Part 28 (1/2)
”They are good, aren't they?” I say. The couple I've practiced in cla.s.s with Tobin have blown me away.
Joe smiles down at his plate.
”Yeah,” Bobby says. ”I haven't seen that level of pa.s.sion in your work since Shadow of a Star.”
”The band is thinking of recording an alb.u.m of all the songs from the musical,” Chris says. ”Oi, I know, Daphne should record one of the tracks with us!”
”Brilliant!” Joe says.
”What?” I say, almost spilling my fizzy cranberry juice.
”I love it,” Bobby says. ”Joe showed us a couple of recordings he made during your cla.s.s rehearsals the other day. You're fantastic.”
I blush, pressing my lips together.
”What do you say, Daphne?” Joe asks. ”At least one song. You can't say no to an opportunity like that.”
”Won't your manager have a cow?” I ask.
”Leave that to us,” Chris says, flexing his muscles. ”We'll strongarm him into it.”
”Come on, Daph, say yes,” Joe implores.
Singing a song on a real live rock alb.u.m? One that is almost guaranteed to go platinum? The idea both thrills me and terrifies me at the same time. But does Joe really want me on his alb.u.m, or is this just another one of those promises he uses to make himself feel better?
If it were anyone else asking, I'd say yes in a heartbeat.
I think about what Lexie said about my being an idiot for not wanting Joe's help. And then what Haden said about how I should give him another chance at being my father while I still have the opportunity.
”Okay,” I say, and the band cheers.
Later that night, as we say good-bye to everyone, Bobby's wife, Elle, takes both Joe and I by the hand. ”You're a lucky man, Joe,” she says. ”I can only hope our little Samara grows up to be like Daphne. She's absolutely perfect.”
Joe is quiet the whole way home after that. I can only hope he hasn't decided that he's made a big mistake.
The day after Thanksgiving is the big Light-up Olympus Festival to celebrate the turning on of holiday lights in Olympus Hills. Which also means it's the day of the big music showcase that Haden and I have been preparing for.
To be honest, I've pretty much back-burnered Tobin's investigation until I get an urgent SOS. Meet me at the docks in twenty, text from him only an hour and a half before the festival is about to begin. I finish fixing my hair and put on the new outfit that Joe let me pick out from Bloomingdale's and head to the lake on my bike to meet him.
I pace the floating dock, the wood creaking under my steps, the whole structure rocking slightly under me. Fifteen minutes pa.s.s. Several families and kids from my school pa.s.s me on the lake trail, making their way to Olympus Row, where the festival is about to begin.
I wait a few more minutes, and I am about to take my bike and leave when Tobin finally jogs down the dock, making it rock even more.
”Sorry,” he says. ”My mom was in a snit over the PA system setup for the showcase. She thinks I should be able to fix any mechanical problem-she forgets I'm not my brother, Sage.”
”You had me worried,” I say, feeling a bit unsteady on the water. ”What's going on?”
”I found it,” Tobin says, rubbing under his eyes. He looks like he's barely slept in a week. ”Ms.
Wells finally let me have access to the old yearbooks. I've been poring through them for the last couple of nights. I found what I was looking for.” He pulls out his phone and opens the memo app. He holds it up, showing me a list of dates. ”These are all the years someone with the last name of Lord attended the school. Do they look familiar?”
I nod.
They're all the same years as the ones those girls disappeared.
”But what does that even mean?” I ask. ”Yeah, it's an eerie coincidence. But that's still all it is.”
”Coincidence? This is d.a.m.ning evidence. We can use this to find Abbie. I even have the full name and picture of the Lord guy who was friends with her.” He shows me a grainy photo of a photo of a guy who bears a vague family resemblance to Haden. ”It proves that Haden . . .”
”What? That Haden comes from a long line of serial killers? That's insane.”
”Exactly!”
”I know Haden,” I say. ”Yeah, he's kind of different and his family sounds a bit off, but he's not some lunatic in training. He's nice.”
”Ted Bundy was nice.”
”Stop it, Tobin. These are serious accusations.”
”I know. Which is why you shouldn't see him anymore.”
”Anymore? Tobin, I'm going onstage with him”-I check my watch-”in twenty minutes. You're the one who challenged him to this. I'm not going to just cancel on him.”
”He's up to no good. He's dangerous.”
”Dangerous? What's he going to do to me in a large group of people? I've been alone with him several times in the last two months. If he were going to do something to me, he would have done it then. And you know what, instead of hurting me, he's protected me twice now from whatever that thing out there is that's been attacking people.”
”You're starting to like him, aren't you?” Tobin asks, like it's an accusation.
”This is ridiculous,” I say. ”I don't have to answer that.”
”You're being ridiculous!” Tobin practically drops his phone in the lake as he gestures at me like he thinks I'm acting unhinged. ”I've got proof your boyfriend is-”
”He's not my boyfriend.”
”But you like him, don't you?”
”I . . . I don't know.”
”You've gotten too close, Daphne. You're letting your feelings for him cloud your judgment.” I throw my hands up. ”I don't have time for this.” I storm up the dock and grab my bike.
Tobin follows me. ”I'm not saying he's a killer. That's the thing- I know Abbie is still alive. I know she's out there somewhere. I can feel it, Daphne. I can feel that Haden can lead me to her.”
”I hope we find your sister. I really do. I just think you're looking in the wrong place.” I get on my bike.