“Is there something you’ve done that you’re feeling bad about, Maddie?” Faraday asked gently. “We’re here to help you, you know. But we can’t help you if you won’t talk to us.”
I didn’t trust him for a second. I shook my head again, staring hard at the floor. I was determined not to say another word. Anything I said was bound to get twisted around and be used against me.
Agent Wallace lifted the photo toward me again. “He’s only a kid, Maddie. If he’s hurt or needs help, you have to tell us.”
I glanced again at the photo and quickly away. Tevon’s numbers kept floating there above his cap. 10-29-2014. The day before. Faraday said he’d disappeared around three P.M., and I knew I had to think about my alibi. I’d gone to school, then home to find Ma drunk on the couch, so I’d headed to Stubby’s and hung out with him until around dinner. Then I’d gone home again, gotten Ma to bed, and studied for a chem test. I went to bed around eleven, and I knew that Stubby could vouch for my time after school at least. Guiltily, I realized I hadn’t thought about Tevon since putting his name in my notebook.
Taking a deep breath, I worked up some courage. If I didn’t explain myself, then this thing could get way out of control really quick.
“Listen,” I began, trying to choose my words carefully. “Mrs. Tibbolt came to see me, okay? I didn’t go to her house; she came to mine.”
Wallace nodded like he totally understood. “She told us you claim to be some sort of psychic.”
I took another deep breath and tried to calm myself. They were twisting everything, and they didn’t understand. “I’m not a psychic,” I said. “I just see dates.”
Faraday cocked an eyebrow. “Dates? What kind of dates?”
“Deathdates.”
Next to me I heard Mr. Harris suck in a breath while Wallace and Faraday exchanged another look. I decided to push on with my explanation. “Since I was little I’ve been able to see the exact date when somebody’s going to die. I don’t know why I can see it, but I can. So when my mom lost her job and we needed some extra money, we started charging people to have me tell them their deathdate.”
Wallace made a noise that sounded like a stifled laugh. Faraday cut him a look, and Wallace regained his composure quick. “So you told Mrs. Tibbolt the date you think she’s going to die?” he asked.
“No. She came to me about her daughter, who has cancer. Mrs. Tibbolt wanted me to tell her if it was okay to go ahead with the drug trial.”
“I thought you weren’t psychic?” Faraday said.
I sighed. This was so frustrating. “I’m not. I told her that her daughter was going to live for, like, another eighty years, so Mrs. Tibbolt knew that she should go ahead and put her daughter in the drug trial.”
“How did Tevon figure into this?” Faraday asked.
“I saw his picture.”
“You saw his picture?” Wallace repeated.
I nodded. “I don’t need to see someone in person to see a deathdate. I can read them off photos just as good.”
“So you saw his photo, and then what?” Faraday asked.
“When I saw Tevon’s date I asked Mrs. Tibbolt if he was sick, too, and she said no. So then I told her that his deathdate was this week, and she didn’t believe me. She called me a fraud and left.” And then I thought about the phone call at the diner and decided I might as well tell them all of it. “Later on that same night, I called her to try and convince her that I’m not a fake, but she got really mad at me, so I hung up and left her alone.”
“She tells it a little differently, Maddie,” Wallace said after a slight pause. “She says you threatened her son. She claims you told her that, if she didn’t listen to you, something bad was going to happen to Tevon.”
I looked at the photo still in Wallace’s hands. “Something bad has happened to him,” I whispered.
Principal Harris sucked in another breath, and the tension in the room went up another notch. “Where is he, Maddie?” Faraday asked me softly. “Tell us what you did to him and where he is.”
My eyes widened. He didn’t believe me, and he still thought I did something to Tevon. I knew then that I wasn’t going to talk my way out of this, but I also knew who could help me. “I think I should call my uncle,” I said, as the warning bell for seventh period sounded.
“Your uncle?” Wallace asked.
I nodded, feeling a little better for thinking of calling Donny. “He’s a lawyer, and I think he’d want me to call him right now.”
Principal Harris cleared his throat, held up his hand. “Agents Faraday and Wallace, I’m afraid I’m rather uncomfortable with this interview taking place in my office. If you want to question Madelyn further, then I’ll need to contact Mrs. Fynn and allow Maddie to call her uncle, as she has a right to have her attorney present. Otherwise, gentlemen, that will be all.”
Faraday stood, but Wallace ignored him. He leaned forward, his gaze intent on me. “Are you sure you want to get attorneys involved here, Maddie? I mean, if you tell us where Tevon is right now, we may be able to cut you a deal. But if you lawyer up on us, it’s gonna be worse for you down the road. Let us help you, Maddie. Tell us where Tevon is, and stop torturing his parents, for God’s sake.”
I hugged my backpack even tighter as the agents looked expectantly at me.
I kept thinking of the stories Donny told me about his clients and how dumb a lot of them were to talk to the police first before they called him. “I don’t think I should say anything more to you without my uncle,” I said. Faraday nudged Wallace, and the two got up and moved to the door, but after opening it, Agent Faraday turned back to look at me. “We’ll be in touch, Maddie. Soon. You can count on it.”