Maria rode with Colin in Evan’s car; Evan and Lily followed in Lily’s car, and as they pulled to a stop in front of the family’s house, Serena was waiting for them out front, along with her parents. As soon as Maria got out, Serena enveloped her in a hug.
“Mom and Dad have been crazy worried about you all night, you know. Mom hasn’t left the kitchen for hours, and Dad keeps checking the windows and doors. Are you holding up all right?”
“Barely,” Maria admitted.
“I’m thinking that you’re going to need a seriously long vacation after this.”
Despite everything, Maria laughed. “Probably.”
After Serena, Maria hugged her parents, then introduced Evan and Lily. Surprising Maria – as well as her parents and Serena – Lily spoke Spanish, albeit with a Southern accent. Because the front door was still boarded up, they went through the garage and into the kitchen before taking their seats at a table that was soon covered with dishes of food.
As they ate, Maria told her family about their earlier meeting with Margolis, and Colin walked them through all that had happened after that. He paused every couple of sentences so Maria could translate for her mom. Evan added further details, especially when it came to the confrontation with Lester.
“And Lester is still in jail, right?” Felix asked when Colin had finished. “And he won’t get out?”
“Crazy or not, he shot a cop,” Evan said. “I’m not sure he’s ever going to get out.”
Felix nodded. “Good.”
“What about Atkinson?” Serena broke in. “You said he was working with Lester?”
“I don’t know. It was something Margolis was looking into. Supposedly they knew each other, but even so, it just doesn’t add up,” Maria answered.
“Then who slashed your tires?” Serena pressed.
“Maybe Lester paid some kid to do it because he knew the hospital would give him an alibi.”
“And the car at the park?”
“Maybe Lester’s borrowing it.” Maria shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“If Atkinson is out there, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” Maria repeated, hearing the frustration in her tone. She knew there were still too many unanswered questions, even after all this, but…
“Lester was the one I was worried about,” she said. “He’s the one who scared me, and whether he’s working with Atkinson or not, the only thing I know for sure is that Lester can’t get to me anymore, and…”
When Maria trailed off, Serena shook her head. “I’m sorry for asking so many questions. It’s just that I’m still…”
“Worried,” Felix finished for her.
So am I, Maria thought. And Colin is, too, but —
Her thoughts were interrupted by the muffled ringtone of Serena’s phone. Serena pulled it out and sent the call to voice mail, her expression both hopeful and worried.
“Who was it?” Felix asked.
“Charles Alexander,” Serena answered.
“It’s kind of late for him to call, isn’t it?” Felix asked. “Maybe it’s important.”
“I can try to reach him tomorrow.”
“No, go ahead and call him back now,” Maria said, thankful for the distraction, meaning it. “Like Dad said, it might be important.” She didn’t want to think about Atkinson any more than she wanted to think about Lester, nor did she have the energy to answer impossible questions right now. It was all she could do to process the last few hours…
Serena hesitated for a second, wondering whether it was really okay before hitting the call-back button. The table went quiet as she wandered to the kitchen with the phone at her ear.
“Charles Alexander? Why have I heard that name before?” Colin whispered.
“He’s the director of the scholarship I told you about,” Maria whispered back.
“What’s going on?” Evan asked, and when Lily leaned close to hear, Maria filled them in briefly. Serena, meanwhile, had begun to nod, and when she finally turned, Maria could see her smile.