Of course, I can’t bring up just how bad Emmett’s jealousy over Malcolm is. He’d never come if he knew how bad that was. I can only hope he’ll set that aside in light of the news. After all, Emmett asked me to try and set aside my jealousy towards Vivian, considering everything that’s happening. He should be able to do the same.
“If you say so.” He finally nods hesitantly. “I’m willing to try.”
Malcolm prints off large stacks of all of the data before we jump into his car and drive out to Emmett’s motel. I’m relieved his car is outside. If it hadn’t been, I’d have gone into a paranoid fit thinking he was still with Vivian.
“Stay here for a minute,” I tell Malcolm as I unbuckle my seatbelt. “Let me catch him up to speed a little before he sees you.”
“Sure.” He nods with an understanding smile.
I take a deep breath as I walk to his door. I’m still angry with him, but I try to push all of that away in the hope that this will change things.
“Ophelia!” he shouts as he flings open the door, yanking me into his arms. “Where have you been? I waited by your car after practice and never saw you. I’ve been worried sick. I went by your house and everything!”
“Why didn’t you just call me?” I cut my eyes into him, still wondering if he was really with Vivian all afternoon.
“I did!” he shoots back. “Like a hundred times.”
I pull my bag around my shoulder and fish out my phone. The screen is black and not turning on. “Oh, I’m sorry…it’s dead. I didn’t realize.”
But Emmett’s eyes have already settled on the car behind me—on Malcolm waiting inside. “What the fuck,” he growls. “What is he doing here?”
“That’s what I came to talk to you about.” I wave for him to get out of the car and come to the door. “Can we come in?” I push past Emmett before he even has a chance to answer. “Malcolm may have found out something that could help with your sister.”
“You told him about Bernadette?” he thunders, not taking his rageful eyes off of Malcolm.
“I know I shouldn’t have, but we can talk about that later,” I insist hurriedly. “But right now, you really need to hear about what we found.”
“What the fuck are you doing hanging out with her, Malcolm?” Emmett fumes as he marches up to him. “You know she’s mine. You need to back off.”
“Listen, man…I don’t mean any harm.” Malcolm’s hands fly up in surrender, but his tone is even and cool. “I don’t want to cause any trouble between you two. I just want to help.”
“Emmett, please…” I go over and place a hand to his chest, hoping to calm him down. “Just listen to him. It could help us find your sister.”
“Alright, let’s hear it, old buddy,” he says condescendingly, crossing his arms. “Just what is it you think you know about my sister?”
“I traced her phone and went through her messages and calls. Here, I printed it all out for you so you could see for yourself.” Malcolm holds out the stack of papers, but Emmett doesn’t budge to take them. Malcolm tosses them onto the bed next to him instead. “Her last location before her phone dropped off was at Jameson Mall. And she was there with Vivian and Lily.”
“Oh, wow…” he coos cynically “So you mean my sister went to the mall with her friends? Shocking.”
“There’s more,” I insist, holding my hand up to get him to keep listening.
“There was some suspicious communication between Lily and Vivian,” Malcolm continues. “Makes it look like they were planning something against Bernadette.”
“Yeah…those girls are all malicious bitches to each other, you know that.” He shrugs. “They were probably just planning a revenge prank or something like that. This doesn’t prove they’re behind her disappearance.”
“Did you ask Vivian about it yet?” I ask him, growing frustrated.
“She says she doesn’t know anything,” he answers plainly, looking away from me.
“I guess it took her all day to tell you that,” I mutter.
“What?” he bellows.
“Nothing.”
“I want to know what the fuck you two were doing together in the first place,” he demands, bucking his chest up. “Why did you tell him about all of this?”
“We’re just friends, man,” Malcolm offers lightly.
I put myself in Emmett’s path, trying to redirect his attention back to me. “He came back to the track to say hi and saw that I was upset.”
“I bet he did,” he smirks with disgust.
“Stop it! That’s enough!” I snap. “He was just trying to cheer me up, and that’s when I let everything slip about Bernadette. I was upset for you and didn’t know how to help.”
“So, you help by hanging around with this dick?” He glares at Malcolm with hatred in his eyes.
“Malcolm was the only one around when you were off somewhere with Vivian!” I shout back.
“I told you I didn’t want you hanging out with him!” he roars at me before turning back to Malcolm and charging towards him with alarming force. “But since that didn’t sink in, let me try telling you! Stay the fuck away from her!”
“I better go,” Malcolm announces, stepping back toward the door.
“No! You stay!” I command. “Emmett, you’re being ridiculous! Are you not hearing what we’re saying? Vivian and Lily were the last ones to see Bernadette! They can’t just slip their way out of this one. They need to be seriously interrogated.”
“I talked to them at lunch today. They don’t know anything,” he insists. “They’re just as worried as we are.”
“Did they say anything about the mall?” I ask in annoyance. “Or when they last saw her?”
“They mentioned something about the movies, but not the mall,” he replies.
“See!” I shriek, flailing my arms. “Why would they lie about that? Unless they’re not telling you everything!”
“Because they’re airheads?” he sneers. “I don’t know. They probably just forgot.”
“Fucking insane.” I shake my head, wrinkling my chin. “You’re still defending them. This is the first real lead we’ve found on anything and it points straight to them. And you’re still standing here insisting they’re innocent!”
“She’s right, man,” Malcolm backs me up. “I don’t think you should write them off so quickly.”
“You get the fuck out of here!” Emmett charges again, taking him by the shirt collar with clenched fists as he screams in his face. “I don’t want you having anything to do with this! And if you come near Ophelia again, I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Emmett! Stop!” I scream, rushing over to try and pull him off.
“I’m gonna go.” Malcolm tries for the door again. “Sorry for bothering you like this. I hope it still ends up helping somehow.”
“Fuck you!” Emmett pumps his fist. “I don’t trust anything you say or anything that comes from you.”
Malcolm ignores him and turns to me, making it worse. “Do you want a ride?”
I feel pathetic. I know how this must look to him. I should just leave with him now while Emmett is behaving this way. Threatening to kill people in a jealous rage, all because he’s too hung up on his ex to admit to himself that she obviously had something to do with this.
But I still fall back on blaming myself. I shouldn’t have brought him here. I feel like an idiot for not listening to him and realizing how badly it would go. I knew Emmett didn’t want us hanging out, I was just so desperate to turn things around for the sake of his well-being…and our relationship.
“No,” I answer finally with a heavy sigh. “I’ll walk you out.”
“The hell you will!” Emmett lurches forward and grabs my arm.
“Let go of me!” I jerk away from him. “I’ll be right there, Emmett…Jesus! What do you think I’m going to do? Hang all over him with you just a few feet away? Oh, wait…that is what you do with Vivian. So, I guess it’s not that far-fetched.”
With no defense and looking humiliated after being put in his place, he directs his rage back toward Malcolm. “Leave!” he fumes.
I ignore him and follow along outside, slamming the door shut behind me. “I’m so sorry, Malcolm. I should have listened to you. I had no idea he’d react that way.”
He shakes his head and pulls his lips to the side, looking at me with wide eyes. I know he’s judging me now more than ever. Emmett is looming in the window, tearing through the blinds to see us.
“Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” he offers again, with a pleading expression.
“No. It’s okay.” I turn around to see the impatience growing on Emmett’s face as he stares out at us. “Emmett will take me home. I’m sorry again.”
He finally accepts my decision and opens his car door. “Take care of yourself, Ophelia,” he calls out in a pitying tone as he gets in. “Call me if you need anything.”