Page 129 of In the Air Tonight

“Ask him how that went.”

I send Houston a text to ask if he spoke with Sienna.

He responds right away.I did. She said she was home all morning and that the other parents on her street could attest to her being at the bus stop that morning.

Did you tell her why you wanted to know that?

Not specifically. She asked why I wanted to know, and I said it was confidential. Did something else happen?

She texted me and wants to talk.

How do you feel about that?

I don’t want to talk to her.

Then don’t. You’re under no obligation.

Did you find the key?

I did.

That’s good, right?

It helps. As does having another witness come forward.

I couldn’t believe it when he told me Ramona Travers had seen Ryder and Neisy leave the party together.

Hang in there and let me know if you need anything.

I will. Thanks.

I share the exchange with Jack.

“He’s right. You don’t owe her anything.”

“Is it weird that I’m curious about what she wants to say?”

“Not at all. If you want to see her, see her. But do it on your terms, not hers, and don’t ever forget she has a personal stake in this.”

“The same stake she’s had since it happened. For her it was always all Cam all the time to the exclusion of almost everything else. I was already getting tired of her bullshit before that night, but we’d been friends since third grade. You don’t just walk away from something like that.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I wouldn’t have even been there if it wasn’t for her feeling insecure about things with Cam and wanting to know what he was up to when she wasn’t with him.”

“If you were to mention to the prosecutor who was there with you, they could subpoena her to testify.”

“She’d probably lie.”

“Doing that under oath is risky. She could be charged with perjury. Hear me out—Houston said your description of events matched the victim’s, almost word for word, right?”

“Yes.”

“So they can easily prove you were there. If you testify under oath that she was with you, she’d be hard pressed to lie without exposing herself to possible perjury charges.”

“That’s true.”

“Would she risk being separated from her children to protect her brother-in-law?”

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