Page 146 of Instant Karma

“Then what’s going on? Is the insurance not going to cover the damages from the storm?”

“No, Prudence…”

“Then why do you both look so miserable?”

Rosa inhales deeply. She looks again at Quint, and I think she’s maybe waiting to see if he wants to say something, but his mouth is shut so tight a muscle has started to twitch in his cheek. “Prudence,” Rosa says again, claspingher hands together in front of her. “Is there, perhaps, something you’d like to tell us?”

I stare at her. Then my attention darts to Quint. He shifts his shoulders, hunching forward, and still does not look up. I look back at Rosa again.

“Other than how the gala is really coming together?”

Quint makes a disgusted sound in his throat—the first thing he’s almost said since I got here. I feel my hackles rise. I’ve heard that sound. I used to hear it all the time.

Rosa massages her brow. “I think you know that isn’t what I’m referring to.”

“I have no idea what you’re referring to. Quint, what is going on?”

He releases the bookshelf, but only so he can cross his arms over his chest. At least he manages to look me in the eye, and I take back what I thought before. Hedoeslook mean.

I can feel panic starting to claw at my throat. Have I just stumbled into some alternate universe where this summer never happened and Quint still despises me? What did he say the other night—that he used to think I was a terrible person? I’d given him a pass on that comment, because he’d made it quite clear that he no longer felt that way. And I couldn’t entirely blame him, either, after how awful I’d been toward him all year.

But that was then. So why is he looking at me like thisnow?

“A woman came to the center yesterday,” says Rosa. “She had an interesting story to tell, involving a lost earring and a large cash donation made during the beach cleanup.” She pauses, waiting to see my reaction. I don’t know what she thinks she sees on my face, but Rosa looks disappointed. “I can see that I don’t need to tell you the whole story. The short of it is, she felt bad about selling off this earring that didn’t belong to her—though of course she had no way of knowing at the time who it did belong to. She came here trying to make amends. To get back the money she donated so she could repurchase the earring and give it back to its rightful owner. But as you and I both know, that money isn’t here. So, tell me, Prudence… where could twelve hundred dollars have disappeared to?”

And there it is. That’s what this is about.

They think I stole it.

“I don’t know.” My voice is strained, and somehow I feel like I’ve alreadyincriminated myself. Because I did know about the earring and the money. I knew there was money missing.

“This is your opportunity to tell us the truth,” says Rosa. I can tell she’s trying to be gentle about this, but at the same time, there’s anger simmering under her calm exterior. “The woman said she talked to you, so I believe you were the only person who knew there was such a large donation made that day.”

I shake my head. “She did tell me about the money, but I don’t know what happened to it. I didn’t take it.”

“I saw you!” Quint snaps. His voice is so loud, so harsh, I jump from the sound of it. Unlike his mom, he’s making no show of trying to disguise his fury. “I saw you in Shauna’s office, pawing through that jar! And all that money you had in your backpack! You’re honestly going to try to say it wasn’t you?”

“It wasn’t!” I’m yelling now, too. Desperation hums through my veins. He can’t think I did this—this thing I absolutely did not do!

Although, whispers an irritating little voice.Although, I hadintendedto take it that day…

I swallow. That isn’t the point. I’m innocent.

Quint pushes himself away from the bookshelf and takes a couple steps toward me, his arms flailing aggressively as he talks. “You stood right in front of me, a wad of cash in your hand, and lied to my face. How could you do this?”

“I didn’t do anything! I… yes, I knew about the donation, and I wanted to count it and see how much the total was, but when I did, there wasn’t nearly as much there. Only… three hundred and whatever. Whatever Shauna told us the next day.”

Quint’s glare turns sharp. His words are sharper. “You told me you didn’t have time to count it.”

My stomach twists. “I…”

He lifts one eyebrow, waiting. But I can’t look at him, not when he’s looking at me like that. I close my eyes. “I did count it. But I was… the money wasn’t there. The twelve hundred dollars was already gone. I didn’t take it.”

“Right,” says Quint. “And what else have you been lying about?”

“Nothing!” I open my eyes, determined to face him, to make him see he has this all wrong.

“What about going through our mail? What have you been looking for, exactly? More donations? More money? More things you can take without anyone realizing it?”

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