They rounded the top of a hill, and Murray pulled up short.
“Is everything all right, Murray?” Jack’s dad asked.
The color drained from Murray’s face. “No. You know… I can’t.”
“What’s the matter?” Jack asked.
“No.” Murray took a step back. “Snitches get stitches,” he muttered.
“You’re not snitching,” Jack’s dad explained. “This man murdered—”
“What?” Murray looked back and forth between Jack and his father as if they might grab him. “I thought he just broke the light! You think he’s a killer?” He took a step away. “I didn’t see nothin’.”
“Murray, you could already be in danger.” Jack’s dad stepped closer. “If that man realizes that you could identify him—”
“I’m not identifyin’ nobody.”
“The police can protect you.”
“Get away from me.” Murray spun on his heel and hurried away.
Jack started after him, but his father grabbed his arm. “Let him go.”
“But he knows. He saw the guy!”
“I’ll talk to Clark.”
“But what if Murray chickens out? He knows, Dad. He saw him.”
“And right now he’s scared. We can’t drag him to the police station.”
“I can.”
His father shook his head. “You can’t legally.”
“So we’re just going to let him walk away? What about Jay? What about Stacy?”
“I’ll talk to Clark.” Jack’s dad reached for his phone and made a face. “Shoot, I left my phone on the hall table. We can go home and I’ll call him right away. Okay?”
As Jack stood there, fuming, the first drops of rain fell. He glared at the sky as the water hit his face. “I hate this cursed day,” he grumbled, and stomped toward the car.
They walked in silence the rest of the way. By the time they crested a hill and the parking lot came into view, wind was whipping across its surface, shaking the nearby trees. Then something caught Jack’s eye—a car parked in the far corner.
“Damn,” Jack said.
His dad frowned. “Don’t swear.”
Jack pointed at the silver Toyota. “That’s Michael Shaw’s car.”
His dad stopped walking. “Are you sure?”
“It’s the first car I ever tailed. I’ll never forget what it looks like.”
His dad stared across the parking lot. “Why would he be here now?”
Jack scanned the park. “Dad, why else? He’s here for Murray. He knows Murray saw him break that light. Murray’s in trouble.”
His dad frowned. “Even if you’re right—why wait until now? If Shaw wanted to hurt Murray, he could have done it any time.”
“Because I stirred things up,” Jack said. “He probably thought he was safe, and killing Murray wasn’t worth the risk. But Vargas brought him in again today, questioned him again, because of the GPS. It made Shaw scared. Now he’s trying to cover his tracks.”
His dad considered this for only a minute. “We need to get the police.”
“There’s no time.” Jack walked back into the park.
“What? No.” His dad grabbed Jack’s arm. “Haven’t you learned anything? We need to get the police.”
“But Murray’s out there. And Shaw might be with him already.”
“And Shaw could have a gun! Jack… are you going to risk your life for him?”
Jack felt the warm glow of adrenaline sweep through his system. “I have to, Dad.” He stepped backward. “You need to go get the police.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“There’s no time. I’m faster than you. I’ll run back to the bench.”
“We go together.”
They started running, but before they were halfway there, Jack’s dad was huffing and had to slow down.
“Dad, let me go on ahead. Trust me.”
His dad stopped and placed his hands on his hips. He ground his teeth in frustration. “If you see Shaw, run. Do you promise me?”
Jack nodded.
“Go.”
Jack took off like the lightning in the distance. The rain was already starting to slicken the asphalt. His eyes scanned the path and grounds. The wind gusted and the rain stung his eyes.
At the top of the next hill, he saw the bench. He raced down the hill, skidded to a stop, and peered through the thick rain. No one was in sight.
Jack cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, “MURRAY! MURRAY!”
The storm howled in response.
Jack searched the area, calling for Murray, but the man was nowhere to be seen, and by now the rain was really coming down. After a few minutes, he decided to start back toward his dad. Maybe he’d find Murray on the way. Maybe they could search together.