You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
Author:Karen M. McManus [McManus, Karen M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2021-11-29T00:00:00+00:00
CAL
I only half believe what Iâm saying until Mateo sags against the wall, rubbing a hand across his jaw. âYeah,â he says tiredly. âI did.â
âWait. What?â Ivy asks. Her eyes are so huge, she looks like an anime character. âYouâve been selling drugs?â
âAutumn has,â Mateo says. âAnd Iâ¦havenât stopped her.â
My frayed nerves, already stretched thin from trying to decipher Charlieâs babbling while these two were getting cozy in the bathroom, snap at his words. âSo all this time, while weâve been trying to figure out what happened to Boney, you knew he was a drug dealer?â I ask. âYou saw him lying there with a syringe practically dangling from his arm and thought, Eh, probably not relevant, wonât mention it?â
âI didnât know Boney was involved,â Mateo insists. âAutumn wouldnât tell me who she was selling with. She kept saying, The less you know, the better.â
My first instinct is to snipe How convenient, and I force myself to swallow the words because I donât know where theyâre coming from. Do I think Mateo is lying, or am I just angry with him? Both? I need more information before I can decide. âDid you know about Charlie?â I ask, trying to keep my voice even.
Mateo hesitates. âNot exactly. But I saw the name on Autumnâs phone this morning, and she acted all sketchy, so I wondered if one of the people she was selling with was named Charlie. Then all of a sudden Boneyâs dead, and thereâs this list with his name circled, and Charlieâsâand mine, which made no sense. So I wanted to talk to Charlie about it.â
I glare at him. âBut not to us, huh? Even though we straight-up asked if there was any connection you could think of.â
âOpioids,â Ivy says faintly. âBut thatâs whatâoh God, I never told you, did I?â Mateo furrows his brow, confused, until she adds, âThatâs what my motherâs award is about. She was the lead statistician for the governorâs report on opioid abuse.â
Mateoâs shoulders slump even lower. âShit, I didnâtâI had no idea.â
I fold my arms. âWould it have changed anything if you did?â
He doesnât reply, and Ivy speaks up again. âIs that why you went into Charlieâs house alone?â she asks, her gaze fixed intently on Mateo. âBecause you didnât want us to know what Autumnâs been doing?â
I almost ask how brave she thinks he is now, but manage to bite it back. Itâs a cheap shot, and sheâs not the one Iâm angry with right now.
Mateoâs face turns a dull red. âYeah. I shouldâve said something, I know. Iâm sorry. I wasnât thinking straight.â He throws Ivy an apologetic, almost pleading look, and the fact that heâs worried about her reaction, when Iâm the one who just spent ten minutes trying to coax sense out of Charlie, makes my temper spike even higher.
âWere you thinking straight while you were selling Oxy?â I snap.
âI wasnât the one selling,â Mateo says, a hard edge creeping into his voice.
Usually, when Mateo sounds like that, I back down.
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