Thirty-Five

That night I double-checked the stock in the cooler at the Burger Barn. My mind wasn’t on closing, but if I forgot to call in a reorder and we ran out of ketchup or cheese the next day, my ass would be on the line. Saturday was our busiest day. Gerry didn’t care about real-life emergencies—he cared about ready access to condiments. I checked the clock that hung over the pass-through. It was taking longer than I’d planned.

Tyrone wiped down the grill and then snapped his wet towel in satisfaction. “Damn, that is a pretty thing.” He put his hands on his practically nonexistent skinny hips to admire his handiwork.

Carla leaned her head in. “Till’s balanced, and I filled all the shakers. I’m outta here.”

“See you tomorrow,” Tyrone called after her. He filled a bucket with steaming hot water and a squirt from the giant container of pink industrial cleanser to mop the floors.

“I can do that,” I said. I needed him to go.

He retied the scarf he used to hold back his dreads. “So, you gonna tell me what exactly you got going on?”

Earlier in the shift I’d gotten Tyrone to call Ryan and pretend that he’d heard from a friend he was looking for work and invite him to come down for a quick interview after closing. “I told you,” I said. “It’s just a joke I’m playing on someone.”

“Uh-huh.” His expression broadcast he thought I was full of shit.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“You sure you want to be here alone with some guy? You know there’s a killer out there.” Tyrone swiped the mop back and forth across the floor. I nodded. Tyrone looked me over, then passed me the mop and wiped his hands on his checkered pants. “Fair enough, but be careful.”

“Everything’s fine. I know the guy.” I half expected my nose to grow, Pinocchio-like, with the number of lies I was spewing.

Tyrone fished his motorcycle key out of his pocket. “In my experience, it never hurts to be careful. It’s when you’re sure things are fine, that’s when things can go bad real quick.” He nodded knowingly. He peeled his stained chef jacket off and tossed it into the laundry bag. “Make sure you lock up when you leave, and don’t tell Gerry I left you here alone. He’ll kick my ass.”

I nodded and willed him to move faster than his usual slow amble. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, I spun the mop around the floor, giving it the barest pass. Gerry would probably complain tomorrow, but it was good enough. I stuffed the coins and bills from my tip pouch into my bag and then checked the clock again.

Where was he?

There was a loud knock on the back kitchen door, and I jumped. I stepped toward it, and then paused. I snatched one of the chef knives from the magnetic holder above the prep station and slid it under my bag on the counter. Better safe than sorry.

I pulled open the door just as Ryan was raising his hand to knock again. He dropped it to his side when he saw me. “You,” he said, his voice flat.

“We need to talk.” I stepped back so he could come in.

“Let me guess—this isn’t about a job.”

“I didn’t think you’d come if you knew it was me.”

“You’re damn right.” He pushed past me and walked around the kitchen as if he was inspecting the place. I stood next to the counter and my bag.

“This way no one sees us together. The cops might be following me, or you. I figure that keeping things quiet is in both of our interests. I have some questions.”

He stopped his inspection and spun to face me. “I don’t owe you shit.” He held up a hand to stop me from speaking. “Last time we met, that didn’t exactly go really well for me.”

“You gave me the bracelet to give to her,” I said.

He nodded. “She’s the kinda girl that requires a sacrifice.” Ryan looked me up and down. “Are you wearing a wire?”

“What?”

“Are you recording this? Trying to trap me into saying something?”

I pulled my shirt up so he could see my bare belly. “I’m not recording anything. Are you?”

He laughed and lifted his shirt, showing off his washboard abs.

“I want to talk because I’m trying to figure out what happened. You knew Paige wasn’t abducted.”

He sighed. “I didn’t know. I suspected.”

“How?”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Did you know Paige at all?” He walked back and forth again. “She dragged you into this, didn’t she? She musta had something on you.”

“No.”

He smiled. “Ah, so she let you think it was your idea. That you were the lucky one. You must have been upset when things didn’t turn out the way she promised.”

It took a beat for what he was saying to hit home. “You think I did something to her?” I struggled to find the words to explain how absurd that was. “I’m not that kind of person.”

Ryan shrugged. “Most people aren’t the kind of people they like to think they are. You have no idea who I am either.”

“Like the kind of person who cheats?” I fired back.

Ryan took a step forward, his face flushed, and I skittered back, bumping into my bag. The knife fell from the counter and bounced onto the tile floor. I pounced on it before he could grab it.

He held up both hands in surrender. “Whoa. Take it easy.”

I looked down at the knife, surprised to see it in my hands. Ryan was nervous, his gaze switching back and forth from the blade to the back door, calculating if he could make a run for it. A rush of power ran through my body. I was in charge now. “Tell me what happened.”

He backed up until he was against the grill. “Calm down. I never cheated on Paige. She broke up with me. Her dad promised her money for a graduation trip if she dumped me. How’s that for bullshit?”

“Why would her dad do that?”

“Because he’s an asshole?” Ryan ran his hand through his hair. “Look, he never liked me, and he’s used to buying whatever he wants, including the good behavior of everyone around him. I tried to get back together with her, but she wanted that vacation more than me. Then a few weeks after we broke up, her friend Lucy asked to meet me. She said it had something to do with Paige. I met up with her at Comstock Park, and at first she was acting casual, talking about school and stuff. Next thing I knew, she was trying to kiss me, shoving her tongue down my throat, her hands on my ass.”

“I’m supposed to believe you’re that irresistible?” I made a show of looking him up and down.

A trickle of sweat ran down his forehead from his hairline. “No. I’m telling you it was weird. I’d only met Lucy once before at a party at Paige’s place. Suddenly she was all over me.”

“Let me guess—you held her off because you’re such a standup guy.”

“Look, I can be an asshole, but I’m not a cheater. Yeah, Lucy and I fooled around, but Paige had broken up with me.”

“Did you tell Paige?”

He shook his head rapidly. “Hell no. She must have found out some other way. Paige is scary jealous, even if it isn’t rational. No way Lucy was going to tell her—Paige would have wiped the school hallway with her face. I thought it would be kept quiet.”

“Wow, you’re a real class act.”

“I never said I was.” His eyes flickered back to my hands. “Look, can you put the knife down? You’re freaking me out.”

I’d forgotten I was still holding it. I put it on the counter, but close to me. “How did Paige react when she found out?”

“She was pissed. She keyed my car.”

“Did you call the cops?”

His look broadcast that he thought I was being stupid. “Yeah, sure. I called the police and told them that it was me with my criminal record, and that the judge’s daughter just keyed my car, so if they would be so kind, I’d appreciate them arresting her.”

“Why was she so angry if you guys were broken up when it happened?”

He rolled his eyes. “That wouldn’t matter to Paige. It didn’t matter that she didn’t want me anymore. The point was that I should still want her. She figured I belonged to her.” He shrugged.

“Did you want her back? Even after the thing with Lucy?”

Ryan sighed. “Yeah. No. I don’t know. Things with her weren’t good.” He took a deep breath. “The girl was crazy, but there was still something about her.” He threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t explain it.”

“How well do you know Lucy?”

“Not well. We didn’t exactly spend a lot of time talking.” He smirked.

“You didn’t kill Paige, did you?” I asked, already knowing the answer. He shook his head. “I didn’t either,” I said.

“Does it matter? She’s gone.”

“It matters to me.” I jabbed myself in the heart with my finger.

He sighed. “Well, you’re on your own. Call me cold, but it’s time I focused on saving my own ass.”