supposed to be a way to deal with the stuff that they had gone through, the abuse or inappropriate touching or whatever the hell they wanted or needed to call it. The Sin Eater was the master of the game.
'The Sin Eater's last message said that as long as I had the portfolio I was safe and that he wouldn't let anything happen to me,' Gibson told Timmy.
'Do you believe him?'
Gibson had to think about this before he answered. The game had made him feel in control, strong. Each time he signed on he felt like he had friends in the other players and their characters. He couldn't think of a single thing about the game that was meant to hurt him or take advantage of him or make him feel stupid.
'Yeah, I think I do,' he finally said.
'Do you think The Sin Eater's someone we know?' Timmy asked.
'No, I don't think so. I would have recognized him at the airport.'
'Maybe he wore a disguise,' Timmy suggested, inserting another fingernail between his teeth.
'I guess that's possible. There were an awful lot of people.'
'Can I ask you something?' Timmy sat forward in his chair, hands now in his lap.
'Sure, I guess so.'
'Why were you there?'
'Whadya mean?'
'Why were you at the airport on Friday?'
Gibson felt his face get hot and he avoided Timmy's eyes, looking at the TV as if suddenly interested in Ellen's next guest though he didn't have a clue who the guy was. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed. At least not with Timmy who certainly knew where he was coming from. Geez, Timmy had been through even worse…
Finally he said, 'I went by the school that morning to see if Sister Kate needed any help setting up for the Explorers' Program, but she wasn't there. When I went by Monsignor O'Sullivan's office he and Father Tony were sort of arguing. They didn't see me. I've gotten really good at sneaking by 'cause I don't like running into the monsignor.' He paused and Timmy nodded.
'I overheard him tell Father Tony he was leaving, flying to Rome that afternoon and not coming back. I know it probably sounds pretty lame, but I wanted to make sure he really was leaving. So I checked on the Internet what flights there were and went to the airport. I wanted to see him get on that plane. Only he went to the bathroom and he didn't come out.'
Gibson didn't like remembering the blood. It looked so red on that bathroom floor. He could even remember the smell. And that look on the monsignor's face. He shook his head, trying to get the image out.
'I wanted him to leave. I wanted him gone.' He heard his voice crack with anger and he glanced away again. 'I didn't mean for him to get killed,' he added, wiping at the threat of a tear with the back of his hand.
Now he looked at Timmy and dared to meet his eyes. He had shared this much. Why not go ahead and get it all out?
'But you know what? I'm not sorry he's dead. He was a real bastard.'
That's when they heard the front door of the duplex unlock and click open. Gibson jumped and so did Timmy. They waited, both twisting around to try and see into the entranceway. Was it Timmy's mom? Would she be pissed they skipped Explorers? Gibson knew his mom would be, except she wouldn't say she was pissed. She'd say she was disappointed in him. That was worse.
A man came around the corner and Gibson jerked back. He wasn't sure if they should run. His eyes darted between Timmy and the man. Timmy looked surprised and so did the man, which made Gibson push himself back into the sofa. He cringed, ready for an attack when it looked like the guy's surprise was shifting to anger. Yeah, the guy was definitely angry.
'What the hell's going on here?'
CHAPTER 72
Nick hadn't meant to scare Timmy and his friend. He was just in a lousy mood. He hadn't slept much last night. And then instead of checking out of the hotel he found himself asking if the suite was available for another night. What the hell was wrong with him? Was he seriously trying to screw up his engagement?
'Don't you have your Explorers' thing today?' he asked when it looked like both boys were too guilty to offer an explanation on their own.
'Um… we, uh… ' Timmy gave it his best shot, glancing over at his friend, expecting help. Nick didn't think his friend would be capable of offering any help. The kid looked like he was about ready to jump out of his skin.
'Your mom doesn't know you skipped, huh?'
Timmy finally gave up and nodded. 'We have a good reason.'
'Yeah, I'm sure you do and you'll need it when you tell her.'
'You're gonna make me tell her? Ah, come on, Uncle Nick.'
'Hey, I don't make the rules in this house. So who's your friend?'
'Sorry. Gibson, this is my uncle Nick.' Timmy waved his hand between the two of them as if that made the introduction official and complete. 'So where've you been the last couple of nights? I thought you were staying here.'
'I had a suite at the Embassy Suites.'
'The one down in the Market?'
'Yep.'
'Sweet. Does it have one of those minibars in the room with the five-dollar M amp;Ms and six-dollar Cokes?'
'Yeah, it does. So, Gibson, are you in the Explorers' Program, too?' Nick was beginning to wonder if the kid talked
'Yes, sir.'
Nick wanted to laugh. Instead, he smiled and shook his head. 'You can call me Nick, okay?'
'Okay.'
'So what's the deal? You two skipped just to sit around the house eating cereal and watching talk shows? Doesn't sound very exciting.'
He glanced from one to the other, watching them exchange guilty looks that seemed to include a scuffed-up backpack. They were hiding something. Didn't much matter what it was. Christine would be royally pissed when she found out Timmy was wasting her five hundred dollars, sitting around the house chewing the fat with his friend instead gobbling up all that explorer trivia.
Before either one answered there was a knock at the front door. Both boys scrunched down in their seats. Nick shook his head at them. Something was definitely up. This wasn't just about skipping school.
'Don't run out on me,' he whispered, pointing a finger at the two of them. Then he went back down the hall to the foyer. Kids! It was probably a delivery person and they're practically pissing their pants for nothing.
It wasn't a delivery person. The tall man with white skin, a hooked nose and black narrow-set eyes stared at Nick, probably surprised to find a man answering Christine's door.
'Can I help you?' Nick asked, trying to place the guy. He knew he had seen him before but where?
'Is this the Hamilton residence?'
'Are they expecting you?' Nick asked instead. And then he remembered. It was the guy from Our Lady of Sorrow. The one rummaging through the monsignor's office. The one Christine had had a verbal sparring match with. She couldn't possibly be expecting him and she would never have invited him to her home.
'I'm Brother Sebastian from Our Lady of Sorrow,' he told Nick while his eyes tried to get a look beyond and behind Nick. He got the impression the man didn't like having to explain himself, but he continued, 'Timmy Hamilton and Gibson McCutty didn't show up for class this morning.'
Nick waited, but that seemed to be all Brother Sebastian thought was necessary. As if that accusation deserved some sort of explanation from Nick.
