Chapter Eleven
I couldn’t sleep that night. I didn’t even try. I was sad. I was mad. I was totally confused. I couldn’t believe that I’d got myself into such a mess. I was only trying to be nice.
I turned on my computer. I was going to get to the bottom of this Tom and Devin thing.
I Googled Tom. There were tons of entries and they all said the same thing. Tom Orser married Marlene Nowlan, 1970. Two daughters, Jessica (born 1972) and Vivienne (born 1974). Marlene died of breast cancer, 1992. Tom married Cindy Schultz, 1995. They had the two little girls I knew.
I stared at the screen. I couldn’t believe what an idiot I was. I fell for everything Devin told me.
There was no way I could find out for sure, but I knew right then that Devin was lying about the recording contract too. I bet he even made up all that stuff he told me in the library about architecture. I bet he didn’t know a thing about building or music or art, for that matter.
I was so pissed off. I was so mad about the way he used me, played on my emotions, made me feel sorry for him. I felt like such a sucker.
I wanted to talk to Leo. Say I was sorry. Tell him what Devin did. I knew if I could just explain it to him, Leo would forgive me.
I couldn’t phone him right then, but I could write him.
I clicked on the e-mail icon. It took forever to open. Something was downloading. I hoped it was from Leo.
It was from Devin. He sent me some of the photographs he’d been taking lately.
They were all of me. Me walking to school. Me raking the yard. Me sketching at the beach. Me goofing around with the dog. Me buying a new toothbrush.
He’d written these stupid captions under them. “Your beauty inspires me.” “Pretty in Pink.” “Let me be your pet.”
I wanted to throw up. How did he get my e-mail address? How did he know where my house was? How did he get a picture of me at the drugstore?
I knew. The guy had been following me. It was no coincidence I kept bumping into him. And it was no coincidence that Leo was never around when I did.
I was suddenly totally creeped out. My mind raced through everything I’d done in the last couple of weeks. What had Devin seen? Had he been listening in on my conversations? Was he looking in my window when I changed? Did he watch what Leo and I did in the car? Was he watching me right then?
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I yanked the curtains closed. I looked around the room. He could be in the house right now. I wanted to run down the hall to my parents’ room, like a little kid having a nightmare. But I was too scared to do even that.
I sat there, shaking.
I knew I was being stupid. Devin couldn’t have been there. My dad had been home sick all day. No one would have got into the house without him seeing. I was safe.
I kept telling myself that. I had to relax. Everything seems scary at four o’clock in the morning. I finally pulled myself together enough to e-mail Leo. Just a short note. I was too upset to write any more. I said, “I know this looks bad. It’s not what you’re thinking. Let me explain. Call me. Love, Frank.”
Then I went to bed.
With the lights on.