Page 69 of A Sea of Unspoken Things
There wasn’t a single corner of Johnny’s life that wasn’t being overturned. The cabin, the school, there was even a team going through the 4Runner with a fine-tooth comb. And what would they find? Would there be strands of Autumn’s hair in Johnny’s bedroom? Her fingerprints in his car? Traces of DNA on his boots?
A man in a uniform took the gun from the closet, slipping it into a plastic bag before he carefully labeled it. The laptop was next, followed by the contents of the filing cabinet. A woman went through the papers on the desk, and I watched as she studied the items on the corkboard.
The words scratched on the missing note were still burned into my mind. Autumn’s words.
You changed my life.
And what did they mean, exactly? Were they the sentiments of a grateful student who’d found her inspiration, or the romantic adoration of a girl who’d been taken advantage of? I couldn’t help but wonder if they were some of her last written words. But it was one piece of evidence the police wouldn’t have. I’d scoured the place and still hadn’t found it.
The woman bagged a few items before she moved on, and I took a step forward, staring at the bare place it had hung on the bottom right corner of the board. My eyes narrowed on that small, exposed space of cork, a thought surfacing in my mind. I’d wondered if I’d imagined it, and my blood had run cold at the thought that maybe it was Johnny who’d somehow taken it. But what I hadn’t considered was that there was one other person who’d been in the cabin—Ben.
It hit me suddenly, and I tried to re-create that moment in my mind. He’d stopped by, letting himself in when I didn’t answer the door. But I’d had the innate feeling that something was off when I came inside and saw him coming from the hallway. Had he…taken it? If he had, then why?
“James.” Amelia was suddenly beside me. “We need you to come down to the office so we can go over a few things.” She was speaking gently, the way I imagined a doctor would when it was time to give you terrible news.
Behind her, another officer was taking Johnny’s camera from his bag. “Tell them to be careful with that,” I said, stepping forward, but Micah stopped me.
“Why don’t you go with Amelia and I’ll stay here while they finish.”
He and Amelia shared a look, like they both thought it was a good idea.
“It won’t take long.” Amelia reached up to touch my elbow.
I reluctantly started for the door and Amelia followed on my heels. The men outside had the contents of the 4Runner laid out in the driveway, one of them making notes on a clipboard while the other took photos of each item.
“Will everything be returned?” I asked, climbing into her truck.
She clipped her seatbelt. “Everything that isn’t retained as evidence.”
Amelia pulled out of the drive, and I looked back over my shoulder before the cabin was swallowed by the trees. It didn’t look the same to me anymore. Nothing did. I was questioning every memory now, every truth. Taking apart and reshaping all the details of the lives we’d lived here and what they meant. But maybe that was just it. Maybe there was no meaning anymore.
Town came into view ahead, and Main Street was packed with cars again. With people, too, but this time there were no banners or streamers or blue and white paint. This time, there was only shouting.
“What on earth?” Amelia murmured, leaning over her steering wheel.
Several people were clustered in the middle of the street, surrounding a state police cruiser. Beyond it, the door to the diner was propped open and a sea of faces inside peered out through the windows, watching the commotion.
Amelia pulled the truck over, shifting the gear into park. Then she was getting out, and the shouting only grew louder before the door closed behind her.
I opened my own door, stepping onto the street and trying to see over the heads in front of me. A woman’s voice cut through the clamor, and a tall police officer had a hand up, as if trying to calm someone down.
“…you even think about it!”
I thought I could place the voice even before I saw her. Sadie Cross was red-faced, one hand hooked anxiously on the arm of her son, who stood at least six inches taller than her. The police officer had his other arm, trying to guide him toward the car.
“This is ridiculous!” Sadie sounded almost hysterical. “You can’t question him without me there.”
“Ma’am, he’s eighteen years old,” the officer replied.
Amelia made it through the packed bodies, getting Sadie’s attention.
“Oh, thank god.” She was almost in tears now.
Amelia set a hand on Sadie’s shoulder, eyes scanning the scene around her. “What’s going on?”
“They’re trying to arrest my son! That’s what’s going on!” Sadie cried.
The crowd watched with varying degrees of concern, a few voices murmuring too low to hear. One woman shook her head disapprovingly, and I could tell that at any moment, the lot of them would be ready to tear Ben from the officer’s grasp. If the wind blew just right, this whole thing could catch fire.