Page 143 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

“Love you too.”

I looked up at Willa just in time to see her turn to a bulletin board and swipe a tear from the corner of her eye. Did she know that it was because of her I could even say those words to someone?

Besides her, I’d never said them to another living soul, not even Hazel or Thea or Charlie.

But since I’d begun saying them to Willa often, they’d become easier to speak. And if there was another person on earth who deserved to hear them, it was the kid in my arms.

After a few moments, Ryder pulled himself together and stepped back, looking up at me with pleading eyes. “I don’t want to go back to class. Do I have to?”

“No.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “But we need to talk.”

“About what?”

I took a deep breath. “Someone broke into the house today and tossed the place.”

“No way.” His dark eyes widened.

“They went to town on your room.”

This time there wasn’t just shock on his face, but guilt as he dropped his chin to study the floor.

“The sheriff needs to talk to you.”

Ryder nodded. “Uh, okay.”

“We’ll be with you the whole time, but you have to be honest with him. About everything.”

“What if I get in trouble?” he whispered.

Willa stepped up to his side and took his hand, just like she did for me whenever I needed some reassurance. “Then we’ll help get you out of it.”

Ryder and I might have gone through a lot of our lives alone up to this point, but from here on out, we’d tackle problems together. Like a team.

“Go get your coat, kid.” I motioned for Ryder to go down the hall to the lockers. “Then we’ll get out of here.”

It didn’t take us long to be right back in the place where I’d vowed earlier never to set foot again.

The interrogation room.

Ryder, Willa and I sat on one side of the table with Magee on the other, his recorder in its place.

“Okay, Ryder.” Magee steepled his hands under his chin. “I’m going to ask you some questions and it’s imperative that you tell me the truth. The whole truth. Can you do that?”

Ryder, who’d had his gaze locked on the table since we’d arrived, nodded along with a murmured, “Yes.”

“I’m trying to find the person who—”

“Killed my mom?” Ryder interrupted.

“That’s right. And to do that, I need to know more about her.”

The kid nodded, keeping his eyes focused on the table.

“But before we talk about her, I’d like to know more about you.”

Magee looked to me, asking silently for permission to launch into his questions. I gave him a slight nod, then looked over Ryder’s head at Willa sitting on his right side.

I wasn’t sure if it was a mistake or not to be in this room again without our attorney, but I was going with my gut. And my gut said Magee would do everything in his power to make this the last time we met here.