he’d left that her fingernails were digging into her palms so hard they had left marks.
Though it was only lateafternoon, the sky had darkened by the time Ellsbeth left the library. She could see the spire of Rawlins’s Victorian house from the hill where the library was perched. He was probably cooking dinner at that very moment. But instead of walking south, she turned back toward her own apartment.
Part of her wanted to go tell Rawlins about the encounter with Max—to unload her anxieties and put her fears to rest, to be reassured that he wouldn’t actuallydoanything. But she didn’t want Rawlins to worry about her. She didn’t want to torture him further with more evidence of his son’s contempt. The kindest thing here, she rationalized, was to keep this to herself.
Besides, she still needed to shower, and to think more about how she would prepare to interrogate the brothers of Banestooth without raising suspicions. She needed to be alone, because if she curled up on Rawlins’s couch next to him that night, she knew she would want to tell him the truth about her investigation, and that was impossible.
The blue safety lights that dotted campus caused the bare trees lining the footpath to throw long and sinister shadows.
More than once, Ellsbeth felt a prickle on the back of her neck and heard the sound of footsteps behind her, but every time she turned, no one was there. She kept her numbing fingers on her phone just in case, but the campus was empty. Everyone else had gone to warm family homes to celebrate Christmas, and Ellsbeth was here, walking alone with only her theories and her ghosts.
Rawlins
Spending the winter break with Ellsbeth was like living in a dream, and the rules of reality bent accordingly. Time moved strangely; their moments together felt dense and expansive. Rawlins would blink and find that hours had passed. The distance between his home and the campus seemed to extend, isolating them from its concerns.
But eventually, Rawlins had to go into his office to post his grades, collect his mail, and fill out requisition paperwork for the Practicum. Newlyn looked like a wasteland, nearly dark in midafternoon, with wind whipping the snow. The lights were on and the heat was going in the office, but aside from a department secretary filling out a sudoku puzzle, Rawlins thought he might be the only faculty member present—until Lennox intercepted him in the hallway, as he was getting out his keys to unlock his office. “Tad,” she said dryly. “Can I have a word?”
“Hi, Maggie,” he said as he opened the door, indicating for her to step inside ahead of him. He dropped his bag on the desk and took a seat.
Lennox remained standing. Her gaze was stony as she closed the door. “What did you tell him?” she said.
Rawlins did not answer immediately. Uncertain yet what she knew, he decided the best course of action was to play dumb. “What do you mean?”
“Max won’t come out and say it, but he’s been…insinuatingthings.”
“I’m sorry, Maggie…I’m sure it’s a tough transition,” Rawlins offered blandly.
Lennox laughed bitterly, sinking into the chair and staring through the floor with a haunted look in her eyes. “Honestly…it’s anightmare.I feel horrible for thinking it, but…it was easier before he got out. Not just for me, I think…forhim.”
