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Willa grabs her keys and purse, then my keys and purse and hands them to me. I follow her, feeling like a zombie walking in a daze. The only thing to startle me into blinking is another buzz from my phone, vibrating in my back pocket.Go away, please just go away.
With my car back in possession, and two-hundred dollars poorer, I stand in the hot shower for almost an hour, waiting for my thoughts to evaporate into the steam. But despite my phone being in my bedroom, I can’t help feeling like it’s attached to my skin, threatening to buzz again.
I’m afraid of what will happen when the Smiths get mad that I’m not answering their relentless calls. I’m not even sure if Lara has already told the police I hurt Madden and Blakely. She can’t truly think I caused those marks… She must have seen them before I arrived.
She must know where they’re really from. When the expected buzz rattles my bones again after a two-hour break, I hold my breath and clench my eyes, praying it’s neither Lara nor the police. Relief filters through me when I peek through one eye, finding Liam’s name on display.
Liam: Hey…just confirming our plans for tonight. Are we still on?
I toss my head back against my headboard, wondering if he already knows what happened last night. Regardless, there’s no way I can go out tonight. I’m not exactly in the right headspace for a date.
Me: Hi Liam, I’m so sorry but I’m going to have postpone tonight. My first night on the job didn’t go as well as I thought it was going and… Some things happened that you most likely wouldn’t believe, even if we had known each other for years. I’m probably not the person you want to be around.
“Crap,” Willa scoffs from the living room. “Hales, come here quick.” Willa’s shout forces me to stop rereading the message I just sent Liam.
“What is it?” I ask, making my way over to her as I drop my phone to my side.
The volume on the TV grows louder and I enter the room just in time to hear:
“Breaking News, local child missing. Authorities believe she has been taken from her home and the parents think their new babysitter could have played a part in the disappearance of their child. Haley Vaughn, a twenty-seven-year-old Newport resident was detained late last night for questioning. There has yet to be an update pertaining to Ms. Vaughn.”
An old photo of me flashes across the TV screen. Stomach acid rises to the back of my throat, forcing me to keel forward.
“The local police are conducting a thorough search and investigation to find the child.Stay tuned for developing information.”
As the camera cuts back to the news station, I feel the last of my hope deplete.
“They don’t seem to have any details still,” Willa says. “I think that’s a good thing.”
Not for the poor baby who’s missing from her family, and not for me, whose photo just flashed across the news as a potential suspect.
“I don’t know.” I drop down onto the couch next to Willa and plop my head on her shoulder. “Do you think the police are going to call me back to the station for more questioning?”
Willa sighs. “I don’t know, girl. Regardless of whether they do or don’t, you didn’t do anything and they can’t just make proof appear out of thin air. We must have a little faith in the system, right?”
“There was proof,” I say, my voice becoming hoarse. “There was a blanket and a bottle found in my car.” That so-called evidence must be the reason the police were so quick to believe the Smiths last night.
“But you didn’t put it there…” Willa says. I appreciate the statement rather than her questioning me, but it’s too easy to think I was responsible.
“No. I didn’t leave their house between the time they left and came home.”
The lines in Willa’s forehead deepen and she shakes her head. “Maybe one of the girls was playing outside while you were?—”
I only used the bathroom once. I would like to think I would have known if they’d left the house, but then again, they were hiding from me too.
My phone buzzes again. This device is beginning to burn a hole in my hand today. My heart flutters as I flip it over to check the message.
Liam: What happened? So long as you’re all right, you don’t need to worry about cancelling tonight.
I take my phone again and debate how to respond. He probably saw the news. That’s probably the only reason he’s messaging me back.
Me: I’m not entirely all right. The family I was working for had me detained by the police last night. They accused me of taking their child, a third child I knew nothing about. I’m notsure what’s going on, but I would never do such a thing. I’m pretty shaken up.
That’s more than I’ve ever confessed to someone I’ve met for less than a few hours. With the breaking news reports, it’s better just to be forward with the information since there’s no telling whether he’s already seen my photo flash across the news report.
Liam types a response but doesn’t send whatever he is about to say. The little dots flicker for a few seconds then disappear again. I wouldn’t know what to say to me either. I deserve his silence after what I did last night. He should know that’s an option for him.
Liam: I’m confused but if I understand correctly, this is obviously some kind of misunderstanding. There must be a way to prove that, right?
