Page 84 of Lethal Danger

“I’m thinking of joining Best Life.”

“Really?” A red flush colored his cheeks. “Cool.”

“But I heard this story about a boy from here getting killed, and it kind of scares me.”

His smile dropped as his eyebrows pulled together. “Killed?”

She nodded, pressing her lips together like she was actually worried. “At the Tri-City Fair.”

“Oh, that.” Randall’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “It was an accident. He was stupid. Snuck out and got himself drunk. Then went and killed himself playing around.”

“Oh.” Jazz tried for an expression of confusion and naïve innocence as best she could. “That’s awful. Though I’m glad he wasn’t murdered. Did you know him?”

“Yeah, I knew him. A real jerk, but you couldn’t tell some people that.”

Meaning Hawthorne’s sister? Jazz kept the question to herself and searched for the best way to continue pumping the kid.

“Sounds like you had some run-ins with him.” She caught her lower lip with her teeth like she was concerned for Randall.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” He bent over and picked up the box of mugs that she was pretty sure didn’t need to be set on the shelf at that moment. But it gave him a chance to flex his muscles. Which she couldn’t see under the loose sleeves of his robe anyway.

She squelched the urge to roll her eyes. “I can see that.” She pretended to admire his arm muscles with the direction of her gaze. “But how did no one notice he wasn’t at the commune that night? I learned on my tour that there’s a curfew.”

“Only for our own good.” A defensive note edged his tone. “So we don’t become victims of the evils out there. Like Sam. And we can’t better ourselves if we’re distracted by worldly things outside.”

The kid sounded like a programmed artificial intelligence response. But she pretended to buy it. “That makes sense. So you must’ve been doing something better while Sam was sneaking out, getting into trouble.”

“Of course. I was communing with the stars.”

“Ooh. That sounds cool.” Actually sounded kooky and ridiculous, but she kept her expression open and curious. “All by yourself all night?” Perfect. He’d think she was asking if he had a girlfriend.

Sure enough, his grin slid back onto his face. “It goes until nine thirty so we can make ten o’clock lights out. I was with the other members in our stars alignment course. My ex-girlfriend was there, too. But I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

Jazz tried her best starstruck giggle. Sounded more like a strangled frog, but the way the guy’s eyes lit, he must’ve bought it.

She’d have to ask Hawthorne if that timing gave Randall an alibi for Sam’s death. She hadn’t found out when Sam had died or what time he’d left the commune. If anyone knew.

“So if Sam’s death was an accident, why did the news talk about his dad being angry at you guys?”

“Oh, man. He went crazy.” Randall glanced around, like checking for listeners. But the shop was mostly empty. The middle-aged female employee chatted with a customer at the register at the opposite end of the store.

“What do you mean? You saw him?” Jazz widened her eyes like she was impressed.

“Oh, yeah. We all did. He attacked our leader.”

“No. He attacked Desmond Patch?”

“Yeah. Would’ve punched him, too, if the Helpers hadn’t gotten him off.”

“Helpers?”

“The strongest men in our community. They help maintain order.”

That didn’t sound a bit creepy. Jazz tried to keep the sarcastic thought from coloring her expression. “What did they do to him?”

“Sam’s dad? They had to drag him out and forbid him from ever coming back.”

“Wow. But you don’t think he was right? I mean, that Patch was to blame for what happened to Sam?”

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