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“Of course. But you shouldn’t be worried. Craig had nothing to do with that explosion.”
“The FBI said it was intentional. That someone planted a bomb.”
“Craig wouldn’t do anything like that, but I talked to him. He says no one with IP would do such a thing. I mean, he hates West End, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
She frowned. She didn’t think that Bobby’s older brother had anything to do with it, but Craighadbeen arrested last year for vandalism.
“Ash, what are you so upset about?” He put his arm around her, and they sat on the bench. Dakota lay down at her feet, his head up, watching kids playing on the swings across the park. She looked at their entwined hands, hers darker than Bobby’s. His palms rough because of his part-time work at the fish processing plant; hers rough from sailing. She liked that—they both were active, they both loved the outdoors, they both loved the island.
It was nearly six o’clock but still light enough to play, and Ashley was nostalgic. Her mother had taken her and Whitney to this park almost every day when they were little. She’d been ten when her mom died, and only three months before that she had told her mom she was too old for the park.
She wished she had one more day with her.
“Ash? You okay?”
She pushed away the thoughts of her mom and her childhood.
“I know it was awful,” Bobby continued, “and I’m so sorry you had to see it, but no one we know did this. No one we knowcoulddo anything like this.”
“Neil is dead. And Kyle. We know those people, and they’re just...gone. My dad is positive it’s IP, and he’s so mad... He doesn’t understand.”
“We’re not violent. You know that. And Craig isn’t violent. He just did something stupid and he’s paying for it now.”
“Has the FBI talked to him?”
“The FBI asked him to go down to the station tomorrow, but I don’t know if he will.”
“He’s on probation. He has to.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
Ashley was pretty sure she was right but didn’t correct her boyfriend. And truly, she didn’t think Craig would do this—she’d known him for years, and he didn’t seem to have a mean bone in his body, just like Bobby.
She bit her lip. She didn’t want to say it, but she’d been thinking about it all day.
“What?” Bobby asked, as if reading her mind.
“Valerie is a lot... Well, she’s kind of radical.”
“We’re all considered radical in the eyes of people like your dad.”
“He just doesn’t understand what’s at stake. But you know what I mean—Valerie’s different. She’s just—I don’t know.”
“Look, I don’t like her all that much, either, but she cares and is dedicated, and that’s what’s important, right?”
“I don’t think your brother would have vandalized the pier last summer if she hadn’t egged him on.”
Ashley hadn’t liked Valerie ever since she’d moved to the island two years ago. She couldn’t really put her finger onwhy, just that Valerie was so angry all the time and was—well, kind of a bitch. She hated that word, but it fit her. Bobby didn’t like her, either, but he never said anything to his brother because for some reason Craig thought she was amazing, and he was in love.
“Ash, what did the FBI say that has you all worked up?”
“Whitney told them that I was taking pictures. They wanted to see my camera—my dad took the memory card and justgaveit to them.”
“What are you worried about? Do you think Craig...anyone...is on that disk? I mean, no one we know did this. Youknowthat. So what are you worried about?”
“I don’t know... I mean, it’s just pictures, but it wasn’t just theWater Lily. The pictures I took last week are on there, too, and what if they ask me about that? What do I say? What if they talk to my dad?”
“You know what my mom says? Don’t borrow trouble.”
