Helpless

Chapter 73

The spray paint was not going to come off. That was Tom’s final conclusion after hours of effort. He’d tried Goop-Off and GoneIt, and two heavy-duty cleaners that the hardware store salesman had recommended. No luck. The paint had set, and he’d have to replace the siding, or paint over it, to get rid of the disgusting words. HEY RAPIST—BRING LINDSEY HOME. That was the message somebody had spray painted three times, in three different colors.

Jill didn’t want to go to school the next day, and Tom wouldn’t have let her go. It wasn’t safe for her in Shilo anymore. She kept to her room for most of the day. She didn’t even come out to eat.

Tom was on the ladder, trying one more application of GoneIt, when Jill shuffled into the backyard through the basement door.

“Hey, honey,” he said, climbing down. “You hungry yet?”

“No.”

Tom checked his watch. “It’s quarter to seven. You haven’t eaten anything all day.”

Jill looked up at the house and recoiled at the sight. “Who would do this?” she asked. “Why won’t they just leave us alone?”

“I’m so sorry about all of this,” Tom said. “But it’ll be all right. You’ll see. Everything is going to turn out just fine.”

“Did you go to the police?” Jill asked.

Tom made a conciliatory expression. “You know I can’t do that,” he said. “Pretty much the whole town is against me at this point. The police most of all.”

“Rainy’s on our side,” said Jill. “Can’t she fix this?” Tom’s face formed a grimace, which Jill noticed right away. “What is it?” she asked.

“Rainy,” Tom said with a sigh. “I should have called her hours ago, but I got so caught up in this vandalism that I forgot.” Tom put his arm around Jill. “I’ll give her a call in a few. Maybe she’ll have some good news to share.”

Tom’s cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and showed Jill that it was Rainy calling him.

“I guess she beat you to it,” Jill said.

“Hey there,” Tom said into the phone. “I was just about to call you. I’m planning to see Marvin’s parents tonight. They’re sitting shivah at his sister’s house. I was hoping you’d come with me.”

“Tom! Tom! I think we’ve got it.”

“Got what?” he asked.

“Evidence that’ll prove Mitchell Boyd is the distribution source of the images on your laptop. I’m not saying you’re in the clear. But when we put the pressure on him, I bet he’s going to start talking.”

“Rainy, that’s great news. Just great. Where are you now?”

“I’m with Carter. We’re on our way to Shilo to have a little chat with Mitchell Boyd.”

Tom’s phone buzzed again. He was getting another call. He glanced at the number but didn’t recognize the caller. “Rainy, let me call you right back,” he said.

Tom clicked over to the incoming call. “Hello. This is Tom.”

“Tom Hawkins,” said a much-younger sounding voice. “It’s Tanner Farnsworth.”

Tom’s jaw muscles tightened, and he squeezed his phone harder. “What do you want, Tanner?” said Tom.

“Look, I know I’ve done some pretty bad things. But I also know you didn’t have anything to do with what happened to Lindsey.”

“And how do you know that?” asked Tom.

“Because I know who did it,” Tanner said. “It was Mitchell Boyd.”

“What?”

“I was just over at Mitchell’s house. We were eavesdropping on his dad. He was talking with Brendan Murphy from the police department. Mr. Boyd gets all the inside scoop. I overheard him say that they found Lindsey’s body.”

Tom’s heart sank. Jill looked over at her father. Her expression revealed a growing alarm.

Tom turned his back so that Jill couldn’t see him. He took a few steps away so that she couldn’t hear him, either. “Where?” Tom whispered.

“In the woods near the Pine Hill Pond. They found your knife nearby, too.”

“My knife?”

“Small knife, about the size of my palm,” Tanner said. “It’s yours. Don’t ask me how Mitchell got it, but he took it from your house. The police pulled your prints off the knife. They’re coming to arrest you. Not just the Shilo PD, either. State police, too. And soon.”

“Hang on.” Tom raced back into the house. He looked for his knife. It was gone. “Tanner, listen to me. You’ve got to call the police yourself. Right now. Tell them what you just told me.”

“I can’t do that,” Tanner said. “I can’t turn myself in. Can’t turn on my best friend, either. I won’t do it. But that doesn’t mean I can’t do something right.”

“Do something right? What right thing are you doing here?” Tom shouted into the phone.

“I’m telling you to run.”