As I made my way along the corridor I found myself looking for her. If I got a chance to talk to her some of the new doubts might settle themselves. But she was nowhere in sight, and before long I heard someone remark that she wasn't in school that day.
Who could blame her? If I was being accused of something like that, I wouldn't be keen on facing everyone either. Then another thought occurred to me. Maybe she was absent because she'd already been arrested!
Up ahead I saw Greg standing with a group of guys. He looked grim, and I figured he was hearing the same story Kelly had just told me. Hurrying toward him, I felt a rush of relief. I could count on Greg to take a fair view on the whole thing. He'd never accept anyone's opinion without all the facts.
He looked up and saw me as I neared him. He stepped away from the group and faced me with a forced smile.
“This is bad,” I blurted as soon as I'd reached his side. “It's really bad.”
“It's ridiculous,” he said drawing me to a quiet spot in the hallway where we could talk privately. “And I'm afraid that the rumours are true.”
“What do you mean?”
“The police think Amber is guilty. They kept her at the station for hours last night. Mr. Broderick told me about it when he came by at closing time. They told her right out that they think she did it and she might as well confess.”
“But why?”
“From what I can figure out their whole theory seems to be that since she's new in town and there's never been a robbery like this before, she must be guilty.”
“That's hardly proof.”
“It doesn't sound much like they're that interested in proof. They've got this idea and they're planning to make it stick.”
“I heard that they're searching the area around the gas station this morning, looking for the money.”
“That's true too. They cordoned the whole block off last night and had officers stationed to watch that no one came around.”
“So if they don't find anything, they'll have to admit they were wrong about Amber?”
“Not necessarily. She was alone there from five o'clock until almost seven when the robbery occurred. If they stay with this theory, they'll just figure she had time to take the money and hide it somewhere further away before she phoned and reported that the place had been robbed.”
“But what about customers? There must have been people who can confirm she was there the whole time.”
“That's the worst part,” Greg sighed heavily. “Apparently some guy pulled in for gas about ten or fifteen minutes before she called the police. He says the place was empty, so he went down the road to another station.”
That sounded bad. Doubts nagged at me again and I struggled to push them aside. “Then where was she?” I asked.
“She swears she never left the station and that she must have been in the bathroom at the time. Of course, the police see it differently. They view it as proof that she was off somewhere hiding the money.”
“What does old man Broderick think? I mean, does he think she might be guilty?”
“No way. He told me that he and his wife will stand behind her one hundred percent.”
“Do you think the police will really charge her?”
“I don't know, but it doesn't look good. One thing is sure, she's really going to need her friends right now.”
I knew he was right, but I also got a scared feeling at the idea. The Brodericks could stand behind Amber and everyone would accept that because they're her relatives. But anyone at school who showed her any kind of support was in for a rough time of it. She was, at that moment, the most unpopular person at Little River High. Heck, she'd been unpopular
before
this happened! Taking her side was going to be hard, and I didn't know if I had enough courage to do it.
The expression on my face must have told Greg what I was thinking, because he took my hand and spoke gently.
“It's never easy to go against the crowd, but sometimes a person has no choice.”
“Well, wouldn't it be enough just to stay neutral, not take sides at all?” Even as I asked the question, I knew what Greg would see as the right answer.
“You have to decide that for yourself.” In spite of his gentle tone I felt sure he was disappointed in me.
“Look, Greg, I hardly even know Amber.” I said defensively. “It's not like she's my best friend. I don't owe her anything.”
“It's not a question of what you owe Amber,” he smiled wryly, “it's what you owe yourself. You've got to live with whatever you choose to do now.”
That hit me hard, and I suddenly felt like crying. But the bell rang then and we had to hurry off to our classes.
It stayed with me all day, and at lunchtime I felt guilty listening to Betts talk about the whole thing. She, like almost everyone else, was ready to find Amber guilty.
I stayed silent, even though I could feel Greg's eyes on me. I knew he was watching to see what I'd do, but it just wasn't in me to speak up for Amber.
Besides, maybe the police were right. How was I to know what was true?
The one truth that was settling on me quickly was that I wasn't brave enough to stick my neck out for a girl I barely knew.
Amber wasn't at school on Tuesday either, and there was talk that she'd been arrested. It turned out that wasn't true, as I learned from Greg. He'd worked the night before and old man Broderick had filled him in on what was new.
Apparently the police's search for the missing money had turned up nothing. They'd gone through every possible hiding place in a two-block radius from the gas station and had even checked the Brodericks' house from top to bottom, on the chance that Amber might have gotten to the money before they did. I thought that was a stupid idea. If she was guilty, the last place she'd stash the cash would be the house she was living in.
They'd also picked her up and questioned her again, at which point the Brodericks insisted on getting a lawyer. Greg told me that the lawyer had told the police
she wouldn't be answering any more questions, and since she wasn't being charged they had to release her. Still, it was clear they were getting more and more determined to prove that she was responsible for the theft.
A statement had been issued asking for anyone who might know anything about the crime to come forward. And a reward of five hundred dollars was offered if the information led to a conviction.
I guess giving a reward can help the police solve a crime, but it also struck me it could lead to its own problems too. After all, there was nothing to prevent a person from inventing a story just to get the reward. It made me nervous to think about the possibility that Amber could be convicted on false testimony.
And that's what almost happened. Of all the people who might do such a thing, I would never have guessed Mrs. Carter would be the one, but that's exactly who it was. Even though I don't much like her, mainly because of the way she traps you with longwinded and boring conversations, I wouldn't have thought her capable of such an underhanded thing.
Still, facts are facts. Greg heard about it from old man Broderick, who had learned she'd gone to the police and given them a statement. She told them that she'd been driving along the street near the gas station just before the robbery and had seen Amber sneaking through someone's backyard with a bag under her arm.
It seems that the police were getting ready to swear out a warrant for Amber's arrest after hearing Mrs. Carter's story, but then Mr. Carter showed up at the police station with his own version.
He said that his wife had been under a lot of pressure lately and wasn't really responsible for what she'd said. Then he told the police that, at the time in question, they'd actually been having a late dinner at The Steak Place, a fancy new restaurant on the other side of town.
Obviously, she couldn't have been in two places at once! The police checked with restaurant staff, who confirmed that the Carters had been there from shortly after six until almost seven-thirty.
If you can believe the gossip about what happened next, the police went to see Mrs. Carter and gave her a stern warning about false statements and told her she could have been facing criminal charges. But in the end they just let her off. I wondered how she was going to show her face around town after lying and getting caught, and all for five hundred dollars!
It made me shudder when I thought of how easily Amber could have been tried and convicted on a lie. I still didn't know what to think about the whole thing myself, but I sure wouldn't want to see someone go to jail on an invented story.
By Wednesday she was back at school, but there was something really different about her. She was
still basically ignoring everyone, but it was with a totally new attitude. Before, she had walked with her head up, looking straight ahead. Now her eyes were cast down toward the floor and she seemed almost slumped into herself. Amber's former indifference had taken on a new tone. It was as if she knew that her self-imposed separation from the other kids had changed. It was no longer her choice but theirs. No one wanted anything to do with her. Well, no one but Greg.
At lunchtime he stopped and gobbled down a sandwich with Betts and me, but as soon as he'd finished eating he stood up. I knew where he was going by the quick look he gave me, a look that said he hoped I understood. And I did. I knew he was going to sit with Amber, not because he didn't want to be with me, but because she needed support.
Betts watched incredulously as he made his way over to her usual corner table.
“I can't believe he's doing that,” she said, shaking her head. “You'd think that since he works for the Brodericks and all, he'd be more careful about hanging out with the person who just robbed them.”
“The Brodericks don't believe Amber is guilty, Betts,” I said quickly. “And I don't think it's fair everyone else assumes she did it either. After all, there's no proof.”
“What are you talking about? Of course there's proof. The police wouldn't be so sure it was her otherwise.” Betts gave me a slow, questioning look and then asked if I thought Amber was innocent.
“I don't know, and neither does anyone else in this room, except for Amber herself,” I found myself saying. “And I think Greg is doing the right thing sitting with her. If you or I were in her position, we'd want someone to believe in us too.”
“Then why don't you go over there and join them?” Betts smirked. I could see she was sure I'd never take her up on the suggestion.
It was that smirk that gave me the push I needed. With a sudden rush of determination, I stood and picked up the remains of my lunch.
“Come with me,” I said, knowing she wouldn't. “She needs friends now more than she ever did before. I know she hasn't been exactly friendly, but there are reasons for that. Give her a chance, Betts.”
“No way. And you're crazy if you go over there,” Betts hissed angrily. “You'll be in the same spot she's in. No one will want anything to do with you either.”
I shrugged as if it didn't matter. The truth was, it mattered a lot. I didn't want to be ostracized, talked about, and ignored by all my friends. But it suddenly mattered more that I had the courage to do what I
thought was right, and that was to help someone who was clearly in need.
My legs shook as I made my way across the cafeteria, and I almost turned back. But then I saw Greg. He'd noticed me heading in their direction and he had this enormously proud and happy look on his face.
When I reached the table I couldn't help but wonder how Amber would react to my presence. After all, aside from that one conversation, we'd never spent any time hanging around together.
“Shelby!” Her face lit up, giving me my answer. “I'm so glad to see you.”
The rest of the week was as bad as I'd feared it would be. I knew I'd been added to the gossip at school, but it got even worse than that. For one thing, not only did everyone else stop talking to me â Betts started ignoring me too! I understood why she was doing it and knew it was because she was afraid she'd be treated the same way, but it hurt just the same. After all, Betts and I have been best friends since we were kids.
It was a lonely feeling, walking through the hallways knowing that the whispers and nasty remarks had swollen to include me. I even heard remarks that suggested Amber, Greg, and I were all in it together.
That gave me a taste of what it was like for Amber. With absolutely nothing to back up the statements, I was being called a thief. Of course, Greg was included in those rumours too, but he seemed totally
indifferent to the talk. I wished I could feel the same way, but it bothered me a lot. I could hardly wait for the weekend, just to get away from the talk and hostile looks.
But on Friday when I got home from school I found that the whole thing had followed me. There was nowhere I was going to be safe from the gossip.
Mom met me at the door that day with a worried look on her face and told me that the police were there and wanted to talk to me. Stunned, I followed her into the living room, where two officers sat.
“Miss Belgarden.” One of them stood and nodded as though it was some kind of social call. His voice was almost jovial. “How are you today?”
“Fine,” I mumbled, feeling a huge lump growing inside me. What could they possibly want with me?
“We just have a few questions to ask you,” the other officer, who hadn't bothered to stand, said. His tone wasn't the least bit friendly.
“What kind of questions?” Mom was still beside me, and I wished she'd leave. I couldn't ask her, though, because that would make it look as though there was something I wanted to hide from her.
“Nothing to be alarmed about,” the friendly officer said quickly. He turned to face me. “We just wanted to know your whereabouts on Sunday evening, between five and seven o'clock.”