Forty

When I opened the apartment door, the first thing I saw was the police. There was an officer in the kitchen rummaging through a cupboard and another going through our front hall closet. Every atom in my body turned to sharp ice crystals freezing me in place.

“What’s going on?” I managed to push out.

Mom called out from the living room, “There you are, Skye! Come on in.”

My feet felt rooted to the carpet, but I shuffled forward. Detective Jay was sitting across from my mom with the tarot deck on the coffee table between them. My bedroom door was open, and Detective Chan was inside.

Mom looked up. “You’ll never guess what the police found.”

I looked back and forth between Mom and Jay. “Wha—” I had to clear my throat before I could continue. “What did they find?”

Mom held up something tiny and black, her face splitting into a smile. “My glove! That one I was sure was lost forever.”

No way there were three police officers in our house to help my mom track down missing accessories.

“This is standard procedure,” Detective Jay said, guessing the question I hadn’t asked. He cocked his head at an angle. “You don’t have any reason to be nervous. Unless there’s something you’re not telling us.”

There was an awkward pause and then I shook my head. This wasn’t standard procedure. They didn’t believe me, but they didn’t have any proof either. They were trying to rattle me.

Mom waved a finger in my face. “You afraid they’re going to find a hidden stash of booze in your room?”

“No.”

Mom winked at Detective Jay. “She says that now, but last summer I caught her and her friend red-handed with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and a bunch of regrets. Do you have kids?”

“No, ma’am. Not yet, anyway.” He started to turn toward me, but Mom took his elbow.

“Let’s see what you have in store.” She flipped a few cards over on the table. “Interesting. Queen of cups.”

Detective Jay inspected the card. “Is that good?”

“It means you’ll be a dad at some point.”

“It can also mean new insights,” I pointed out.

“I guess I’d be okay with either of those,” Detective Jay said.

“You say that now, but wait until they’re teens.” Mom laughed. “Insights are easier.”

“Your psychic business has taken off, huh?” Detective Jay said, flipping the card between his fingers. I watched the queen wink at me as she spun in and out of view.

Mom nodded and raised her chin in the air. “I even got a couple TV interviews set up.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” I said. If Judge Bonnet was willing to take out his own kid, getting rid of my mom or me wouldn’t even cause him a second of discomfort. My mom was so focused on taking advantage of her big break, she wasn’t aware of how much danger she was in. I couldn’t let her do those interviews. She might as well put a giant target on her back. A new wave of panic began to rise. She had no idea. “Maybe you shouldn’t,” I hedged.

“There’s nothing I can do for Paige anymore, but I can help other people.” Mom folded her hands in her lap. She was trying to look professional, but I could see the excitement in her posture.

“There may be nothing you can do, but this case is far from closed,” Detective Chan said, leaning against the doorjamb. “I did have a couple of questions for you, Skye.”

“You’ve been through my bank accounts,” I said.

He nodded. “We’re checking everything out.”

My mom sighed. “You can’t honestly think Skye is behind this.”

“I don’t want to believe that, but I do have questions. Skye never mentioned her financial situation.”

“Did you ask?” Mom inquired before I could answer. “Was she supposed to show up and say, ‘I had this prediction, and oh, by the way, here’s a recent bank statement for your review’?”

“No, of course not. But as you can imagine, since there was a ransom request, we’re going to look at who might benefit from an infusion of cash.”

Mom laughed. “Who wouldn’t benefit from extra money? You could line up suspects on every floor of this apartment building if that’s your criteria. Heck, this whole side of town.” She lowered her voice. “And between you and me, half the people in those fancy places across the river are in debt up to their eyebrows. They’re the ones with more to hide. If you’re looking for people desperate for money, I’d look at those who would be most ashamed to be without it.”

Detective Jay took in the room, with its ragged furniture and worn carpet, then looked back into my eyes. “We asked around. People at your school were under the impression that you had the funds to move to New York in a couple of months with your friend. They said you were very clear about that, but that wasn’t true, was it?”

“It’s obvious you never had kids,” Mom said, waving away his words. “You think it’s easy to be the kid who doesn’t have the latest iPhone, the designer jeans, or the big after-graduation plans?”

Detective Jay looked uncomfortable under my mom’s barrage. “Of course not, but you understand we have to check this out. I want to help, but I need you to be honest with me.”

Suddenly the bag on my shoulder felt a thousand pounds heavier. The last note from Paige was in there. I’d taken it to show Drew before everything went to hell. If he asked to search my bag, he’d find it. My brain scrambled as I tried to figure out what I would say if he asked. My lungs felt as if they’d shrunk five sizes and were incapable of bringing in enough air to keep me alive.

“I was embarrassed, so I let people think I was moving to New York.”

One of the officers came into the living room. “We’re done in the kitchen.”

Detective Jay sighed as he pushed up from the chair and motioned for Chan to join him. “I think we’re done here. I don’t want to take up any more of your time.” He shook my mom’s hand and mine.

“Maybe now you can focus on who really did this,” Mom said. “Get justice for that girl and her family.”

“Don’t you two worry. We’re going to catch who did this.” Detective Chan held my gaze for a beat too long and then he and the officers they’d brought with them shuffled to the door.

“You folks have a good day,” Detective Jay added.

I crossed my fingers that he would leave before any of them realized that they still hadn’t looked in my bag.

“Take care,” Mom called out.

I shut the door behind them and clicked the deadbolt.

Mom absently flipped cards on the table, lining them up in different pairs. “Huh. Interesting.”

I stepped toward her so I could see the card. Seven of swords. Deception and betrayal.