Point Last Seen: Blood Will Tell Part 21

The truth was a lot more complicated. Everything had changed.

Nick still had so many things to decide. Who he was. Who he took after. Who he wanted to be.

But for now he was going to sleep.

CHAPTER 51.

NICK.

SAt.u.r.dAY.

EVEN IF.

Nick's mocha sat untouched as he waited for Alexis to walk through the doors of Stumptown Coffee. Ruby was coming, too, but it was the thought of Alexis that had tied Nick's stomach in knots. He couldn't bring himself to take a single sip, despite the lines of chocolate zigzagging over the whipped cream.

Remembering how Alexis always carefully counted her money, Nick had gotten her one, too. She deserved more than a house coffee. After a moment's hesitation, he had ordered one for Ruby as well.

Since he still couldn't use his right hand, Nick had had to make three trips to carry everything to the table. The doctor had told him that if the bullet had nicked one-sixteenth of an inch deeper, it would have hit bones or tendons. The way the doctor had described it, Nick was extremely lucky, even if he had lost a lot of blood from both the bullet and the razor blade. Maybe seeing all that blood would finally help desensitize him.

A tall blond girl walked in, loosening the wool around her neck. But it wasn't Alexis. When she finally did come in, should he hug her? Kiss her cheek? Tell her how pretty she looked? Because even though he hadn't seen her yet, he knew Alexis would look amazing.

Today was Sat.u.r.day, and it would be the first time they had seen each other since he had kissed her in the hospital. Or, as Nick liked to think of it, since they had kissed. Because he was certain there had been a moment when she had returned his kiss. Pretty certain, anyway.

Had she told Bran about what had happened between them? What did she think of Nick now? Could she possibly be interested in him as more than a friend?

The last few days had been a blur. On Thursday, he had gone back to school, graciously accepted the princ.i.p.al's apology. Everywhere he went, kids and even teachers wanted to hear more about what had happened. Yesterday, a TV crew had interviewed him right in front of school. One of the crew had tried to shoo away the onlookers, without much success, not that Nick minded. People who had never even noticed him before were now saying hi in the hall like they had always been friends. Especially girls. But always hovering in the back of his thoughts was the memory of Alexis and that moment in the hospital when he had pulled her close.

And here she was, pus.h.i.+ng her blond curls out of her eyes as she walked in with Ruby. They were deep in conversation about something that had made even Ruby put on the smallest of smiles. Were they talking about him?

He waved. "Over here, guys. I already got your stuff. My treat."

Ruby stopped short even as Alexis took a seat. "Why are you wearing a tie?" she demanded.

Nick looked down. The tie was yellow with tiny navy-blue dots. He had borrowed it from Kyle's closet. It made him look older. Not that he was going to tell Ruby that. "I had another interview this morning. With KATU."

"Did you allow that tie to touch any of our cups?"

"What?" He looked at Alexis, but she seemed just as confused as he was.

"n.o.body ever washes their ties. And they brush against all kinds of viruses and bacteria and just plain dirt." Ruby made a face. "If I go to a doctor and he's wearing one, I ask him to take it off and then wash his hands."

Understanding dawned. "Because it could transfer germs from a sick person to you," Nick said. "Just like that pulse oximeter transferred my DNA to Lucy."

"Otherwise known as a pulse ox," Ruby said. "Exactly."

"Don't worry. It didn't come anywhere near your drinks," Nick said, although he really had no idea. Ruby finally sat down but didn't reach for her coffee. Alexis had already picked hers up, and now she took a sip and gave Nick a grateful smile. With that smile, all the knots in his stomach loosened, and he picked his up, too.

Then she said, "Thank you. And Bran and I saw you on Channel 8 last night. You looked good."

The knots retied themselves. He set his coffee back down, untouched. "I made sure I didn't mention either of your names." For their own reasons, each girl wanted to fly under the radar. "The reporter told me they're saying the surgery to repair that guy's Achilles tendon was successful, although he'll probably always have a limp."

"I still don't understand why you had a razor blade in your shoe." Ruby's brows pulled together.

How could Nick explain it to them? "Everyone but you guys thought I killed Lucy. My dad even told me that he would look out for me in prison." He remembered the clang of the doors, the guard's stare, the smell of sewage and sweat, his father's dead eyes. A s.h.i.+ver ran through him, hard enough that his untouched coffee slopped over the edge of the mug. "Just being there to visit that one time was enough. I knew I couldn't face going to prison."

Alexis got it right away. She touched the back of one hand with a fingertip. Her nails were bitten to the quick, which made him forgive her instantly, made him love her even more. "Oh, Nick, you wouldn't have, would you?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. It was just a weird kind of comfort when I was desperate, you know?"

Ruby still looked a little bit lost, but Alexis nodded. "Are you going to see your dad again?" she asked. He could still feel the brush of her finger.

"I don't know."

"Still," Alexis said, "he is your dad."

Unexpectedly, her words stung. Maybe Nick could forgive his dad for what he had done, but that didn't mean he had to actually let him into his life after all these years. "Your dad isn't in your life, though, right? And you don't seem to mind."

"That's different." Alexis's mouth twisted.

"How?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

He made himself pull back. "I guess my mom still goes to see my dad sometimes because she still remembers the person he used to be. Same with my brother, but since he doesn't remember as much, he doesn't go as often. And I don't have any memories of who he was before. Not really." It still felt weird knowing just what a huge secret they had kept from him for years and years. He understood their reasons, but he didn't agree with them.

A silence fell over the table.

"Have you heard what Dimitri has been calling us?" Ruby said. "The three musketeers."

In her clumsy way, she was trying to change the subject, trying to save Alexis and Nick from feeling the pain she saw but didn't understand.

Still, Nick liked the sound of it. He raised his mug. "To us. The three musketeers."

They clinked mugs and smiled at each other. Friends.

Maybe that wasn't everything Nick wanted, but for today it was enough. As he looked from Ruby to Alexis, he put his mug to his lips and drank in the sweetness.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

A lot of Blood Will Tell revolves around DNA and its implications. DNA expert Daniel Krane, PhD, research scientist and professor at Wright State University and founder of Forensic Bioinformatics, graciously answered question after question. As I was revising the book, Nathaniel David Adams, a bioinformatician who works with Dan and who was also once an EMT, helped me get all the details right.

I met Dan through Lee Lofland, a veteran police investigator and founder of the one and only Writers' Police Academy, where Dan was a featured speaker in 2013. The Crime Scene Questions for Writers group on Yahoo was also a wonderful place to gather accurate information. And Robin Burcell, a former cop and author in her own right, helped me with information about questioning juveniles.

As for Portland County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue, it was modeled on the real-life Multnomah County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue (MCSO SAR). Not only does the group find people lost outdoors, but it also searches for crime scene evidence and recovers human remains. Jake Keller has volunteered with MCSO SAR since he was a teen, and he has patiently answered dozens of questions, including questions about knives.

Speaking of knives, thanks to the customer service folks at Global Restaurant Solutions and to the produce staff at both New Seasons and Food Front for not getting freaked out about my questions.

Kudo to my editor, Christy Ottaviano, for championing Nick, Alexis, and Ruby. Other wonderful folks at Henry Holt include Amy Allen, April Ward, Holly Hunnicutt, Allison Verost, Ksenia Winnicki, Marianne Cohen, Christine Ma, Angus Killick, Katie Fee, and Lucy Del Priore.

And this past year, my agent, Wendy Schmalz, and I marked our twentieth anniversary of being a team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

April Henry is the New York Timesbestselling author of many acclaimed mysteries for adults and young adults, including the award-winning YA novels Girl, Stolen; The Night She Disappeared; The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die; and The Body in the Woods, in the Point Last Seen series. She lives in Oregon. aprilhenrymysteries.com. Or sign up for email updates here.

OTHER MYSTERIES BY APRIL HENRY:.

The Body in the Woods, Point Last Seen series.

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die.

The Night She Disappeared.

Girl, Stolen.

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