Page 76 of Breathing Under Water

“How could Leo be missing? His whole existence is about sticking to routines. It’s actually really sweet. He goes to the same few places, like the Y, his school, this place called Wunderkinds. I’m sure you could find the address online.”

“The last time you saw him, ma’am?”

The cop on the line is so serious that I start to worry something is really wrong. I rack my brain, trying to be helpful.

“We had coffee,” I tell the cop. “It was like two or three months ago. I haven’t seen him since. But he just texted me the other day. He’d spent that day working at the Y. Did you call over there? There’s a woman, Karyn, maybe she could help.”

“Did he mention anything out of the ordinary? Maybe he was in some kind of trouble?”

“Oh, shit.”

“Ma’am?”

“The drone racing league.”

I know Leo wanted me to keep our conversation confidential, but if he’s gotten involved with bad people, he could really be in danger. I thought I’d convinced him to stay uninvolved,but what if he went ahead and helped them cheat anyway? And now someone wants to hurt him?

I tell the cop everything I can remember about our conversation.

“Please, please let me know if you find him.”

“I’ll make a note. Thank you for your time.”

When we hang up, I’m still parked outside of 7-Eleven. I watch a silver-haired man go inside and head straight for the counter. He and the guy at the register start talking, and I can tell even from far away that they’re making jokes and catching up. It’s so different from how things are for Leo, who struggles to make friends wherever he goes. It hurts my heart to think about where he might be, what might have happened to him. I feel so powerless just sitting here, worrying.

Before I can stop myself, I dial Beck’s number. Even though he made it clear he didn’t want to stay in contact, I think this situation calls for an exception to be made.

“McKenna.” He’s all business as he answers. “Do you know where he is?”

“No, that’s why I’m calling. How can I help?”

“You can’t help, McKenna.” His words bite. “If you don’t know where he is, there’s nothing for us to discuss.”

“Wait, did you call Tatiana?” I ask, mentioning the girl from Wunderkinds. “He’s been—”

“Yes, we called Tatiana. Wait, how do you know about Tatiana?” His voice is laced with unspoken accusations.

“We’ve been talking, Leo and I. Mostly texting. And he—”

Beck cuts me off again. “I thought you weren’t in contact anymore.”

“He reached out. I wasn’t going to turn him away.”

“Right, and as soon as the two of you reconnect, he makes a break for it.”

“Not as soon as we reconnect. We’ve been back in touch for a few months.”

“Well, that’s just great.” His voice is full of sarcasm. “So is this something you brought into his life, some kind of trouble like at Hollyhock?”

“Beck! I wasn’t the one who did those things to the pool. You know that.”

“McKenna, look. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, hand to god, I do. If it were any guy besides my kid brother, I’d be willing to hear you out. But protecting Leo has always been first priority for me. Always will be.”

“I understand.” And I do, but I still feel a weight in my chest at his willingness to cast me aside. I won’t let my bruised ego stand in the way of helping Leo though. “I can tell you what I told the cop, about the drone racing league.”

I fill him in, and he asks, “But he never mentioned a location, somewhere they asked him to go?”

“Not to me.” I shake my head, even though he can’t see me.