Free Nantucket Grand by Steven Axelrod

attempted murder.”
    She didn’t look away. “That’s why I’m scared.”
    â€œYou can’t know that.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œIt could be a coincidence.”
    â€œMaybe, but—”
    â€œYou don’t trust coincidences.” I nodded. “Well, cops hate them.”
    â€œSo…?”
    â€œJesus, Alana.” I ran both hands through my hair and squeezed my temples hard with my forearms. This was exactly the kind of horrific bullshit I had come to Nantucket to escape. This was big city stuff, L.A. stuff. But it was following me, like one of those dogs in the movies that sniff their way across the country chasing after their owner, having adventures and getting reunited at the end. Except this dog had rabies and needed to be put down—pronto, as Sam Trikilis would say.
    I decided to get the conversation back on track. “You were out at the Thayer place today. How does that fit in?”
    â€œI—this sounds crazy.”
    I offered a reassuring smile. “You and Jared are the only sane parts of this story, so far.”
    â€œOkay, well…I started following Chick Crosby. Alana Trikilis, girl detective. But I didn’t know what else to do and I had to do something.”
    â€œWhy Chick?”
    â€œI guess…he seemed the most harmless, and he had to be the one actually making the movies, he has all the equipment. Plus, he’s so clueless and into his own head I knew he’d never notice. I mean, you wave to him in the street and he doesn’t notice. So anyway…I started watching his house whenever I could, nights when I told my dad I was at friends’ houses studying, and weekends, and whenever he went anywhere I trailed him.”
    â€œGo on.”
    â€œOne night I followed him to that house and I peeked in the windows and saw him setting up cameras and lights in the bedroom, and I got really scared and I was going to run but the others showed up. They had this girl, Emily Trott, with them. I sort of knew her, we were on the basketball team last year but we both dropped out. Guys were stamping around the house and I lay flat in the bushes, my heart was beating so loud I was sure they could hear it and I was trying not to breathe, but it was a really windy night, so…finally they were all inside and I realized this was my chance so I filmed everything they did with my iPhone.”
    â€œYou’re crazy.”
    â€œYeah. They caught me. They must have seen light reflecting on the screen or something. Blount and the rich guy came out and grabbed me and I was screaming but there was no one around to hear it and Blount said they should give me a shot of heroin right there and then, like he had threatened before, but McAllister called him a ‘stupid thug’ and said, ‘I have a better idea.’ He took my phone and smashed it and said ‘Now she has nothing.’ And I just ran.”
    I let her catch her breath. “But you went back. You were out at the house looking for evidence.”
    She nodded. “They burned the place just in time.”
    I took a pad out of my desk drawer and made a few notes, more to let a little air into our conversation than anything else. I wasn’t likely to forget a word she said.
    I looked up from my pad. “How much of this did you tell Mr. Phelan?”
    â€œNothing. None of it. I mean, I told him what was going on, but he freaked out on me so bad and I just got out of there. I thought he might kill somebody himself. I mean—what if it was the wrong person? Or, even if it was the right person, that’s totally whacked. That’s crazy.”
    I nodded. “Good. I’m glad. You did the right thing. No contact with him since?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do now.”
    â€œLeave it to the police. It’s a police matter.”
    â€œBut if—I don’t see what you can…the evidence is gone, the people