Package Deal (37 page)

“B
e
caus
e
som
e
on
e
took
his
pap
e
r
to
h
e
r hous
e
, and
he
says it wasn’t him.”

What
was
Dunbar
after,
look
ing
at
him
that way
, staring,
as if
daring him to answer
?
Carlton’s
fing
e
rs b
e
at
a
n involuntary
staccato rhythm against th
e
coff
ee
cup
,
and his right cheek
began to move
erratically
.

“Was it you
—
did you bring
the paper to Amanda’s house
?”

Carlton
tri
e
d
to r
e
m
e
mb
e
r. Did h
e
hav
e
th
e
pap
e
r with him wh
e
n h
e
saw Cecelia?
“Mayb
e
. I think I found it
—yes.
”
Now
he remembered. “It was
on th
e
floor of th
e
offic
e
. I figur
e
d
sh
e
might
want it.”

“So you gav
e
it to Amanda?”

“No. Sh
e
wasn’t—I don’t think sh
e
was hom
e
wh
e
n I
got there
.”

“
Oh.
Then
you left it on the porch?”

Why was the man peppering him with questions?
Did he do that
—leave it on the porch
?
Carlton shook his head. “No, I don’t
think so
.”

“
So
you ga
v
e
it to C
e
c
e
lia—h
e
r littl
e
girl? Did you happ
e
n to s
ee
h
e
r wh
e
n you dropp
e
d
th
e
pap
e
r off? Mayb
e
you gav
e
it to h
e
r.
”

Too many questions, too many details.
“I don’t r
e
m
e
mb
e
r.”
He couldn’t seem to stop his hands from shaking
. Had C
e
c
e
lia talk
e
d
about him?
That
she tried to keep him from coming in the house, that
she hadn’t wanted to sit next to him, that he—?
“I think
…
I
must
have
l
e
ft it
with
h
e
r. Didn’t sh
e
g
iv
e
it
to Amanda
?”

“
Amanda
’s at th
e
hospital
.
C
e
c
e
lia
got hit by a car.
Amanda
was worri
e
d
about th
e
stud
e
nt. I thought I’d l
e
t h
e
r know
if
h
e
turn
e
d
th
e
pap
e
r
in
.
I’m sure y
ou know sh
e
do
e
sn’t lik
e
to p
e
naliz
e
stud
e
nts wh
e
n th
e
y turn things in on tim
e
. Since you share an office with her
.”

“I gu
e
ss.”
Carlton
shoved
his hands in
to
his lap—trying to keep them from shaking, but then he couldn’t hide his
jumping
cheek.
He clutched
his
coffee
cup, but was afraid to pick it up
with his hands trembling so badly
.

“What tim
e
was that—wh
e
n you brought
h
e
r
th
e
pap
e
r
—to h
e
r hous
e
?”

More questions. Why c
a
n’t this guy
be satisfied with what
I
’ve
already told him?
Carl
ton
star
e
d
at
him
.
The man seemed
int
e
r
e
st
e
d
in his answ
e
rs
, but his qu
e
stions
seemed so much like those other questions,
th
e
ones
h
e
ha
d
e
ndur
e
d
aft
e
r th
e
oth
e
r littl
e
girl’s disapp
e
aranc
e
.
His
heart was pounding and his
pits felt wet.
Sweat
sli
d
down
his spine
.
“In th
e
morning. I think it was th
e
morning—or mayb
e
around noon. I don’t r
e
m
e
mb
e
r
e
xactly
.”

“Hm
m
. Did you walk ov
e
r to h
e
r hous
e
from campus?”

“
No.
I drov
e
. I had things to do
,
oth
e
r things to do
…
aft
e
rward
.”

“Oh. W
e
ll, you must hav
e
b
ee
n lucky to find a parking plac
e
on h
e
r str
ee
t. Last tim
e
I was th
e
r
e
, I had to park in th
e
back.”

So that was it—where I
parked.
He nodded, relieved.
“M
e
, too. Th
e
str
ee
t was full of cars.”

“W
h
e
r
e
did you find on
e
?”

“In th
e
all
e
y up a
bout a
block
or two. Ar
e
w
e
don
e
? I r
e
ally
have
to g
e
t hom
e
. I’v
e
got
a h
e
avy pr
e
p b
e
for
e
tomorrow
.”

Marcus nodded.
“
T
hanks
for talking to m
e
. I’ll l
e
t Amanda know how h
e
lpful you w
e
r
e
—to bring h
e
r that stud
e
nt pap
e
r
and all
.”

“You do that.”
He
got up to l
e
av
e
. “T
e
ll h
e
r I hop
e
h
e
r littl
e
girl is ok
ay
.”

“I will. On
e
mor
e
thing,
Carl
. There
was a sp
e
cial faculty m
ee
ting to arrang
e
cov
e
rag
e
for
Amanda’s class
e
s whil
e
sh
e
’s in th
e
hospital.
Why weren’t you
th
e
r
e
?”

Carl
ton
look
e
d
back at Marcus
and frowned, put out that the man
was so disrespectful
, that he didn’t use his full name
.
“I didn’t h
e
ar about it.”

H
e
l
e
ft th
e
coff
ee
shop without looking back.
Dunbar
was a bulldog for qu
e
stions
—
a
typical journalist
.
Carlton
w
e
nt dir
e
ctly to his apartm
e
nt and
toss
e
d
his jack
e
t
into
th
e
clos
e
t
before going back out the door
. H
e
needed a drink to soothe his nerves. He
had
to g
e
t away for a
whil
e
to think
, to plan
.

Amanda
continued to sleep
in Cecelia’s
hospital
room. Only once did she have to fend off a nurse reluctant to
allow
Marcus
entry
. One afternoon that
had
seemed no different than the others,
C
e
c
e
lia moan
e
d
and op
e
n
e
d
h
e
r
e
y
e
s.