Deep Betrayal

which were cracked an inch. Calder crouched below the window and gestured for me to do the same. From inside, Gabby’s voice carried above the others.
    “Are you trying to ruin my life, Jack? Y’know, it didn’t used to completely suck being your sister.”
    “Quiet, Gabby. Don’t make me regret letting you come,” Mr. Pettit said.
    “I’m sorry to have to call you down here, Martin,” said an unfamiliar male voice.
    “What else could you do?” Mr. Pettit asked. “Explain yourself, Jack.”
    There was a scuffle and the sound of a chair turning over. “Get your hands off me!” Jack said. “Someone’s got to finally listen. I’m not crazy.”
    “This has got to stop. This time you’ve gone too far,” Mr. Pettit said.
    “Your father’s right,” said the other man. “Wasting mytime is wasting tax dollars. I’ve got a limited staff. What if a real emergency comes in and you’ve got my people dealing with your bogus pranks? I can’t have that.”
    “Chief Eaton, I’m telling you that kid’s death was a real emergency,” Jack said. “A mermaid killed him.”
    “That boy’s death was a tragic accident,” Chief Eaton said.
    “You’ll be keeping Jack overnight, then?” Mr. Pettit suggested.
    There was a pause. It seemed Chief Eaton hadn’t been considering that. But then he said, “S’pose we could do a twenty-four-hour hold, if that’s what you want. We can look at whether there’ll be any criminal charges in the morning. Disorderly conduct most likely. And I’m sure the district attorney’s going to want restitution for the handcuffs and the window.”
    “That’s fair, Bob,” Mr. Pettit said.
    “Fair?” Jack cried. “Fair? I’m trying to stop a killer, and you’re asking him to lock me up?”
    “Oh, shut up,” Gabby said. “Serves you right. I’m so out of here.” Gabby’s flip-flops slapped on the floor and faded away. Calder pulled me toward the front of the building to cut her off on the sidewalk. The heavy doors scraped open, and we heard Gabby’s shoes on the concrete steps.
    “Hey,” Calder called. “Hey, Gabrielle! Wait up.”
    Gabby spun around and threw her hands in the air. “Oh, great. I was hoping I wouldn’t see anyone I knew.”
    “What’s going on?” I asked.
    Gabby turned her back on us and kept marching toward their van.
    “Gabby!” I called.
    She stopped in her tracks and threw back her head. “Fine,” she said. “You’re going to hear about it sooner or later.”
    “Hear about what?” I asked, running around in front of her. It was a terrible performance on my part—playing dumb like that—but Gabby didn’t seem to notice.
    “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe about Jack breaking in to the station last night. Or how about Jack handcuffing himself to a chair and swallowing the key. He’s become completely unhinged.”
    “No way,” I breathed.
    “Way,” Gabby said. “He refused to leave until someone agreed to investigate that Connor kid as a mermaid victim. God, I feel ridiculous even saying that out loud.”
    I massaged my temples. “What did they say?”
    “They laughed,” Calder said.
    “If I could be so lucky,” Gabby said. “No one’s thinking this is funny anymore. I tried to talk to him. Nobody’s going to ever take him seriously again. He told the chief it was only a matter of time before the next ‘accident.’ ” She made air quotes with her fingers.
    I put my hand on her shoulder as my insides twisted in knots. Gabby was in full rant mode now.
    “Jack got in a huge fight with my mom and dad last night, too. They said he’s throwing his life away. My dad’s not going to let him use the boat anymore. Jack went ballistic, of course. Threw a kitchen chair. Stormed out. Mom and I waited up, but he didn’t come home. Then this morning, Chief Eaton calls.”
    The front door of the station house opened and Mr.Pettit walked out, pushing Jack slightly ahead of him, his hand clamped down on Jack’s shoulder like a vice.
    Gabby muttered, “So much for the lockup. I can’t catch a break.”
    Jack stopped dead in his tracks and glared at Calder. “You,” he said, his hands balled into fists.
    Calder stared him down, his expression emotionless, while my heart crashed against my rib cage.
    “Guess who came to see me last night,” Jack said to Calder, spit flying with each word.
    Pavati , I thought. She made good on her promise to see Jack, after all . Would this make things better or worse? But then I remembered