Poisonous: A Novel (11 page)

It was the one thing she regretted about her agreement with Ben Lawson and NET. In the past, Max could stay on an investigation until she wanted to leave; now, business commitments pulled her in multiple directions.

Turning off the car radio, adjusting her seat, she checked her e-mail again, but there was nothing from Tommy or any of the others she wanted to interview. The only good news was a message from Grace Martin that her chief hadn’t put up any barriers to Graham Jones and his people coming down to review the forensic evidence. Max e-mailed Grace, thanking her, then forwarded the note to Graham.

When she looked up, she saw kids pouring out of the special education classrooms. Some stayed in a line headed by a teacher; others were being picked up by parents in a designated roundabout; and a third group was being escorted to the school buses. The special education kids were mixed—some were handicapped, either with Down’s or a serious physical problem. Some weren’t obviously handicapped. Max didn’t know how this particular school district ran their program, but the group appeared eclectic.

A few of the kids—including Tommy—walked over to a bike rack and unlocked their bikes. Others walked off campus and presumably toward home. The high school appeared to have between fifty and sixty kids in the special ed program.

Max watched as Tommy spoke to a couple of students, then walked his bike out of the yard and across the street. Odd—he wasn’t coming toward where Max was parked, which she’d picked because it was en route to his house. Instead, he was heading to the large, open block-long park that separated the high school from the middle school.

Max got out of her car and briskly walked toward the boy. It wasn’t difficult to catch up because he moved along slowly, in no rush at all. Halfway through the park, Max caught up with him. “Tommy,” she called when she was still several feet away, not wanting to startle him.

He stopped and turned, no worry on his face. He recognized her immediately and smiled. “You’re Maxine Revere.”

“Yes. And you’re Tommy Wallace, right?”

He nodded. “How did you know?”

“I saw your picture in the newspaper when your dad got remarried.”

“Oh. Is that what you meant when you said you had to do research before you came?”

“Partly. Did you get my e-mail last night?”

He bit his lip. “I should have hit reply. I’m sorry. I wanted to talk to Austin first because I always meet him after school. I want you to meet him.”

“I would like to meet him.”

“Great!” Tommy looked around, for a moment seeming confused. He looked at his watch. “Austin gets out of class in seven minutes. It takes him a couple more minutes to go to his locker and then to the bike rack.”

“We can wait here.” Max motioned to a nearby bench. “It’s a nice day. I’d love to talk with you, Tommy. I just have a few questions,” she added.

“Austin should be here.”

“They’re easy questions.”

He glanced at the middle school. “I don’t know.”

“Did Austin tell you not to speak with me unless he was with you?”

Tommy looked torn. His pale face was expressive, his blue eyes inquisitive and concerned. He spoke clearly, maybe too clearly, like he was being extra careful to make sure each word was the correct one.

Max wanted this first meeting with Tommy to be without the influence of anyone else, especially an inquisitive young teenager who had made a point of going to her hotel yesterday.

“Let’s sit, okay?” she said, trying to sound nonthreatening. Ben had told her that she intimidated people with her tone just as David intimidated them with his physical presence. She didn’t want to scare Tommy.

He hesitated. “Can we go over there?” He pointed to a bench on the park’s far side, with a clear view of the middle school.

“Of course. Anywhere you want.”

He led the way. “I always sit on this bench to wait for Austin. Do you still want to get gelato? Or maybe you prefer ice cream? A very good ice cream place is right next to the bookstore. You write books, don’t you? Austin said you did.”

“Austin is right.” It seemed Max wasn’t the only one doing research. “We can go anywhere you want,” she said.

“Do you really like ice cream? Sometimes people say things they don’t mean.”

That was an interesting observation from Tommy. “Tommy, I would not have told you I liked it if I didn’t. For me, it’s really important to be honest all the time, don’t you think so?”

“Oh, yes.”

They walked to the bench Tommy had indicated. Tommy put his kickstand down, balanced the bike, and took off his backpack. He didn’t let it drop to the ground, but carefully placed it on the bench between him and Max. He kept one hand on the pack. Security, maybe, a connection with his belongings. Keeping his distance from her, though friendly enough to talk.

“I saw Austin yesterday in Sausalito,” Max said, after taking a seat. “He was at my hotel, then took off before we could talk.”

“He wanted to make sure you really were here,” Tommy explained, glancing at her then looking down. “Are you mad at Austin? Your forehead is squishy. That’s how my mom looks when she’s mad about something. Usually, it’s about my dad.”

This was the second time someone had made a comment about the wrinkles in her forehead.
Relax, Maxine. You don’t need premature wrinkles.
“I’m not mad,” she said calmly. Curious, maybe a bit suspicious of Austin, but not angry. “Before we start, I want to make sure that you understand what I’m doing.”

“Austin already explained it,” Tommy said with a nod. “Your job is to find out who killed Ivy. Austin said when the police get stuck, you get them unstuck.”

Maybe this Austin kid was all right. She only wished it were true all the time. “That’s what I hope for,” she said. “On the phone, I told you that I’d do everything I could to find out what happened to Ivy, and I will try my best to do just that. But sometimes I can’t find the answers. Or, sometimes, the answers I find don’t make people happy.”

Tommy wore a sad expression as he sent an unfocused gaze over to the school yard. “But … but if Paula finds out that it wasn’t me who hurt Ivy, then I can go back home, right? She said I can’t be there because I scare her. I don’t want to scare anyone.”

Max realized Tommy was a child in a man’s body. Not a typical child. He had a solid grasp of the world around him and was capable of taking care of himself—going to school, riding his bike, any number of things—but he had a solid linear thought process. If A, then B. If B, then C. That did not mean he had the capacity to understand all the complexities of his situation. For example, Paula Wallace might have other reasons for banning Tommy from the house.

“You don’t scare me, Tommy,” Max said. “You seem like a nice guy. Anyway, as far as Ivy’s case, we need to take this one step at a time. I’ve already done a lot of work. I spoke to the police, and—”

She’d lost him. At first Max thought he had just zoned out, but then she saw Tommy clutching the top of his backpack with tight fists.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t like all those people. I mean, I don’t know them—I just don’t like so many people around me. Cr-cr-crowds.” He took a deep breath. “Austin said he would be late today because he has to meet with Mrs. Feliciano about his English essay.” Tommy looked at his watch again. It was a nice digital sports watch with a large face. “It won’t take long.”

“Then maybe we have some time for questions without Austin,” Max pressed.

“We should wait for Austin.”

“Tommy, I promise you my questions aren’t going to be hard. I only have one rule: tell the truth.”

“I did.”

“You mean you will tell the truth?”

“Yeah.” He looked at his watch again.

“I like your watch.”

He smiled and showed it to her. “I got it for my sixteenth birthday. Two years ago, but I take good care of it because it’s my favorite. It has a timer and a stopwatch and an alarm. It’s waterproof.”

She showed him her watch, a slender Cartier band with small diamonds on its face.

“Pretty,” he said, though sounding unimpressed. “Does it have an alarm?”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t do anything but tell the time. It’s not even waterproof.”

“How do you wash your hands? Do you have to take it off?”

“No, I’m just really careful.”

He looked from her wrist to his. “I like mine better.”

“I like yours, too. Do you and Austin always ride home from school together?”

“We used to. But Paula said I couldn’t anymore. I … I have to stop at the corner.”

“You don’t like that.”

He shook his head. “I’m not lying. I mean, it’s kind of like lying because I don’t tell anyone I ride home with Austin. He’s big enough that he can ride by himself, but it’s one of the only times I can see him.”

“Tommy, did you write the letter to me? The letter about how Ivy died?”

“Yes. Austin helped but he said it had to be in my words.” Tommy paused, glancing over at her. “My first letter was too short, Austin said. I wrote it, I really did, but he helped me make it sound better. Was it okay?”

“Absolutely. I thought it was remarkable.”

“Austin said it was really good but too short and I needed to give you more information. And it turned out he was right, because here you are.”

“Why does your stepmother think you killed Ivy?”

The thought of that pursed his lips. “Austin says it’s ’cause she’s a bitch, but that’s not a nice word.” He put his hand to his mouth.

“I don’t want to know what Austin thinks. I want to know what
you
think, Tommy. Did you get along with your stepmom before Ivy died?”

He thought on that. “At first she liked me. I had my own room at my dad’s house, and she always had my second favorite ice cream in the freezer. Napoleon, because I like vanilla and strawberry and chocolate.”

“Why would Paula be scared of you?”

He shook his head and frowned. “After Ivy died. I was at the funeral. I went home with Dad and I heard Paula tell him she was scared of me. Later I asked him why, and Dad got really mad at me for
eavesdropping
.” Tommy straightened his spine. “That means listening to a private conversation when you’re not supposed to.”

“Then what happened?”

“There was a lot of crying, Dad told her I was a gentle giant, but then later he said it was best if I didn’t come to the house unless he was home. But he’s hardly ever home! He was in Japan three weeks this summer and I couldn’t see Bella at all.” His voice cracked. “She’s only five. She could forget me.”

Max smiled. “Bella won’t forget you, Tommy. You’re unforgettable. What about your stepsister Ivy? Did you get along with her?”

“She didn’t like me because I’m stupid.”

Max tensed. “But you’re not stupid.”

“That’s what Austin says. He also says my mom babies me and I need to grow up. I want to grow up. I want to go to college.”

“Where do you want to go to college?”

“I wanted to go to University of California at Davis because that’s where my dad went, but my mom said I wouldn’t get in. She said I will set myself up for disappointment.” He frowned. “I don’t get it. I know it will be hard, but I want to learn more things so I can be smarter.” He sighed heavily. “But I can’t go. I took the SATs last year and I didn’t do good. I didn’t finish. I don’t do good when there’s a timer.” His lip trembled and his forehead creased with worry.

Max smiled. “My best friend Karen was very smart, but she got nervous whenever she had a test. She couldn’t concentrate and kept looking at the clock. It took her three tries before she could pass her written driving test.”

“My sister Amanda passed the first time,” Tommy said proudly. “She’s really smart, she has straight As. Did your best friend go to college?”

“Yes. That’s where I met her, we were roommates.”

“Austin says my mom doesn’t think I can live on my own because people might make fun of me. But they make fun of me here, so I don’t get what the difference is.”

“Maybe she thinks you would be happier at home.”

He shrugged. “It’s a sad house. My mom works a lot. She works at work and she works at home. She misses Dad. She’s still mad at him, but I know she misses him. My sister doesn’t like being home. She’s a junior and she’ll go to college because she’s really smart. She said she doesn’t want to go to Davis because my dad went there. I think she wants to go far away, like where you live, in New York. I saw a big envelope from a college with Boston in the name. That’s in Massachusetts. That’s far away. So I’m alone in the house a lot, and I don’t like that. Dad’s house is never lonely because Austin is there. He’s my best friend, but now I can’t go there.”

Tommy wasn’t lying to Max but his perception of how things were at his dad’s house or the situation with his stepmother could be clouded by feelings of banishment from that house and loneliness at his mom’s home.

Tommy’s face lit up. “There’s Austin!”

Max looked across the street to see Austin standing next to a pretty blond girl.

A very familiar blond girl.

Emma.

Corte Madera was a small town and the neighboring smaller towns overlapped school districts. Max should have guessed that the thirteen-year-old Austin Lake might have known the almost thirteen-year-old Emma Stratton Kane, David’s daughter.

Heads together, Emma and Austin stood at the corner. Emma must have told Austin about Max, and either Emma or Austin came up with the idea to write the letter. And Austin used Tommy to do it. Did it matter if it was Austin’s idea or Tommy’s? Max bristled at the idea of a thirteen-year-old kid manipulating her. And he’d done it well. Extremely well.

Tommy was completely ambivalent to her sudden anger. He said, “Sometimes Austin gets in trouble and has to go to detention after school. But he promised he wouldn’t do anything wrong this week because you’re here. That’s Emma he’s talking to. She’s really nice.”

Austin saw Max first. When the crossing guard motioned them forward and Emma and Austin began to walk, Max locked eyes with him. Austin stopped in his tracks. Emma glanced at him, then looked across the street to where Max sat with Tommy Wallace.