“If I’m not here, then you’ll understand why. Okay? It’s not because I don’t want to be in college. I love school. I love Commonwealth. And I want to graduate. It’s just sometimes . . . you have to move on. Okay?”

She started to pull away. Her hand slid along his arm and then, as she backed up, he clasped it.

“Madeline, wait.”

He held on for a moment, maybe just to make sure he was really okay. But then he squeezed her hand, and their hands remained that way for a moment until he finally eased away, his body moving up the sidewalk toward his house.

Only then did she let go.

He looked back once and said over his shoulder, “Be careful getting home. It’s late. I’d drive you but . . .”

“I’m good, Dr. Nye. Thank you.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

CONNOR

PRESENT

When my eyes open, I’m on the couch.

A woman in a white uniform shirt and black pants, with her dark hair pulled off her face, is staring at me, a penlight in her hand. She moves it first one way and then the other, asking me to follow it with my eyes.

I do. And she corrects me.

“Without moving your head.”

So I do that, and she clicks the penlight off.

“Are you feeling nauseated?”

“No.”

“Any vision troubles?”

“No. Can I ask what happened?”

“Neck pain? Chest pain?”

“No.”

She steps out of the way and I come face-to-face with Bowman. She stands with hands on hips, examining me like she’s a doctor. “Feeling all right, Connor?”

“I think so. What happened?”

“Do you remember anything?” she asks.

My mouth is dry. My lips feel like baked desert. “I got a visit from Zach Greenfield. And he tried to pound some sense into me with his fists. Why did he stop?”

Bowman looks to her right. Diana is standing there, a phone pressed to her ear. When she sees me looking, she lowers the phone. “I’ll let you know when to keep your mouth shut.”

“You came in and scared him off?” I ask. “Thanks.”

“She didn’t scare him off,” Bowman says. “She held him at gunpoint and called us.”

“Gunpoint?”

Diana pats her purse. “I have my concealed carry. Do you think I’m going to work as a lawyer and not carry a piece?”

“So Zach’s been arrested?” I ask.

“He’s in custody,” Bowman says. “Assault. Breaking and entering.” She shrugs. “We’ll see what else we can add to his tab.”

I reach up and rub the back of my neck. I didn’t lie when I told the paramedic it didn’t hurt. But it feels stiff. And I can feel pain spreading through the side of my head where Zach hit me. Fortunately, Madeline hit me on the other side with the bourbon bottle, so everything is equalized now. Both sides hurt.