Poisonous

by Allison Brennan

  “You believe him.” It was clear to Max that David took what the kid said at face value.

  “I didn’t ask if he killed Ivy, but unless he lied about being in town that weekend, he couldn’t have.”

  Maxine mentally checked Rick Colangelo off her suspect list, pending confirmation of his alibi. Grace Martin might have already done so.

  “I can see why Rick’s parents let him move away,” Max said. “Changing schools like Bailey and Heather did to get away from Ivy would be relatively easy. But the Crosses moved lock, stock, and barrel out of town. The family—both families, the Crosses and the Wallaces—must have known something about why. A kid can’t just go to their parents and say, ‘Hey, quit your job let’s move out of town.’” She turned to David. “I need to talk to the Cross girls.”

  “They’re minors. We’ll contact the dad first.”

  David was right, especially in light of the fallout from her quoting Austin—which she still believed was right.

  “Okay, but if he says no, I’m going to track them down anyway.”

  “Of course you are. But we’re going to try it this way first.”

  Max looked at her timeline. “Madison is a year younger than Ivy, Kristin two years younger. Either of them could have been the caller—they’re now fifteen and sixteen. Knew Ivy, didn’t like her—sounded scared of her almost.” She frowned. “No, that’s not right. She said Ivy didn’t like her and she didn’t know why. Do you think the killer really contacted her?” As she said it, Max shook her head. “This girl thinks that Ivy’s killer contacted her, but she didn’t sound threatened. There’s a reason for that. We need that letter. She didn’t pull the idea out of thin air. Maybe she hadn’t thought about it at all—until she saw the show.”

  David nodded. “Something she heard or saw sparked her memory. Or reminded her of the letter.”

  Max glanced at her watch. It was already well after the lunch hour. “I want to talk to her today.”

  “Stephen Cross teaches math at a private high school in San Rafael. I’ll call the school first. If he doesn’t call me back, I’ll call his cell phone.”

  “You tracked down all that information today?”

  David just cracked a smile. “As soon as John flagged the call.”

  “This girl knows something.” Max stared again at her board. “Austin might know about her. Or Tommy. Or Bailey Fairstein.”

  “How did the conversation with Brock go?”

  “Better than I thought. With the change in time of death, if Laura Lorenzo is telling the truth, then he’s not the killer. And after meeting him, I don’t think he did it. He’s a grieving brother who is worried about his mother and how Heather’s suicide affected her. Justin also told me that his parents hired a private investigator who was let go when they settled. He was gathering information about other people Ivy bullied in order to bolster the civil case.”

  “And you have those names.”

  “Not yet. He’s going to talk to his father.”

  “And where does Lorenzo fit in all this?”

  “To convince the public that Ivy’s murder was an accident to protect Justin.”

  “Because he thinks Justin killed her?”

  “Maybe Lorenzo knows something, maybe he doesn’t. Or what he thinks he knows isn’t accurate. The guy is an ass, and he high-jumps to conclusions. He thinks Justin snapped and to Lorenzo it’s justifiable, but Justin would lose his scholarship, lose a future as a lawyer, lose his girlfriend and his freedom. So Lorenzo, in his own way, was trying to protect him.”

  David raised an eyebrow.

  “He’s playing with fire, and he’s wrong, and he lied about me and to me. He’s not getting away with it. But I have my own way of dealing with him now.”

  “We can’t assume that Lorenzo’s sole motivation was to protect Justin because he thinks Justin killed Ivy.”

  “I’m certain that’s not the only reason. I suspect he has an ax to grind with the police, though whether it’s simply because of his own authority issues or if it’s specific to this department, I don’t know. Send me the photo you have with him at the bar and with the cop. I’m going to give them to Grace.”

  “They’re already on your phone.”

  “You’re so good.” She smiled and forwarded both photos to Grace. No caption required on the first of Lorenzo chatting with the cop; on the second she added, Do you know this man?

  It may have nothing to do with the Ivy Lake investigation, but Max wasn’t going to take any chances.

  * * *

  Austin had PE right after his lunch break. He changed into his gym uniform and was there for roll call, then said he needed a bathroom pass. His PE teacher barely remembered his name, wrote out the pass, and Austin headed for the gym. He went through the gym and out the back doors, then ran across the soccer field toward the high school. The high school was about to start their lunch break. Austin crossed over to the trailers where Tommy’s classes met.

  Tommy could have gone to the regular school, but Jenny coddled him. She thought it would be too hard for Tommy to compete with the other kids. She didn’t get that Tommy would do better if more was expected from him. Sure, he had problems with reading—he got the letters confused—but he was great at math and his special ed classes bored him. He wouldn’t say anything about it, because that was Tommy. He was just happy to be at school at all.

  Austin walked into the special ed office. He flashed the bathroom pass to the secretary who was on the phone, then quickly pocketed it. “My brother accidentally put my essay in his binder when we were doing homework last night. Can I get it from him?”

  She nodded, still listening to whoever was talking.

  Austin didn’t wait, and went down the row of trailers to where he knew Tommy was about to get out for his lunch break.

  Tommy’s teacher opened the door for her students to exit the classroom and head for lunch. She was surprised to see Austin standing there. “Austin? Do you need something?”

  “Tommy has my homework in his backpack.”

  “Oh—go ahead, then send Tommy to the lunch tables, okay?”

  Austin nodded and pulled Tommy back into the trailer classroom.

  Tommy’s eyes were wide. “You can’t be here. I’ll get in trouble.”

  Austin made sure no one heard him. “That restraining order is bullshit, Tommy.”

  Tommy frowned. “You lied to my teacher. I don’t have your homework. We didn’t do homework together yesterday.”

  “I had to talk to you. I’m going to find a way to fix this. Please, Tommy—I know it’s hard, but we need to stick together. You’re my big brother.”

  Tommy looked so sad that Austin wanted to scream. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

  “Who said that?” Austin asked, angry.

  “My mom said if I go near you or Bella, I will go to jail. I want to see you, Austin, but I don’t want to go to jail.”

  “First, the restraining order hasn’t been filed yet. That means that no one has signed anything, okay? I won’t let her. I swear to God, Tommy, I will not let her do anything. I’m sure your dad won’t let her, either. She’s just mad that she didn’t get her way.”

  “Like when Bella threw her new Barbie across the room because it was the wrong Barbie?”

  “Yeah.” Austin adored his little sister, but she could be a brat. He took a deep breath. “It’s my fault, Tommy. Everything is my fault. Ivy left the house that night because of me.”

  “I don’t get what you mean.”

  “We got in a fight. Like always. She said she’d make me pay. I shouldn’t have—”

  The teacher stepped inside. “Tommy? Austin? Can this wait until you boys get home this afternoon?”

  No, Austin wanted to say. He wanted Tommy to cut school so he could tell him everything about the night Ivy died. But Tommy would never break the rules.

  “Yeah,” Austin said. He wanted to hug Tommy because he looked so miserable, but that would make both of
them look like dweebs, and the other kids would make fun of Tommy.

  Austin almost cut class, but didn’t. Cutting class would put him on the radar, and right now he wanted to avoid his mother at all costs. He hated her. He went back to his class but didn’t hear anything his teachers said the rest of the day. As soon as the final bell rang, he grabbed his backpack and, without even waiting for Emma, ran to the park, hoping Tommy would be there. Wanting to explain that he would fix it, he’d make sure his mom never filed the restraining order, that they could be brothers again.

  But Tommy wasn’t there.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Max waited in the park across from the high school for Tommy Wallace. Though his memory wasn’t as sharp as Austin’s, he might remember who Madison and Kristen Cross were. If not, she wouldn’t have to wait long for Austin.

  She sent him a text message that she hoped he’d see when his class was over. She wished she’d had the chance to talk to him after the broadcast aired last night, to answer any questions he might have. There were too many things on her plate as it was, why had she thought she could escape for a few hours and have a romp with Nick? Especially when the only thing positive had been the sex. He hadn’t talked to her about anything personal, and while he was a good sounding board for her investigation, she had gone there to connect with Nick, not work the case.

  Her life was becoming overcomplicated. And it had never been uncomplicated.

  While she waited for Tommy to get out of school, instead of working on her phone, she sat on the bench and enjoyed the warm, breezy day. Ten minutes to relax. Ten minutes to not think about Ivy, or Nick, or Paula’s threats, or Justin Brock’s pain. Not think about dirtbag Lance Lorenzo and what he might be up to, or where Travis Whitman had gone, or her guilt that she might not be able to solve this case and Tommy would remain ostracized.

  And that got her thinking about Bill Wallace. So much for relaxation.

  Ben said Wallace was coming back from his business trip early. How early? She sent David a text.

  I need everything we have on Bill Wallace.

  Max knew she shouldn’t get in the middle of this triangle, but when had she ever done the easy thing? Why hadn’t someone stepped up and told Bill Wallace that his indifference was hurting his own children?

  She thought back to what David had said about Jenny Wallace, and how she was critical of her ex-husband around her kids. What would Max have done in the same situation? But of course she’d never be in that situation. Married, two kids, career, Jenny’s husband cheating on her—lying to her—then moving his new family to within miles of his old family. And then still keeping his distance from his kids by traveling constantly on business. Did he have yet another girlfriend in the wings? Max wouldn’t be surprised.

  Because of his build and shaggy blond hair, Tommy was easy to pick out. He walked his bicycle across the street. At first Max didn’t notice anything wrong, but as he approached she realized he was upset. His face was flushed, his eyes bright and wet.

  She rose from the bench and strode over to him. “Tommy, what happened?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” He carefully put the kickstand down on his bike and made sure it wouldn’t fall before he sat down on the bench. He didn’t take off his backpack, but perched on the edge and stared straight ahead.

  She sat next to him. “Someone upset you.”

  He shrugged and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his blue hoodie. “I have to be home by four.”

  “Tommy, was it about the show last night?”

  “Was what about the show?”

  “What got you upset. I never meant for anything I said on the show to hurt you.”

  “You didn’t do anything. You’re nice. You want to find out who killed Ivy.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Why’s it taking so long?”

  If it were anyone else, Max would have snapped that she’d been here less than a week and she already had leads the police never had. Instead she said, “Some crimes take longer to solve than others.”

  That didn’t make Tommy happy.

  Max said, “My best friend was killed when we were in high school. It took thirteen years before her killer was brought to justice.” Justice? Was living life in a mental hospital for the criminally insane justice? Perhaps, considering who was locked up, it was a twisted, ironic punishment.

  “In thirteen years, Bella will be in college.”

  “You’re good at math.”

  “It’s my best subject. I always get an A in math.”

  “What other subjects do you like?”

  He shrugged. “I like science class. Not history. I can’t keep all those dates in my head or remember what happened first.”

  “What do you like about science?”

  “My teacher said that for everything that happens there is an equal and opposite reaction. I didn’t understand that at first, but then we went on a field trip to the aquarium and watched fish swim and my teacher explained that the fish is pushing the water and the water is pushing the fish with the exact same force! We watched and watched—I could have stayed at the aquarium all night. I have a goldfish and I like him okay, but it’s not the same thing as the aquarium.”

  “I have a couple of questions, do you mind if I ask you?”

  He shrugged. “I have to be home at four.”

  “I won’t keep you that long. Do you know Madison or Kristin Cross? They moved away two years ago.”

  He nodded and smiled. “Maddie is Amanda’s best friend. They have matching Mickey Mouse necklaces. Amanda’s says Madison, and Madison’s says Amanda. They got them when they were twelve and Madison’s dad took Amanda with them to Disneyland. I wanted to go, but it was girls only. I went to Disneyland once when my dad was still married to my mom. I was eight and Amanda was six. I didn’t like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I cried and Amanda cried because she thought we’d have to go home because I was crying, but then Dad took me on the train and that was my favorite. We went on the train six times, all around the park.”

  “I was eight when I went to Disneyland, too,” Max said. It was Disney World in Florida and her mother had left her there for the day. Her mother hadn’t wanted to go—she had plans with friends to go sailing—and Max had begged her to take her to Disney World. Instead, Martha bought tickets for both of them, walked her into the park, and gave her two hundred dollars. She told her to have fun; she’d pick her up at midnight when the park closed.

  Max tried to have fun. At first, she did because it was so new and exciting. The food smelled great, Disney characters were everywhere and she shook their hands. She went on every ride, some of them twice. But everywhere there were families. Parents with kids. Kids with friends. Grandparents and grandchildren. Young couples. Parents taking pictures of their kids with Mickey Mouse or Goofy or Daisy Duck. Max paid a park photographer to take a picture of her with Chip and Dale, the two chipmunks. She’d given it to her mother and never saw it again.

  Max had never felt so alone. To be surrounded by thousands of people and feel like the loneliest person in the world.…

  She hadn’t thought about the first ten years of her life until the psycho shrink got into her head three months ago. Now she thought about the past too much.

  She had to get over this. It was tearing her up. It’s why she couldn’t sleep. It’s why she was drinking too much. If she didn’t find a way to forget, she’d implode. David was right. She was losing her edge. He hadn’t said that, but he’d thought it.

  “Ms. Revere?” Tommy said. “Are you okay?”

  “I liked the train,” she said, “but my favorite ride was the Pirates of the Caribbean.”

  “My mom thought it would scare me so my dad took Amanda on it and my mom took me on the train again.”

  “It’s a dark ride.”

  “I’m not scared of the dark. I have a night-light, but that’s just so I don’t trip if I have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I didn�
��t like how we went through Hell in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and it got all hot and the mean bully was hurting Mr. Toad.”

  “That sounds scary.”

  Tommy nodded and looked at his hands.

  She asked, “Are Amanda and Madison still friends?”

  “I guess so,” Tommy said. “But Maddie moved away. Why?”

  “Sometimes when people move away, they don’t really talk anymore.”

  Tommy thought on that. “Amanda talks to her a lot. I’ve heard her sometimes in her room, talking on the phone. Does that count?”

  “Yes, of course it does. That helps a lot.”

  “Why do you want to know about Maddie?”

  Max didn’t want to lie to Tommy, but she doubted he would be able to keep the information to himself. “Part of being a reporter is research. Not only do I need to look at Ivy’s life—her friends, her classmates, her teachers, her family—but I look at the same things for everyone close to her. Someone said that Maddie’s family might have moved because of something Ivy said or did to her. I’m trying to find out if that is true.”

  Tommy nodded solemnly. “It’s true.”

  “What do you remember?”

  “I—I don’t really know. It was a long time ago, and Amanda doesn’t talk to me like that. But Amanda cried a lot when Maddie moved, and she blamed Ivy, I don’t know why. When Amanda cries, it makes me sad.”

  Suddenly, Tommy jumped up. He looked at his watch. “I have to go.”

  “Aren’t you waiting for Austin?”

  He suddenly started crying and shook his head. “M-m-my mom s-said I can’t. Austin’s mom got so mad at him last night. H-he’s grounded a-a-and Paula said I can go to jail if I talk to him.”