Page 56 of Brick

“I’m looking for the Lowrys. I—”

The kid shook his head quickly and stepped back. “Sorry, lady. I can’t help you.” He moved away like his feet were on fire.

The feeling of someone watching her intensified. Still, she soldiered on, searching for any sign she was closing in on her destination. She spent ten minutes wandering around the ghost town of apartment buildings before finally giving in to the niggling voice she needed to leave.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a clap of thunder in the distance made her surroundings feel even more menacing. She’d just turned into the stiff breeze and headed back toward her car when a man’s voice cut through the silence. “I hear you’re looking for me?”

The guy couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Devon, but she had no doubt she’d found his big brother. He had the same arresting good looks, dark skin, and lean build, though there was something different in the eyes.

“Trevaughn? Trevaughn Lowry?” She approached him slowly.

He shot her a lazy smile. “Depends on who’s asking.”

“My name is Olivia Turner. I’m one of your brother Devon’s teachers. I was hoping I could talk to you about him, if you have a minute. He’s—he’s one of my most gifted students.”

Trevaughn lifted his eyebrows. “You want to talk about my little brother?”

She nodded.

“All right. Follow me.”

He led her past the burned-out unit, toward the building behind a rusted basketball hoop without a net. It was nearly a block away from where she’d parked. They went in the second door on the left.

She wasn’t exactly sure what she expected the inside to look like, but definitely not like this. Two lamps bathed the room in red light. A black leather sofa dominated the center of the room, and a giant plasma TV hung on the wall. A glass and chrome coffee table matched the end tables, one sporting a Bose sound system. The other had an Amazon Echo.

Devon’s brother gestured to the sofa, and she sat down. “What seems to be the problem, Miss—”

“Turner.” She cleared her throat. “As I told you, your brother is one of the brightest young men I’ve ever taught. He scores off the charts on the state benchmarks. I’ve told him many times, I think he’s scholarship material.”

“Scholarship, hmm?” Trevaughn joined her on the sofa, nodding for her to continue.

“Yes. He told me he couldn’t leave home, and you needed him here.”

He nodded. “All true.”

“There are some wonderful schools right here in Atlanta, though. He could stay home and still go to college. All he would need to do is take his ACTs and apply.” Her voice rose in earnest. “I would be happy to write him a recommendation. I know some of the other teachers would as well.”

“You came all the way out here to talk about D going to college?” His voice sounded dubious.

“Yes and no. I mean, I would love it if you could help me convince him to go, but the more immediate reason I’m here is because Devon hasn’t been in school for a while.”

“What do you consider a while, Miss Turner?”

“Not at all this school year.” She clasped her hands together in her lap. “I have an older brother, too. I kept thinking if something were going on with me, he’d want to know. He’d want to help fix it.”

Trevaughn leaned back and propped his feet up on the glass table, crossing one ankle over the other. “I see. You make house calls for all of your students or only the special ones?”

She tried to ignore the heat creeping up her neck. “I’ve never gone to a student’s home before. I guess I shouldn’t have this time, either, but Devon is special. I’d hate to see him fall through the cracks.”

“I had a teacher like you once.” His eyes looked far away. “Mrs. Muniz. She tried to help me, get me on the right track when Moms died.” He shook off the memory. “I remember her…fondly.”

Muniz? The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t place it. “I’m sorry for your loss. My older brother took care of me, too, after our parents passed away.”

Trevaughn didn’t seem to be listening anymore.

“Mr. Lowry?”

His gaze focused on her again. This time his gaze looked sharper, more assessing. “Sorry. I got a little lost in the memory.” He climbed to his feet, and Liv followed suit. “I appreciate your interest in my little brother. I promise, he and I are going to have a talk about this.”

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