“We don’t know where he is either, but we’re going to Greenwich in the morning, and we think all you boys should come,” Fiona Flood said to Arno. Unlike Mickey’s mom, who was young and wild and possibly having an affair with Jonathan’s painter, or Jonathan’s mom, who treated them all like little adults, Fiona Flood was just rich and remote.
Arno stood in her kitchen with David and Mickey. They shifted around, waiting for her to set them free.
Fiona went on. “We heard from a neighbor that Patch is up there, and we’re not exactly pleased about that, since this is a school week, but you know, we’re used to it.”
Arno nodded uncertainly. Used to what? That even though Patch was sixteen, he pretty much moved about as he pleased? Or was it that they were used to not being pleased about things. He looked at her thin mouth, at the way her arms were folded over her nonexistent chest. Must be that last one, he figured.
“We think that if we bring all you boys up there tomorrow, he’ll show up too.”
“Great,” Mickey said.
“And with Jonathan already staying with us, it can’t be too hard to round you all up.”
“Okay,” David said.
“Check with your parents, would you? But I’m sure they’ll be fine with it. You all have been coming up there with us forever.”
“Yeah, since farther back than I can even remember,” Mickey said.
“Well, that’s taken care of then. See you in the morning. Ten a.m. Why don’t you all sleep here? That will make things easier. We’re off to dinner at Bouley with…David’s parents. David, no need to tell them about tomorrow, we’ll do it.”
She reached for a spare set of keys and tossed them in the direction of the boys as she strode out of the room. Arno caught them.
“Let’s go upstairs and make a plan,” Mickey said.
The three of them trooped up to Patch’s room. When they got to the third floor, they looked around for Flan or February, but neither was home.
They filed into Patch’s room, which had the still, delicate air of a place that is rarely occupied. Arno looked around. It was a mess certainly, with a pile of skateboards in various states of repair in one corner and some schoolbooks sitting forlorn and ignored on a desk by the window. The twin beds were equally messy and anonymous. It was unclear which was used for sleep and which was for building boards and storage. The Nakamichi stereo was on, and a Granddaddy CD was playing, low, on repeat. Arno touched the amplifier and it was burning, so he turned it off to give it a rest.
“Maybe we should call Selina Trieff,” Arno said. “She might know where Patch is.”
“Didn’t you hear his mom?” David asked.
“Oh, right.” Arno’s voice dripped sarcasm. “We’re going to Greenwich to be bait, and then maybe Patch will come home.”
“Right.” Mickey picked up a skateboard that had his name on it, and then dropped it. “God, so much of my shit is over here. Anyway. What about Jonathan? If he’s staying here, where is he?”
Mickey and Arno looked at David. David looked out the window at a girl across the street, who was reading on her bed. He missed girls.
“Are we going to talk about Jonathan?” David said. “I think we should.”
Fido, the Floods’ dog, came running and jumped up on Arno, who was sitting at Patch’s desk. Arno hugged Fido tightly until the dog was barking to be set free.
“Okay, let’s.” Arno checked his watch. “But I’ve got to run in a minute. I’m seeing Liesel even though things are definitely over with her. I think we both need to make absolutely sure that we shouldn’t be together.”
“Or you both want to make sure it wasn’t all about sex, and if it was, maybe that’s all right,” Mickey said. “It’s okay, I’m over how she hurt my feelings. And yeah, I’ve got to see Philippa later at this party for a similar bunch of insane reasons.” He grabbed David’s arm and checked his Swatch. “Or now, actually.” Mickey stood up to go.
“Okay then let’s do this fast.” David stood up. “I think we need to tell him that he’s got to choose who is coming on this trip. Yeah?”
“Fine,” said Mickey.
“Sure,” said Arno.
Then they all kind of looked at each other, sizing the others up as competition. Sure, Mickey was the most fun, but Arno would definitely find a way to meet girls down there, and David probably was actually closer to Jonathan than the other two. It was anybody’s game.
“Well, I guess I better see Amanda again,” David finally said. “I know she’s at home, because she has SAT prep in the morning. I’m going to try to get back together with her, even if means doing this crazy thing that I haven’t even told you guys about—”
But Arno and Mickey were already streaming down the stairs and they didn’t hear him.
Out on the street, Arno passed Jonathan, who was headed toward the Floods’.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” Arno said. “We’re all going to Greenwich tomorrow to be bait for Patch.”
“Okay,” Jonathan said. “Where are you going now?”
“Me and Liesel broke up—but I need to go see her for a few hours and make absolutely sure it was the right thing to do.”
“Got it,” Jonathan said.