Clearly, the address wasn’t going to suddenly flash across the wall because we’d completed the mysterious steps. If anything, the steps probably didn’t matter as much as being seen attempting them did. Someone nearby must have been keeping an eye on this spot. If they didn’t have the address, then maybe they were notifying Liam and Ruby we were here, and were ready to be picked up?
“He should have just given us a stupid address,” Chubs said. “I feel insane doing this. Come on, let’s go back to the car—”
“Wait,” I said, searching the ground nearby. “The rock—”
I picked up a broken chunk of brick, turning back toward the mural. But that had been the end of our instructions. With no other place to really put it, I set it down against the wall, just under the painted figure’s feet.
“This is ridiculous,” Chubs said again, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
“You need to go buy tea,” I said. “Remember?”
I wanted to go in with him, but I also didn’t want the questions or looks I’d get from the others, especially if there was a chance that it would spook Liam and Ruby.
Chubs sighed, but started to trudge across the slushy street anyway.
“Hang on,” I told him. He let me pull his hat down a little more and adjust his scarf so that it covered his identification pin. I took his glasses off too, just for good measure. I didn’t think he’d even been photographed without a pair.
Chubs gave me a slightly unfocused, but definitely irritated, look.
“Just this once,” I said.
Waiting for him in the car was pure torture. When Chubs finally appeared again, two steaming cups in his hands, he looked even unhappier than before.
“Nothing?” I asked.
He passed me my usual hot chocolate. “After making incredibly creepy eye contact with everyone in that café, I can only assume that they’re either going to show up, or the local police will beat them to it—ah, shoot—”
Hot water from the tea spilled down his front. Chubs started to blot the stains with a napkin. The cup tilted dangerously again.
“Give me that,” I said.
As he passed it over, the protective sleeve slipped down.
I set my own drink aside, sliding the sleeve off completely. I turned the cup so he could see the address scribbled there.
Chubs leaned back against his seat, letting the napkin fall to the floor.
“All right,” he said. “Let me see the map again.”
In the end, the address didn’t even lead us to a house. It took us down a small back road and onto a cleared lot of land. I would have picked it out as the address even if I hadn’t seen the numbers spray-painted onto the tree at the edge of the road, or the red truck parked just out of sight.
Chubs pulled up alongside the truck and killed the ignition. For a moment, we simply sat there, listening to the rustle of rain falling through the nearby leaves. It glazed the windshield, blotting out our view of the world.
“Should we get out and take a look around?” I suggested, my hand already on the door.
“Guess so,” he said.
We wandered the lot, passing each other as we circled it. As I moved closer to the far edge of the field, the rain sounded different. Louder. I moved deeper into the foliage, pushing a shrub out of the way until I saw why.
“Zu?” Chubs called.
“Over here!” I waved my arms big and wide so he’d see me. “Look!”
Chubs looked all right. And he did not like what he saw. The only word to describe his expression was grim.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
Before he could answer, a dark shape appeared in the haze, moving in a quick, smooth path across the silver surface of the lake. Plaid shirt. Baseball cap. Whistling the Rolling Stones.
Liam.
He turned on the small rowboat’s bench, finally noticing us. The drop from the trees to the water was steep—too steep to run down and greet him like I wanted to.
“Damn, I can’t believe you guys beat me here!” he called up, turning his boat to bring it alongside the edge of the water. “There’s a little beach-y area over this way, a few hundred feet. It’s easier to grab you from there…unless you want to swan-dive into my arms, Chubsie? You know how much I love a dramatic reunion.”
Chubs started in the direction Liam had pointed. From down in the boat, Liam shot me a questioning look. I shrugged. We both knew Chubs. Sometimes he needed