Page 23 of The Guilty One
I need to fix that. Chase this rabbit. But I need to do it alone.
“Hey, guys, I’m really sorry to do this, but I have somewhere to be.” I pat my mother-in-law’s arm. “I was just on my way out when you caught me, but feel free to stay here. Mom will be by with the boys after school, and I should be back within a few hours.”
“Do you want us to go with you?” Lane asks.
“I’m okay. I just have an errand to run.”
“We were on our way to the police station anyway,” Daphne reminds us both, drying her eyes. “And once we’re there, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind. They should be doing more than what they are. A search party. Something. If your errand can wait, you can come with us.”
I wince. “I can’t.” This feels too important, but I can’t say that. “But tell me what they say, okay? Please?”
I can tell I’ve upset Daphne by the way her mouth tenses. She’s ordinarily such an easygoing, kind mother-in-law, but I know I’m failing her right now. Still, I have my own investigation to do, and they have theirs. This path feels right to me.
Together, we make our way back out the door, and I lock it behind us before giving them both a hug and settling into my car. I have an email from our car insurance agent, so I start to call him back, but I stop when I spot an incoming call from another blocked number.
This time, I nearly don’t answer, but how can I not when it could be Tate?
“Hello?” I watch my in-laws backing out of the driveway before I put my car in reverse.
Like last time, I’m met with only silence, but unlike last time, I’m more angry than hopeful.
“Who is this?” I demand.
Nothing. No response. No breathing. For all I know, this is a robocall.
“Tate, is that you?”
Nothing. Rage bubbles in my belly.
“Or maybe it’s you, Aaron?”
Something shifts in the air as I wonder if I’m right. Before I have time to ponder too long, I hear a breath. A single puff of air, like a sigh released, and then the call ends.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
TATE
Two Days Before Disappearance
Nelson Insurance Company is a shithole.
I’m not just saying it because I’m pissed I have to be here right now, either. The place looks as if it’s ready to cave in. The yellow stone building is turning green and needs to be power washed. The parking lot has no painted white lines and is cracking in every direction.
The place is a mess, in short, and I can’t get out of here soon enough. When the brown truck pulls into the parking lot, I recognize Dakota at once. He has the same dark-brown hair—a shade or two darker than mine—and the same haircut and stocky build that he’s always had. It’s been nearly a decade since I saw him last, but it feels like no time has passed. Not nearly enough time, anyway.
My old friends always bring a side of myself out that I don’t like. I slip out of my car and cross the parking lot, kicking a soda can with a fading label out of my way as I go.
“Tate.” Dakota holds out his hand, and I shake it. It feels oddly formal, but then again, we’re practically strangers. Dakota’s tried to reach out a few times over the years, but we all ignored him. He was always the one who couldn’t let the past go while the rest of us were so desperate to forget.
“Let’s get this over with,” I say with a groan, jutting my head toward the building where Aaron works. “You’re sure he’s here?”
“I set up a meeting with him this morning.” Dakota tucks his hands into the pockets of his slacks.
“You mean he actually took it?”
“Well, I didn’t give my real name.” He scoffs, looking at me as if the question was dumb. Truth be told, I guess it was. If Dakota was the type to hold on, Aaron was the type to let go. To run away, even more than I did. Everything that happened back then changed him in a way I can’t explain.
Then again, it changed us all.