Innocent Mistakes

by Melissa F. Miller

  She gives him a slow, cool smile. “Oh? About what?”

  “You wouldn’t have relied on Merriweather’s evidence. You’d have double- and triple-checked everything yourself. I worked for you once upon a time, remember?”

  She laughs, and Colin can see the warmth flow into her smile. “Guilty as charged, Joe. It was good to see you. I mean that.”

  “Back at ya.” The prosecutor tips two fingers to his forehead in a little salute as she turns and sweeps out into the hallway with Colin in tow.

  As soon as Officer Hill pulls the door closed, she exhales shakily.

  “Not a word until we’re outside,” she murmurs.

  Colin nods. Mom pulls out her phone and frowns at it. “I have four voicemails, all from the high school.”

  She puts the phone up to her ear and listens to the messages as they weave their way through the halls. Officer Jeff wishes Colin good luck in the upcoming game against Hamilton Area High, and then dad pushes the wide doors open. Colin takes big greedy gulps of the fresh air.

  They cross the parking lot in silence. When they reach their cars, Mom tosses her phone back into her bag with a scowl.

  “Well, what did Dunbar want?” Dad asks.

  “The first two calls were to let us know the resource officer had brought Colin down here.” She shakes her head, “And the second two were to let us know Siobhan has an unexcused absence for today.”

  “She’s not at school?” Dad draws his eyebrows together in an upside-down vee. “Then where the hell is she?”

  “I don’t know, Sean. I dropped them both off at the entrance.”

  Dad gives Colin a close look. “Do you know anything about this?”

  “No, I swear I don’t.”

  Aunt Sasha clears her throat. “Siobhan sounded really upset when she called me this morning. I’m not surprised she took off. Especially since …”

  She trails off, and they all flash uneasy looks at one another. Nobody wants to say it.

  I’ll say it, Colin thinks. Anything to break the heavy silence.

  He croaks, “Especially since that post came from her phone.”

  “Exactly,” Aunt Sasha says grimly.

  16

  Siobhan pads to the small kitchen area in the Fullers’ basement and grabs a berry-flavored kombucha from the under-the-counter fridge. She takes the drink and a handful of trail mix to the home theater and hits play on her paused movie. Before the scene starts, her phone buzzes with a text notification.

  She grabs it and scans the message. It’s from Mallory:

  Watching anything

  good?

  The Princess Bride.

  Drinking ur booch.

  Eating ur food.

  She texts a picture of her snacks.

  Lucky beotch.

  I’m jelly.

  So ditch after

  lunch.

  Can’t. Engineering

  club after school.

  Siobhan rolls her eyes and munches the trail mix. Then she texts:

  Tx again 4 giving

  me the code.

  She hadn’t realized she was running straight to Mallory’s house until she found herself panting on her back patio, right outside the door to the Fullers’ walkout basement. She’d texted and asked if she could hang out for a while, and, Mallory, being Mallory, had texted her the security code.

  Np. Just b gone b4 5

  when my mom gets

  home.

  I will. Promise.

  luv u. Gotta go.

  luv u2. TTYL.

  She puts down the phone and rewinds the poison-drinking scene to rewatch it. The movie is like comfort food; it takes her mind off Colin’s troubles. But as soon as the scene gets underway, her phone vibrates and buzzes. Now what? She flips her phone over expecting it to be Mallory texting again, but it’s not. It’s Colin.

  Delete your voicemail

  message.

  ???

  Your outgoing message.

  Delete it. NOW.

  She stares at the message for a second or two, then shrugs. She taps in the PIN for her voicemail and resets the message to the default robotic voice that tells callers what number they’ve reached. Weird that he cares so much. Nobody calls her. They text.

  The three little dots blink, letting her know he’s typing again.

  Did you do it?

  Jeez. Yes, I did it.

  What’s wrong?

  You need to come

  home.

  Come home. That sounds like he’s at home, not the police station. A wave of relief washes over her with a whoosh.

  You didn’t get

  arrested?

  No. Come home.

  Dunbar called Mom.

  They know you skipped.

  On my way.

  She aims the remote at the screen on the wall and powers off the movie. She knows she’s going to get in trouble for skipping school but she’s burning with curiosity to hear how Aunt Sasha got Colin out of his mess. She still believes him, trusts that he didn’t post the comment, but how on earth did Aunt Sasha explain away the FBI agent’s proof?

  She tidies up the theater room, shoves the trail mix and the drink into her backpack, and slips out the basement door. She pauses to reset the alarm, then takes off running across the lawn and through the development. She makes a wide circle and skirts the school campus. The last thing Mom and Dad need is for Officer Hill to pick her up on a truancy charge. One twin in trouble with the law is more than enough.

  “I’m sorry,” Siobhan calls as she’s walking through the front door. Might as well get out in front of it. That’s one difference between her and Colin. He’ll keep his mouth closed to keep from incriminating himself. She’ll take her medicine and get it over with.

  Nobody answers.

  “Hello?”

  “We’re in the kitchen,” Mom calls back.

  Her voice sounds tired, worried, mad. Siobhan takes a deep breath and trudges to the back of the house. Mom, Dad, Colin, and Aunt Sasha are seated around the big kitchen table. They all look awful.

  She turns to Colin. “I thought you said Aunt Sasha took care of things?”

  He nods. “She did.”

  She appeals to Dad. “Then why does everybody look like someone died? Just because I ditched school? I’m really sorry about that. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to concentrate. I’d be too worried about what was happening at the police station.”

  Mom holds up a hand. “Stop, Vonnie. Yes, you’re in trouble for leaving school, but we have a bigger problem right now, don’t you think?”

  She pulls her head back and blinks. “We do? What happened?”

  Aunt Sasha’s been quiet so far. She’s watching Siobhan intently. Siobhan imagines this is what being a bug under a microscope feels like. The coffeemaker beeps, and Dad gets up, grabs the carafe, and refills Aunt Sasha’s mug.

  “Sit down, Siobhan,” Dad says, gesturing toward the empty chair.

  She slips her backpack off her shoulders and drops into the chair, letting the bag settle on the floor between her feet. Her chest is tight, like she can’t take a deep breath. Aunt Sasha cups her hands around the mug and lifts it to her lips, still studying Siobhan.

  Siobhan forces a shaky smile. “Guys, you’re freaking me out. Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

  “What were you thinking?” Mom demands.

  “I just told you.”

  “Not about skipping school.”

  “About what, then?” She’s so confused.

  “Siobhan, I convinced the assistant district attorney not to charge Colin because the documents the FBI gave him actually prove that post didn’t come from his phone.” Aunt Sasha eyes her as she explains.

  “But that’s great.”

  “It’s great for me,” Colin says. “Not so much for you.”

  “Me? What? I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”

  “The district attorney’s office isn’t going to just d
rop their investigation, honey. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out that you’re the one who posted the comment.”

  Siobhan’s mouth falls open. She shakes her head as she tries to make sense of Mom’s babbling. “I don’t … wait. You think I used Colin’s account to tell Hunter to kill himself? That’s … I didn’t.”

  Aunt Sasha puts down the coffee mug and rubs her forehead. “You’re denying that you posted the comment?”

  “Yes!” She pushes back her chair and jumps to her feet.

  “Sit down,” Dad says in a tight, warning voice.

  She knows better than to test him, so she flops back into the chair. “This is bull. I didn’t post that comment. And if I were going to, I would have done it under my own name. I would never set Colin up like that.”

  She swivels around and locks eyes with her twin. She wills him to believe her as she bores into him with a fierce stare. He stares back at her. His eyes are wary, like he’s not sure he can trust her. She’s surprised by how much that hurts. She shakes her head and holds his gaze.

  After a long, wordless moment, Colin swallows. “I believe you.”

  She exhales. “Thank you.”

  He turns to Aunt Sasha. “Vonnie wouldn’t lie to me. She can’t lie to me. I can always tell. Twin superpower.”

  Siobhan expects Aunt Sasha to dismiss him, even though what he’s saying is one-hundred percent true. But Aunt Sasha doesn’t pooh-pooh the idea. Instead she laughs.

  “Finn can always tell when Fiona’s lying. Handy superpower.”

  The tension eases and, with it, the tightness in Siobhan’s chest loosens.

  Dad throws up his hands. “Okay, if Colin didn’t post it, and Siobhan didn’t post it, then who did? And why did they use his login and her phone to do it?”

  Aunt Sasha nods. “That’s the million-dollar question. Someone’s setting them up. If I can find out why, I’ll be able to figure out who.” She puts her hand out, palm up. “I need your phones.”

  Colin groans, and Siobhan huffs, but Mom shoots them a look, and they both plunk their cell phones into their aunt’s upturned hand.

  17

  Lainey checks that her boss’s office door is still closed before she slides her cell phone out of its charging station and unlocks the screen. She’s careful not to login to the monitoring program when other people are around. The company who sells the app made it clear on their website that the legality of the program is a gray area in some states. Mr. Bisley doesn’t have kids. She’d like to think he’d understand, but it’s better to avoid the whole issue.

  His phone line is lit up—he’s talking to his broker. And he has a webinar starting in ten minutes. She has time for a quick check before he comes out to use the bathroom and get some water before the webinar begins. Whatever else he is, Mr. Bisley is a creature of habit.

  She pulls up the app and starts scrolling through Mallory’s chat log. The McCandless girl ditched school and holed up in their basement. Roshi wants to know if he can get a ride home from the engineering club meeting with Mallory. She deciphers the abbreviations and slang easily. At first, it was like learning a second language, but she’s fluent in teen text speak now.

  Oughta put that on my resume. She laughs softly and switches into Mallory’s not-so-secret secret account. Ugh. More demands for nudes from that dreadful Hunter Dalton. She shakes her head but is heartened to see that Mallory’s losing patience with him. Her most recent response is terse and cold.

  Good.

  An email notification pings on Mallory’s school account, and Lainey swipes it open. It’s from Emmaline Clemson, seeking a comment for her little tabloid:

  Heard Colin was questioned by the police and released. They can’t prove he’s the one who posted the comment. It made me wonder: Who else might have a reason to go after your boyfriend? Then it hit me. Your BFF has a great reason to hate him. AND she must know her brother’s login. I was going to ask her to comment, but coincidentally she’s absent today.

  What a weird little circle: Your ex-boyfriend, your new boyfriend, and your best friend. Funny how all the players share one thing in common: You.

  Comment before 4 pm if you want me to print anything.

  Lainey grits her teeth. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree in the Clemson family. Emmaline is just like her mother. Thinking of Ruth-Ann makes Lainey wonder whether Leigh Dalton’s learned that the police have declined to charge Colin. She confirms that Mr. Bisley’s still on his call, and then she opens the group chat and snorts.

  Uh, yeah, Leigh knows. There’s an enormous video still of Leigh in a green and gold dress, posing in front of a campaign sign with one leg a step ahead of the other and a hand on her hip. Beneath it, Leigh has posted:

  Leigh: Hope you ladies caught me and Hunter on Breaking Dawn this morning! If not, here’s a link to the replay and a link to a heart-to-heart mom-to-mom video I posted on social media. If the police aren’t going to protect our precious babies, then it’s more important than ever that we have a voice on the school board. Vote for Leigh, you can trust me!

  Lainey closes the app. It’s almost lunchtime. She’ll ruin her appetite if she has to wade through the comments telling Leigh how brave and beautiful she is. Even money says Ruth-Ann volunteers on her campaign. She returns her phone to the charger and turns her attention back to the slide deck she’s putting together for Mr. Bisley.

  18

  Sasha pulls into the parking lot behind McCandless, Volmer & Andrews just before noon with a knot in her stomach as the thought of all the work she didn’t do this morning claws at her. So much for a lunchtime workout with Daniel. For that matter, so much for lunch.

  She ducks into Jake’s coffee shop on the first floor to get a coffee and scans the display cases for a sandwich or salad to eat at her desk. Jake pops out from the kitchen to greet her and waves her away from the prepared grab-and-go containers.

  “We got a big catering order for the firm. Your lunch is on its way upstairs as we speak.”

  It is? Did she forget a partners’ meeting? No matter. It’s a surprise, but a pleasant one—unlike every other unexpected wrinkle she’s encountered today—so she’ll take it.

  “Best news I’ve had all day,” she tells Jake, raising her coffee in a salute before sidling through the crush of lunch customers and heading for the stairs.

  She runs into Caroline in the lobby.

  “Are we having a lunch and learn or did I forget a meeting?”

  “Hello to you, too.”

  Sasha stops mid-stride and meets the office administrator’s amused look. “I’m sorry. I’ve been in go-go-go mode all morning, but that’s no excuse to be rude. How are you, Caroline?”

  “I’m well, Sasha. Thank you for asking. To answer your question, neither. I didn’t order the lunch, your brother and sister-in-law did. Sean called and asked for Jake’s number. He said he wants to thank you—and us—for the resources we’re devoting to the twins’ situation. It’s in the small conference room.”

  Sasha blinks, moved by Sean’s gesture, especially in the middle of everything he and Jordan are dealing with. Sometimes his rigidity irritates her, but when he bends, even a little, a flood of empathy and love for him washes over her. She’s sure he’s going out of his mind with worry right now. She would be.

  “Wow, great. Will you send out an email and let everyone know?”

  “I think the smell of food did that work for me. Pretty much everyone’s in there filling their plates. I’m headed there now.”

  “I’ll just dump my stuff in my office and meet you in a few.”

  Caroline puts a hand on her arm to stop her before she walks away. “Your brother mentioned the twins. I know Colin is having … some difficulties. Siobhan is, too?”

  She sighs. “Yeah, it looks like they’ve made an enemy. Someone’s trying to get them in trouble—real trouble, legal trouble. But I don’t know who or why.”

  Caroline lifts one perfectly groomed eyebrow. “Remi
nd me, how old are they now?”

  “They turned sixteen last month.”

  “Ah, high school. It’s such a fraught time. Of course, it’s been a long time since Ken and I had teenagers, and it’s all changed so much with social media and the Internet.”

  “I think that’s it, Caroline. My high school wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows either, but it’s so different now. The stakes are so high for these kids, but the barriers to their behavior are so low. Shoot a text, dash off a comment, send a picture—it takes a second or two, but once it’s done, it’s done. And the consequences can be significant.”

  “Yeesh. It makes me glad my parenting days are behind me.”

  Sasha wonders how much worse it will be in another decade, when her own twins are in high school. Her stomach flips at the thought. Or maybe that’s just hunger.

  “Save me a panini?”

  “Of course.”

  Caroline heads toward the conference room, and Sasha hurries down the hall to her office.

  When Sasha enters the conference room, she beelines to Caroline, who hands her a plate holding a goat cheese and mushroom panini.

  “You’re the best.”

  “I had to arm wrestle Naya for it, you know.”

  She laughs. “Now I know you’re lying. There’s no way Naya wanted this. She probably elbowed Will in the face to claim a buffalo chicken wrap.”

  Caroline giggles, too. “No, he knows better than to challenge her. He’s having a Mediterranean salad.”