“Didn’t do what?” Faraday asked, leaning forward. “Or maybe I should ask, who didn’t do what?”
I looked at Donny, practically pleading with him to let me talk, to let me explain it to Faraday, but the warning in my uncle’s eyes was clear. I wasn’t to say another word until he gave the okay. “What does any of this have to do with my niece?” Donny demanded.
Faraday pulled out a picture of Stubby. It was his sophomore yearbook photo. The agent held it up next to the artist’s sketch. “See a resemblance?” he asked.
Donny kept his eyes on Faraday. “Again, what does this have to do with Maddie?”
Faraday set the articles down. “It has everything to do with her, counselor. The boy in the sketch is her best friend—this Stubby character. We’ve got him here now, and he says it was all Madelyn’s idea. He says that she came up with a plan to kidnap and kill Tevon Tibbolt, convinced him to do the dirty work, and they both enjoyed it so much that they went looking for another victim: Payton Wyly.”
My mouth fell open and a noise came out from deep inside me, one that was unbidden and primal. Donny’s hand squeezed my arm again, and I barely managed to stop and get hold of myself.
“Cut the crap, Faraday,” Donny snapped. “Schroder said no such thing! If he had, you would’ve arrested Maddie by now, but you’ve got nothing but a torn-up birthday card, a crude sketch, and some witness statements that I will tear holes through in court. You have no proof that the guy in the sketch is Schroder, and no proof that he actually harmed Payton Wyly!”
Faraday seemed unfazed by Donny’s outburst. He rubbed his chin before leaning forward even more, his large frame hanging over most of the table. “You know what else I find interesting?” His question was aimed directly at me. I found myself shaking my head, and I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I didn’t want to hear it, whatever it was, because it was all a lie. “Your best friend’s statement is your only alibi for the day Tevon Tibbolt was kidnapped and murdered. We’ve been looking at the timetable, Madelyn. It seems Tevon may have been abducted later in the day on the twenty-ninth than we thought. We think he was taken anywhere between three and nine P.M. So, I gotta ask you: who’s covering for whom?”
An involuntary squeak bubbled up from my throat, and Donny’s hand clamped down on my wrist again. “We’re going,” he said, half lifting me out of my chair.
But Faraday wasn’t done with us quite yet. Quick as a flash, he took out a folded piece of paper from inside his coat pocket and snapped it open right in front of Donny.
Donny paused when he saw the paper—it looked official. Snatching it out of Faraday’s hand, he started to read it.
“We’ve served out a search warrant,” Faraday said casually, and from the box came something else that froze me in place and turned my cold blood to ice. “This we found hidden in Maddie’s nightstand,” he said, holding up my deathdate notebook and wiggling it back and forth. “It makes for really interesting reading, if you like names and dates. So many names and dates, Madelyn.”
My breath started to come in short little pants, and the world began to spin.
“Here’s a name and a date that’s pretty interesting,” Faraday said, thumbing to one of the last pages. “Tevon Tibbolt, ten twenty-nine, two thousand fourteen.”
Donny’s face drained of color, and he looked at me with a mixture of shock and horror. I’d never told him I kept the notebook. I’d never told anybody. Well, except Stubby.
Faraday flipped the page. “And here, in one of the last entries, we have the name Payton Wyly. Next to that is the date eleven twelve, twenty fourteen.”
For a long moment nobody spoke. Faraday continued to thumb through my notebook while Donny clenched and unclenched his jaw. Finally, he said, “Is my niece under arrest?”
My knees threatened to give out from underneath me, but Donny held my arm firmly, supporting me. Faraday took his time answering, but finally he said, “Not yet, Fynn. But soon.” Switching his focus back to me he added, “Don’t leave town, Madelyn.”
Donny moved me toward the door, but Faraday stuck his leg out, blocking us. “The warrant extends to her phone,” he said, his voice hard as steel.
I looked at Donny, who eyed the search warrant in his hand and nodded for me to comply. With trembling fingers I removed my phone from my pocket and set it gently on the table. I tried to think what texts might be on the phone that could incriminate me, but my mind was a jumble of panicked thoughts, and I couldn’t remember.
We exited the room, and Donny held on to me the whole way. “Look straight ahead,” he whispered as he moved us steadily down the hallway. As we were nearing the exit, though, from around a corner came Agent Wallace and another agent, and between them was Stubby, his arms bound behind him.
“Say nothing!” Donny whispered harshly into my ear.
I was so stunned to see Stubs handcuffed and being escorted by two agents that I was at a loss for words anyway. But Stubby lifted his chin when he saw me. His looked terrified. “Maddie!” he cried out. “Tell them! Tell them it wasn’t me!”
A sob formed in my throat, and as we passed each other I tried to reach out to him, but Wallace glared and blocked me with his body while Donny pulled on my arm to keep me away, but then he leaned over and said to Stubby, “Do you want my help?” Stubby nodded desperately, and Donny said, “Don’t say a word until I get back, Arnold; do you understand?” And then to Wallace he said, “Mr. Schroder is now represented by counsel. You cannot interview him until I get back; got that, Wallace?”
Wallace made a face like Donny could suck it, which prompted Donny to shout back at Stubby as the three moved past us, “Don’t say a word, Arnold! Nothing, you hear me?”