Clarity (9 page)

Joni glared at me, clearly furious that I’d deceived her. I felt a little guilty. But she’d betrayed her best friend. The least
she could do was take a few minutes to offer important information to the police. Then Perry would be in the clear and this could all be over. Joni would be glad I made her do the right thing.

Detective Toscano took Joni gently by the arm. “We’ll talk quickly at the station, then you can go on your way.”

“Yeah, sure,” she mumbled.

Gabriel turned to me before they left. “Can you meet me for lunch at Yummy’s in an hour? I want to go over some things.”

“No problem,” I replied, wondering what these “things” were and hoping they had nothing to do with Perry.

Mom closed the door after they left and sank down onto the couch with a sigh.

“I did the right thing by getting Gabriel and his dad over here, right?” I asked. “I mean, Joni wasn’t going to offer up what she knew. She was going to disappear because she’s too selfish to take the time.”

“She
was
going to disappear,” Mom said, nodding. “She most certainly doesn’t want to get involved in the investigation. She doesn’t want to talk to the police. Definitely doesn’t want to tell them about Joel. But not because she’s selfish.”

“Then why? ”

“Because she’s scared.”

TEN

THE FIRST THING I DID AS I WALKED INTO YUMMY’S was scan the place for evil waitresses, but thankfully Skanky McSkankbag wasn’t working. I found Gabriel in what I knew was his usual booth. His eyes lit up at first when he saw me, then he did that forced frown thing again. I sat down across from him. “What did you want to go over with me?”

He frowned again, genuinely this time. “No ‘hello'? No ‘how was your day?’ ”

I’d figured he’d want to skip the small talk since he obviously couldn’t stand me. I shrugged and picked up a menu.

After a few moments of silence, Gabriel cleared his throat. “Yesterday in the mayor’s office, I noticed you’re familiar with his son, Justin. Are you two close?”

“No.” I certainly wasn’t going to get into that story with Gabriel.

“Do you have a history?”

What was this? First he’d acted interested in me. Then he found out I was a psychic and treated me like a criminal. And now he was jealous of Justin. Consistent feelings much?

I lowered the menu. “Why wouldn’t your father work with me on the case? Why did he make you work with me instead? And what’s your beef with psychics anyway?”

He clenched his jaw. “It’s personal.”

“So is my history with Justin.” I picked the menu back up.

We sat in silence until the waitress took our order and our face-hiding menus. I removed my cell from my shorts pocket and texted Perry. Where was he? Not that I was mad for having to work; that reading had given us our biggest lead. But it was unlike Perry to run off on Mom without a word.

Especially considering what was going on around him.

The waitress brought our drinks and I took a long sip of my soda. “How did things go with Joni?” I asked after a moment. “Did she tell your father about Joel, the boyfriend?”

“Yeah, he’s the main suspect now. As soon as he’s found, he’ll be brought in for questioning.”

I had to point out the obvious. “You have my mother and I to thank for getting her to talk. Joni was about to run. She wants no part of this.”

He rubbed his chin. “I was thinking about that. You’d think a best friend, especially one with a guilty conscience, would want to help.”

I stirred my drink with the straw, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. “My mother told me Joni’s scared of Joel.”

“Did she tell your mother that?”

Tell?
Not the word I’d use, but if we were going to get through this lunch without fighting, I wasn’t about to tell him my mother plucked Joni’s fear of Joel from her thoughts.

Thankfully, I was saved by the interruption of our food arriving. Gabriel took a bite of his sandwich while I poured the little plastic cup of dressing onto my salad and redirected the conversation.

“What else is going on with the case?”

He paused a moment while he finished chewing. “Turns out Yummy’s has a security camera, fixed on the corner of the building, to watch activity in the parking lot.”

I nearly choked on my lettuce. That tape would show Perry leaving with Victoria. “Really?”

“They propped it up there years ago when they had a problem with people unlawfully using their dumpster. But they never updated it. It’s a dinosaur. They still use VHS tapes.” He shook his head at the lack of technological sophistication. “The manager changes the tape every day and keeps a week’s worth at a time. Of course they don’t have the tape from that night. And since the office is unlocked and unprotected and a complete mess, they don’t even know if it was stolen or misplaced.”

“That’s too bad,” I said halfheartedly.

He nodded as he chewed through a bite. “But we did find out who was in the motel room above the victim. Ever heard of a guy named William Rawlinson?”

“Billy?” Why was I not surprised? I set down my fork. I hadn’t thought of Billy Rawlinson since our run-in at the 7-Eleven, but even that jerk’s name was enough to make me lose my appetite.

Gabriel nodded. “I figured you’d know him. The motel manager said he’s a townie and a bit of a troublemaker.”

“Billy and his best friend are idiots. I’m shocked they managed to graduate last year. What else did the manager say about him?”

“He rented the room for the entire summer and recently started working as a maintenance guy for the motel.”

“Glad to hear he’s not mooching off his parents at least. I figured he’d live at home till he was forty.”

“You don’t sound like a fan.”

I fiddled with my straw again. “Put it this way. I’m not shocked that he drilled a hole in his floor so he could watch the goings-on on the bed below.”

“You think that’s why he made the peephole? ”

“Yeah, he’s a perv. Why else would he?” I paused. “Wait, you’re thinking of him as a suspect?”

“You don’t think he’s capable of murdering someone?”

I thought for a moment. This was a guy I’d known since kindergarten. I hated his guts, but still. “I don’t know. He’s a bully, sure. But a murderer? I guess anything’s possible.”

Then it hit me that if the police had Billy, Billy may have seen Perry in the motel room that night … and blabbed to the cops. “What did he say about the hole when you brought him in? Was he in his room that night? Did he see anyone in there with the victim?” I asked, with a nervous edge to my voice.

Gabriel’s dark eyes studied my face. “Is there something you’re not telling me? ”

“Of course not.” I brought my hands down to my lap.

Gabriel stared at me for a moment longer. “The police would love to ask Billy those questions, but unfortunately no
one can find him. The motel’s manager hasn’t seen him since Saturday morning, when he worked on a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit.”

“And the murder happened Saturday night. So he hasn’t been seen by anyone since then?”

“The police asked at the motel and at his parents’ home. No one’s seen him.”

“Find a guy named Frankie Creedon and you’ll find Billy. They share a brain. One can’t survive without the other.”

Gabriel reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “What about this thing tonight?”

He slid it across the table, and I unfolded it. It was a flyer for the fireworks that night.

30th Annual Eastport Fireworks Spectacular
on Town Beach!
A night of musical entertainment,
games, food, fireworks, and celebration

“Were you planning on going?” Gabriel asked.

“Most of the town goes every year.”

“So there’s a chance these two guys would be there?”

I shrugged. “Sure.”

“Let’s go then.”

I hesitated. “Together?”

“You’ve got a problem with that?”

Was he warming up to me? Maybe he was changing his mind, going back to his first impression. Or maybe he just needed me there to identify Frankie.

Yeah, probably that, Clare. Check your ego

I smiled. “No problem at all. Let’s meet at my house. We can walk from there.”

As Gabriel dug into his food, I discreetly checked my phone again. No reply from Perry. Where could he be? He never cut out on work, on the family’s livelihood.

Another explanation whispered from the back of my mind. I shook my head. He wouldn’t have run. No way.

Only the guilty run.

Five minutes till showtime and I was standing in my bra and panties. Three outfits were strewn across my bedroom. I’d dismissed the black Gap T-shirt and khaki shorts as too casual. Tossed the light sundress back on the bed — too frumpy. i’d torn off the tight minidress — too desperate. What the hell was I doing? Why was I trying on multiple outfits? Was I trying to impress a guy who thought I was a nutcase?

I sighed and picked up the sundress. I can’t wear red, but pale pink actually works well with my hair. True, the dress was on the frumpy side, but it was comfortable. I was working tonight, not out to pick up guys. Especially not anyone in particular.

Thankfully, Gabriel was five minutes late, and by the time he knocked on the door I’d just finished putting on lipstick and slipping my feet into sandals. I opened the door.

“I hope I didn’t keep you wait …” His voice drifted off as he quite blatantly checked me out.

“What?” I asked, hand on my hip.

He flashed me a devilish grin. “The little pink dress. You look cute.”

What I found frumpy, he found cute. Wonder what his response would have been to the tight number. My eyes gave him a discreet once-over. He wore jeans and a Yankees T-shirt. It wasn’t exactly going to win over the locals, but I had to admit, he filled the shirt out ridiculously well. His short black hair was damp, like he’d just taken a shower. I felt my face begin to flush, so I turned away. “Come on in.”

He stopped and surveyed the foyer. “I was only here for a minute when we came to get Joni. I didn’t get a chance to check the place out.” He paused. “It’s not what I was expecting.”

“What
were
you expecting? Voodoo dolls hung from the ceiling?”

He smirked. “Maybe just a little one of me.”

“That’s hidden under my bed.”

He gave a soft laugh and walked to the large front window. “Must be nice living so close to the boardwalk and the beach.”

“It usually is. Nights like tonight can get loud, though. Having thousands of people essentially in your front yard.”

“You kind of have no choice but to go to this thing every year then, huh?”

“Yeah, but I’ve never had a mission before.” I rubbed my hands together. “Shall we get going?”

“Yeah. Bring your cell. I figure we’ll fan out and look for this guy or his friend. Whoever finds him first can call or text the other.”

I gave Gabriel a picture of Billy and Frankie that I printed off someone’s Facebook page so he’d know who he was looking for. Mom was already out at the fireworks, and Perry was still MIA, so I locked up on our way out.

The beach was bustling. There were families, giggling packs of teens, couples on blankets, roving groups of men and women checking each other out. Many I recognized from town, but a good half were tourists. Gabriel and I walked past booth after booth of tantalizing smells: grilled burgers and dogs, Italian sausages, pizza, snow cones, ice cream, funnel cakes.

Gabriel said, “I could spend the whole night eating.”

“Not yet. After I track down Billy Rawlinson you can reward me with some fried dough.”

He groaned. “Damn you, voice of reason. Okay, let’s split up and spread out.”

I nodded and broke off to the left, passing the grandstand where the high school band was playing. I tried to act nonchalant while at the same time searching for Billy and Frankie in the sea of faces. I squeezed through a horde of gum-snapping girls I recognized as seniors from my school.

“He did not say that!”

“Yes, he did! And you wouldn’t believe what
she
said!”

Please, someone tell me I wouldn’t be that annoying if I had girlfriends.

“Sure, you will be.”

I whipped around and nearly got a faceful of cotton candy. I moved the purple sugar cloud to the side and glared at my
mother. She wore a white, short-sleeved peasant blouse and a patchwork skirt.

“You have to stop listening in on my thoughts without my permission, Mom. It’s not cool.”

She shoved a piece of cotton candy in my mouth to shut me up. “I didn’t do it on purpose, Clarity. I was strolling along listening in to the crowd.”

“Pick up anything interesting?”

“Actually, I did. That detective’s son can’t stop checking out your legs. He loves this little pink dress you’ve got on. So much so that he’s actually mad at himself for it.” She shook her head.

I blushed. “Did you happen to pick up anything
important?”

“Like a man walking along thinking, ‘I killed Victoria Happel'?”

“Exactly.”

“No such luck. But dear, people don’t wander around thinking about their biggest secrets all the time. The killer could be standing right next to me and all I might pick up from him is how he wants to buy some barbecued chicken.”

“Have you seen Billy Rawlinson or Frankie Creedon?” I asked.

Distaste turned her mouth down. “No. Why are you looking for those scoundrels?”

“Billy might be a witness in the case. Or a suspect.”

“I’ll keep my eyes out and my mind open.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Enjoy invading everyone’s privacy.”

Mom kissed me on the cheek and wandered off.

People were starting to reserve their spots on the beach for the fireworks. I stumbled through a mass of blankets and beach chairs, mumbling my apologies now and then when I stepped on the edge of a blanket or toe. I heard someone call my name, glanced to the side, and saw Nate ambling toward me. He was scowling, which was very un-Natelike.

“Where’s that brother of yours?”

“You haven’t seen him today, either?” I asked, feeling a pang of dread.