Read Shattered for Free Online Page A

is still missing.
    Estimated time of death is between ten and midnight last night.
    But it’s the location of this incident that made me so sick to my stomach that I vomited several times already.
    My mother’s body was discovered in Riverside Park, a strip of greenway that borders the river running through the city, right next to the Coliseum.
    It doesn’t take a genius to guess what my mother was doing there last night. Still I need to know. I push the key to access my voice mail; afraid to breathe, I listen to the female electronic voice telling me, “You have four new messages —” Before she can finish her sentence, I push the key to listen to my messages. The first one is recorded at 7:49 p.m. Friday. It’s from my mom, but I clench my teeth as I hear her speaking—she sounds very upset.
    “Cleo! ” Mom’s voice is tight but controlled. “I just spoke to Vera and she informed me that you and Lola have gone to the concert! She thought you took Dad’s car, which you know you were forbidden to do. I’m leaving Trina’s party right this minute. I am getting into my car and going home. If you get this message, I expect you to do the same.”
    The next message is also from my mother, about an hour later, but she’s still agitated. “Cleo, while I am slightly relieved to see that you did not take yourfather’s car, I am extremely concerned as to where you and Lola are right now. Vera maintains that you are at the concert, and her guess is that you took the metro to get there. I cannot even imagine you would do something so foolish, but she seems quite sure of it. So I am going to drive to the city and go directly to the Coliseum. It’s not quite nine yet, so I expect to get there before ten. I will call you as soon as I arrive so we can plan to meet and I can drive you girls home. I am so disappointed in you, Cleo. I cannot believe you did something so thoughtless. And I can’t believe you did it behind my back. Call me!”
    The third message is from my mother too. “I’m at the Coliseum. It’s 9:53. It doesn’t look as if the concert has let out yet. So I will drive around the neighborhood a few times until it gets out. Then I’ll see if I can spot you. But please call me as soon as you get this. I want you to call me!”
    I brace myself for the fourth message, but to my surprise it’s from Lola. “Hey, Cleo. We’re just stopping for lunch now. Mom’s been letting me drive. Last night was so cool. And, oh yeah, Mom says your mom called her a couple of times last night and that she sounded a little worried, but I reminded her that your mom worries about pretty much everything.” Lola laughs. “Anyway, I miss you already. And I’ll try to call you next time we stop, since Mom refuses to let me talk and drive at the same time—even if we’re on the most boring straight stretch and there’s not a car in sight. Later! ”
    And that’s it. “You have no more new messages,” the electronic voice informs me. I just hold the phone in my hand, staring at it like it’s a living thing, like it has the secrets of life inside it. Then I consider replaying my mom’s messages again, just so I can attempt to fully wrap my head around exactly what happened last night. But I cannot bear to hear her voice again. Not like that. So frustrated, angry, hurt... and disappointed. I don’t want to hear the desperate tone of her voice as she begs me to call her back. Besides, I’m pretty sure I know what happened last night... and why.
    I know who’s to blame for my mother’s death.
    Suddenly I feel like I’m going to vomit again, except nothing’s left in my stomach. Even so, I dash for the bathroom and, clinging to the toilet seat, dry heave until it feels like my internal organs are about to come out—and maybe I wish they would. Then finally I collapse, exhausted, on the hard tile floor, curl up into a ball, and just cry.
    I wish I were dead.
     

. . . [CHAPTER 6] . . . . . . . . . . . .
     
    S ince I