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This time he took it out. I saw Megan’s name before he turned the screen away.

Of course.

He looked toward Dad’s office, then at Sadie.

“I’ll be outside,” he said.

He left through reception.

Sadie waited until he was gone before she looked at me again.

“What happened before you went running?” she asked.

I closed my eyes. I wasn’t ready to hear myself explain it to her. “Can we not do that yet?”

She studied me, then nodded. “We can not do that yet,” she agreed. She didn’t move her chair away.

Dad came in and took the chair the officer had left. He was talking to me about the rest of the afternoon when Chief returned.

“We’ll get your school things tomorrow,” Dad said. “I’ve spoken to the office.”

I nodded.

I had expected a lecture about leaving.

Maybe it was waiting until we got home.

“I shouldn’t have cut class,” I told him.

“No,” he agreed. “And we’re going to talk about you leaving without telling anyone where you were going. That’s separate from what that man did.”

He said it firmly enough that I looked up.

“One doesn’t make the other your fault, Hazel.”

I nodded again.

Chief stopped in the doorway. His phone was back in his pocket.

Whatever had happened outside hadn’t made him look better.

Dad glanced at him, then got up when the officer called his name from the hall.

Chief stepped back to let him through.

I could see the edge of Dad’s sleeve beyond the doorframe.

“Who was it?” Chief asked him. “Give me the name.”

Dad didn’t raise his voice. “I’m a cop, son. I’m not about to send you on a hit. We’ll handle it.”

That seemed like a wise decision.

I stared at the water bottle in my hands.

I had already stopped wanting anything to do with the man outside the gas station.

Apparently Chief hadn’t started.