False alarm, said the next text from Alexa to Sherri.
She was starting to sober up now; getting sick in the bushes had sped that along.
In their situation, she didn’t think there was any such thing as a false alarm. It took some serious maneuvering but Sherri was eventually able to work her car out from its spot and out of Brooke’s long driveway.
She pulled up in front of the house on Olive Street. The front door was locked—that was good. She unlocked and entered. The kitchen light was on, and so was the light in the living room.
But nobody was there.
“Hello!” she called. Nobody answered. She screamed: “Katie! Morgan! Alexa! Where is everybody?”
Nobody was home.
Nobody was home.
She could hardly breathe. She pulled her phone out of her bag and texted Katie:
Where R U.
The reply came immediately. Morgan’s house. Out in front w morgan there’s a police man here.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Katie, Alexa, Morgan, a policeman. I found out who you are.
Coming to get u.
She was leaving the house, locking the door behind her, when she saw Miss Josephine peering out of her own front door.
“All this yelling and banging around!” said Miss Josephine.
“I’m sorry,” said Sherri hurriedly. “I thought Katie was here, but she’s not. I’m so sorry to disturb you.”
“And what on earth did you do to your hair?” barked Miss Josephine. “That color doesn’t suit you at all.”
Sherri was at Morgan’s house in under thirty seconds. And yes: There was a police car in the driveway. Its lights were on. Morgan and Katie were sitting on the front steps in pajamas—Katie’s were unfamiliar—the lights from the police car casting an eerie glow on their faces. When Sherri got out of the car, Katie ran up to her and threw herself into Sherri’s arms. “Alexa’s mom’s car was in an accident,” said Katie. “That’s why the police are here. But Alexa’s mom wasn’t driving it.”
“Who was driving it?”
“I don’t know,” said Morgan. “My mom’s in there now, talking to the police.”
“I want to go home,” said Katie. “I don’t like this. Can we take Morgan home with us?”
“Yes,” said Sherri. “Yes, absolutely we can take Morgan home with us.”