Pen had offered to cover the cost of the airfare, just so we could get the flights booked and be on our way, which wasn’t that big of a deal. I just hated having something like this hanging over my head.
When my phone vibrated with a call from a friend I’d known even longer than the four I was here with, I crept out the front door. “Hey, Brand,” I said. “Can I call you right back?”
“Of course. Where are you?”
“California. I’ll explain in a few minutes.”
I drove the rental car over to the beach, parked, and returned the call.
“What are you doing in California?”
“Celebrating the holiday with the tribe.”
“Right. It’s Thanksgiving, isn’t it?”
“What’s up?”
“There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Aren’t we talking now?”
“Not over the phone.”
“What’s going on?”
“Let me know when you’re back in New York. We’ll talk then.”
When the call ended, I walked down to the beach. There weren’t many people out today, but no one other than me was alone. I sat down, lay back in the sand, and closed my eyes, wishing I could shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something far worse than my declined credit card.
I must’ve dozed off. When I checked the time, I was shocked at how late it had gotten. I traipsed up the steps to where I’d parked the car and drove back to the house.
“Where in the hell have you been?” Pen shouted when I walked in the front door.
“What the fuck?” I shouted back. She was my roommate, not my goddamn mother.
“You left without a word to anyone. You wouldn’t answer your phone. We were worried about you.”
I laughed. “Right. How long did it take before you even noticed I wasn’t here?”
“Look,” said Pen, lowering her voice. “We know about your father.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. “What about him?”
“Don’t play stupid. The investigation.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come sit,” said Aine, motioning to me.
“I have to call my dad.” I rushed out to the deck and closed the sliding door behind me.
Of course, it went to voicemail, so I called my mom.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“California.”
After the requisite niceties, I asked if she’d heard anything from my dad.