The Sixes

tiny little sweaters. That’s got to be her, Phoebe thought.

She hung by the doorway of the kids’ room rather than going inside and drawing attention to herself. A short time later, the black woman drifted into the section and began talking to the brunette. Phoebe strained to hear, hoping the women might call each other by name, but it didn’t happen. By this point, though, it was clear there weren’t any other salespeople, and Phoebe was certain the brunette was Alexis.

Phoebe made her way back outside, settled on a bench directly across from the Gap entrance, and called the store again.

“I’m planning to stop by the kids’ department, but I wanted to make sure that Alexis will be there today,” she said to the employee who answered. “She was so helpful to me the last time.”

“Yes, she’s here,” the girl said.

“Great. I hope she’ll be there during lunch.”

“Yes, she doesn’t take her break till two.”

Phoebe made a quick dash to the ladies’ room and then, after picking up a newspaper and coffee, began her wait.

At about one forty-five, earlier than predicted, she saw Alexis walk briskly out of the store. Phoebe jumped up and followed her until, a few minutes later, she entered the food court. After buying a soda and slice of pizza, the girl took a seat at a white metal table for two. Phoebe grabbed a breath, then made her way in that direction.

“Alexis?” Phoebe asked when she reached the table. She noticed that the girl had pulled off all the cheese from her pizza, and it now lay in doughy clumps on the waxed paper. Alexis glanced up casually, perhaps expecting to see a coworker or a friend. When she spotted Phoebe standing there, she wrinkled her brow.

“Yes?” she said.

“My name is Phoebe Hall. May I sit down?” Phoebe didn’t wait for a reply. She slid into the empty chair across from the girl. Though Alexis was pretty, up close Phoebe saw that there were angry red patches of rosacea on her cheeks and forehead, the kind of flare-up that was often stress-related.

“What—who are you?” Alexis demanded. She seemed flustered, but Phoebe also sensed anger beginning to boil beneath the surface.

“I’m a new instructor at Lyle College. And I was hoping to talk to you for a few minutes.”

Alexis’s face reddened even more, as if someone had suddenly held a blowtorch to it. She placed both palms against the table and shoved her chair back, making a metallic grating sound so loud and obnoxious that other customers snapped their heads to see what was happening.

“I already told people there last spring,” Alexis sputtered. “I have nothing to say.” She screwed the cap back on her Diet Pepsi, preparing to bolt.

“I know you went through a lot, Alexis,” Phoebe said. “And I know it must be hard to talk about certain things. But if girls are being bullied or intimidated on campus, we need to stop that immediately.”

Alexis stared at her soda bottle and shook her head quickly back and forth. She said nothing.

“Have you heard the news about Lily Mack’s death?” Phoebe asked.

This time the girl’s brown eyes flickered in response. “What about it?” she said. The lack of surprise indicated she’d already been informed somehow.

“We have reason to believe Lily was part of the Sixes. And we need to find out if they’re connected to her death in some way.”

Alexis had flinched when Phoebe said the name of the group, and now she was stuffing the remains of her pizza slice into the paper bag next to her.

“Will you tell me what they did to you, Alexis?” Phoebe said.

“Don’t ever contact me again, okay?” Alexis said, jumping up. “My uncle’s a lawyer. He can get a restraining order against you? Do you hear me?”

Phoebe didn’t like hearing the L-word. She had tussled with lawyers during the writing of each book, and she’d learned not to let them intimidate her, but this situation involved Glenda and the college, and she couldn’t risk causing trouble for either.

Phoebe rose from the table, but before turning to go, she tried to read Alexis’s eyes. The girl seemed belligerent now, more than a little freaked, and Phoebe half wondered if she would let out a scream in the middle of the food court. That would be fun.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you, Alexis,” Phoebe said calmly. “I’m sure this last year has been a terribly upsetting time for you.”

“You have no clue,” the girl said.

“Maybe I do,” Phoebe said. “The Sixes have been after me lately. They broke into my home and did something terrible.” She reached into her purse, dug out a business card, and dropped it on the table. “If you change your mind, please give me a call. I want to prevent the Sixes from ever hurting anyone else.”

Alexis’s expression had gone completely blank, as if she’d dove deep inside herself, though the patches of red on her skin seemed to be practically throbbing. Phoebe moved away slowly, hoping the girl might change her mind and call out, but she didn’t. After Phoebe had walked to the end of the food court, she glanced back discreetly. Alexis was hurrying away from the table, back in the direction of the Gap. The pizza bag and soda bottle were still on the table, and so, too, Phoebe assumed, was her business card.

Phoebe kicked herself all the way to the parking lot. She had blown it, totally blown it. And yet she couldn’t imagine what tactic would have worked with the jumpy girl.

She was all the way to the car when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, wondering if it was Glenda with news, or maybe even Duncan. The screen read, “Caller Unknown.”

“Yes?” she said, picking up.

No one spoke, though she could hear shallow breaths on the other end.

“Yes?” Phoebe asked again, her pulse kicking up a little.

“No one must ever know I talked to you, okay?” a strangled voice said suddenly. Alexis. So she had picked up the card after all.

“They won’t,” Phoebe said. “Trust me.”

“I mean it. If they find out, they’ll try to ruin me again. At my next school.”

“Why are they doing this to you, Alexis?” Phoebe asked. “Because you wanted out?”

“Yes,” she said, nearly in a moan. “And I said I would tell.”

“Tell about the group? What they’re up to?”

“Yes, I said I would tell the school. About them. About what they did. About the freaking circles.”

14

SOMEHOW SHE HAD to entice Alexis to meet her. It would be easier to elicit information face-to-face, and the girl would probably be less likely to bolt again if they made a personal connection.

“Can we spend a few minutes together, Alexis?” Phoebe asked gently. She felt as if she was tiptoeing toward a tiny bird, praying it wouldn’t fly off. “I think you’ll feel more comfortable talking face-to-face.”

The girl sighed, obviously undecided. Phoebe stayed silent, fearful of tipping things the wrong way.

“Are you still here—inside the mall?” Alexis asked finally.

“I’m just outside, in the parking lot,” Phoebe said.

Another sigh, this one practically a groan.

“I’ll meet you, but not in here,” Alexis said begrudgingly. “There’s this big dumpster—right behind Friendly’s. I’ll meet you there. And I only have ten minutes. That’s all.”