"No speaking in Latin, head-spinning, or pea-soup vomit?"
Stella chuckled. "No. He said Jared would scratch lines and words into his skin until he bled. He urinated in his room. And he spoke Spanish and French, not Latin."
"Huh? Spanish and French?"
"Apparently so. Maybe Father O'Leary will give a lot more details during the interview. But all the expected possession details like the speaking in Latin, and the mention of demon names, and claiming to be Hitler or Beelzebub—none of that happened."
"Hmm. Not speaking in Latin is disappointing. Spanish and French are too common."
"Father O'Leary alluded to other supernatural events, but I guess we'll have to wait till Tuesday."
Lou licked the chocolate off his thumb and reclined in the chair. "If we're lucky, Mr. Smith will give us some information that might influence the priest to be more forthcoming."
"Perhaps." Chin in hand, she nibbled on the scone again. "How did your talk with Jared's friends go?"
"Good. I think they can help us form a better picture of who Jared was. Once they finally relaxed and trusted me, they seemed more eager to talk. But"—he gingerly shook his head—I think there's something they're reluctant to discuss."
"Why do you say that?"
"I don't know. A hunch."
"Well, their friend died during an exorcism. That would be pretty difficult for anyone to believe. Plus, Jared only died a week ago. It's possible they never experienced the death of someone close to them."
He dipped the second, and last, madeleine into his coffee. "We'll find out tomorrow."
* * *
Trevor's mother, Diedre walked into the house with a grocery bag in one arm and a black Coach tote purse in her other hand. When she saw Trevor and his friends lounging in the living room, she exclaimed, "Fantastic! Go use your muscles and help me unload the car."
"Sure thing, Mrs. Helms," Conner said. He quickly typed a text to Hailey—r u okay?—and then followed his friends out the front door.
He carried a Whole Foods bag into the kitchen and set it onto the counter. Trevor and Adam did the same, the three lingering as Mrs. Helms pulled food from the bags.
"How long have you guys been home?" She passed Conner, her perfume trailing behind her.
He'd asked her once what the spicy fragrance was, and she'd replied in her sophisticated manner, "Indecense by Givenchy." Ever since, whenever he smelled a similar scent, he immediately thought of Mrs. Helms.
"Couple hours," Trevor said as he tore open a bag of nacho chips. "We ate lunch and been hanging."
"And how was last night?"
Mrs. Helms was an intelligent woman. Conner had always thought so. And she was a paralegal. He suspected she might already know about the night at Adam's. In the past, she'd employed the trick of hinting, which usually prompted Trevor to confess a mistake or secret.
"Ah, you know," Trevor said, "It was fine."
"What did you guys do? Anything fun?"
The boys exchanged sly glances.
She stopped at the refrigerator and eyed each of them. "What's up? What was that look for?"
"What look?" Trevor asked.
"Hmm. So, what fun did you guys get into last night?"
Trevor leaned against the counter, resting his elbows on its surface. "We hung out with Miguel and Hailey and Jasmine. And Levi and Kayla were there too."
Trevor paused, whether for suspense or not, Conner wasn't sure. Then, rocking on his heels, Trevor sighed. "Well, we had a few beers, and then Adam's parents came home early and caught Adam and Conner having sex upstairs."
Her eyes widened. "What?! Adam and Conner got caught having sex?" She laughed.
"No!" Adam nearly shouted. "Not with each other."
Raising his eyebrows, Trevor smirked at his buddies.
"Not that I would care," Mrs. Helms said, searching a grocery bag, "but that would be a surprise, for sure. But you'd make a good couple." She perfectly aligned bottles of juice onto a fridge shelf, then turned. "So drinking alcohol, huh?"
"I know, Ma," Trevor moaned. "We're underage."
"True. But first, let me say, I'm glad you didn't drive home. But you're also eighteen years old now. I'm sure there'll be plenty of beers next year at college. I don't really approve, but . . . you've got to make smart choices, Trevor. All three of you, actually."
"We know."
She looked at Conner and Adam. "I hope the girls didn't give in to your sexual advances because they were under the influence."
"What?" Mildly offended, Conner responded, "We didn't get girls drunk and take advantage of them."
"I didn't think either of you would do that. But I still had to make a point." She folded a Whole Foods reusable bag. "What happened at the funeral?"
"His dad didn't want us there," Trevor replied as he gave Adam the nacho chips. "So we left."
"Really? I'd think that he'd appreciate having you guys there."
"Ma. His parents don't want anyone to know what happened."
"Oh, Trevor. You're not talking about—"
"His sister told us it was true."
"What? She did not."
"Yes, she did."
"That's nonsense."
Conner's phone chimed, and he glanced at Hailey's message: I'm fine, thanks. How are you doing?
While Trevor and his mother continued their discussion, Conner seated himself at the breakfast nook and responded to the text.
I'm ok. R u going to avoid me now?
Adam munched on chips and watched Mrs. Helms and Trevor carry on about possession and exorcism. When Trevor mentioned Lou and Dave, she reacted with clear disapproval.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?" Trevor asked.
"Why the hell would you want to participate in something like that? That's something that'll follow you around for years and years."
"Jared's dad is going to talk to Lou."
"What? Who told you that?"
"Lou."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. It's probably not even true."
No, I'm fine. I'm not going to avoid you. Promise.
ok good. Maybe I'll see u later or tomorrow
(smiley face)
Mrs. Helms called out Conner's name, and
