Swipe

“Guys.” Blake shook his head, and then the slightest, bemused smile did cross his face. “He has no idea.”
    2
    “Starting fires—!”
    “ What were you thinking?”
    “It wasn’t me—!”
    “Who was it, then?”
    Once the smoke alarms had gone off, the scene in Logan’s room turned quickly from one of solitary, quiet horror into a frenzied chaos of anger and panic. Mom and Dad loomed over Logan, arms crossed and catapulting accusations, while he sat on the bed and tried repeatedly to explain in the calmest possible tones that there’d been an intruder, that he’d left a note, and that it was burning by the time Logan found it.
    “This has gone too far, buddy,” Mr. Langly said. “These delusions are dangerous.”
    It occurred to Logan to tell them everything. About Peck, about the murders and kidnappings, about DOME’s involvement . . . but he’d made a promise. And anyway, he had no evidence of any of it. He’d had enough trouble believing Erin’s conclusions while she held the case files right in front of him. If his parents didn’t believe his story now, they certainly wouldn’t believe him once he turned it into a full-fledged conspiracy. So Logan was stuck. He’d cried wolf one too many times, and now, with one right at his door, his parents couldn’t bring themselves to help.
    By the end of it, Logan got off with what amounted to a warning. “But no more acting out,” his dad said. And he lumped Logan’s “after-school romp” in with the rest of it.

    It wasn’t two minutes after they left that Logan was on the phone with Erin.
    “What’s up?” she asked, looking excited over the connection. “Any more clues?”
    Logan didn’t say a word. Instead he pointed his tablet toward the desk, toward the ashes and the puddle of water.
    “Is that—” she started to say.
    “A note,” Logan told her. “Burning at the time I found it. And someone in the window, watching me read. Now can we go to your dad, please?”
    Erin looked disappointed in him. “And tell him what? That you started a fire on your desk?”
    “I didn’t start a fire on my desk! Someone left a burning note!”
    “Well, you know that. And I know that . . . I guess. But it wouldn’t hold up. The kid covered his tracks. There’s no trace of him other than a couple of ashes you could have easily made yourself. Is there anything left of the message? Any words or handwriting?”
    “No. Nothing.” Logan’s heart sank.
    “Unless it said something so completely incriminating that . . . I mean, were you even able to read it?”
    “It said to meet at the Spokie playground at midnight. Or else.”
    Erin was still for a moment over the connection.
    “Or else what?”
    “I don’t know. Most of the message had burned away.”
    “But you’re sure about all this?”
    Logan nodded.
    “If you’re messing with me . . .”
    But the look on Logan’s face left no room for doubt. “Logan,” Erin finally said. “Do you realize what this means?”
    Suddenly Logan felt angry and righteous. “Yes! I know exactly what it means! It means they’re trying to kidnap me— tonight! ”
    “Can you get out of the house? Right now?”
    “No way,” Logan said. “The whole walk home I’m sure I was followed. No way I’m going back outside.”
    “So you’re just gonna sit there and wait for Peck to come get you?”
    “He’s not coming here. He’s going to the playground.”
    “Yeah, and what do you think will happen when you don’t show up?”
    Logan knew she was right. “Look,” he said, even more nervous now. “My parents are totally freaked out. They wouldn’t let me go anywhere right now if I begged.”
    “Well, can you sneak out?”
    “Are you kidding?” Logan asked. “Are you nuts? Of course I can’t sneak out!”
    “I can,” Erin said. And she ended the call.
    3
    She was at his window five minutes later. Logan jumped when he saw her, but he opened his stairway door.
    “If my parents find you here—”
    Erin put her finger to his lips. “They won’t,” she whispered.
    “We’re leaving.”
    Logan shrugged impatiently. And how do you propose we do that? he seemed to ask.
    “Tell them you’ve had a long day. You’re going to bed.” And before Logan could object, Erin was pressing the intercom on his wall.
    “Yes?” his dad answered through the speaker.
    Erin looked at Logan and nodded toward the microphone.
    “It’s . . . been a long day,” Logan said reluctantly. “Think I’m gonna