Tenley could not believe what her mother was saying. It was … insane. That’s what it was, insane. She felt like her brain had been put in a waffle iron, smashed into little squares, toasted and burned, never to be the same.
“Dad? And Brileen?” Tenley could barely look at her mother as the words contaminated her mouth. She turned away, stared through City Hall’s thick glass doors onto Congress Street, where Brileen Finnerty had been standing by that black car.
“Did you ever meet her?” Tenley asked.
“Certainly not,” Mom answered. “Why would I meet her?”
Brileen? Who’d run into Tenley on the street, like, by chance? And talked to her over coffee at the Purple and invited her to her apartment, and—no. No way.
Plus, how could she talk to her own mother about a thing like that? It verged on gross. But Mom looked so unhappy, hair all scraggly, trying to whisper so the guard guy wouldn’t hear.
Tenley put her hands over her face, listening through her fingers as her mother related the story of Dad and Brileen. The voice mail message her mom overheard. The e-mail she happened to see. The evasions and denials from her dad and from Lanna.
“Lanna knew Brileen?”
“Oh, yes, Brileen befriended Lanna,” her mother said. “To get to your father, I expect. She didn’t tell you that, I gather. I’m not surprised. And now she’s latched on to you. I wonder how she’ll feel when she discovers your father is—”
Mom put both hands to her chest, as if the memory had punched her. Dropped her head. Tenley saw her shoulders rise, then fall. This was scary.
“Mom?” What if her mom died, too, had a heart attack or something from stress and all that? She felt like a little kid again, all fear, not knowing what to do with her feet. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, honey.” Her mother lifted her head, was trying to smile. Mom kept calling her honey, like when she was little. Somehow that made Tenley even sadder. Tenley closed her eyes, covered them with her hands, wishing she could disappear behind that darkness and never face anything again.
Brileen was, like, Lanna’s age, right? Okay, a little older. No way would her father ever be involved in that. And Brileen never indicated, not in any way, that she’d known Lanna. Or Dad. So what was that whole conversation at the Purple? Tenley tried to replay it in her mind, through the filter of what she now knew was true. Or what her mother thought was true. Tenley opened her eyes, remembering. What had Brileen said to her? About what happened to Lanna?
Tenley opened her mouth, then stopped as the glass door opened. A couple of middle-aged women, old-lady pants, hideous shoes, and carrying extra-large Dunkin’ iced coffees, hurried into the lobby.
“They can’t yell at us about being late if the cops wouldn’t let us leave,” one complained. She slurped on her straw, then rattled the ice in her plastic glass. Displayed her City Hall ID to the security guy.
“Exactly.” The other showed her laminated card, then they both fussed with their wallets, putting them away. “We’re supposed to help it if there’s some maniac on the loose?”
Her mom stood, brushed her skirt. “Excuse me, I’m Catherine Siskel? Mayor’s office?”
The two women looked at her, up and down. Like she was going to get them in trouble.
“You said ‘on the loose’?” Mom asked. “Police told us—”
One of the women gestured with her sweating plastic cup, dismissive. “Not a maniac, really, I guess. Or on the loose, I guess. It’s all over now, anyway. The cops let us all leave Dunkin’. Now we’re late for work.”
“I’m sure your boss will understand.” Mom was using her business voice. “Glad you’re okay.”
“Mom?” Now her mom was madly checking her cell phone. Tenley stood, peering out the glass door again. The black car—was it there? She tried to picture where it had parked, but with the trees and cars, the whole perspective was different from down here. She pushed open the door, leaning out. The sun’s sudden glare blinded her for a second. She shielded her eyes with one hand, propping the door open with her hip. Nope. Couldn’t see.
Tenley had about two seconds to decide what to do. Was Brileen still out there? Tenley stepped back inside and took out her own cell phone, searching for the number she’d entered. Was it only yesterday? And there it was.
“Mom?” Tenley knew this was it. She felt like she was risking, maybe, her relationship with her mom. She was about to admit where she’d been last night and what she knew. Thing was, if she told, she’d be in trouble. If Tenley kept her secret, her mom wouldn’t be mad at her. If she kept quiet, would it all go away?
She pressed her lips together, deciding. Yeah. Maybe it would all go away.
The phone on the guard’s desk rang, a clanging buzz. The glass door opened again, so fast Tenley had to jump back to avoid getting slammed by it. People were returning to City Hall again, all briefcases and chatter.
Tenley backed into the corner, feeling the cool marble walls bracketing her shoulders. Was there any way to avoid all this, all the pressure and the fear and the secrets?
Her mom was off the phone. Now or never.
“Tenner?” Her mom took a step closer, reaching out a hand. “What are you doing, honey?”
Her mother was so sad, her face all drawn and tired. She believed so deeply that Dad had betrayed her with Brileen. But gosh, didn’t Tenley know enough, from how Brileen treated the guys at the Purple Martin, and how she treated her “roommate” Valerie, didn’t Tenley know enough to be sure all that business about her father was—unlikely?
Maybe, finally, finally, finally, she could do something to ease her mother’s mind.
“Mom?” she said, “I think you’re wrong about Brileen.”
“Wrong?” Her mother’s eyebrows lifted.
“Yeah.” Tenley was sure of this now. It was good and right. Lanna would be proud. Her dad, too. She held up her cell phone. “And I’m going to call her. So you two can talk. Face-to-face.”