her?â My heart was beating like a mad butterfly.
He sighed. âIt was dark and I was drunk. I didnât see her there.â
âDid you see a red car or anything that seemed strange? Try to remember. Even the smallest detail could help.â
He pushed his hand through his hair. âIâm trying to remember. I wish I hadnât been so drunk.â He stared at me a moment too long. I wondered if he was about to kiss me. He started to say, âThere was something,â but then stopped. Lindaâs car drew up to the curb. May and Sheila got out and came over to us.
âWhatâs going on, guys?â May clasped her hands in front of her.
I glanced at Billy. âWe were talking about Jess.â
She leaned into him and whispered, âDonât you go scaring Caroline with more stupid rumors.â Then she took his arm and the three of them headed toward his house. She asked if I was coming, but I told her no.
⢠⢠â¢
Iâd hardly gotten through our front door before Mom was breathing down my neck, shouting, âI canât believe what you did.â
âWhat did I do?â I asked cautiously.
âBetty Beckham just called.â She sighed. âI know you lied about last night. Betty told me. The bus didnât break down and I donât know whatâs worseâthe fact that you got a ride home from Tony, or that you lied about it.â
I glanced away. âI only said that because I knew youâd be more worried if I told the truth.â
âThe truth? So tell me, Caroline, what is the truth?â
All I wanted to do was leave the room but she wasnât about to let that happen. âMom, the bus was really late and Speedway was creepy, so we let Tony drive us home.â
âThatâs not what Betty told me. She said May wanted to wait for the bus, but you insisted on the ride from Tony. And now she thinks youâre a bad influence on May. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is for me?â
âThatâs not true.â I wondered why May had said that. Was she mad because Billy walked me home?
âAnd I should believe you over Betty? You?â She stood there, looking wronged, in front of the yellow buttercup-splattered curtains that sheâd managed to finish in spite of everything going on.
âGo ahead, believe her if you want. You donât care about me. You donât even care that Jess is missing. And you donât care about Betty, either. You only care about Ron.â The words just slipped out.
She gasped. âWhat are you talking about? Is something wrong with you?â She was staring at me as if she was convinced I was the worst person in the world. She went on, âReally, Iâm worried youâre becoming a pathological liar.â
âMom,â I said, âI saw you and Ron on the patio.â
âSo now youâre spying on me?â
âI wasnât spying on you. I was outside by the pool.â
âRon and I were just talking. He was comforting me. God knows, no one else does. You have no idea how hard this all is.â
I flinched.
She went on, âThatâs all it was, no matter what your twisted mind tells you.â
âOkay, Mom,â I said.
âItâs not okay.â She grabbed my arm. âYou lied and you put yourself in danger. Donât you think I have enough to worry about?â I wouldnât look at her. âYou are never, ever to have anything to do with Tony again. Do you understand that?â
I bit my lip. âI do understand. I understand that he wants to find my sister. Whatâs wrong with that? Tony said Schwabâs Pharmacy was important, but Dad didnât even bother to go there. Both of you just want to drink and forget about her.â
She stared at me as if I was the greatest disappointment on earth.
I went upstairs and slammed my door, hoping she heard. It would serve my parents right if I never