she directed, and realized they were the first ones there. All three of them looked at each other, then took out their respective cell phones and stared at the screens instead.
* * *
Peter and Andrea Young all but dragged Justin to the car.
“I don’t want to go,” he kept saying.
Finally, Peter grabbed him by the arm and yanked him around to face him.
“This isn’t about what you want. It’s about Tony,” Peter said.
Justin paled, ducked his head and got in the back seat without further comment.
“Do you think we should have asked our lawyer to be there?” Andrea asked, as they backed out of the driveway.
Peter frowned. “Which signals we have something to hide.” He glanced up at his son in the rearview mirror as he put the car in Drive and accelerated. “Justin, do you have something to hide?”
“God, Dad! I’m sick of talking about this. Give it a rest.”
“How do you think Baxter and Macie are feeling?” Peter asked. “They’re probably sick, too. Heartsick. I have to say, I am very disappointed with the attitude you’ve taken. A friend you were with went missing, and all of a sudden you can’t be bothered.”
Andrea frowned. “Peter, for goodness’ sake. You act like Justin is guilty of something. He’s a kid. He doesn’t know how to process this grief, that’s all.”
“I don’t see tears,” Peter said. “I haven’t seen tears once. Just a lot of yelling about wanting to be left alone.”
Andrea glared. “You just don’t understand him. You never understood him. You’re always at work. I’m the one who’s there for him. I’m the one who knows him.”
Peter sighed. “Way to go, Andrea. It’s always about you, only this time, it’s not. And supposition won’t make any of this easier. Let’s just wait and see what this is about, before you decide someone is hurting your baby...who, by the way, will be eighteen in two months.”
“Dang, Dad,” Justin said.
“I’m not talking to you,” Peter said.
Justin slumped back down in the seat and the rest of their trip was made in stone-cold silence.
“There’s the Wellses’ car,” Andrea said, as Peter pulled into an empty spot and parked.
“Good. Randall is already here,” Justin said, already perking up.
They walked single file into the building, and rode the elevator up without looking at each other, walking into the office the same way.
Wyrick looked up again.
“Take a seat,” she said.
Andrea glared at the woman, resplendent in shiny purple leather pants and a gold satin vest revealing far too much of that appalling tattoo. She obviously did not own a decent blouse.
And then she realized Wyrick was staring back at her, waiting for her to do as she was told.
Andrea sat down on the other side of the room between her husband and her son, and looked at Nita and rolled her eyes, as if to say, What are we doing here?
Moments later, Charlie Dodge walked in, accompanied by two men in dark suits.
Wyrick blinked. Special Agent Raines and company.
She stood.
Charlie gave her a steady look.
“If you’ll please bring the families into my office, and your notes, as well, we will proceed.”
Wyrick nodded.
“Morning, ma’am,” Agent Raines said.
“Good morning,” Wyrick said, and then looked at both families. “Follow me.”
Seven
Wyrick had seating for Charlie and the families, but she hadn’t set up chairs for the agents. When she started to get two more, Raines stopped her.
“Thank you, but we’ll stand, ma’am.”
She nodded, then took a seat near Charlie’s desk, facing the families.
Both agents were at the door.
The families were looking worried now.
“What’s going on?” Harve Wells asked.
Charlie put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward.
“I called you all here to give you the news. Tony Dawson is alive, so if anyone wants to change their story, now’s the time to do it before shit hits the fan.”
The boys looked at each other, and then Justin stood. His voice was shaking when he started to talk.
“I told Randall the whole camping trip was a bad idea, but he thought it would teach Tony a lesson. We didn’t mean to hurt him. It was an accident.”
Randall started shouting. “You went along with everything. You even lied about Trish to make it worse. You made Tony believe he was dating some whore!”
Both sets of parents were in shock, but it was Wyrick who shut it all down. She stood abruptly.
“Sit down, both of you. Stop shouting. We already know you saw him fall. We know he was alive when you went off and left him. You lied to the