I hurried off down towards the kitchen, barely able to hear the murmur of voices start up behind me. When I reached the kitchen, I swung the door shut behind me and flipped on the lights. I stood by the sink, staring around at the empty kitchen. I could almost smell the muffins that Ms. Higley used to bake in here, hear her slightly monotone voice dragging on about her kids or the preparations for the dinner. I did miss her, at least a little bit. Or maybe I just missed the muffins.

  The door popped open and Stenway slid inside, shutting it behind him. He pointed to the table and we both sat. I held the book on the table in front of me. “Who was upstairs?”

  “Some investigators.” Stenway leaned forward and reached out a hand for the book.

  “Why couldn’t I see them?” I pulled the book back up against my chest.

  “They would have asked for your book, and I want a look at it first.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve been here for all of it, T.J., I’ve seen everything that’s gone on, it will fill more holes in for me. I’d give it to them eventually.”

  “But it’s my book. It’s not evidence or anything.”

  “They haven’t been having a ton of luck with anything else.” Stenway shifted around in his chair. “I really think he came back in here after that night. I can’t see how.”

  I glared at him. I really wanted to yell at him some more for being in my room, and for Sydney getting hurt. I was entirely ready to blame that on him. But he was talking now and I didn’t want to stop it. “You think he’s still somewhere in the area?”

  “Personally, I do. He has so many connections to this town, that we do know. And he’s a very… personable man. People like him and would have no reason not to help him or say nothing if he asked them to.”

  “That’s what happens when you don’t tell people the whole truth. Like what lie did you tell Sydney to get her to take you into my room?”

  Stenway almost rocked his chair over backwards. He steadied himself and stared at me. “That… you turned that around on me very well.” He sighed. “I didn’t tell her a lie. I told her I needed information that you might have in your book. I'd walked her back to your house and asked if she’d see if you were home, and you weren’t. So she said she would go check in your room and… No, don’t be mad at her.” Stenway waved his hands. “I just got carried away and she was so willing to help. I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to go digging under your bed.”

  “And to use my sister against me. What, did you tell her if you could just get this one thing done, you’d be free to take her out to dinner again? If you could just get this thing off your plate, you could go to the movies after?” I was angry and just spitting out words now, so I was really surprised to see Stenway turn red all the way up to his hair. He covered his face in his hands.

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  “I really did mean it, too, I swear I did, T.J. I know I’ve treated her terribly, I’ve just had so much going on…” He groaned again. I sat there quietly, waiting. “I didn’t even call to see how she was feeling. I don’t know if I can come back from this.” I let him sit for a while.

  Finally, I tilted my book forward to let it thump down on the table. He looked up. “I’m still really mad at you, and I really don’t want to talk to you. But. I have some questions I want answered and I’m willing to trade my book for some answers. I’m not going to do anything about you and Sydney, I’m still probably going to have it out with her anyways. But I won’t tell her anything you’ve said. Fair?” Stenway nodded. “I’m going to ask you some questions first, then you can have the book.”

  “Why in that order? What if your information isn’t worth my answers?”

  I glared at him. “You were the one that broke into my room, remember?”

  He sighed. “Fair.”

  “You can also just not answer a question, or come back to it later.”

  “Alright, fine. Just let me check something.” He left the kitchen, but left the door cracked, enough for me to hear him calling for someone, then the voices die away into murmurs. Finally I heard his footsteps come back down the hall, then trip a little bit. I started up out of my chair, but burst out laughing as a cat screeched and dashed into the room. I giggled as I bent down and called Grumpy over, brushing his hair back into place.

  Stenway stumbled back into the room, grinning slightly. “Dumb cat.” He sat back down at the table, and I sat too, holding the cat on my lap as long as it would allow. “Go ahead, T.J.”

  “How did you get this job here?”

  “Through an agency.”

  “Did you want this job specifically?”

  “Pass.”

  I stared at him. “Pass?” He nodded. “Um, okay. Did you know about Mr. Left before you took this job?”

  “Yes.”

  I shifted a little. I needed to change my questions. “How was it working for Mr. Left?”

  “He was a very good employer. Didn’t micromanage, once I understood what I was supposed to be doing.”

  “What was your connection to Supers before working here?”

  He looked taken aback. “What?”

  “What was your connection with Super before this? Like did you know any, have any experiences with other Supers?”

  He leaned forward, watching me cautiously. “Pass.” I glared at him. “Look you gave me an out, I’m going to use it. Besides, no answer is an answer, of a kind.”

  I sighed. He was right. I decided to move on to questions closer to home. “How many investigators are in the house?”

  “At any time, two. I think there have been nine or ten different ones so far.”

  “Is that including the doctor, from that night?”

  “No, he’s not been back, except for the day after.”

  “What do they… do?”

  “They’ve turned the whole house upside down. From the tower to the very bottom of the lair.”

  “And they’ve found nothing?”

  “Nothing.” He sighed. “Not a thing. I’m really starting to believe that he was getting ready to leave soon, anyways.”

  I stared. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. “I mean, if he was about to start something big, he couldn’t keep his identity secret for much longer.”

  “If he could have gotten away with the box and the breakthrough from the lab, who knows what would be happening now. As it is, he is fully in possession of the technical details of the communication device.”