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There’s one thing that’s beginning to seem like an irrefutable fact, though—that C.J. had been a good father.
I push off from the counter, soda can in hand, as thoughts line up in my head, demanding to be reexamined. Ever since I spoke to Caroline the other night, I’ve bought into her theory that my financial windfall is a form of retribution. But even if C.J.wasfurious at his wife, why would a loving father have exacted the kind of retribution that would impact his kids as well?
Whether or not Jane sent Mark Whaley tonight, he’s clearly in a tailspin about what’s transpired, and I bet his sister is, too. In the midst of their loss, they’ve had to watch a family trust be transferred to a complete stranger, manage their mother’s fury, and confront the knowledge that their father had a one-night stand with a college student.
Things suddenly aren’t adding up to me. Surely C.J. had other payback options that didn’t make his kids collateral damage. He could have simply transferred the trust to them instead of Jane, for instance, or donated it to charity, sparing them the sordid details about me. Maybe Caroline hates Jane so much that she’s read her son’s actions all wrong.
Though alone except for Tuna, I find myself shaking my head vigorously. No, this wasn’t revenge on C.J.’s part, which means there has to be another reason for what he did. He must have made the decisiondespitethe fact it would rattle his family, not because of it.
I’m back to square one, having not the faintest clue why Chris Whaley did what he did.
26
Then
IREACHED OUT TO A NEARBY DRESSER AND PRESSED AGAINST IT TOsteady myself as I digested what Rob’s boyfriend just said. I felt light-headed, like I might faint any second if I let myself.
Forcing myself to focus, I turned from Dan to Rob.
“H-How big is it?” I stammered.
“The house?” Rob asked, a crease forming between his eyes.
“No, the property—including the wooded area in the back.” I’d noticed the woods the night of the party, bleeding out from the lawn beyond the pool patio.
“Uh, we’ve got about twelve acres,” Rob said. “There are paths through some of the woods, but a lot of it is too dense and steep to go through.”
I was about to tell him I didn’t care how fucking dense and steep parts were, that we had to search everywhere, but I was interrupted by the ring of my phone. It was David.
“Are you still at the house?” he asked, his voice fraught.
“Yes, nothing so far, but we’re going out to search the groundsnow.” I maneuvered around Rob and Jamie to exit the bedroom and retreated down the hallway. “Rob’s boyfriend is here, and he just told me he saw Chloe go outside with a bottle of wine Friday night.” Without meaning to, I let out a low moan on the last words. “He thinks she might have gone out there with a guy.”
“Jesus.” I heard David choke back a sob. “Okay, I’m glad you’re still on-site. The police said they should be there shortly.”
“They agreed to help already? I thought—”
“Campus security kicked things into gear with the Boston cops. They checked her cell phone. It’s off or out of juice, but they can tell the last time it was on was Friday night, at the house in Dover.”
Oh god. She had to be here then, maybe not even far from where I stood now.
“And the Boston police are on their way?”
“No, they reached out to the local cops, who agreed to swing by the house. The property seems huge on Google Maps. Is it?”
I sighed. “Yes. It’s around twelve acres, and a big part of it is woods.”
“The people who are helping you search, Skyler... Are they standing right there now?” There was an edge in his voice, so I moved even farther down the hall. “No, they’re in another room.”
“Do you think they know more than they’re saying? Are they covering their asses?”
“I don’t think so,” I said, keeping my own voice low. “I mean, they’re nervous, but because they don’t want anything to be wrong.”
“You need to keep an eye on them anyway.”
“I will,” I promised. “Can I talk to Mom for a minute?”
“She’s too upset to even get on the phone. Did you hear what I just said?” he asked. There’s a sternness in his voice that wasn’t there before. “You need to watch these people you’re with and make sure no one leaves the premises without talking to the police, okay?”
