Page 33 of Silent Bones
“With just your bra on?” her father said sharply.
“Dad…”
Noah waited, letting the silence tighten.
“I’ve known Stephen for years,” Avery said. “We were all playing a game that night. Truth or dare. Jesse dared me to try to give Stephen an erection… to prove he wasn’t gay.”
Bill’s face stiffened. “Stephen was gay?”
Avery shrugged. “Yeah, everyone knew. Except you, apparently.”
She crossed her arms and looked back at Noah. “He didn’t get an erection, by the way. It was harmless fun.”
“Was Stephen okay with it?”
She shrugged. “He laughed it off.”
Callie leaned forward now. “Did you ever hear Stephen mention someone named Theresa? Theresa Voss?”
Avery blinked. “No. I mean… I know who she is. Or should I say, he? Terry ran us off his campground last summer. We hadto find somewhere else to camp. Said we were too loud. It was bullshit.”
“Watch your mouth,” Bill warned.
Avery rolled her eyes.
“You’ve known Stephen a long time,” Noah said. “And he never once mentioned Theresa to you?”
“No. Why would he?”
“Did you ever see him chatting with Theresa?”
“No.”
“What about enemies or bullies? Any idea if someone had it out for the group?”
“Besides Theresa?” Avery asked.
Noah gave her a look. “Why do you say that?”
She sat up straighter. “He—she, whatever you want to call it—was unhinged. If looks could kill… That night, he was acting insane. Screaming at us. Swearing at us. Acting like we were criminals.”
“You never told me about this?” Bill asked, his voice sharp again.
“Because I knew how you’d react.”
Another pause. Noah saw it now, the layers of control and quiet rebellion between father and daughter. She was toeing a line.
“Okay,” Bill said, standing. “I think that’s enough. My daughter has things to do, and I’ve got work to get back to. If there are final questions, ask them now.”
Noah didn’t move. “Did you have feelings for Stephen?”
“Stephen? No. I loved him as a friend, that’s it.”
“And the others? What was Stephen’s relationship with them like?”
She hesitated. “Normal, I guess.”
“I wonder if you can clear up one last matter. There were only two tents at the site. There were five of them. And the otherswere paired up. Dating from what I’ve been able to establish. So, where would Stephen have slept?” Noah asked.
