Free The Bone House by Brian Freeman Page B

he wanted to watch a movie on
HBO. I crashed around eleven thirty, and Glory wasn't back yet. Troy had
already fallen asleep in front of the TV.'
        'Were
you worried that Glory hadn't come back?'
        'No.
Glory stays out late a lot.'
        'Was
she hanging out with anyone else at the pool?'
        'Not
while I was there. There were a few girls from the various teams in the water.
Some guys, too. Glory didn't know any of them, but I don't know what happened
after I left.'
        Cab
nodded. They were still trying to identify the other teenagers who'd been in
the pool on Saturday night, but so far, they'd had no luck. 'You told me
earlier that Glory was acting strangely on Saturday.'
        'I
guess so. Yeah.'
        'Describe
it again for me, OK?'
        Tresa
rubbed her eyes with both hands, fighting off exhaustion. She looked upset.
Kind of angry, too. She snapped at Troy a lot during the day. I wasn't really
paying attention. I was upset, too, because I choked during my performance on
Friday, so I kept to myself that day. I just figured Glory was pissed off
because we had to go home, you know? No more sunny Florida, back to dreary cold
Wisconsin.'
        'Did
she say anything to you about what was bothering her?'
        'Glory
wouldn't do that.'
        'What
about on Friday? How did she seem to you then?'
        'During
the day, fine.'
        'And
at night?'
        Tresa
shook her head. 'I don't know. I didn't see her in the evening. I mean, I saw
her right after I blew it in the competition, but I didn't want to talk. She
gave me a hug, but I needed to get out of there. I don't know what she did
after I split. I went off on the beach by myself, and I didn't get back to the
room until real late. She was already in bed.'
        'Was
Troy with Glory at your performance on Friday night?'
        'Troy?
At a girl's dance show? No way.'
        'Where
was he?'
        'In
the room, I guess.'
        'I
talked to a hotel employee who saw Glory at the event center on Friday night,' Cab
told her. 'He said she ran past him, and she was crying, and she looked scared.
Do you have any idea why?'
        'I
already told you, no ,' Tresa insisted. She twisted the loose fabric of
her T-shirt into a knot, and her eyes grew teary again. 'Don't you think I'd
tell you if I knew what happened? When I left her, she was fine. I was the one
who was upset.'
        Cab
eased back in the chair, his long legs stretching out, his arms behind his
head. He watched the girl in front of him, and he thought about all of the
messes, insecurities, fears, jealousy, pettiness, and traumas of being young.
There were so many nicks and cuts that felt deep even when they were shallow
and left scars that you could pick at years later. To him, Tresa looked like a
typical teenage girl, screwed up in all the ordinary ways, but looks could be
deceiving.
        He
brought his arms back on to the table and leaned forward. 'Tell me about Mark
Bradley,' he said.
        Tresa
recoiled in surprise. 'What about him? How do you know about him?'
        'It
doesn't matter.'
        'Troy
told you, didn't he? That stupid jerk.'
        'I
know Mark Bradley and his wife were here at the hotel this week. I know you and
he have some history together.'
        Tresa
pushed her chair back, physically adding distance between them. 'That was all a
misunderstanding.'
        'He
was a teacher accused of having an affair with a seventeen- year-old student.'
        'It
didn't happen like that!' Tresa retorted. 'God, all of you are so stupid. No
one listened to me. No one believed me.'
        'He
lost his job.'
        'Yes,
and it was my fault!'
        'Are
you in love with him?'
        Tresa's
face flushed. She tugged at her dirty red hair. 'That's none of your business.'
        'Mark
Bradley was at your performance on Friday night, wasn't he? Is that why you
didn't do well? Did it make you nervous having him