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spent
staring at your head.”
    “You were always telling me
to shut up.”
    “You were noisy,” he said. 
“And it got you to turn around and look at me.”
    I laughed.  “That’s
diabolical.”  I grabbed my purse, pulled out a pen and a piece of paper then
wrote down my home and cell numbers.  “Here.”
    A half smile teased his
lips.  “See, I got your number.”
    “Yeah, and I’ve got yours.” 
I scooted out of the booth, dragging my purse behind me.
    Dane did the same, except
without the purse, and slipped on his suit jacket.  He pulled a white business
card and a gold pen from his pocket and wrote something on the back of it. 
“Here are my numbers—business, home, cell.  If you need any help or get into
trouble, give me a call.”
    I shoved his card in my
pocket as we left The Burger Barn, then crossed the street at the light.  A
large black SUV with tinted windows slowed to a stop across the road.  I remembered
seeing one just like it outside the diner the day Axton disappeared.
    Black SUVs weren’t a rarity. 
I saw them all the time.  But ever since Axton gave me his backpack, I’d been
paranoid about everything.  I blinked as the car drove off and thanked Dane for
his help. 
    As I watched him walk away,
the wind tugged at the edges of his suit jacket and lifted his tie, which he
caught and held down with one hand.  Tilting my head, I admired the view.  He
sure hadn’t been this cute in grade school.
    Standing in the middle of
the street, Dane turned around.  “Hey, be careful.  You don’t know what kind of
trouble Axton’s in and I don’t want you to wind up missing, too.”

Chapter 6
     
     
     
    My phone was beeping when I
got back to my apartment.  I dropped my purse and yanked the phone from its
charger, hoping it was a message from Axton.  It wasn’t.  It was from my
ex-boyfriend, Kevin. 
    Punching the delete button,
I put Kevin from my mind and tried to work up the courage for what I had to do
next.  I reminded myself I was doing this for Axton.
    I took a deep breath and
dialed the number.
    “Hey, Mom,” I said when she
answered.
    “Rosalyn?  What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.  Why?”
    “Something truly
catastrophic must have happened.  Why else would you be calling?”
    I went on cheerfully as if
she hadn’t said anything at all.  I found this was the best way to deal with
her—really the only way that didn’t involve heavy meds or jail time.  “Do you
happen to have Packard Graystone’s phone number?  You know, Axton’s brother?”
    She clicked her teeth. 
“Yes, Rosalyn, I know who Dr. Graystone is.  Why on earth would you need his
phone number?”
    I rolled my eyes and held
back a sigh.  Nothing was ever easy.  “Axton’s gone missing and I was wondering
if Packard had heard from him.  I just want to be sure Ax is all right.  Oh,
and I need his mom’s number, too.” 
    “I don’t know if I feel
comfortable with this, Rosalyn.  You might worry them unnecessarily.  He’s
probably out getting high .”  She whispered the last two words.
    “Fine, Mom, just forget it.”
    “All right, Rosalyn, calm
down.  There’s no need to get upset.”
    “Do you have their numbers
or not?”
    “I don’t know.  It may take
some work to get them.” 
    She waited two beats for me
to tell her how grateful I was.  I left her waiting.
    “Be here for dinner
tomorrow, eight sharp.  I may have them by then.”  And she hung up on me. 
    Well played, Mom.  Well
played.
     
     
    The campus of Huntingford
City College covered three acres of land.  There were a total of six trees, the
leaves of which had started turning red and gold at the tips, and one gently
rolling hill amidst its four squat buildings. 
    I won’t bore you with the
specifics of my ethics test.  I was bored enough for all of us.  As soon as
class let out and I cleared the door, I called Axton’s home number.  The
minutes on my phone were racking up and my bank account was