“Why would Madison even have a tracking device unless she was worried about this exact sort of thing happening?” Aster asked. “Could it just be because she’s famous—or is it connected to whatever the Ghost covered up in her past?”
“More importantly,” Layla said, “if Madison has a tracking device, and Paul knows about it, then why hasn’t he found her by now? Why is she still missing? Is it no longer working? Are they both in on her fake disappearance? Or is she really in danger and her kidnapper, who may or may not be Paul, ripped it out of her?”
The room fell silent as the question hung heavy between them.
“I’m really starting to think the Ghost is behind all this,” Tommy said.
“But why would he go after her?” Mateo asked. “Why now?”
“Who knows why people do what they do?” Aster frowned.
“While I can’t answer any of that, I can tell you that the tracker is, in fact, still working,” Javen said. “There are different kinds, but this particular one charges whenever it’s in a Wi-Fi zone. And if I’m not mistaken, it’s transmitting a signal at this very moment somewhere near the Joshua Tree address I just printed for you. I think we should hurry.”
“Oh, no.” Aster plucked the address from the printer and shoved it into her oversize bag. “While I appreciate all you’ve done so far, there’s no we in this scenario. Your next destination is back to Beverly Hills before Mom and Dad implant a tracker in you.” Javen started to protest, but Aster quickly shot him down. “Seriously, Javen. Go home and read The Great Gatsby so you don’t get kicked out of school and end up a delinquent like me.”
He crossed his arms and glared, but after a moment he relented. “Fine.” He sighed. “But you’ll need to call me when you get there, so I can lead you right to it.”
“And how will you do that?”
“I’ll track your whereabouts through the location device on your phone.”
Aster shook her head and swooped in to hug him. “What would I do without my computer whiz of a baby brother?” She squeezed him until he laughingly pleaded for mercy and worked himself free.
Mateo was the only one who remained on the couch, wearing a skeptical face. “Uh, don’t you guys think we should maybe call the cops and tell ’em what we know?”
He’d barely finished the thought when everyone turned and shouted, “No!”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Layla said, trying to soften the blow, which annoyed Tommy to no end. Why did she insist on putting baby bumpers around him? If Mateo couldn’t handle the sharp edges, then clearly he should leave.
Aster stood before Mateo and said, “My trial is less than a month away. My attorneys aren’t all that forthcoming with their strategy, and I can only assume it’s because they don’t actually have one. It’s on me to figure this out, but so far, there’s not much to go on—nothing that will hold up in court, anyway. I’m pretty sure I lost my necklace—my easily identifiable necklace—at what has now become a crime scene. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the blood-collecting kit I found at that same crime scene is probably reduced to a pile of melted plastic by now, thanks to the explosion and resulting fire that took place just after we left. I know you mean well, and you’re eager to do the right thing, but as you can see, with my future looking so bleak, I can’t possibly call the very people who are actively prosecuting me, and expect them to help me.”
Tommy was awestruck. He couldn’t have delivered it better.
Mateo responded by flashing his palms in surrender and following them all out the door. “Listen,” he said, “I think I’m going to sit this one out.”
Tommy grinned. The news had never been sweeter.
“I have a dinner meeting I can’t miss, and there’s no way I can go all the way out there and do . . . whatever you plan to do, and make it back in time.”
“And Heather?” Tommy fixed his gaze on Mateo’s. “Will she be at your dinner meeting?”
Mateo raised a brow.
Tommy shrugged and looked to Layla just in time to catch her narrowing her eyes and frowning at him.
While he didn’t exactly enjoy being on the receiving end of her judgmental look, in the end, his point was made. Mateo was missing the field trip so he could hang out with Heather. He figured Layla could use the reminder.
“Oh, and I think we should take two cars,” Aster said, ushering everyone to the elevator bank. “Just in case, you know?”
“In case what?” Layla squinted.
“In case you two change your mind.” Aster shot them each a pointed look, and Tommy made no move to argue. A couple of hours alone in the car with Layla was something he looked forward to.
THIRTY-SIX
EVIL WAYS
Breaking News: Office Park Explosion Possibly Linked to the Disappearance of Madison Brooks?