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“I’m telling them that whatever they came here for, they can just go. I’m not going to sit here and pretend—”
“Who’s asking you to pretend?” His gaze remained on Tiera, as though he hadn’t noticed them yet, or perhaps as though they didn’t matter.
“I’m telling them the truth. I’m sure Shaniyah told them all about how I was a bitch. This is the proof, right?”
Cleve stared at her for a few more seconds. Then he shook his head and swung away from her to study Theo and Auggie.
“Sit down,” Tiera said, taking a spot on the sofa. “They want to talk to us.”
Cleve dropped down next to her and wrapped his hands around his knees. He had on what Auggie thought might be a championship ring—the letters KC, the gold plating and red enamel, the cubic zirconia in the shape of an arrowhead. And he thought of the bruise on Theo’s chest. The strange arrowhead shape of it.
“I don’t know how to ask this politely,” Theo said, “so I’m just going to ask, and I hope if I offend you that you’ll understand that’s not my intention. Did Shaniyah go to a party Saturday night?”
Cleve started to shake his head, but Tiera said, “Yes. She snuck out of the house after I told her she couldn’t go.”
“Did you pick her up from the party?”
“Of course not,” Tiera said.
But something was starting to come awake in Cleve’s face. He was looking at them more intently, his eyes flat and unreadable.
“Mr. Johnson?” Theo asked.
Cleve stared back at him.
“I told you,” Tiera said, “we didn’t pick her up. She snuck out, and like we told the police, that was the last time we saw her.”
No, Auggie thought. You told them she’d gone back to Kansas. You told everyone that everything was ok.
“Mr. Johnson,” Theo said again in his teacher voice.
Tiera opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Cleve shifted on the sofa, springs pinging slightly as he sat forward, his body tensing as he moved to the edge of the cushion.
“Did you pick up Shaniyah from that party?” Theo asked.
“No,” Cleve said.
“We went to bed like we always do,” Tiera said. “We watched television and went to bed. What’s going on here? Why do you keep asking him like that?”
“Someone saw you,” Theo said. “They saw you pick up Shaniyah. They saw you put her in your car.”
“What are you talking about? Cleve, what are they talking about?”
“They’re mistaken,” Cleve said. “You’re upsetting my wife. I want you to leave.”
“It wasn’t a mistake,” Theo said. “Why’d you go out there?”
“I won’t tell you twice,” Cleve said, and he started to stand, his hands gathering into fists at his sides.
“The ring,” Auggie said.
The comment must have surprised Cleve—surprised everyone, for that matter, because they all looked at Auggie.
“It leaves a distinctive mark. Theo’s got a bruise shaped just like that ring. Right here, on his chest. And let me guess: you drive a black Chrysler.”
Cleve drew in several deep breaths. Then he started to push himself up again.
“What did you do?” Tiera asked.
