Emma woke with a start, cold sweat soaking Sutton’s pajamas. She was back in Sutton’s bed, nowhere near the windows. The glowing numbers on Sutton’s alarm clock read 2:03 A.M. She wrapped the covers around her and tried to catch her breath. She rubbed her eyes again and again, but she still couldn’t completely rid her mind of the dream images that flitted behind them. Becky had seemed so close, like she’d been lurking around the Mercers’ house, just waiting for a glimpse of her daughter.
It was the same wish she always had—that Becky was somehow keeping tabs on her and still cared about her life—especially during times of stress. But it was foolish. Becky didn’t care about her twins. She was reckless and self-absorbed and capricious. She had abandoned both of her girls without looking back.
Now one of her daughters was dead. And the other was living with her killer.
21
WANDERING MINDS
“Okay, major breakthrough for our party on Friday!” Charlotte trilled as she flopped into a seat next to Emma in the library on Monday afternoon. “I talked to the guy at Plush, and he can be our bouncer. And I got this awesome deal on hors d’oeuvres from this caterer my mom uses. Isn’t that amazing?”
Emma tried to muster a smile, though she was surprised at how loudly Charlotte was talking. Not that the librarian on duty, a college-age boy who had big headphones over his ears, seemed to care. Study halls at Hollier, Emma noticed, involved very little studying. Even the kids who were reading were looking at dog-eared copies of Vogue and Sports Illustrated.
“I got a lot done, too!” Gabby exclaimed, pulling up a chair. “Lili and I sent out invites over the weekend, and everyone seems really into it. Some people seemed a little nervous, since it’s on school property, but I have it on good authority that Ambrose and all the administrators are going to be in Sedona at that conference.”
“We’re totally in the clear,” Lili affirmed. “And we told everyone to park far away so the cars won’t attract attention.”
Charlotte grinned at Emma. “Our own dance, sponsored by the Lying Game!”
“Mm-hmm,” Emma said vaguely. She reached over to pull Sutton’s phone out of her bag, but the whole thing tipped over instead. Books spilled onto the carpet. Her water bottle rolled under the next table. Instantly, two girls sprang up and scooped her books into their arms. A guy she didn’t recognize saved her bottle and gathered Sutton’s makeup. Everything was returned neatly to her purse without Emma having to move a muscle.
“Typical,” Gabby said, rolling her eyes. “We’re back on top, now that everyone knows about the secret dance and wants an invite.”
“Is something distracting you, Sutton?” Charlotte asked, looking concerned.
“Of course not,” Emma said quickly, though she knew it sounded like a lie. She’d been thinking about Mr. Mercer all day, turning the case over and over in her head.
“So I’ve invited the usual people, plus a bunch of kids from the newspaper, student council, the fashion club, the crew team, and yearbook,” Gabby reported, smoothing down her plaid pleated skirt. “Lili sent invites to juniors, sophomores, and a few freshmen. We’re trying to keep it exclusive so we don’t get busted. The Devious Four are going to be so pissed, though—obviously, they weren’t on the list.”
“But we’ll make it easy for them to crash, right?” Charlotte asked.
“Uh-huh.” Lili tapped away on her phone. “And then we’ll nail them.”
Charlotte looked at Emma. “How’s Ethan coming on that video footage? I love your idea about projecting it onto the gym wall.”
“I think he’s getting pretty close,” Emma said. Actually, she wasn’t sure how Ethan was doing with the footage—it hadn’t exactly been at the top of her priority list. They’d spent the rest of last night in silence, looking up at the stars, and holding hands until Emma had to drag herself back to the Mercers’.
Emma shook her head. Mr. Mercer was certainly a good actor—he’d behaved like he had no idea where Sutton’s car was, going along with Emma’s story that it was at Madeline’s. He’d played the loving, if occasionally awkward, father to a T. Was it possible he was used to lying about things, covering up secrets? Was it possible he had a criminal past?
She thought about what Grandma Mercer had said about Mr. Mercer living in California for years before abruptly moving to Tucson shortly after they adopted Sutton. Perhaps he had a criminal record there. People didn’t become murderers out of nowhere, after all. Waiting until Thursday to search Mr. Mercer’s office felt so far off. Maybe if she looked into Mr. Mercer’s past, she could find some previous incidents that would help prove that Mr. Mercer had a violent streak.
A violent streak. I couldn’t stomach it. Had I ever seen my dad be violent before that night? If only I could just remember.
“Earth to Sutton,” Gabby said, waving her hands in front of Emma’s face. “Did you even hear what I said?”
When Emma looked up, Gabby, Lili, and Charlotte were staring at her quizzically. She wondered how long she hadn’t been paying attention. She brushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder and straightened up. “Um, totally,” she fudged.
The shrill blare of the bell startled them. Everyone rose from their seats and headed for the door, chattering excitedly, as this was the last period of the day. Buses idled on the curb outside. A line of cars had already begun to form at the exit.
Madeline was waiting in the hall, her coat on. Charlotte quickly filled them in on the plan to coordinate outfits.