They Just Don't Know You

Chapter 28

Jade's POV

Sunday, October 8

Post-homecoming Echo Ridge seems tired on Sunday, as though the entire town is hungover. Church is emptier than usual, and we hardly see anyone while we run errands with Nana after. Even Holly Robinson, who usually jogs past at some point while we're doing yard work, is nowhere in sight when Karl and I pull weeds from the side lawn.

"So how did you end things with Perrie?" Karl asks.

I yank on a dandelion and accidentally behead it instead of pulling it out by the roots. "I mean, you saw," I say, annoyed. The dance ended promptly at 10pm last night, and we all got herded out of the gym like cattle with a strict curfew. Sairah beat Nana's deadline by 15 minutes. Nana stayed up unusually late, hovering around Karl and me, and I ended up texting him an update of my night instead of describing it in person. "We said goodnight."

"Yeah, but you must've made plans, right?"

I extract the rest of the dandelion and toss it into the plastic bucket between us. "I think we might go to a clown museum."

Karl frowns, knowing full well about my hatred for clowns. "A what now?"

"A clown museum. That's kind of beside the point though, isn't it?" I sit back on my haunches, frustrated. "I really thought something else would happen last night. With Leigh-Anne I mean. But all we did was catch her in the dastardly act of throwing up."

Karl shrugs. "It wasn't a bad idea. She's pretty central to everything that's been going on around her, but..." He trails off and wipes his brow, leaving a faint smear of dirt on his forehead. "But maybe we should let the experts handle it. Give the receipt to the police. You don't have to tell them how you got it. Perrie could say she found it."

"But then it doesn't make any sense. The only reason the receipt is meaningful is because Ellie was trying to get it back."

"Oh. Right."

The faint roar of a car engine approaches, and I turn to see Officer Elliott's police car pass our house and turn into his driveway a few doors down. "Too bad our local officer is so sketchy," I mutter. 

"Haven't you given that up yet?" Karl asks. "Sairah told you last night that he didn't make a scene at Caitlin's funeral. Nana said the same thing. I don't know why Norma would say he did if it wasn't true, but at the very least, whatever she thinks she saw is open to interpretation. Other than that, what has the lad done? Taken a bad yearbook photo? Maybe you should give him a chance."

I get to my feet and brush off my jeans. "Maybe you're right. Come on."

"Huh?" Karl squints up at me. "I didn't mean now."

"Why not? Nana's been after us to take over those moving boxes, right? So he can pack up his house before he tries to sell it? Let's do it now. Maybe we can feel him out about what's happening with the investigation."

We leave our yard tools where they are and head inside. Nana is upstairs dusting when we gather a couple dozen flattened cardboard boxes from the basement. When we shout up to her what we're doing, she doesn't protest. 

Karl takes the lion's share of the boxes and I grab the rest, following him outside on to the wide dirt road that leads to the Elliott's house. It's a dark brown Cape, smaller than the rest of the neighbourhood homes and set back from the street. I've never seen it up close before. The front windows have bright blue flower boxes, but everything inside them looks like it's been dead for months. 

Officer Elliott answers within a few seconds of Karl pressing the bell. He's out of uniform in a blue t-shirt and jogging pants, and his hair looks overdue for a trim. "Oh, hey," he says, pulling the door open wide. "You Grandmother mentioned she'd be sending those over. Great timing. I'm taking some things out of the living room now."