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tell them about the reading with Mrs. Tibbolt or play dumb. I decided to aim for something in the
middle. “I haven’t seen him,” I said, which was the truth. I’d never met Tevon before.
    “He went missing yesterday on his way home from school, around three P . M . Are you
sure
you haven’t seen him, Maddie?”
Agent Faraday pressed.
    I looked right at Faraday. “Yes, I’m sure.”
    He and Wallace leaned back in their chairs and exchanged a look. I didn’t like it—they thought I was lying. Wallace shifted in close to me again, still holding the picture at eye
level. “See, the thing is, Maddie, this boy is missing. And his mother seems to think you might know where he is.”
    My brow furrowed. What? Oh God, I thought. Tevon was missing and these guys didn’t know he was dead. Worse yet, the way they were looking at me clearly suggested they thought I
might’ve had something to do with it. I felt on the verge of panic, so I stuck to the truth—or a version of it. I shook my head again and said, “I don’t know the kid.”
This time I even managed to raise my voice a little.
    “Then why would his mother say you know him?” Agent Wallace asked casually, as if he was simply asking for a little clarification. “Why would she say that you might know where
he is?”
    I had no idea what Mrs. Tibbolt had said to the feds, and I felt like a rat caught in a maze with no way out. I tried to hold Wallace’s gaze. I failed. “I don’t know why
she’d say something like that. I didn’t know him.”
    Faraday sat up. Something I’d said alerted him. “You
didn’t
know him?” he repeated. “Why use the past tense, Maddie?”
    I gulped. I’d just said something really stupid. In the background, I heard the bell ring to signal the end of sixth period.
    “Is there something you’ve done that you’re feeling bad about, Maddie?” Faraday asked gently. “We’re here to help you, you know. But we can’t help you
if you won’t talk to us.”
    I didn’t trust him for a second. I shook my head again, staring hard at the floor. I was determined not to say another word. Anything I said was bound to get twisted around and be used
against me.
    Agent Wallace lifted the photo toward me again. “He’s only a kid, Maddie. If he’s hurt or needs help, you have to tell us.”
    I glanced again at the photo and quickly away. Tevon’s numbers kept floating there above his cap. 10-29-2014. The day before. Faraday said he’d disappeared around three P . M ., and I knew I had to think about my alibi. I’d gone to school, then home to find Ma drunk on the couch, so I’d headed to Stubby’s and hung
out with him until around dinner. Then I’d gone home again, gotten Ma to bed, and studied for a chem test. I went to bed around eleven, and I knew that Stubby could vouch for my time after
school at least. Guiltily, I realized I hadn’t thought about Tevon since putting his name in my notebook.
    Taking a deep breath, I worked up some courage. If I didn’t explain myself, then this thing could get way out of control really quick.
    “Listen,” I began, trying to choose my words carefully. “Mrs. Tibbolt came to see me, okay? I didn’t go to her house; she came to mine.”
    Wallace nodded like he totally understood. “She told us you claim to be some sort of psychic.”
    I took another deep breath and tried to calm myself. They were twisting everything, and they didn’t understand. “I’m not a psychic,” I said. “I just see
dates.”
    Faraday cocked an eyebrow. “Dates? What kind of dates?”
    “Deathdates.”
    Next to me I heard Mr. Harris suck in a breath while Wallace and Faraday exchanged another look. I decided to push on with my explanation. “Since I was little I’ve been able to see
the exact date when somebody’s going to die. I don’t know why I can see it, but I can. So when my mom lost her job and we needed some extra money, we started charging people to have me
tell them their