“So there were no phone calls to your house?”
“No. You remember my stupid excuse about why I’d come to the greenhouse — the flashlight, which, as you pointed out, wasn’t on.”
“When you lied like that, I was afraid that you were part of it.”
“You looked so betrayed — it was awful,” he said. “When I left the second time that night, I was terrified at what might happen to you and went directly to the police. I talked to McManus’s deputy. He drove by the house, but everything was quiet. He promised that someone would talk to you the next day, but he wasn’t as worried as I. You hadn’t asked for their help, and there had been a big party. Pranks happen.
“Anyway, this morning, when I learned about the knots and the fact that Nora was missing, I knew the situation was critical. I blamed you in front of Holly to make sure I was in solid with her. After we arrived at school, I made up a sudden errand. I called the police, talked to McManus, and rushed back here to talk to you. He, another officer, and I arrived at the same time. Rocky was barking and we smelled smoke. The woman officer and I ran to the boathouse, and McManus called for backup and fire equipment. You know the rest.”
“I thought you had turned against me,” I said, “and all the time you were trying to protect me.”
We had reached the end of Aunt Jule’s property and turned back.
Rocky emerged from the river and came galloping toward us. Stopping in front of us, he shook water all over. I backed into Nick.
“Good dog,” Nick said. “That’s one of the tricks I’ve taught him, shaking water on girls so they back into my arms.”
“Really! How smart of Rocky — and you, of course.”
“That’s another thing I’ve been wanting to tell you,” he said, turning me to face him. “I’m tired of getting jealous of my dog. I mean, he has nice eyes, but so do I.”
I looked from Rocky’s golden eyes to Nick’s laughing green ones.
“I didn’t enjoy the way Rocky got to stick close to you while I played Holly’s boyfriend. He’s going to have some competition from now on.”
“Oh, yeah? Are you good at retrieving sticks?”
“I’m good at stealing kisses,” Nick said, then proved it.