Donny sighed heavily, like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I know, Maddie, but there was no way I could defend against that today. Especially since the DA also presented evidence from the coroner that Tevon was likely murdered by the same blade that killed Payton, and that Tevon’s blood type was also O positive.”
I knew from freshman biology that O positive was the most common blood type. But still, why did Tevon and Payton have to share Stubby’s blood type?
Donny rubbed his temples like he had a headache. “Basically, the pretrial was all downhill from there. And there was another detail the DA brought up, and that’s that they also found an empty box of Marlboro Lights in his trash can.”
Ma’s gaze flickered to the ashtray on the table. There was a used Marlboro Light butt in it. “Why was that relevant?” she asked him.
“The killer tortured both Payton and Tevon by burning them with a Marlboro Light cigarette butt. Again, they’re testing the DNA against Stubs, but it’ll take months.”
In an instant I knew exactly where that box of smokes had come from. “No, Donny,” I said. “They’ve got it all wrong! Stubby got that cigarette box from me. He dressed up like James Dean for Halloween, and he needed the pack to roll up into his shirtsleeve. He’s never even smoked a cigarette in his life!”
Donny nodded, like he’d heard that already from Stubs, but then his gaze dropped to the table and I knew there was more he wasn’t telling us.
“What?” I demanded. This was all so damaging; I didn’t know how much worse it could get.
“The DA officially filed additional charges today, Maddie. They want Stubs for Tevon’s murder, too. And because there’s some evidence linking you to Tevon, it’s likely that you’ll be named as a coconspirator before this is all over.”
I felt the blood drain from my face so fast that I became dizzy and light-headed. “Wha…what?” I whispered.
“It’s the notebook,” Donny said. “The DA is claiming it was the playbook Stubby was using to choose his next victims.”
Ma put a hand over her mouth and stared at Donny like she couldn’t believe it. “Are they going to arrest her?” she asked.
Donny shook his head. “Not right away. They’re trying to build a strong case against Stubby. If they feel they have a good, solid case, one that they can definitely win, then they’ll go after Maddie. He’s the linchpin. If they nail him to the cross, then it’ll make their case against her that much stronger.”
The dizziness persisted, and I realized my breathing was coming in great big gulps. I couldn’t get enough air, yet I was sucking in oxygen as fast as I could. The edges of my vision started to get fuzzy, and Ma and Donny’s voice sounded far away. I knew from experience that I was having a panic attack, but knowing what was happening didn’t help lesson the attack. As I was gasping for air, Ma pulled out my chair and pushed on the back of my neck to get me to bend over at the waist. I was starting to black out. Then Donny put a brown paper bag up to my mouth, and I shut my eyes and tried to focus on Ma, who was gently telling me to keep breathing in and out as slowly as I could manage.
After what felt like forever, I started to breathe more normally. And then the dizziness faded and I pushed the bag away. “I’m okay,” I said, and Ma let me sit up.
Donny tucked my hair back behind my ears and said, “I’m sorry, kiddo. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you.”
The tenderness in his voice was so sincere. It almost made what he’d said bearable. “No. I needed to know. How long do you think I have before they arrest me?”
“A few weeks at least,” he said. I didn’t know if I felt relieved or even more scared. “Hey,” he said, cupping my chin. “That’s time, Maddie, and it may be all we need to clear this whole thing up. While the feds are focused on you and Stubby, I’m going to focus on building the case for someone else as the killer. I’ve got my PI back on the case, and I’ve also sent out the blood from the knife they took from Stubby’s nightstand to my own lab for analysis. We’ll work this until the feds are forced to consider someone else as the killer. Until we make it clear to them, you gotta have hope, okay?”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel very optimistic.
Donny stood, and after looking at his watch he said, “I gotta go. I’ve had a hell of a day and it’s a long drive back to Brooklyn. I’ll call you if anything new develops.”
Later, while Ma and I ate dinner, we watched the evening news together. The lead story was about Stubby, and the anchor told the audience about the results of the pretrial.
While the reporter covering the story talked, the broadcast flashed images of Payton’s car, her class picture, and finally a photo of the woods where her body was found. Then the shot moved back to the reporter, who talked about Stubby arriving in court. Two policemen escorted him into the courthouse—only the person being escorted looked nothing like Stubs.
He was wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles. His hair was a shaggy mess, and he appeared to be much thinner than the last time I’d seen him. His face lifted toward the camera and my breath caught. Looking back at me wasn’t the chubby-cheeked, baby-faced kid I’d grown up with. Instead I saw someone with vacant eyes and a hardened expression. In that moment I saw him as the entire television viewing audience must have seen him—guilty.
I set aside my dinner and stood up. “You okay, sweetie?” Ma asked me.
I shook my head. “I need some air.”
She started to say something more, but I shook my head and she fell silent. Moving to the door I tugged it open and stepped out onto the front porch to let the cold night air wash over me. Stubby’s image had rattled me for so many reasons.