The night before, when Chloe called her mom’s cell, she was surprised when there was no answer.
She left a brief message that she was hanging out with a friend and would be home soon.
After reporting her car stolen, Eloy had dropped her off at the bottom of her driveway. She’d felt nauseous walking toward the house, worried about the questions her parents might ask regarding where she’d been.
Entering, she’d discovered her mom and dad were out.
Grateful to have escaped their interrogation, she took a shower and went to bed.
Noise from downstairs woke her. She checked the time. 7:00 a.m. The commotion from the kitchen indicated her mother was awake and starting her day.
She really wanted to go back to sleep but knew she should hit her mom with the news dealing with her missing car.
Based on her mother’s reaction, she could gauge what to expect from her father.
She rolled out of bed and used the bathroom. While washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. “You killed somebody. You’re responsible for a policeman dying.”
Staring at her face, nothing seemed changed. But her eyes. They were a different story. Saturated with worry, they reflected the fear and unease her features didn’t disclose. She wondered if she should tell her parents the truth before they looked closely at the windows to her soul.
But then she thought of the naked pics. Those damn photos. There was no way she could confess her sins. She’d rather die than have them see those pictures.
She made her way downstairs.
Her mother was making a breakfast tray. As soon as she saw Chloe, a look of annoyance filled her face.
“I tried to reach you all evening. Why the hell didn’t you respond to my calls and texts?”
Uh oh. Mom’s swearing. Something bad must have gone down.
“I’m sorry. I forgot my phone. Is everything okay?”
“Now it is. Your father was rushed by ambulance to the hospital last night.”
“What? Why? What happened?”
“He had just arrived home, and suddenly he was having excruciating pain in his abdomen. I’ve never seen him in such pain.”
“Did they find out what was wrong? Will he be all right?”
“We were in the ER until almost midnight. Turns out it was a kidney stone. They gave him all kinds of drugs and were waiting for him to pass it.”
A shiver raced through her. “Sounds awful. Is he still in the hospital?”
“No. He’s home.” She motioned toward the tray. “I’m fixing this to take upstairs to him.”
Her mom arranged the silverware and small vase holding some zinnias from the garden. She looked at Chloe and frowned. “Where were you all day and last night?”
She had to think fast. It was better to get the car news out of the way because her mom wouldn’t want to upset her dad.
“Well, I went to the beach with a friend. I left my car at their house.” She bit her lip. “When we came back, we discovered the Toyota was gone. It was stolen.”
“Are you kidding?”
She shook her head. “No. I wish I was.”
“Where did this happen? Did you call the police?”
“Yes. It happened in Glendale.”
Another frown. “Glendale?” She made it sound like the city was in a communist country. “Who do you know there?”
She picked at a piece of skin near her cuticle. “It’s a guy. His name is Eloy.”
“Where did you meet this person?”
“At the mall.”
“How old is he?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Are you out of your mind? You have no business dating someone that age.”
“Mom, he’s nice.”
“He’s too old for you. What does he do for a living?”
She shrugged. “Something in retail. It has to do with re-sales. He explained it, but I didn’t really understand.”
“I don’t like it, and I’m sure your father won’t approve of it, either. But we won’t bother him with this now. He had a terrible night.” She picked up the tray and started to leave. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Alone in the kitchen, Chloe sighed. That had gone better than expected. Of course, if her parents found out Eloy’s true age, they’d probably send her to boarding school. That’s what film people did if their kids were out of control. They sent them away.
She returned to her room to find her phone and see if Eloy had contacted her. He’d said it could be days.
There were no calls or texts from him, but there were plenty of panicked contacts from her mother. She was glad she didn’t have her cell with her yesterday. Between the cop’s killing and her dad’s collapse, it would have been too stressful.
Her friend Mallory had messaged her about three hours after the heist. Thankfully, the text was short and revealed nothing: Are you okay?
She texted back: I’m fine. I’ll talk to you the next time I see you.
Thank God it was summer, so there was no school. She turned her TV on low and watched the local morning news.
It was weird. Knowing that she was driving, and seeing her car swerve into the cop. Her whole body trembled. She’d killed a man. Well, she didn’t, she told herself. Eloy did. But would the police believe her?
The newscasters dropped their voices to somber tones. The male started the story. “Authorities say they may have a lead in the death of an LAPD officer that occurred yesterday at the Porter Ranch Promenade.”
“That’s right, Paul,” said the female, whose false eyelashes resembled bent spider legs sprouting from her eyelids. “Police in Glendale report that a Toyota sports car, similar to the one that struck LAPD Officer Dolby Sinclair, was stolen from a residential street about two hours prior to the hit and run. Neither the car nor driver have been located. A fifty-thousand-dollar reward from the Porter Ranch Promenade, as well as other businesses in the San Fernando Valley, is being offered for the apprehension and conviction of the driver of the vehicle seen in the video.”
She sat paralyzed with fear, not seeing or hearing the rest of the news story. Shit, for fifty thousand bucks, Eloy might turn me in, or Mal! For that kind of money, I might do it myself.
In her haze of worry, she heard the phone ring. Someone quickly answered elsewhere in the residence.
A minute later, there was a light knock on her bedroom door.
She clicked off the TV. “Come in.”
Her mother poked her head into her room. “The LAPD just called. They found your car. They want you at the police headquarters.”
“Why do I have to go there? Won’t the insurance take care of it?”
Her mom came into Chloe’s room, then shut the door behind her. “Because I’m guessing your Toyota was used to kill a policeman. I don’t know if you’ve seen the news, but a police officer was run over by red sports car.”
Chloe formed her facial features into what she hoped was a shocked expression.
Her mom moved over to the bed and sat next to her. “Honey, this is serious. Please tell me you didn’t have anything to do with this. Because if you did, we need to get you a good lawyer right away.”
She folded her arms across her chest and jumped to her feet. “Why do you always think the worst of me? Do you honestly believe I’d run over a cop and leave him there to die?” Her voice had risen to a screech.
“Your father and I are very worried about you. We’ve given you some freedom, and then we find out you’ve been keeping things like this older man from us.”
“You told dad? I thought you weren’t going to tell him.”
“This is too serious. I couldn’t keep it to myself. This Eloy person is an adult, and you’re just a young girl.”
“Oh my God! You make him sound ancient. I didn’t tell you about him because I knew you and dad would react this way.”
Her mother sighed. “We’re getting off track. Do I need to hire a lawyer for you?”
She dropped her arms to her sides. “Do whatever you two think is best. It’s clear you don’t trust my judgment.”