Page 97 of The Inmate
For some reason, his words make me laugh, and he grins back at me. It’s the first time I’ve laughed in what feels like forever. But it’s beginning to feel like there’s a small chance this could all work out. Caleb is the key to everything. And he has no idea what I know.
We start on the drive back to Dorchester. As buzzed as I am from the events of the day, the motion of the car eventually lulls me to sleep. Seth gets how tired I am, and he shuts off the music and drives in silence. He doesn’t even hit his horn, which is unusual behavior for him because he’s a typical Boston driver who loves to lean on his horn. Sitting in the passenger seat of his car, this is somehow the best sleep I’ve gotten in a week. It’s only interrupted by Seth’s hand on my arm, shaking me awake.
“Natalie,” he says.
There is an urgency in his voice that makes my eyes shoot open. “What?”
“Look.”
I blink a few times and rub my eyes. The sun has gone down completely now, but I can tell we’re back in my neighborhood. On my block. In fact, my house is only a stone’s throw away from the car. Seth is pointing at the house.
It’s very dark out, so I have to squint to see what he’s talking about. That’s when I notice there’s a man in front of my house. Sitting on the front steps. And when he sees our car, he rises to his feet.
Oh my God.
It’s Caleb.
ChapterFifty-Seven
“Stay in the car,”Seth says. “Lock the doors.”
He means well. Caleb isn’t who we thought he was, and he’s certainly been lying to me. But at the same time, I don’t think he’s dangerous. In my heart, I don’t believe he killed Dawn. I don’t think he’s capable of it. Even with all the lies, I can tell he’s not the sort of person who would do something like that.
And even if he is, he’s not going to kill me right in front of Seth, right on the street. If nothing else, he’s smarter than that. He’s certainly not impulsive. Whatever he’s done was planned over months—maybeyears.
So I unlock the car doors and get out, despite Seth’s protests. Caleb is walking toward me but there’s nothing threatening about him. He doesn’t have a weapon. This is going to be okay. I need to know what’s going on. I need the truth.
“Hey, asshole!” Seth yells. He’s getting out of the car just behind me. “You need to stay away from Natalie.”
Caleb is about three feet away from me now. He looks up at Seth, shakes his head, and looks back down at me. I notice now that his brows are knitted together. “Natalie,” he says in a shaky voice. “We need to talk.”
“Damn straight,” I say. “You’ve been lying to me all along. You planted that hair and blood in my car, didn’t you?”
Caleb looks taken aback. He didn’t expect me to say that. He stands there for a moment, not sure how to respond.
“Well?” I prompt him.
“Fine.” His voice is gruff. “I did it. I put the hair and blood in your trunk. Okay?”
I stare at him, stunned he admitted it. Even though I had suspected it, I can’t believe he would really do it. Andwhy?
Seth jogs over, joining me next to Caleb. “You killed her, didn’t you? You killed Dawn, you bastard.”
Caleb’s face turns bright red. “No.No, of course not. I would never do that. I would never hurt her. She…”
He stops himself mid-sentence.
“She what?” I press him. “What is it?”
He shakes his head. “I… nothing. I can’t…”
“Caleb,tell me what’s going on here.” A vein throbs in my temple. “I deserve an explanation.”
Caleb looks at me for what feels like an hour, but it’s probably more like a few seconds. He lets out a long breath. “Dawn isn’t dead.”
“How do you know that?” Seth shoots back.
Caleb holds up his hands. “It… it’s a long story. But she’s not dead, okay? I promise.”
