Chapter 55
Allison
The room around me falls silent. I go still. Lose my breath.
“I just…I just walked in and found him—”
“You’re at the condo, Grayson?” My voice kicking in, autopilot. “You’re in Chicago?”
“Yeah…” His breaths ragged, his voice a falsetto. “Someone stabbed him, Mom.”
Oh, God. Oh, no—
“I’ll…I’ll come to you, Gray.”
“What do I do, Mom? God, I’m freaking out—Mom, tell me what to do!”
Those words snap me out of my funk. I draw a sharp breath. He needs my head on straight. Panic will not help him. “Grayson, did you call 911?”
“No, I called you.”
“Okay, listen to me. Do you have blood on you?”
“Uh, yeah, some…”
Shit. Deep breath. “Did you tell your dad you were coming?”
“Yeah.”
“How? By text or phone call?”
“Umm…I, I don’t—”
“This is important, Grayson. Focus for me. Did you communicate by text or phone call?”
“Text,” he says. “Text.”
“Read me the text message, Gray. Can you read it to me?”
“Umm…” His voice still shaking. “I said, ‘I’m in the city. I hope you had a nice dinner last night. Your girlfriend seemed to be enjoying herself. Maybe next time you cheat on Mom, don’t sit near a window.
I’m coming over tonight. Seven o’clock. Don’t tell Mom.
’ He wrote back, ‘Okay, we need to talk. You need to hear my side.’ That’s it. ”
I close my eyes. He saw Finley with another woman last night?
And said so in a text message?
And now his father is dead, and he has his blood all over him.
“I’m coming, Gray. Don’t do anything, okay? It will take me some time to get there. Can you do that for me, honey? Can you be still, maybe look out at the lake? Not touch anything?”
I dial Luke. We’re on terrible terms. He’ll likely not answer, but I need him—
“Yeah?” His voice is neither warm nor cold.
“Where are you?”
“Where am I? What kind of—”
“Can you come over? Grayson’s in trouble,” I say.
“Grayson? Oh—oh, shit, I—what happened?”
“Finley—” My throat closes; I can’t say it aloud.
“Finley what? What happened, Allison?”
I have no time for emotion. “Finley is dead,” I say. “I need your help.”
“Oh, God—I’ll, yeah, I’ll come right over.”
“No,” I say. “Listen carefully. Do exactly as I say.”