The Other Side of Goodbye (Norman Green Book 1) Read online

  “I thought he was a terrible choice, but I’ve changed my mind. He’s not bad.”

  “But not great.”

  Amelia laughed, despite herself. “He’s like a blind dog looking for a scent. He knows the general direction, but it’s going to take him a long time to find what he’s looking for.”

  Darcy smiled. “What happened?”

  Amelia sighed and recounted what had happened over the last several days. Darcy listened without talking, starting up a new cigarette midway through the story. The sun shined overhead, melting the snow, casting long shadows from the trees and making Amelia shield her eyes. When she finished her story, Darcy took a long drag on her cigarette, finishing it, and threw it onto the snow a few feet away.

  “Wow,” said Darcy, “that’s rough.”

  “Thanks for listening.”

  “It’s what I wish someone would have done for me.”

  “I’m sorry about what happened to you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” said Amelia. “What if they kill Norman?”

  “What do you think they’re going to do? Hold him captive forever?”

  “What if they do? What if he’s already dead?”

  “Do you think he’s already dead?”

  Amelia thought for a moment then shook her head. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “When Joel and Robin died, I had this feeling. It’s hard to describe. When I heard Joel died, I was distraught and emotionally broken, but I wasn’t surprised. I should have been, but I wasn’t.”

  “And Norman?”

  “I would be surprised if he was dead. So I have to believe he’s still alive.”

  Amelia thought what she said sounded ridiculous, but Darcy didn’t seem to think so. She looked thoughtfully out over the schoolyard.

  “I think you already know what you have to do,” said Darcy.

  Amelia sighed. “I can’t.”

  “Then who will?” said Darcy. “Are the cops going to do anything? No, Detective Franklin will keep telling them nothing is wrong. Will Gary Thorne do anything? No, because you said he’s probably involved somehow. Will your stepfather do anything? Of course not.”

  “I get it,” said Amelia. “but I can’t.”

  “You need to go talk to Carl and find out what he knows, then you need to find Norman. Fifty years from now, what are you going to wish you had done?”

  Darcy stood and stretched. Amelia looked past her. At some point during their conversation, Darcy’s friends had left.

  “Where are you going?” said Amelia.

  “Lunch. Want to join us?”

  “No, thanks,” said Amelia. “I have some thinking to do.”

  “Suit yourself.” Darcy tapped another cigarette out of her pack then peered into the box. When she saw it was empty, she tossed the pack onto the ground, where it sank into the melting snow.

  “Can we talk again?” said Amelia.

  “I don’t have a phone,” said Darcy. “I’m normally here during the school days, though. If you ever need to talk, just come here.”

  “Thanks,” said Amelia, “for everything.”

  Darcy smiled. “No one ever wants less friends. I’m here for you.” She went to walk away.

  “Wait,” said Amelia.

  Darcy turned back with a questioning look.

  Amelia looked up at her. There was a question that had been bugging her.

  She said, “Are you happy? I mean, like really happy. I’ve been feeling like I’ll never be happy again.”

  Darcy took a moment to think and then shrugged. “I’m not unhappy. Maybe that’s enough.”

  With that, Darcy disappeared around the corner of the school, leaving Amelia alone.

  She pulled her knees to her chest again and smiled, almost despite herself. She had other friends, but she couldn’t talk to them like she had with Darcy.

  As the shadows started growing smaller and the sun reached its peak, Amelia finally stood. She had to shake out her left leg, which had fallen asleep.

  She walked back into the school, her bag draped over one shoulder and her soaked jacket held in one arm. She walked through the door just as the bell rang and students began pouring out of their classes. Just a few weeks earlier, her greatest fear had been getting a bad grade in biology. Now all that seemed absurd and pointless.

  She stood at the entryway to the cafeteria, took a deep breath, and thought about her next move. She had to make a decision. After a long moment of deliberation, she decided what she was going to do. She made a beeline toward the table where Joel had always sat with his friends.

  Carl was sitting with Quentin and Will. They were eating mac and cheese and laughing about something on Quentin’s phone.

  They looked up when she approached.

  “Carl,” she said, “can I talk to you in private?”

  “Of course.” Carl stood. “Give me a minute, guys.”

  Amelia walked out of the cafeteria and into the locker bay. Carl followed her. Once she was certain no one could hear them, she looked up at him.

  “Are you okay?” he said. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

  “I’m fine,” said Amelia, rubbing her eyes. “What did you find about Sam?”

  Carl smiled. Thankfully, he didn’t ask her what caused her to change her mind.

  “You know his band, Pocket Change?”

  “Yeah,” said Amelia. “I’ve heard of them. Didn’t they play at the talent show?”

  “They were hyped up as the next big thing and ended up being pretty mediocre. Anyway, Sam is staying in Damien’s basement. Apparently Damien’s parents don’t know he’s there, and Damien has been sneaking him food.”

  Amelia frowned, remembering Norman telling her about the band. Norman had believed Sam was the only one with malicious intent and that the other two were just being dragged along.

  But apparently it wasn’t so.

  “You know where that is?” she said.

  “I have the address,” said Carl.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small note with an address on it.

  Amelia looked at it. The address was only a few blocks from the school. “Where did you get this?”

  “The third band member, Meghan. Somehow she overheard that I was asking about Sam’s whereabouts. She messaged me on Facebook asking me to meet near the tennis courts down the road. She gave me that address. She told me Sam has been hiding down there ever since Norman confronted them, but he’s getting restless. Damien has been keeping track of the investigation. Apparently Sam is going to come back to school in a few days. Meghan wants them to be sent to jail. It seemed like she felt really guilty about what they did to Norman. Sam is worried that the people who hired them are going to come after them for not finishing the job properly, whatever that means. Do you know what she’s talking about?”

  Amelia nodded. “Why did Meghan tell you this?”

  “She said the band was dissolved. She also implied that she wasn’t dating Damien any more. Most importantly, though, she had the worst black eye I’d ever seen.”

  Amelia swallowed. “You think Damien hit her?”

  “Or Sam. One of them did a number on her, and she wants them to suffer for it.”

  “Can I speak with Meghan?”

  Carl put his hands in his pockets and shook his head. “She said she was going to live with her uncle in Boston. Seemed like she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.”

  “I can’t blame her,” said Amelia. “Thanks, Carl.”

  “Just make sure that whoever did this gets what they deserve. For Joel and for Robin.”

  Amelia nodded, a feeling of fierce determination overtaking her. “I will.”

  Chapter 35

  Julia walked into the backyard of Rob and Anita’s place. The dogs perked up and ran in her direction the moment they saw her.

  “Hey puppies,” she said, crouching down and
letting the dogs run up to her. They jumped at her and pawed at her, their tongues hanging from their mouths and their tails wagging. Julia petted them one at a time, giving them each the attention they deserved.

  “Have Rob and Anita been treating you well?” she said as she scratched behind Teddy’s ears. The dogs rested his head in her lap.

  “They really love you,” said a voice behind her.

  She turned. Rob was standing in the doorway to the house with a steaming cup of coffee. He was wearing a bathrobe.

  “Yeah,” said Julia, turning back to the dogs. “How long have you been there?”

  “I just saw you,” said Rob. “The dogs have been great. We love having them here. You want a drink?”

  Julia scratched Teddy’s head and then walked onto the porch. “A coffee would be great, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” said Rob. “Come inside where it’s warmer. Anita just ran to the store.”

  Julia followed Rob into the small house. She had been shocked at the hospitality and understanding with which Rob and Anita had treated her with when she first showed up at their house. She had expected them to be angry with her for how things were between her and Norman, but there hadn’t been a single trace of animosity.

  She had gotten her old job back as an assistant at the local vet clinic and had been coming to visit the dogs every night.

  She stepped inside the small house and took off her wet shoes. Rob had already put the coffee maker on.

  “Norman hasn’t been by in a few days,” said Rob, leaning against the counter. “I don’t suppose you know anything about where he is. I would’ve thought he’d be coming by all the time.”

  Julia frowned and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Yesterday,” she said, “I got a call from the real estate agent who has been working to sell our, or rather Norman’s condo. She said there was a very attractive offer for the place but that she couldn’t get in touch with Norman to get a response. Apparently he’d put my number on the paperwork as a backup number. I haven’t been able to reach him either.”

  Rob sighed. “You don’t suppose something happened, do you?”

  Julia sipped at her tea. “I don’t know.”

  “I know I didn’t talk to him at all for a few years, and I should be used to not hearing from him, but I’m worried about him.”

  “Yeah,” said Julia, feeling a twinge of fear in her gut. “Me too.”

  Chapter 36

  Amelia and Carl parked a few blocks from the police station.

  “Are you sure about this?” said Carl. When Amelia had told him what she was doing, he had immediately offered to drive.

  “I’m sure,” said Amelia, getting out of the car. “He’s our best chance.”

  “All right,” said Carl. “We need to be careful. Are you sure it isn’t a better idea to go straight for Damien’s house?”

  “I won’t be able to get into the house, let alone get Sam to talk. There’s also the possibility Meghan was lying. We need help.”

  “What if he tries to cheat you?”

  Amelia lifted a digital recorder out of her pocket and waved it at him. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it all under control. I’m working on a new theory. I think Franklin might not be as involved as we thought he was. When I was fighting with Harold and commented on Franklin hiding what was happening, he seemed genuinely confused.”

  They parked the car and walked into the police station. They told the secretary they wanted to meet Detective Franklin and were directed to a desk near the back of the bullpen.

  Amelia pulled up a chair beside Franklin without waiting to be invited. Detective Franklin looked up at her, and at Carl, standing with his arms crossed behind her.

  “Give me one minute,” said Franklin, chewing on a pen. He finished the email he was writing, then turned toward them. “Miss Sweetwater, what can I do for you?”

  “I have evidence relating to the murder of my siblings and to the abduction of Norman Green.”

  Franklin raised his eyebrows for just a second before he regaining his composure, but it was enough to tell Amelia that the detective had no idea what she was talking about.

  Franklin grabbed a notepad. “What happened to Norman?”

  Amelia reached into her pocket and made sure she was recording. Just in case Franklin turned out to be dirty, she needed proof. She started talking, telling him everything she could remember, the same story she’d told Darcy earlier that day.

  “You know where he is now?” said Franklin once she had finished.

  “No,” said Amelia, “but Sam Hanson does. I can’t get to him.”

  Franklin smiled. “I was wondering why you came to me. I didn’t think you were too big a fan of mine. Where is this Sam fellow?”

  “I want to come with you,” said Amelia. “I’ll direct you where to go.”

  Franklin tapped his fingers along the top of the table. “Alright,” he said after a moment. “Not him, though,” he said, gesturing to Carl, “just you.”

  “I can’t allow that,” said Carl. “You’ve been trying to ruin this investigation from the start.”

  “What do you know?” said Franklin, leaning back in his seat and looking like a world-weary cop. “I made a mistake. I will openly admit that I trusted one of my top sources, and it turns out I was being fed false information for this entire investigation. I should have believed what you were telling me about Joel and Robin.”

  Amelia stared at him. “Did something happen?”

  Franklin looked a decade older than he had the last time Amelia saw him. He reached over his desk, grabbed a file, and passed it to Amelia. She took it tentatively and opened it. The moment she saw what was inside the file, she felt like she was going to vomit.

  “When?” she asked.

  “He was found this morning,” said Franklin. “The moment I started looking into his cases, I knew there was something I wasn’t seeing.”

  Amelia couldn’t find anything to say and couldn’t bring herself to close the file.

  Zach Novak was dead. The folder contained pictures of his dead body on his living room couch. He was wearing nothing but a tank top and sweat pants. His head hung on the back of the couch. If not for the hole in the center of his forehead and the circle of dripping blood on the wall behind him, she might have thought he was asleep.

  “What about his daughter?” said Amelia.

  “Zach’s mother took her in for the time being,” said Franklin. “I’m sorry, Amelia. I should have listened to you and your sister.”

  “What about Norman?”

  Franklin shrugged. “You want my help or not?”

  Amelia sighed. “Fine. Carl, I’m good here.”

  “Are you sure?” said Carl.

  “Yes, thanks for all your help. Detective Franklin, I’ll meet you outside.”

  “Sounds great,” said Franklin.

  Carl and Amelia walked out the front door of the station and out to Carl’s car.

  “Take this,” said Amelia, taking the digital recorder from her pocket and handing it to him. “If anything happens, give it to the media. Anywhere but the Toronto Post.”

  “Be safe, Amelia,” said Carl, taking the recorder. He pulled her into a hug.

  “Thanks,” she said, hugging him back.

  Carl released her after a few seconds. “Keep me updated, okay? I’ve known Joel and your family since I was five. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.”

  “I will,” said Amelia, blushing. Detective Franklin waved to her from his unmarked car.

  “Stay safe,” said Carl again.

  Amelia nodded awkwardly and walked to Detective Franklin. She climbed into the passenger seat, and Franklin gestured to her seatbelt. She told him which direction to take and looked in the rear-view mirror.

  Carl stood beside his car and watched them until they turned the corner and he was lost from view.

  “Boyfriend?” said Franklin.

  “No, he’s my brother’
s friend,” said Amelia.

  Franklin grinned. “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Amelia glared at him. “Just focus on driving.”

  Chapter 37

  Damien lived in an expensive-looking two-story home. It was big enough that it was plausible Sam could be living in the basement without Damien’s family knowing.

  “Stay here,” said Detective Franklin as he pulled into the driveway.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “Let me get him,” said Franklin. “That isn’t a recommendation. I’ll get him, and then you can watch the interrogation back at the station. Is that understood?”

  “I can’t—”

  “Again, not a recommendation. Stay in the car or I’ll arrest you.”

  Amelia crossed her arms and said nothing, which was enough for Franklin. He left her in the car and walked up to the front door. Amelia leaned against the window and watched. After a few moments, the door opened. Damien stood in the doorway. Franklin gestured as he spoke, conveying that he wanted to search the house for a wanted suspect.

  Damien shook his head and went to close the door in Franklin’s face. Franklin caught the door.

  Amelia couldn’t make out the words, but they were clearly arguing about something. She looked around the yard, wondering who Damien’s family was and how they were able to afford a house this nice.

  She was looking at the exquisite garden to the right of the house when Sam suddenly ran by, sprinting for the fence. He was glancing back at the front of the house, trying to stay out of view of Detective Franklin.

  “Shit,” cursed Amelia. She jumped out of the car and sprinted after him. “Detective Franklin!” she shouted as she ran. “He’s making a run for it.”

  Sam jumped the fence and ran into the adjacent yard. Amelia cursed and ran along the road as fast as she could, catching glimpses of Sam through the gaps between the houses.

  “Franklin!” she shouted. “He’s going south!”

  She looked back and didn’t see anything. She stepped in an ankle-deep puddle of mud and melted snow and had to clench her eyes shut against the wetness that engulfed her socks and shoe. She looked up and cursed. While she’d been looking down at the puddle, she had lost track of Sam. She stopped and looked around, trying to see where he went. For a few seconds, she thought that she’d ruined everything.