I can hear fighting when I walk inside. I rush to the dining room, where Nana’s reprimanding Dad about something. There are several cans of beer on the table.

I walk in on him midsentence.

“. . . bastards have no right to kick me out of my own damned office.”

“You may be an adult,” Nana says, “but you won’t use language like that under my roof.”

They notice me at the same time, and Nana moves to usher me out of the dining room while my dad swigs back a beer.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“Apparently the FBI has completely taken over your father’s station,” Nana says, pushing me into the kitchen and pointing at a plate of cookies. I shake my head.

“What?”

“He’s less than pleased. Apparently a man named Perty or Purdy or some such kicked him out of his own office.”

Purdy.

“How can they even do that?” I ask.

Nana just shrugs. “I wouldn’t ask him right now if I were you. Let’s give him some space.”

I nod. I’ve seen my dad drink beer all my life, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him day drinking like this. Or even actually drunk. So I head upstairs to put my stuff away and check in on what I’ve missed online during the drive home from Helena while trying to figure out why the FBI might have taken over the police station. The logical part of me says that it’s just because John’s escaped and they’re concerned he’s going to come back here, but there’s also a nagging thought in the back of my mind: Does this have anything to do with the fact that I was digging around at the Goodes’ today? Is this another FBI warning—one more subtle than a car trying to run me off the road but definitely more personal?

I shake my head. This has got to be about the search for John and Six. That’s what I have to believe.

I’m bummed Sarah’s not online to chat with. I want to tell her about these new developments, but now that her cell is gone and her parents are wardens of the landline, the internet’s my only way of communicating with her. When I see she’s not there, I email her, telling her I’ve got some news she’ll want to hear but don’t actually mention anything specific.

Later that night—when my dad has passed out watching reruns in the recliner downstairs—I get a text from a weird number I don’t recognize:

Hi. Have you heard of any sightings of John?

I guess Sarah got a new phone after all. Hopefully a burner. I text her back:

No I think that’s good tho.

A few seconds pass and I get a response:

Yeah, I guess. I just wish we could help more