Slowly, the person uncurled and faced toward them.
Cindy took another step and to her total amazement, in the shadows, there stood Rowley. “Rowley?” Cindy uttered when she could catch her breath.
Rowley stared at Cindy with an equal look of shock on his face. “What are you doing here?” he gasped, distressed.
“That’s a question I should be asking you,” Cindy quickly responded.
“I belong here,” Rowley uttered, digging his hands into his thighs.
“You belong here? Is Kara inside?” Cindy’s head was spinning. Had Rowley known where Kara was all the while?
“What makes you think Kara’s here?” Rowley became excited.
“Why else would you be here?” Cindy retorted.
“Why would you be here?” Rowley countered fast. “No one told me you were coming.”
Cindy gained her footing immediately. “What do you mean no one told you? Who told you to come here, anyway?”
Rowley remained stalwart and silent.
“Answer me, Rowley, this isn’t a game.” Cindy felt deep anger rising. “There’s a manhunt going on, the police are searching for you now. You disappeared without a word.”
Rowley seemed unaffected. “I received a call to come here, and I listened,” he mumbled. “The person told me not to tell anyone, just to leave immediately and follow directions. Or else Kara would be harmed.”
It was a plausible story, but Cindy didn’t buy it. The timing was off. Rowley had left right after Cindy had shown him a photo of Kara and Shane. How likely was it that someone would call him just then?
“Who called you and told you to come here?” Cindy persisted.
“I don’t know, his voice was garbled,” Rowley shot back. “He promised to take me to Kara, though.”
“Was it a ransom call?” asked Cindy.
“He didn’t say anything about money,” Rowley replied.
Cindy knew she should give Rowley the benefit of the doubt, but something was off and she felt it. At the very least, she wasn’t getting the whole story.
“How long have you been waiting here?” Cindy continued. “Not since you left?”
“Why all these questions, Cindy?” Rowley was suddenly unnerved. “I’m not the suspect. In fact, it’s you who have to answer some questions! What are you doing down here? It’s you who could be making trouble for me! They said not to tell anyone.”
Cindy heard Felix chortling in the background then. What did he find so funny? Cindy found it disturbing. She decided to jump in and take a huge step then. Rowley’s answers were far too slick. She had to shake Rowley up, push his buttons, break through his exterior and see what was really churning inside. It was fair game for her to do it, too. After all, this was an emergency and all bets were off.
“You left right after I showed you the photo of Shane and Kara,” Cindy dug in.
Rowley looked at her blankly. “So?” he replied.
Cindy knew it was her right to create any kind of scenario that would lead Rowley to tell her the truth, no matter how much it stretched the truth.
“So, a lot more information has come out since you left,” Cindy continued, waiting to let her words sink in.
Rowley refused to react.
“There’s someone down here who’s told me lots more about you,” Cindy lied, hoping he’d take the bait.
“Who?” Rowley asked calmly.
“How well do you know Jenna, Shane’s best friend?” Cindy continued.
“Not at all.” Rowley started getting antsy. “Why would I know her?”
“Jenna’s down here, Rowley, and she told me, point blank, that you and Shane knew each other.” Cindy kept fishing.
“That’s ridiculous!” Rowley’s voice rose in dismay. “How dare she say that?”
“Your game is up, Rowley.” Cindy pulled out all the stops. “Jenna gave us evidence. You lied to the police!”
Rowley became distraught. “I didn’t lie, exactly.” The words poured out on top of one another. “Shane was Kara’s friend, not mine. I never could stand her.”
“But you knew her, you met her.” Cindy was breathless. “Isn’t that right?”
“It’s right, it’s right,” moaned Rowley.
“And you told the police you didn’t,” Cindy repeated, victorious.
“Kara met Shane in the shelter,” Rowley burst out forcefully. “Kara helped Shane a lot and they got close. Kara wasn’t supposed to get close to the inmates. They warned her not to and so did I. But she wouldn’t listen, just got close to Shane anyway. Then Shane did a favor for Kara and got her some drugs.”
“Some favor,” said Cindy. “So, Kara did drugs?”
“Nothing much, just at parties and stuff.” Rowley’s voice was now shaking. “I begged her not to, believe me. And I told her to stay away from Shane a hundred times.”
“But Kara didn’t listen to that either, did she?” Cindy pressed on.
Rowley’s eyes squinted. “Kara didn’t listen to anyone. But it wasn’t such a big deal in the beginning. Who doesn’t do some drugs?”