“Have it your way.” I hand him the Band-Aids and point across the yard. “The shed’s over there. You better hide. Mom will be home soon.”

Mom. With everything else going on, I totally forgot that Detective Klein is coming tonight. What will she do when he rings the doorbell and tells her why he’s here?

Should I warn Jason? He’s halfway across the yard, limping toward the shed. If he shuts the door and stays inside, he won’t see Detective Klein. And Detective Klein won’t see him.

I watch the shed door close. I’ve got about ten minutes to get ready to face Mom.

12

I strip off my wet, muddy clothes and bury them at the bottom of my laundry basket. In the shower I run the water hot and scrub and scrub. I shampoo twice, but I still smell like the Paint Branch. Even dressed in clean clothes, I get a whiff of wet mud and pollution.

I drink three glasses of water, gulping it down so fast I nearly choke. I must have swallowed some of the Paint Branch. Maybe clean water will wash it out, or at least dilute it.

I sit on the sofa and wait for Mom. When Detective Klein gets here, she’s going to find out about the tree house and all the other stuff Skylar and I have been doing. She will be furious, absolutely insane. Maybe she’ll find my father and give me to him.

Her car pulls into the driveway. I want to throw myself into her arms and tell her everything, but I hold back. Right now, I need a mom who loves me, not one who’s too mad at me to care if I go to jail. I’ll lie my head off to keep her on my side as long as I can.

Mom comes through the door and sinks down on the couch beside me. She puts her arms around me and holds me tight. It feels so good. I’m safe now—at least until Detective Klein shows up.

“Oh, Abbi,” she says, “have you heard? The police have taken Mr. Boyce in for questioning. So far, he hasn’t been accused of anything, but the news team has jumped all over the story. Apparently someone on the school faculty told them he was involved with Ms. Sullivan. That makes him what the newscaster calls ‘a person of interest.’”

She hugs me and kisses the top of my head. “I know how much Mr. Boyce means to you. Such a nice man, such a good teacher. It must be a terrible shock.”