Maria wasn’t sure that was true, but… “Why does Atkinson want to hurt me?”
“That part, I can’t answer with certainty. I can tell you there was information about Cassie Manning on the laptop, too, but you’re already aware of that link.”
“Do you have any idea where Atkinson is now?”
“No. We have an APB out on him, but since no one seems to know where he’s been, I’m not sure how much good that will do. Again, I’m hoping that Lester will be able to tell us more, but when that will be is still up in the air. It might take a day, it might take a few days, it might take a week, and then we’ll still have to deal with the attorney and his father, both of whom will tell him not to answer any questions at all. Which raises the question of where you want to be for the next few days. If I were you, I’m not sure I’d hang around Wilmington.”
“I’m supposed to go to my parents’ today,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
Wright looked dubious. “It’s your call,” he said. “Just be careful. From what Roberts was telling me, Atkinson is not only dangerous, he’s probably just as crazy as Lester. So let me give you my phone number. I want you to call me if anything strikes you as out of the ordinary or something else comes to you, okay?”
If Wright’s intent had been to scare her, it had worked. But after last night, Maria was going to be afraid no matter what, until Atkinson was finally caught.
They got in the car, and as Colin set out toward her parents’ he reached for his phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“Evan,” he said. “I want to see if he’s busy today.”
“Why?”
“Because after I drop you off at your parents’, I’d like to go back to your place. Now that the police have cleared it, I want to get it cleaned up. Maybe do some painting.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know,” he said. “But I want to. You don’t need that kind of reminder when you go home. And I’d probably end up going stir-crazy just sitting around.”
“But it’ll take all day…”
“Not that long. A few hours, maybe. Your place isn’t that big.”
“Maybe I should go with you. It’s not your responsibility.”
“You don’t need that kind of stress. And besides, you should be with your family.”
He had a point and it was a kind thing to offer, but she was about to say no when he turned toward her.
“Please,” he said. “I want to do this.”
It was his tone that allowed her to reluctantly agree, and Colin made the call, putting it on speaker. She probably shouldn’t have been surprised that Lily answered Evan’s phone.
Colin told her what had happened the night before and asked if Evan might be able to help him carry out some of the heavier furniture. Before he even finished, Lily had cut him off.
“We’ll both be there. Do not even think of asking us not to come. We had nothing on our agenda this afternoon anyway. We’d be thrilled to help.”
In the background, Maria heard Evan’s voice. “Help with what?”
“We’re going to clean up Maria’s apartment. And I have the cutest shorts I’ve been dying to wear! They’re a little short and kind of tight, but this seems like the perfect opportunity.”
In the background, Evan was silent for a beat. “What time are we going?”
When they hung up, Maria looked over at Colin. “I like your friends.”
“They are pretty great,” he agreed.
Two blocks before they reached her parents’ neighborhood, the meaning of Serena’s message became clear.
Her uncle Tito was in the park, kicking a soccer ball with her uncle Jose and a few of her nieces and nephews, and when both of her uncles waved, she knew that what they were really doing was keeping watch.
Meanwhile, Pedro, Juan, and Angelo, her cousins, were positioned in lawn chairs on the front lawn, and some of her younger cousins were in the street playing kickball. Cars she recognized lined the road on either side, all the way to the corner.
My God, she thought, my entire extended family is here. And though she’d been through hell in the last few days, she couldn’t help but smile.
Despite Colin’s reluctance, she dragged him into the house. Thirty or forty people milled around inside; there were another twenty in the backyard. Men and women, boys and girls…
Serena came rushing forward. “Crazy, huh? Dad actually closed the restaurant today! Can you believe that?”
“I don’t think we needed everyone to come…”
“He didn’t ask them to,” she said. “Everyone just showed up when they found out you might be in trouble. I’m sure the neighbors wondered what on earth was going on, but Dad went around and explained that we were having a family reunion. After today, there will always be a family watch patrol in the neighborhood until Atkinson is behind bars, but they’ll be more subtle about it. They’ve decided to organize shifts.”
“For me?”
Serena smiled. “That’s how we roll.”
It took Colin almost half an hour to extract himself – everyone wanted to meet him, even if many of the greetings were in Spanish. As Maria walked him back to the car, she reflected that despite everything, she was blessed.
“I still think I should go with you,” she said.
“I doubt your parents would let you leave.”
“Probably not,” she agreed. “I’m sure my dad is watching from the window right now. Just in case.”