Play Date

16 The Reality.

"Holy shit!" exclaims Riley.

"No shit," Paige concurs. For one brief moment, they feel united again. But the feeling evaporates by the time they get home and pack Missy's belongings and another suitcase for Riley.

Charlie arrives as planned to allow Paige and Riley to say their goodbyes.

-Webster's Office-

"Now hold on a minute," Grady says. "You knew that Charlie was dirty, so why send Missy packing?"

"We didn't know how deep it ran," Riley explains.

"Or what part Missy may have played," Paige adds.

"Plus, I was still undecided about everything," Riley says. Paige sighs.

"And other things happened that we didn't know about yet," Paige says.

-Mrs. Evans' House-

Missy has had much to say since her return. Mostly, she stays alone in her room. Today she sits on her bed, back leaning against the wall. She absently flips through pictures on her phone, uninterested, till she lands on the picture Riley took of she and Paige frolicking in Webster's pool. She heaves a long sigh and opens the 'Carry' ride-sharing app.

Half an hour later, the Carry driver stops his Prius in front of Arlene's house.

"How much would it cost to have you wait ten minutes?" Missy asks from the rear seat.

"Sorry," the driver says, "I ain't supposed to do that."

"I'll pay cash," Missy offers. The driver thinks.

"Twenty bucks," he says. Missy reaches for Squiggle's hidden zipper.

"Turn around, please," she asks. The driver complies. Missy fishes out a twenty and tears it in two, handing one half to the driver.

"What's this supposed to be?" the driver says.

"You'll get the other half when I get back in the car," Missy responds.

Arlene answers the door in a robe, not thrilled to see Missy.

"What are you doing here?" she says without a trace of a southern accent. Missy steps in past her.

"I want my money." Charlie appears in a kimono.

"Too soon, kid," Charlie says. "We gotta lay low." Missy is not having it.

"You didn't have to live with those two idiots," she says of Paige and Riley. "I did my part. I made them fall in love with me and give you all their money. Hand over my share, and you never see me again." That suits Arlene, just fine.

"Give the little brat her cut and get her out of our hair," she tells Charlie.

"No. We stick to the plan," Charlie counters, then turns to Missy. "The money's not going anywhere, so go back where you came from and when the time is right, you'll get yours." Missy opens her mouth but Charlie cuts her off. "End of discussion." Missy can see she's getting nowhere here.

"It's a long ride back," she says. "I need to tinkle." Arlene points to a hollow-core door.

"Through there." Missy carries Squiggle in the direction of Arlene's finger point and closes the bathroom door behind her. There is another door opposite that leads to the bedroom—a poor man's en suite. She goes to close that door but stops when she spies Charlie's briefcase under the bed. She tiptoes into the bedroom. As she leans down toward the case, out of the corner of her eye, something catches her attention from the dresser—Paige's precious necklace.