The Big Splash (17 page)

For an impromptu speech, I didn't think it was half bad, until I let go of Nicole's hand. She snapped it back as if it were on a retractable cord, then stood up from the table quickly and awkwardly, as if she wasn't sure her legs would support her. She was still shaking as she walked
away, drawing her arms in, trying to make herself as small as possible. She didn't look back.

“Nice speech, Matthew.” Vinny walked up behind me and sat down in the seat Nicole had vacated.

“Yeah, it really worked wonders.”

“She needs a little more than a speech, don't you think?”

“I was hoping I had a couple more years before I had to figure out what girls need.”

He nodded. “You and me both.”

“I just don't get it … How she can go from being Nikki to being … that.” Nicole was wandering aimlessly around the lunchroom. Kids were throwing French fries at her; she didn't seem to notice.

“The school turned against her. No kid, even someone as fierce as Nikki, stands a chance against the
entire
school.”

“I don't buy it. If anyone stands a chance, it's Nikki.”

“This isn't Ellie, Matthew. You can't just hand out cupcakes and change the school's opinion of you.”

“No, but you
can
use cat pee. Personally, I'd rather have the cupcake.”

Vinny shrugged, closing the issue as far as he was concerned. He looked at the newspaper photo that I had put on
the table earlier. “He looks so young,” he said, referring to the Joey in the picture, the Joey from two years ago.

“Yeah, they grow up fast.”

“He was a good soldier,” Vinny said.

“I'm sure he's taking a lot of comfort in that right now.”

“Look, Matthew, if I got taken out tomorrow, I couldn't expect my past to protect me from my future.”

“You expecting to get hit tomorrow?”

“Hardly. But you're missing my point.”

“Maybe I'm not missing it. Maybe I just don't think it applies to every situation.”

“That has yet to be proven. Listen, you know as well as I do, once you're convicted by a jury of your peers, it's hard to get a new trial.”

“And you, the mighty Vinny Biggs, can't do anything to help them out?”

“Matthew, I'm like a big ship in this ocean. Sure, I can pretty much go where I want, but I don't have power over the tides. Some things are too big for even me to control. Public opinion is one of them.”

“Bull. If you wanted to get Nicole back in, you could.”

“Nobody gets back in,” he said, a trace of sadness in his voice.

“Even your favorite?”

“Especially my favorite. Now kids know that if the infamous Nikki Fingers can't escape the Outs, then nobody can. That's a powerful statement.”

“I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that. ‘Hey, Nicole, your life's in the crapper, but good news! Now you're a powerful statement!'”

“Matthew, I've got a whole operation to worry about, and I can't go out on a limb for one girl—” He paused for a moment. “No matter how I feel about her.”

“Ahh, loyalty. Remind me again why I didn't join your ‘operation.' Oh, wait … you just did.”

Vinny's good humor disappeared. “Don't ever question my loyalty to my people, Matthew.”

“Threat?”

“Warning.”

“You can take your warnings, Vinny, and shove ‘em up your—” A small commotion stopped me before I dug my own grave. Nicole had wandered back over, looking lost, but knowing exactly where she was going. Vinny's guards were trying to hold her back, but delicately, with respect for who she once was. That respect was making their job harder.

“Vinnnnyyyy!” she cried out, in an eerie voice that sounded like a hinge someone forgot to oil. “Vinnnyyyyy! Whyyy … Vinnnnyyyy …” She stumbled toward him. Vinny was wearing a cool and unaffected look, but underneath there was a subtle hint of fear. “Whhhyyyy???” she howled. “Whyyyyyy???? Vinnnyyyy!”

The last “Vinny” was a high-pitched shriek, like a bucket of ice water to the face. The entire cafeteria seemed to jump at the same time. Nicole's voice dissolved into sobs as she broke down, falling to her knees in front of Vinny. Vinny slumped his shoulders like a beaten man, all his talk about the “importance of his operation” evaporating. He nodded his head to the right, signaling to his guards to get her out of there; they obliged, dragging her off. Her sobs echoed through the now silent cafeteria.

“Great display of loyalty,” I said to Vinny with disgust.

“Matthew,” he said in a voice that tried to sound threatening, but was more tired and sad than fierce.

“Forget it. Save your energy. I'll finish this case and learn some manners.” I picked up the photo and left.

walked over to the pay phone in the hall, inserted the proper amount of change, and dialed Joey's number. If I could talk to him for five minutes, I'd be well on my way to solving this case. Still no answer. I hung up and retrieved my coins.

As I walked to my locker, I passed Kevin at his. “Hey,” I said. “Nice choke hold at lunch today.”

“You're welcome,” he said to me, but his attention was on something over my shoulder. I turned to see what it was.

Nicole Finnegan, her hair a tangled mess, her eyes wide
and bloodshot, was shambling toward us. Kevin started looking for an escape route, but it was too late.

“Kevin!” she yelled, as if they were in the middle of a crowded stadium instead of a half-empty hallway.

“Hi, Nikki.”

“Nikki?” She giggled. It was a jagged sound, like an out-of-tune piano. “Nikki's gone. Long gone. Only Nicole's left now.”

“Okay,” Kevin said. “Hi, Nicole.”

“Better.”

“Listen, I have to get to class …”

“What's wrong, Kevin?”

“Nothing, I just have to g—”

“Don't you like me anymore?”

He didn't answer her. The kids in the hall were laughing, but Nicole no longer heard them. She was tuned to a different frequency.

“You liked Nikki, didn't you? But you don't like Nicole … This is me now, Kevin.” She spun around like a gear with a few teeth missing. “This is me!”

Kevin opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“I can be your girlfriend now, Kevin. Don't you want
me as a girlfriend?” She tried to fight back tears, but lost the battle. “Why don't you want me? I'm still me. I'm still me!” Her words and sobs started running together. Just then, Jenny broke through the crowd, grabbed her sister, and ushered her away. “I'm still me!” Nicole wailed, then disappeared out of sight. The crowd in the hall broke into applause.

Kevin rubbed his eyes and sighed.

“That went well,” I said.

“I'm not in the mood, Matt.”

“Way to stick by her, through thick and thin.”

“Look, I saved your butt at lunch today, so cut me a little slack.”

“Big deal. You saved me after I protected your girlfriend from taking another hit.”

“She's not my girlfriend.”

“Yeah. I got that.”

“She wanted out, not me.”

“And if she didn't, you'd be right there beside her now, slugging it out against the whole school,” I said sarcastically.

“What do you want, Matt?”

I pulled out the picture of Joey from the Ellie newspaper. “You seen this before?”

“No,” he said, but he dropped his gaze. He was lying.

“You want to help her? Then help
me!
You took out the wrong kid. Help me find the right kid.”

“I've never seen it before!”

“You're lying. We both know it, so you might as well just stop.”

He picked me up by the collar and slammed me into a row of lockers. I had pushed one button too many.

“Leave me alone,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Carling!” Katie Kondo had come around the corner. She had missed most of the show, but managed to catch the last act. She wasn't a fan. “Drop him.”

Kevin held me up for a moment longer, as if to say he'd let me go when he was ready.

“Drop him now, Kevin.”

“Stay away from me, Matt. I mean it,” Kevin hissed, then dropped me. I landed on my feet, my shirt disheveled. Kevin stomped his way down the hall and out of sight.

“You can thank me later,” Katie said.

“Gee, how about I thank you now?” I said. “Thanks, Katie. Thanks for coming in at the exact moment that I was about to get some useful information.”

“Watch your mouth, Stevens. You're lucky you're even allowed to operate.”

“You need to learn a new line, Katie. That one's getting worn out.”

She noticed the photo in my hand. “What's that?”

“Nothing. A memento of mine.”

“Let me see it.”

“Get lost.”

“Hand it over, Matt. Now.”

I sighed and passed it to her. She studied it for a second. “You withholding evidence?”

“No. It's a photo from an old newspaper. How's that evidence?”

“I don't know. You tell me.”

“Nothing to tell.”

“I'll find out on my own eventually.”

“Great. Let me know how it turns out,” I said. “I love a good mystery.”

Her jaw tightened. She squinted her eyes and moved her face close to mine. To the casual observer, it would've looked like she was about to kiss me—or bite my nose off. “Enjoy this case, Matt. Really savor it,” she said, “because it's your last.”

We stared each other down, neither one of us willing to budge. Finally, the bell rang and broke the moment.

Katie folded up the photo, put it in her pocket, and walked off. Excellent. Not only did I not have any solid leads, but I also just lost the best piece of evidence I had. I congratulated myself on a job well done. At this rate, I wouldn't need Katie's help; I'd be washed up all on my own.

got to my locker, cracked the lock, flicked the latch, opened the door, and jumped to the side. My luck was turning; no pee balloon flew out at me this time. Instead, a piece of purple paper fluttered to the floor. I picked it up cautiously, as if it might bite. It was a note from Jenny, on the same purple horse stationery that she had used before: “I had to take Nicole home, but call me tonight. Here's my number again, in case you lost it. Please be careful.” It had her phone number at the bottom, and was signed with a heart, then her name. It was the first thing that made me smile all day, and another sign that maybe I should give
Jenny and me a shot. Why not? She was sweet, thoughtful, and damn good to look at. I decided to call her and see where it went. So what if she didn't give me the same feelings Liz did?