“There’re things you don’t know, okay? Things that seem very strange-”
“Strange, that’s a good one. You know what seems strange to me? You. Yeah, you. The way you acted last week, on your big ego trip, then everything that happened with Mom, and now trying to blame my boyfriend, who I’m in love with. You’re the one I should be staying away from.”
“Marissa, plea-”
“Just leave me the hell alone.”
“Marissa… Marissa?… Marissa?” He realized she wasn’t there. “Damn it.”
“What is it?” his mother asked.
“She hung up on me.”
“Call her back.”
Adam tried but got her voice mail.
“Shit. Goddamn it.”
“What?”
“I think she turned her phone off.”
“Oh my God, so now how’re we supposed to get in touch with her?”
“Okay, let’s try to stay rational here. You’re getting very carried away, okay? There’s nothing to panic about. It’s not like she’s in any danger.”
“How do you know?”
“Let’s just wait, okay? Clements is probably on his way over there. The police have ways to-”
Adam’s landline rang. The display read restricted.
“Who is it?” Adam’s mother asked.
“I don’t know,” Adam said. He picked up and said, “Hello?”
“Dr. Bloom.”
“Hi, Detective Clements,” Adam said so his mother would know who was calling.
“Is it possible Xan has a roommate or uses another name besides the one you gave me?” Clements asked.
“Not that I know of,” Adam said. “Why?”
“We can’t find any listing for him in the entire city. There’s an Alexander Evonov in Brighton Beach, but you said he was living in Red Hook, right?”
“That’s what I understood.”
“It’s probably a different guy, but we’ll check it out. In the meantime, can you call your daughter?”
“I’m trying to reach her.”
“When you do, can you get Xan’s address and let me know it right away?”
Adam said he would.
With his mother hovering over him, Adam called Marissa several times and kept getting her voice mail before the first ring. There was no doubt her phone was off.
“Okay, let’s not panic, okay?” Adam said. “It didn’t sound like Clements was panicking. He probably knows that this whole idea of Xan having anything to do with any of this is very far out.”
“And what if you’re wrong? What if Xan killed Dana? What if he’s some kind of maniac?”
“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,” Adam said. “I’m absolutely sure of it.”
twenty- five
“Oh, God, that man is beyond annoying,” Marissa said to Xan. “Can you believe he told the police to talk to you? What is wrong with him?” They were on Xan’s couch, in the middle of the afternoon. He was holding her hand, caressing the inside of her wrist with his fingertips.
“Why would he tell the police to talk to me? I mean, I was with you when you talked to that cop, and if the cop wanted to ask me anything he would’ve asked me right then.”
“I know,” Marissa said. “But I have to admit it, it scares me.”
“Scares you how?”
“I think my dad’s getting desperate. Why else would he bring you, of all people, into it? Next thing he’ll be telling the police to talk to my freaking grandmother.”
“So you think he’s trying to take the blame away from himself?”
“Exactly. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to handle this- if my father really killed my mother.”
“Shh, don’t worry, you’ll get through it,” Xan said, squeezing her hand.
“I don’t want to see him again,” she said. “The sound of his voice just… just disgusts me.”
“Does he know where I live?” Xan asked.
“My father? I’m not sure. Why?”
“I just wonder if he gave the police my address, that’s all.”
“I didn’t tell him,” Marissa said, “but I guess the police will find you anyway. I’m so sorry my father’s dragging you into this, after all you’ve done for me, just being here for me. You’ve been so great.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Xan said, “You’re the only thing I’m concerned about. Is your phone off?”
Marissa nodded.
“Good,” he said. “Keep it off. You don’t need any more stressful phone calls today.” He kissed her gently on the cheek and then said, “How about something to drink? Water, Diet Coke?”
“Diet Coke would be great.”
He kissed her on the cheek again and then went to the kitchen area. She remained on the couch, ruminating about the phone call with her father, and then her gaze drifted toward the easel and one of Xan’s latest paintings. It was a large, abstract piece, and he’d used only red paint. He’d done a few other similar ones and had hung them on the wall. Maybe it was because he’d arranged the paintings in a group, but they really seemed to make a statement. For the first time she thought he actually had potential as an artist.
“I love your new paintings,” she said.
“Really?” he said as he poured the soda into a glass.
“Yeah, especially the one you’re working on now. It has so much emotion and passion. When did you paint these?”
“A couple of nights ago, before your mom’s funeral. Yeah, I’m pretty happy with them too. I guess I was just inspired.”
“Inspired by what?”
“I guess by what happened to your mom. It’s been very intense.”
Marissa was looking at the painting on the easel, noticing the deep shade of red. “It’s weird, isn’t it?” she said. “I mean, the way something awful can bring out art, the way art comes out of tragedy… I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m such a total mess right now.”
“Here you go,” Xan said, handing her the soda and then sitting back down next to her.
She took a long sip, then said, “I don’t know why everybody’s picking on you when you’re so great.”
“Who’s everybody?” Xan asked.
“Well, you said my grandma was giving you the evil eye, right?”
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t say she was picking on me. You said it was because I’m not Jewish, right?”
“Yeah, but still. And then there’s what Darren said at the funeral.”
“What did he say?”
“I didn’t tell you?”
Xan shook his head.
“Oh,” Marissa said. “I was such a mess that day I didn’t know where I was half the time. But, yeah, he came up to me, I think in the chapel, before the ser – vice started and paid his respects, you know, told me how sorry he was. I don’t think you were there. I think you were with my father.”
“And then he said something?” Johnny asked.
“Yeah, but don’t get upset or anything. It was just Darren being Darren. He can be so annoying sometimes. Anyway, he said something to me like ‘So you’re still with that crazy guy, huh?’ Or, no, maybe it was like ‘You’re
