Chapter 206

#73

The study door is closed and I am sitting at the dinner table staring at it.

Lucas is looking at me. Tyler has his elbows on the table and is pretending to check his phone, but I can tell from the angle of his head that he is watching the study door the same way I am. The lamb is getting cold in the serving dish and nobody is suggesting we finish eating, because finishing eating would require pretending that what just happened was minor, and none of us are good enough actors for that.

I last approximately three minutes.

“Stay here,” I tell Lucas as I get up. “Both of you.”

“Where are you going?” Lucas says.

“To check something,” I say. “I’ll be right back.”

I cross the hallway to the study door and put my ear against the wood but hea