Jeremy and Gen both know where we keep the spare key. And they’re the only people I told about the phone.
I squeeze my eyes shut. No. They were helping me.
But then I see the glint of that silver gun in my hand.
What if they pretended to be on my side again—just to find out what I know?
To help sow seeds of doubt between me and Seth?
Or—what if it was Seth, somehow? He came back from the city after me, followed me here, saw me leave with Sadie, and decided to search my room while I was gone?
But Seth doesn’t know where our key is, at least.
And then I remember.
Under the rock by the maple tree in the backyard.
I told Seth that myself.
So it could have been him.
And now I have nothing to bring to the police except that note and photo.
I’ll have to just tell Carter about the phone. I can testify that I had it. Take a lie detector test or something. Would that work?
I have no idea.
I almost pick up my phone to text Seth and ask him. And then I remember.
I’m on my own.
—
I go outside and remove the spare key from under its rock. Then, once Dad is home, on the guise of walking Sadie, I head to the police station.
I ask for Carter inside, but the woman behind the desk tells me he’s off duty until tomorrow. “If this is about the Montgomery case, Detective Ramsay is—”
“No,” I say quickly. “I’ll come back.”
“And you can’t bring dogs in here.”
I leave, feeling lower than ever.
No way am I taking this to Ramsay. Not now that I know about his sudden windfall last fall.
I’ll come back tomorrow. I’ll tell Carter everything.
And I’ll hope that’ll be enough.
—
That night, I push my dresser up against my door to the outside. Just in case.
I try and reconcile the note, the photo, and the gunshots in the forest with Jeremy and Gen. Maybe it was like Seth said. Jeremy got drunk, thought he was going after me, accidentally pushed Fiona, and has since been desperately trying to cover up his tracks, with Gen’s help.
Or maybe—and this gives me a little hope—Gen has nothing to do with this. Maybe it’s just Jeremy acting alone. And Seth was right, and the money Fiona needed had nothing to do with why she was killed.
Or maybe it’s been Seth all along.
He couldn’t have shot the gun, of course—but if he’s doing this for his father, he’s not working alone. He might not even have left the note himself. Taken the phone himself. Maybe he got Marion to do it. Maybe she’s just been pretending to be into my brother this entire summer to get close to us, get access to our house.
Or maybe it was Seth’s role to get close to me.
And I was stupid enough to let him.
42
The next morning dawns cloudy and gray.
I rise early, but I barely slept anyway. I kept thinking I heard someone coming into the house and went upstairs half a dozen times to make sure Davy was okay.
I need to go tell Carter. Now, before Dad and Davy are even awake. I throw on shorts and a T-shirt, take Sadie for the shortest walk ever, then run upstairs to check on Davy one last time before I go.
I creak open the door to his bedroom—
To find it empty.
I panic for a moment, then run to the bathroom, surely he’s just—
