“I’ve thought it for a while now,” he said. “I think she’s harboring Dylan.”
“What?”
“That’s not what you were thinking?”
“Well, it was part of what I was thinking,” I said. “Kind of. Maybe.”
“Okay, well, can I tell you what’s going through my head first?” he said. “Because my, uh, theory has time constraints.”
I looked at him. “I’m all ears,” I said.
He spoke very quietly. “A bunch of times since he disappeared, I’ve seen her talking on her phone to someone in a very low voice. And when she sees me looking at her, she hangs up. Mid-sentence sometimes.”
I nodded.
“Then I found this on her desk.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket—a list, written in neat block letters. I read it.
3 warm sweaters, men’s large
4 sets long underwear—men’s large
1 jar instant coffee
5 cans tuna, packed in water
6 boxes pop-tarts—frosted strawberry, chocolate (anything but cinnamon)
1 bottle Maker’s Mark
1 bottle Johnny Walker Black
3 bottles Oxy (in medicine cabinet)
I looked at Maurice. “That’s not for Sky,” I said.
“I know,” he said. “I brought it with me to the hospital because I wanted to confront her with it.” He cleared his throat. “I found one like it a few days ago—you know, with different things on it,” he said. “I was super-curious. I guess it’s the cop in me. But I decided to stake her out. I followed her from work. She does all these errands, stops at the liquor store, the drugstore, Dylan’s apartment building. Then she starts driving out of town. I follow her to this crappy stretch of beachfront, just outside of Marblehead. I think my dad took me to a carnival there once when I was a kid.” He rolled his eyes. “Jesus, my dad was a cheap asshole. Anyway, Sky stops at this motel—The Dunes, it’s called. It’s a pit. Meth Addict City. And I watch her bring all these bags into this one room on the first floor.”
I stared at him. “You didn’t go in?”
He shook his head. “I felt like a stalker,” he said. “Like it was none of my business, and I’d probably lose my job if I did anything more. I also thought,What if it isn’t Dylan? What if it’s a crazy sister nobody knows about or a secret boyfriend or something, and I’m about to insinuate myself into someone’s private business?”
I nodded. “Do you still feel that way?”
“No,” he said. “I mean, I don’t think I do.”
“Good,” I said. “Because I think you should insinuate. I think it’s the right thing to do.”
“Really?” he said. “You don’t think I’ll look like some creepy stalker?”
“Okay, listen,” I said. “There’s a crime investigation going on, and even though I don’t think Dylan had anything to do with these shootings, he’s wanted for questioning. And if it goes much further and they think they’ve got enough on Dylan to make him a suspect, Sky is, at the very least, aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
“Wait, hold up,” he said. “Youdon’tthink Dylan did the shootings?”
“You want to go to The Dunes or not?”
“I’m not sure I—”
“Because you’re right, it’s time-sensitive. And if you’re really going to talk to Sky and Dylan, convince them that what they’re doing is wrong and that they should come back, you should do it now, before Sky leaves.”
