Kevin O'Brien - Disturbed

“Mea culpa, mea culpa,” Rachel said with a sigh. “You’re not going to like it any better when I explain what happened.”

Molly dug a can of 7UP out of the refrigerator and wordlessly handed it to her.

Rachel opened the can and sipped her soda.

“I’m waiting,” Molly said, crossing her arms.

Rachel frowned. “Well, Erin called me from school. Apparently one of her little friends actually has a cell phone. I didn’t even know Erin had my number. Did you give it to her?”

Molly shook her head.

“Well, she knows it, because she called me and asked me to pick her up after school. She said she didn’t want to come home. . ” Rachel paused, and then sipped her 7UP again. She glanced down at the kitchen floor. “Erin said it didn’t feel right at home anymore, because her real parents weren’t here. She said she didn’t want to see you or be around you. I’m sorry, Molly. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.”

Molly felt like she’d just been kicked in the stomach. She told herself those were the sentiments of an upset and confused six-year-old. But it still hurt. She walked around the kitchen counter and sat down at the breakfast table. “Where is she?”

“You might not like this, either,” Rachel warned. “Lynette’s sister, who lives near the UW Hospital, is looking after Lynette’s kids. Erin’s with them. I dropped her off. I figured after an hour with Carson and Dakota Hahn, you and home will start looking pretty good to her.”

Molly knew she was expected to laugh, but she couldn’t.

“I tried calling you as soon as I dropped Erin off,” Rachel said. “But my cell phone started acting up on me. I couldn’t call out, but I got your message all right. Modern technology, you go figure. Anyway, please don’t be mad at me, Molly. Erin made me promise I wouldn’t tell you, and this is the first time she’s asked me for something. I didn’t want her to think she couldn’t trust me.”

Molly frowned at her. “Well, I’m not sure I can trust you. On top of that, you made me look like a major idiot with the vice principal at Erin’s school. You told her that I must have forgotten to call the school about you picking up Erin. And there I was on the phone with them asking which neighbor picked up my stepdaughter. God, I must have come off as a total flake. What were you thinking?”

“I’m really sorry,” Rachel murmured, shrugging. “I guess I shouldn’t have gotten involved. Maybe — maybe you ought to call the school, and tell them everything’s okay.”

Molly stood up. “Yes, we don’t want to worry the people at Erin’s school,” she grumbled. “God, with everything that’s been going on lately, I can’t believe you’d. .” She shook her head and left the room. She reminded herself that Rachel had been a good friend to her. Without Rachel, she never would have made it through the last week.

In Jeff’s study, she picked up the phone and hesitated before dialing the school. “I’m done venting!” she announced loudly. “I know you were just trying to do Erin and me a favor. You meant well. . ”

“I figured you couldn’t be mad at me too long,” Rachel called. Molly could hear her filling a glass with ice. “You need my help breaking into the Nguyens’ house tonight.”

Molly frowned at Rachel’s light tone. It didn’t seem right. She wanted to get inside that house to look for clues to her husband’s murder — and the deaths of several others. Rachel made it sound as if they were planning to pull off some kind of high school prank.

Of course, Molly still felt confused and a bit stung by what went on with Erin. It was hard getting past that.

She phoned the school and got Vice Principal Farrell on the line. She explained that Erin was fine, and it was just a misunderstanding. “I’d asked my neighbor to pick up Erin next Wednesday, not today,” she said, making Rachel the flaky one.

When Molly came back to the kitchen, she found Rachel sitting at the table with a second can of 7UP — and a tall glass of ice — in front of the chair beside her. “I figured you could use a drink,” she said, pouring the 7UP in the glass. “And under the pregnant circumstances, I guess this is about as wild as it gets for us.”

Molly worked up a smile and sat down next to her.

“Are we all squared with Erin’s school?” Rachel asked.

Molly nodded. “It’s all straightened out.”

Rachel raised her can of soda to toast her. “So — forgive me?”

Molly took the glass of 7UP and clicked it against Rachel’s soda can. “All’s forgiven.”

Rachel sipped hers. “Well, come on, drink up. The toast doesn’t count unless you drink, too.”

Molly started to raise the glass to her lips, but then she set it down again. “Oh, I almost forgot about Chris.” She got to her feet. “I called him when Erin didn’t get off the bus. He’s on his way here, probably going crazy with the rush-hour traffic. He was down in Kent, chasing down a lead about Jenna Corson.”

“Really?” Rachel murmured. “What kind of lead?”

“I don’t know. But he put it together himself that she’s the one behind all the horrible things that have been going on around here lately — no coaching from me.” Molly grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper from the basket in the corner of the kitchen counter. “Do you have Lynette’s sister’s address? I’ll tell Chris to swing by and pick up Erin.”

Rachel looked stumped for a moment. “Oh, I–I left it in my coat in the house. I can pick her up later. Maybe we can send Chris in an hour or so, and then we’ll use that time to do a little breaking and entering at the Nguyens’.”

Molly leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “You don’t seem to take that idea about searching their house very seriously.”

Rachel laughed. “Are you kidding me? I’m nervous as hell about it. In fact, sit down.” She pointed to Molly’s glass. “Wet your whistle and tell me your plan.”

“I need to call Chris first,” Molly said. “He’s probably going out of his mind with worry.” Again, she found herself retreating to Jeff’s study to use the phone — rather than talk on the kitchen extension in front of Rachel. She dialed Chris’s cell number.

He picked up on the second ring: “Hi, Molly, what’s going on?”

“Erin’s okay,” she said. “She’s at Lynette’s sister’s house — with Carson and Dakota. I guess she still hates me and doesn’t want to be around me. So she called Rachel from school and asked to be picked up. Rachel dropped her off at Lynette’s sister’s place.”

There was silence on the other end. Molly wondered if she’d lost the connection. “Chris? Are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m just trying to wrap my head around that story, because it sounds pretty screwed up.”

“Sounds screwed up to me, too, but that’s what happened,” Molly said. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Erin’s all right. I’m here with Rachel. I’m guessing traffic has been heinous.”

“Yeah, but I should be there soon,” Chris said. “By the way, Molly, you slept downstairs, so you didn’t hear it. But Erin had a nightmare last night, and she woke me up. She was extra scared because you weren’t in your bed. She’d gone to you first, Molly. She’s crazy about you. She was really happy when I told her that you were staying and taking care of us. So that story about Erin hating you? It’s bullshit.”

Dazed, Molly didn’t say anything. Suddenly she was worried about Erin again.

“I gotta go,” she heard Chris say. “There’s a cop one lane over, and I shouldn’t be driving and talking on the cell at the same time. See you soon.” He clicked off.