Free Nothing to Lose by Norah McClintock Page B

and money. In other places, I had been able to watch what was happening even if I didn’t understand it. At the bakery, I had seen the girl at the register reach under the counter for something that she had slipped into Nick’s bag. At the food court, Nick had blocked my view of the register when he paid for our drinks, but I had seen him put something into his pocket. And I was pretty sure that the man in the last store Nick had been in had handed him something besides the wood train.
    What was going on?
    Someone said my name, and I jumped. Nick’s aunt was walking toward me. I slipped the envelope full of money into my purse as calmly as I could and stood up.
    â€œHe wants to see you,” she said. “Glen went to tell the police that they can see Nick. They’ll want to ask him some questions. I’ll give you some time alone with him, Robyn. I’ll be back in a little while.”
    I went back into the room with the big brown paper bag containing Nick’s clothes. Nick grabbed the bag from my hands, pulled out his hooded sweatshirt, and pawed through the front pockets. When he came up empty, he dumped the contents of the bag onto the bed and started to root frantically through them.
    I pulled the thick envelope out of my purse.
    â€œIs this what you’re looking for?” I said.
    For a moment, Nick looked relieved.Then he caught the expression on my face.
    â€œIt’s not what you think,” he said.

“Y ou have no idea what I think,” I said. “Are you kidding?” Nick said. “I know exactly what you think. Right now you look like every youth worker who’s ever been assigned to me. You think I screwed up again,” he said.
    â€œThere’s a lot of money in this envelope, Nick.”
    â€œI didn’t steal it, if that’s what you’re worried about.” He held out his hand. “Give it to me, Robyn.”
    I put the envelope back into my purse.
    â€œMost of the places we went today, someone gave you money, correct?” I said.
    Nick made a face. “Now you look like your mother,” he said. “But you sound like your father.”
    I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for an answer.
    â€œCome on, Robyn. Hand it over.”
    â€œNo. Not until you tell me why people have been giving you money.”
    â€œI can’t.”
    â€œDoes it have anything to do with the guy who pushed you?”
    â€œ
What?
” He looked and sounded genuinely surprised. “What guy? What are you talking about?”
    â€œThere was a guy standing behind you when you were waiting for the light to change. There was something funny about the way he was looking at you. He pushed you, didn’t he, Nick?”
    â€œI felt something,” Nick said. He was frowning now. “Someone banged into me, hard. I lost my balance. But I thought it was an accident.”
    â€œI got a good look at him,” I said. “He stuck around for a few seconds after that car hit you. And Nick? When he saw you lying in the street, he smiled.” I shuddered at the memory. “I told the police—”
    He stiffened. “You talked to the cops?”
    â€œYou were hit by a car. Someone called 9-1-1. The cops showed up. They wanted to know what happened. Of course I talked to them. I told them about the guy I saw—”
    â€œWhat exactly did you tell them?”
    I repeated the information I had given to the police.
    â€œWhat did this guy look like?”
    â€œHe was tall. Taller than you, anyway. He had blond hair.”
    â€œ
Blond
hair?” He reacted as if this was the last thing he’d expected me to say. “So he wasn’t Chinese?”
    â€œNo. He had blond hair and blue eyes and a long, thin face.” I was pretty sure I saw a flicker of recognition. “Do you know who he is, Nick?”
    â€œ
You’re
the one who saw him, Robyn.”
    He was being evasive—not a good