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“Did you take photos or something? I’m not sure who you’ll be able to show those to if you were taking them from their property. That’s why police require a search warrant. It’s a person’s right not to be?—”
“I know. I know all of this. And you’re right. But they weren’t on their property, and I wasn’t on their property when I garnered the evidence.”
“What do you mean?” He scoots forward on the couch to straighten his shorts then fiddles with the salty white woven bracelet on his wrist.
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith were down by the shore. I was in the woods on the edge of their property line. They were arguing. He had just come out of the water, and she had a flashlight. They were looking for the baby and clearly said one of the twins was responsible for losing the baby in the water. I recorded the entire conversation.”
Liam leans forward, pressing his elbows into his thighs and runs his hands down the sides of his face. “Wow. Uh…” he sighs and runs his fingers through his short messy hair. “We should bring the evidence to the station.”
“Yeah.”
“Is there any chance either of them might have seen you?” he asks.
“I don’t think so.” I’m confident I got out of there before Corbin was able to wave his flashlight in my direction.
“We should go now.”
“We?” I respond, questioning the meaning. I keep asking this, but he’s made it clear he isn’t going anywhere and intends to stick by my side.
“Yes, I’m going with you to the police station. Let Willa know we’re leaving while I use your bathroom quick.”
She’s going to freak out if I leave her a text that says we’re going to the police station, especially without additional context but I also don’t want anything in writing on my phone seeing as the police already needed to scrape the data from it to trace the unknown contact.
Rather than tell her where I’m going, I leave it simple with:
Me: Hey! I’m with Liam and going out for a bit. Nothing to worry about.
I stand up from the couch while scrolling through my photo album to separate the video from the rest of my personal pictures. I set it to a private album and slip my phone into my back pocket.
Everything for me could go back to normal after I turn in this video. I’ll happily go back to being jobless, opposed to being an easy target for a sick family. Of course, I feel terrible that they did lose a child, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.But this is not the way to handle death or grief and if Madden was responsible, she does need psychiatric help before she does something more to hurt the rest of them.
I’m essentially protecting all of them. That’s what I need to believe.
TWENTY-EIGHT
SUNDAY, JUNE 11TH 11:30 PM
“It’s weird that I didn’t know what kind of car you had, isn’t it? Or, pickup truck, I should say.” I should know more than I do.
“Most of the area is walkable. I don’t know,” he says. “I drive around more in the off-season since there are less pedestrians but in the summer months it feels like it takes longer to get anywhere in a vehicle than it does by foot.” He makes a good point. For me though, the inside of someone’s car or truck is like a front row view into their persona. Is the person neat or messy, do they like the radio or a playlist, does the interior smell like a purposeful fragrance or just remnants of someone’s shampoo and soap?
Within seconds, I confirm most of what I’ve already figured out about Liam. His interior is spotless, smells clean but also of a hint of sunscreen, and the radio is satellite on an Indie Alternative station. He’s unquestionably a beloved teacher with a passion for the beach. “I shouldn’t be keeping you out so late the night before a school day.”
“You know what kind of game I would play with my fourteen-year-old students right now? They’re awful at it.”
“A game?” I ask, curious to what he’ll suggest.
“Go the next five minutes without thinking of something negative and in five minutes, you will feel better. It’s not easy when you’re telling yourself to only think positive thoughts but if you can get through it, you’ll see that I’m right.”
“I wasn’t being negative. I was being considerate,” I argue.
“You’re worrying too much. Worry less until there’s something more to worry about. You’ll be able to see farther into the murky distance. I promise.”
He pulls out of the parking lot of my complex, and I force myself to take a deep breath to accept the challenge of his game. I’m not sure how to focus on anything but what’s going on, especially if I think about where we’re heading. Maybe I’m not supposed to be thinking. I rest my head back against the seat and peer out the window into the sepia scene of streetlamps beneath the starlit sky. Shops are closed for the night and there are only a few people still walking around.
What if Corbin is just blaming Madden and using her as a scapegoat? She’s nine. She won’t go to prison for making a mistake in thinking her baby sister could play hide-and-seek with the mermaids. Could Lara be that naive?
“I can hear your thoughts. You lose,” Liam says.
