a deadly storm, an unsolved disappearance, and a small town brimming with secrecy;
an outcast girl, a boy who only knows how to hide, and the world against them;
what could go wrong?
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"I get a phone call, you know."
Boo wraps her hands around the cold bars of the cell door and stares intently at her guard dog dressed in blue. He doesn't bother looking up from the worn crossword book in his hands. She glances at the clock on the wall and sighs dramatically; still no response from him.
"How long can you hold me here before I get to leave?"
"Twenty-four hours," Darryl answers languidly. "You've been here for one. Get comfy."
Boo scowls at the back of his head. "Am I being charged with something?"
"Not shutting up," he grumbles. "I can't concentrate with you yammering away over there."
Boo rolls her eyes and steps away from the bars. Darryl absently begins to chew on the end of his pen as he mumbles, "Drops on the ground."
"What?"
Finally, he turns to glare at her from over his shoulder. "It's my crossword clue: drops on the ground."
"How many letters?"
"Three."
"If I solve it for you, do I get my phone call?"
Darryl laughs aloud, a cold sneer on his face. "Sure, Einstein. Solve it and you'll get your phone call."
"Dew," Boo answers smugly. "D, E, W. Three letters."
The smirk on his face falls. He glances at his crossword, checking her answer before muttering aloud, "Son of a bitch."
Boo thrusts her arm through the bars and displays her palm to him. "Can I get my phone call now?"
He stares reluctantly at her open hand before conceding with a sigh. He fishes a small flip phone from his desk and hands it to her. "Five minutes. Use your time wisely."
"Finally," she grins, flipping open the phone, "an honorable cop."
« • »
Frenzied and confused, Harry rushes into the holding cell area of the jail an hour later. His eyes immediately land on Boo, anxiously pacing the length of her four-by-four and chewing on her fingernails. An overwhelming sense of safety floods her body as she glances up to see him rushing toward her.
"Boo, oh my God," he breathes in relief. "Are you hurt?"
"No, Harry, I'm okay," she smiles gratefully, reaching to hold his hand through the bars. "Thank you for coming."
"Of course," he says immediately. "I just paid your bail at the desk. They're sending someone now to come let you out. Did they charge you with anything?"
"Not that I know of." Boo doesn't want to admit it out loud yet but part of her already knows her arrest was more of a power move from Nathaniel than anything else. "Did they tell you who brought me in?"
