Chapter 32
The people were in the Snotty Garlic all the time.
At least since like October and everything.
Riely loved reading the Snotty Garlic. The stuff in there was so funny.
There was one writer who insisted the governor of Texas was an alien and everything.
And the mayor of Finley Creek was a god of some type.
Riely had seen photos of the mayor, of course.
He really was hot, even if he was kind of old.
He was a Barratt. Riely had read everything she could find about the Barratts in the Garlic.
Just for fun, mostly. And because those guys were beyond amazingly smoking hot. And there were a bunch of them, too.
Back when she still did things like that.
Before…
She shook off the memories. That wasn’t why she was here. She…had questions. She wanted to see them. To see…what kind of people…
Hughes Heights felt different now, though. Ever since those people had been shot and everything. By the playground. She’d played at that playground hundreds of times since she’d moved here when she’d been ten.
There were TSP everywhere in Hughes Heights right now. Her grandfather had told her to stay home, to stay away from whatever was going on.
Riely had had to see…She really wanted to see them. To just…make sure they were okay. And not afraid. That was all.
She was standing in front of the big pink house by the turn off to Jude Way when a cop car pulled up next to her.
Her first instinct was to run. But…if she ran, wouldn’t they chase her? Like a guilty conscience kind of thing, or something?
Riely just stood where she was. She’d snuck out of the house without Bo.
He’d been acting even weirder lately and she hadn’t wanted to be around him.
He’d lost her—again. He never told her grandfather that.
She thought he was afraid of making her grandfather angry or something.
Even though he was like a really big man and her grandfather wasn’t.
The window rolled down. It was a really pretty blond woman and a seriously hot man inside.
“Hi, is there something we can help you with?” the woman asked. For a moment…Riely remembered her mom. This woman looked like her mom had—really blonde hair, bright green eyes. And a pretty smile. Tears hit her eyes.
“I…am just taking the long way home. I don’t really want to go home yet.
I need to think.” Riely forced herself not to stutter.
Sometimes, she still did that. She’d had a speech impediment when she was little, but she’d mostly outgrown it.
It just…came back sometimes. Like when she was really nervous and everything. “I’m not doing anything wrong, am I?”
“No, of course not. We’re just doing extra patrols in Hughes Heights, that’s all. What’s your name?”
She didn’t have to tell her. But…this lady reminded her of her mom. Her mom had had really bright green eyes too. “I’m Riely.” She didn’t tell them her last name. Her grandfather knew so many cops, she just didn’t want to. “I just live over there on Harrison Avenue.”
“Hi Riely, I’m Off—sorry, Detective Miller. I was just promoted. I’m with Major Crimes. We’re just looking into some of the stuff that’s been happening around Hughes Heights lately. Can you answer something for me?”
“Uh…I guess?”
“How often do you normally see the security patrol go around this neighborhood? Do you see them a lot?”
She hadn’t expected that. “Not really. Just over by the gates. And sometimes they’ll be riding around on their golfcarts acting all stupid and stuff.
They laugh really loud and say stupid, rude things.
About girls and stuff. I mostly just stay away from them—most of the girls around here do. They are kind of gross.”
“Thanks. And…make sure you never go down any of the alleys between houses, okay? It’s safer if you stay on the sidewalks where people can see you.
We’ll let you get back to your walk, Riely.
Have a nice day.” The woman reached out the window.
She had a white card in her hand. Riely just took it.
It was a business card with her name on it and everything.
“If you see anything that doesn’t feel right here in Hughes Heights, you can call that number, okay? ”
Riely just nodded. What else was she supposed to say?