Page 105 of The Banned Books Club

“Sure, what is it?” Johnny asked.

Cormac explained the situation with Gia’s family and Sheldon. “He’s being a real asshole,” he said when he finished.

There was a brief silence, then Johnny said, “Well, his wife ran away with his kids, right? I’d be pissed off, too.”

“That isn’t the point,” Cormac said. “The point is that he’s harassing her family, and they had nothing to do with it.”

“He’s convinced they know where she is and won’t tell him.”

“That isn’t against the law. What he’s doingis. You can’t vandalize other people’s property.” Cormac couldn’t believehehad to be the one to say this.

“He’ll settle down,” Johnny said dismissively.

“Is that what everyone else on the force is saying?”

“For the most part. It’s not as if we don’t know Sheldon. Waylan’s his best friend.”

“I’ve seen them together on several occasions. So...you’re not going to do anything to stop him?”

“There’s nothing we can do, Doc. He insists he wasn’t responsible for the vandalism, and we don’t have any proof that he was.”

“Who else could it have been?” Cormac asked. “Who else would have the motivation?”

“Do you really want me to answer that question? Becauseyou’dhave sufficient motivation, right? You’ve hated Gia Rossi for years for what she did to your father. Your sisters hate her, too. I heard they crashed the Banned Books Club meeting recently.”

“That was a mistake. And if you heard about the meeting, you probably also know I showed up to stop them.”

“Then it could’ve been your father who shot out the windows. He tells everyone Gia ruined his life, and he’s been pretty deep in his cups when I’ve seen him around town lately. He’d probably like to spray-paint a few things about Gia on the Rossi house, wouldn’t he?”

Cormac couldn’t help gritting his teeth. “It wasn’t him.”

“I’m supposed to takeyourword but not Sheldon’s?”

“Jesus, Johnny! Thanks for nothing,” he said and hung up.

Johnny called him right back and backpedaled a bit, saying he’d keep an eye on Sheldon, that he’d just been playing devil’s advocate to show the situation wasn’t as cut and dried as Gia and her family might be representing it. He ended the conversation by saying he took his job seriously and wanted to keep everyone in the community safe, but Cormac was so put off by his arrogance it was all he could do not to tell him to find a new vet for his dog.

After listening to him make that rather pathetic attempt at public relations, Cormac tried to call Gia to let her know Johnny wasn’t going to be any help. But she wasn’t answering his calls or texts. He would’ve thought she’d gone to bed, but it was too early for her. It was even early for him. And the words she’d said when he’d last spoken with her were far too concerning to automatically assume such a benign end to the evening.

To reassure himself that all was well, he went outside and walked through the back gate into the Rossi yard. The house was dark except for a slim glimmer of light that looked like it was coming from the kitchen.

He tossed a few small pieces of gravel up at Gia’s window. Several bounced against the pane but still didn’t evoke a response. Where was she?

Just in case Sheldon had come back to cause trouble again, he went around to the front. Sure enough, there was a light on in the kitchen, but he couldn’t see anyone through the window.

He started to pull his phone from his pocket to try calling again when it occurred to him that Mr. Rossi’s SUV wasn’t in the drive. If Gia was just running an errand or something, he was fairly certain she would still answer her phone.

He could be wrong, but he had a feeling she was up to something, and if it involved Sheldon, it definitely wasn’t safe.

Margot looked in on the boys to find them sleeping soundly on the air mattress she’d bought. They seemed to be adjusting to their new surroundings. They hadn’t asked to go home yet, probably because it felt like they were on vacation. Instead of being stressed and unhappy, she was smiling and relaxed, and no doubt the joy she was feeling trickled down to them.

They’d gone to the park after school, and she’d sat at a picnic table and read a book while looking up every few minutes to check on them. It’d felt unbelievable to know there was no one waiting for her at home who’d be upset that she’d spent too much time away or didn’t have dinner on the table. They could stay as long as they were enjoying themselves. And when they left? It would be her decision as to what they’d eat. They could get In-N-Out if they wanted, and in celebration of Starbucks calling her back right after her interview to offer her the job, they’d done exactly that.

She’d found work. The pay wasn’t anything that would put them on Easy Street, but it was better than she’d expected, and the hours were perfect. She’d drop off the boys at school, go to the coffee shop and work until four. Greydon and Matthew would spend a mere forty-five minutes in an after-school program until she could pick them up, and then they’d have evenings together. No babysitter required—at least until summer. But she wasn’t going to worry about that quite yet.

She was starting her new job next week, had already canceled her other interviews. There was no way those positions could match the hours. Besides, the Starbucks location where she’d be working was close to the school. If there was a problem, she could get there in minutes.

After turning off the light in the hallway, she went out to the living room. They didn’t have a lot of furniture yet—just the couch and TV she’d been able to buy. She was sleeping on an air mattress, too, and their clothes were simply piled in the closets. But she’d get everything they needed eventually and turn this place into a real home.

---