Even Ma seemed to be doing better. She was given a few shifts at the Drug Mart, and she’d gotten through them okay, but I was still a little worried about her drinking on the job. I knew she was sneaking some liquor into her water bottle, and I was afraid her manager would find out.
Still, it was better than having her sit home and drink alone all day. Her job seemed to be giving her some confidence, and when I came in through the door on Thursday after hanging out at Stubby’s for the afternoon, I found her in the kitchen cooking us dinner. “I’m making stir-fry!” she announced proudly.
“Awesome!” I said, feeling that bubble of hope rise in my chest. I had good news to share, too. “I got a hundred on my U.S. History exam.”
Ma’s face blossomed into a beautiful smile, and she reached out to wrap me in her arms and hug me fiercely. It was the safest I’d felt in a long, long time.
After letting go of me she said, “Let’s eat in the living room.”
We arranged two TV trays in front of the couch and, after loading up our plates, sat down together. Ma flipped on the TV for the news.
The weatherman came on and waved his hand at the area map to show us that a cold front was moving in over the weekend, bringing rain and hail with it. “We’ll have to turn the heat on,” Ma said, her eyes glued to screen.
I ate my dinner happily while we sat together. I thought the stir-fry tasted even better than her spaghetti. I was so lost in thought about how good she was doing that I was hardly listening when the anchorwoman said, “Jupiter police are still puzzled over a missing teen who hasn’t been seen since yesterday afternoon. Payton Wyly was last seen on Wednesday around three P.M. when her mother and father handed her the keys to a new car for her birthday.” My head snapped up and I dropped my fork. It clanged loudly against the plate, and Ma startled.
“The young teen’s car was found only an hour after her parents contacted police, about ten P.M. last evening, parked at the side of the road near Westcott and Terrace Lake,” the anchorwoman continued. “The driver’s side door was open, the engine was still running, and there was no sign of the missing girl. If you’ve seen Payton or have any information on her whereabouts, police are asking that you contact a special tip-line they’ve set up, and that number is…”
I was breathing so hard that I was losing oxygen, and the room was starting to spin. I heard Ma calling my name, but my eyes were riveted to the screen, where a picture of Payton Wyly smiled out at me. On her forehead was the same set of numbers I’d seen at the Jupiter game.
“Maddie!” Ma yelled, and I realized she was tugging on my arm. “What is it?”
I shook my head to clear it, and did my best to focus on Ma, but I was way too upset to hide it.
“Do you know that girl?” Ma asked, pointing to the TV. And then she turned back to me and her eyes went wide. “Do you know what’s happened to her?” I knew she meant to say, Do you know if she’s dead?
I shook my head again. Donny’s warning came back to me, and I realized that Stubby and I had just involved ourselves in what might be another murder. If the FBI found that birthday card with its cryptic message…
“Maddie,” Ma said again, cupping my chin with her hand and looking me in the eye. “Tell me. What’s gotten you so upset about that girl?”
I had to move Ma’s attention off Payton until I could talk to Stubby and figure out what to do. “It’s not the girl,” I told her. “It’s…I forgot to bring home my algebra book, and I’ve got a big math assignment due tomorrow. Would it be cool if I went over to Stubby’s to borrow his?”
Ma blinked and let go of my chin. I didn’t think she believed me, but after a long pause, she didn’t push for a confession. “Finish a little more of your dinner first,” she said with a frown. “And remember tomorrow is garbage day, so put out the bin before you head over to Stubby’s.”
A few minutes later I was pedaling hard toward Stubby’s house when I rounded the corner to his street and almost immediately had to slam on the brakes. There was a familiar black sedan parked in front of his home.
“Damn it!” I whispered. Had Wallace and Faraday found our birthday card at Payton’s? Had they already traced it back to Stubby? We’d been careful to handle the card and the envelope using only our sleeves, but what if Stubby had somehow touched it and left a fingerprint?
I squinted down the street. Faraday and Wallace were still in the car. What they were waiting for I didn’t know, but I didn’t want them to look in the rearview mirror and see me, so I hustled up the driveway next to me and hid in the shadows. Taking a huge risk, I pulled out my cell and called Stubby.
“Hey,” he said jovially. “I was about to text you. My mom said I can have the car for the game tomorrow night.”
I sucked in a breath. He didn’t know. “Stubs…” I said, but my voice cracked.
“Mads?” Stubby said, alarmed. “Are you okay? What happened?”
I swallowed hard. “It’s Payton.”
I heard Stubby suck in a breath. “Was she…was she in an accident?”
I closed my eyes. “No, buddy. It’s way worse. She’s missing.”
Stubby sucked in another breath. “How do you know?”
“It was on the news tonight. They found her car late last night, but no sign of her.” I hesitated, unsure how to break it to him, but he’d hear about it soon enough. “They showed a picture of her on the news. Her deathdate didn’t change, Stubs. Payton died yesterday.”
My best friend was silent for so long that I thought my phone had cut out, but then I heard him sniffle. “Oh, honey, I’m so, so sorry,” I told him. I wanted nothing more than to go straight to his house to give him a hug. I needed one as much as I suspected he did.
“You’re sure?” he asked after a moment, his voice thick with sorrow.
“Yeah. I’m sure.” My gaze drifted back to the sedan parked in front of his home. “Listen,” I said. “I have something else to tell you—”
“Where are you?” he asked suddenly. I thought he might’ve heard the wind blowing through the phone.
“I’m down the street from your house.”