Page 46 of The Game Is Afoot

“I’m trying not to get too excited and scare her off, but I can’t help it. You know I’ve always wanted her to get into music.” He grins. “I’ve got a buddy who gives lessons at his studio over on Olive, by the Trader Joe’s. Maybe she’d be into that afterAnniewraps?”

And just as quickly, I remember what he’s keeping from me, how the ground is about to fall out from all this, and I feel stupid.

I want to yell. I want to press a finger into his chest and ream him out for putting me in this position. For trusting I’m going to pick up the pieces, take her to these lessons, when he goes and follows his dreams again. And what about my dreams, huh? When doIget a chance to figure those out?

“Um, so, actually…”

“I’m the new class mom.”

And now I sound just as stupid as I feel, but I can’t let him say whatever he was about to say. Because what if it’sthat? And what if I lose it? No, it’s not the time, surrounded by all of these eyes. I’m being talked about on that Facebook group enough.

“Cool?” He looks confused, but quickly covers it with a nod. “Cool. Is that what you…wanted?”

No, of course not. “Yes.”

I check my phone. There’s still a few more minutes left before the bell rings. God, how can it be so awkward with someone I’ve known longer than almost anyone?

“Hey y’all!” Leon walks up to us, still wearing his scrubs, and I nearly jump into his arms in gratitude.

“How did the fingerprinting go, man?” he asks, clapping Corey’s shoulder. “They treat you good?”

That hits me like a punch to the gut. “Fingerprinting?” I ask, twisting to look at Corey. “They brought you in for fingerprinting and you didn’t think to mention that?!”

He glances at the audience around us, and I’m annoyed. But mostly because he’s right. We don’t need a scene. I wasjustworrying about that.

“It was just to rule me out, I think,” Corey says, modeling the quieter tone he wants me to use. And again, I’m hit by fierce annoyance followed by begrudging understanding. “It seemed like they expected my fingerprints to be on it, honestly, because I brought the snack? But I told them I didn’t take it out of the package myself. And I saw Florence when I was leaving, so it looks like they brought her in, too, to eliminate hers.” That’s probably what Florence was trying to talk to me about yesterday before I threw out a party invitation to distract her.

“I’m sure there were probablya lotto eliminate, the way those kids attack that snack table,” he continues. “And I don’t know, they must not have found anything to worry about because they haven’t called me again.”

Leon shakes his head. “It seems like they really are casting a wide net and just bringing in everybody. Don’t make no sense to me. They took Irene’s fingerprints, too.”

“Irene? His ex-wife?”

“Yeah,” Leon confirms, but then he stops and scratches his cheek. “Wait, how do you know her?”

I can’t exactly say it’s because I found a domestic dispute police report in the Brady Park facility manager’s shed/office after breaking in. Honestly, it’s probably better Detective De La Rosa wrote me off before questioning the source of my information more.

“I, um…don’t. I just heard he had an ex-wife named Irene.”

Corey shoots a skeptical side-eye my way, but thankfully, that seems to be enough for Leon, and he keeps talking.

“Yeah, I called her later that afternoon, when…he was gone.” His voice catches and he clears his throat. Because Colewas more than just his kid’s coach, I remember. This was Leon’s friend. “I knew she would want to be here. As soon as possible. And then the hospital called her anyway because she was listed as his emergency contact.”

“His emergency contact? I thought it was contentious?”

“Contentious? No.” Again, he scratches his cheek. “Where did you hear that?”

“I don’t know. I just…assumed? Because she’s his ex?”

Now Corey’s eyes are narrowed in my direction. I can feel them burning my cheek. I really need to be quiet.

“Sorry, go on.”

“Theydidhave some bad years, especially when Cole was still drinking. I don’t think he was a great husband. But they were good friends. She’s the one who actually pushed for additional toxicology reports, before that Green Team lady even found the Capri-Sun pouch. She kept telling ’em how healthy he is—don’t matter how many of those energy drinks he pounded per day.”

“Wait, so they found the sodium nitrate on the toxicology report? Because from what I understand, it’s not something that would show up? And even then they have to examine the muscle tissue to see if it has a brown discoloration…”

I trail off, taking in how Corey and Leon are both rapidly blinking at me.

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