“What can you tell me about Ethan Clark?”
I’m on the phone with Riley. She says, “Ethan Clark? What have you heard?”
“Rick overheard someone talking about what happened at the sleepover.”
“What did he say?”
“He wouldn’t give details, but Ethan’s the key. Was he there Saturday night?”
“Yes. He was driving one of the cars.”
“He’s got a license?”
“Provisional.”
“Meaning he’s not supposed to drive after midnight?”
“Yes. But he does.”
“What else can you tell me about him?”
“He’s the richest kid in school. His parents, I mean. His dad’s a corporate attorney, and married well. His wife is a Bennett.”
“As in the Fortune Five Hundred Bennetts?”
“Uh huh.”
“Carson Collegiate’s a private school, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Terribly expensive?”
She pauses, then says, “You want to know how we manage to pay the tuition?”
“It crossed my mind.”
“I’m on scholarship.”
“Academic? Athletic?”
“Both.”
“Full tuition?”
“Yes, ma’am. They also pay for books, supplies, activities, and projects.”
“You must be pretty smart.”
“I was. Until Saturday night.”
“There’s that,” I say. “What are you planning to major in, at college?”
“Criminal justice.”
“Wow. You are smart!”
She says, “You might want to check out Ronnie English.”
“Who’s he?”
“Ethan’s best friend.”
“Was Ronnie at Kelli’s?”
“Yes. Wherever Ethan goes, Ronnie follows.”
“Could they have slipped away from the others?”
“You mean when they were all in the basement?”
“Yes. Could they have snuck off for ten or fifteen minutes without being missed?”
“I wouldn’t think so. Unless the others were playing a game or something.”
“Like Truth or Dare?”
“Or Beer Pong, or Spin the Bottle.”
“Kids still play Spin the Bottle?”
“Sure. It’s a classic.”
“Do Ethan and Ronnie have girlfriends?”
“Ethan’s dating Melanie Hughes. Ronnie’s in between girlfriends, I think.”
“Are they the sort of kids who’d take advantage of an unconscious girl?”
“They’re the sort who’d try to drug her first.”
“Have they been in trouble with the law?”
“Not that I know of. But if they have, their daddies probably paid someone off.”
“Where can I find Ethan?”
“Alone?”
“Uh huh.”
“I don’t know. He doesn’t have a job like Rick. And like I said, he’s got his own car. A brand-new Mercedes, if you can imagine. But he’s usually with Ronnie, or Melanie, or both.”
“Must be nice to be seventeen, rich, and driving a Mercedes.”
“There’s something else,” Riley says.
“What’s that?”
“Ethan’s above the law.”
“No one’s above the law, Riley.”
“I’d like to believe that,” she says, with a tone that suggests I’m naïve.
I say, “If he did something to you, we’ll get him.”
“I think not. But I would like to know.”
“I’ll do my best.”
YOU ARE READING
Promise You Won't Tell?
Teen Fiction"I think something might have happened to me Saturday night. Something bad." Private Investigator Dani Ripper's client list is nuttier than the Looney Tunes conga line, but she diligently solves one crazy case after another, waiting for a game-chang...
