Page 69 of Second Chance

Colette takes her phone back, studying it briefly before turning off the display. “I’m wondering if Lily wrote those.”

“Daniel did say she was only interested in whether or not she could get an automatic pass on the class now Professor Lawrence is dead.”

“That’s a motive.”

It’s a shitty motive. “I don’t know. Is she that callous?”

“A few hours ago, you were trying to convince the detective she’s a suspect, despite Daniel’s beliefs to the contrary.” Colette’s cadence reminds Tony of the way she speaks when she and Daniel get into academic debates, detached and analytical, but Tony knows her well enough by now to hear the tight coil of anger in her voice.

“And you were sure it was the husband. It’s not our job to figure out—”

“You were doing it anyway, though, weren’t you?”

Tony rolls his eyes and is instantly annoyed at himself for having done it. Too much like Gianna. “They left a knife on the door! Sue me for feeling threatened. Anyway, it’s not as if I was investigating on purpose. I happened to hear her say some stuff. You’re the one who was going out of your way to—”

“Forgive me if my faith in the Dutchess County police force is not high.” Colette bites out the words, harsh and angry, and Tony instantly feels bad.

“Sorry. I know what they did to you—”

“Me!” She snorts. “I was at least being credibly framed. They nearly let you and Daniel die last year. Who’s to say they won’t do it again if we don’t…”

“If we don’t do something,” Tony finishes. It makes a horrific amount of sense. He doesn’t want to think about Daniel, alone with a killer, possibly injured, waiting on rescue only for Detective Taylor and her miles of red tape to be too late this time. Tony considers the idea from every angle he can think of. “Daniel would hate it.”

“If it were you, Daniel would be staking out the Lawrence’s family home like a character onCSI.”

Tony draws in a shuddering breath. “Okay. I see your point. Let me…uh…let me call his family first, and then we can…we can figure something out.”

She shrugs. “I can always go on my own.”

“You absolutely cannot. If you think I’ll let you be next, you’re out of your mind.”

They discuss logistics idly in the time it takes for 9:00 a.m. to roll around. Watching Mr. Lawrence is the easiest and safest course of action, which makes Tony more inclined to try that out instead of the alternative. This is in no small part because the alternative would be breaking into Lily’s dorm room to figure out what it is she’s so scared of the police finding. Counting on his fingers, Tony easily comes up with five reasons not to do it: One, figuring out where her dorm room is will alert the college of what they’re up to. Two, chances are Lily is in her dorm room and would be shocked, if not further traumatized, by them showing up at her door. Three, if she weren’t there and they didn’t find anything, she would report the break-in, and Tony and Colette would get arrested. Four, if she weren’t there andthey did find something, they would have to tell Taylor and get arrested. Five, Tony’s ma would be so disappointed in him.

Besides, some part of Tony still feels it would be a betrayal to go after Lily. Daniel was so sure of her. Tony already feels bad for telling the detective about her and about the knife, though he thinks it was the right thing to do. Which he also feels bad about. It’s a sentimental train of thought and nowhere near as practical as he needs to be if it really is down to him and Colette to keep Daniel safe. There’s a reason Tony’s not a detective, and this is it.

Finally, he can’t reasonably put it off anymore, so Tony searches his phone for Leah Rosenbaum’s number. He only has it because of the time Daniel’s cell phone ran out of battery while he was in Albany with his parents last summer, and he left it too late to double-check with Tony about dinner plans. He called Tony from his mom’s phone, and Tony saved the number, just in case.

They had dinner at a sushi place in Tivoli that night. Daniel taught Tony how to use chopsticks properly. It was delicious, and they’ve been meaning to go back since, even though Daniel’s dad complained afterward it was nothing compared to Japanese food in the Bay Area.

Tony hopes desperately they will go again. He hopes Daniel can take him to California someday. He hopes he and Colette won’t be too late.

Mrs. Rosenbaum—Leah, Daniel’s mom—picks up on the fifth ring. “Hello?”

“Hi, uh, it’s Tony. D’Angelo?”

“Tony? Is everything all right?”

Of course she’d ask immediately. Why else would he be calling? He doesn’t call her; he hangs out in the background when Daniel calls.

“Uh, no,” he manages. “You…have you heard from Daniel?”

“Not since last week. Has something happened?”

“He’s gone missing.” It feels like someone else said the words, far away through the buzzing in his ears.

“Oh my god.”

He doesn’t know Daniel’s mom well enough to understand her tone of voice, what it might mean to her to hear this news. He will someday, maybe, if he and Daniel are still together years from now, but it’s too soon.

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