"You see, Clemence," says the warden, "I have a missing child here. Seventeen years old, but still a child. A lot of people are unhappy about that, and they're blaming me. That's not a good thing, as I'm sure you can imagine." "Sir, yes sir," I say. "And you know, we could avoid this whole unpleasant meeting altogether if you could just tell me where Finn is. Now." "Sir, I told the CO - " "Yes, but I mean, this is just between you and me, Clemence," says the warden. "Just you and me. I'll have your back. Nothing will be blamed on you. Nobody even needs to know it was you who tipped me off." "Sir, yes sir, but - " I stop. I look down at my notebook. I feel like even though I wrote it, it's got secrets from me. "Look, kid, I don't want to go out this way. Fine, if you won't tell me, tell them. We just need Finn. Dead or preferably alive." He stands, goes to the door, and three people come in. They all sit on one side of the table, me on the other. It's eight eyes to two. Excerpted from Whenever You Are by Martine Leavitt All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
