by Tara Brown
Lainey stood up in the shallow end and gave me a look. “So the killer could be a girl or a boy?”
I nodded. “They think she was getting it on in the woods right before she was killed. She got strangled and died and then the rest happened.” I left out the parts that made me want to vomit.
Lainey winced. “Rachel always did like a good choking.”
“What?” My jaw dropped. “You knew?”
“Everyone knew. I mean, like everyone but you and Sage. Sierra for sure knew. She’s the one who accidentally let it slip to me.”
“I can’t believe you didn't tell me.”
“Your generation is screwed up,” my dad grumbled and got up, heading inside and away from the conversation.
Lainey cringed. “I didn't want to know. I assumed you didn't either.”
“I don't but it almost makes sense. Vincent’s idea is actually sound. He thinks the crazy person was watching Rachel in the woods, and when they realized she was dead from strangulation, then they did the rest of the other stuff.”
Lainey started floating again. “That does make sense. We know someone is watching us all. They could be watching us right now. It’s alarming.” She sounded calm, eerily.
That lifted the hairs on the back of my neck and made me spin around. I didn't see a dark hooded figure or anything else, just the ocean and the downward sloping yard with a long boardwalk to the sea and tall grass along the sides of it.
I lay back in the water and tried to process it all. Nothing made sense except what Vincent had said. That made perfectly horrible sense.
Voices caught my attention and I lifted myself upright again, treading water and scowling as two men in suits came out onto the patio with my father. He was on the phone, seeming a little panicked. His eyes met mine and he nodded at the towels on the chairs. I swam to the edge and hopped out, grabbing my towel and wrapping it around myself and then carrying Lainey’s to her.
Her squinting eyes widened when she saw them and she swam to me. When she climbed out I could read her expression like a book. She was scared and I knew exactly why. Even without her glasses she could see what they were.
I gave my dad a look as he hung up and walked to me. He stood between me and the men. “Lindsey and Lainey, these are special agents Ford and Burnett. They are with the FBI.” He smiled at them, turning his back on us completely. “As soon as our attorney gets here, we will begin.”
My entire body was pins and needles. I swallowed hard, sensing the two men’s eyes on me in an uncomfortable way. “Can we get changed?”
My dad nodded and held his hand out. “Please.” Lainey and I scooted past them and hurried inside. Lori went by us with a tray of drinks for the men. She offered a sympathetic look as she hurried outside.
“We are so screwed,” I whispered as we climbed the stairs to my room.
“We didn't do anything, Linds. We really didn't.”
“I know but I feel so guilty.” I pulled on a terry-cloth beach shirt Louisa hated more than life itself and a pair of thick shorts.
Lainey hauled on some capri pants and a tee shirt. We bunched our wet hair into headbands, and she did a ponytail with her long tresses.
She threw on her glasses and sighed. “We need to wear extra deodorant and some of that pheromone perfume I have. It’s made for people who get nervous. We don't want to smell like we are anxious.” She rooted in her bag, brought it out, and slid some on her wrist. I finished putting on deodorant and held out my wrists.
We both turned and walked out the door. Halfway down the hall, I grabbed her arm. “Do you think the other girls have been interviewed?”
“Uhm, I don't know. Maybe. They would have sent us a text I think. I have nothing.”
I pulled out my phone and texted Sage, Sierra, and Rita: FBI is at my house. Lainey and me are about to be interviewed.
Sage sent a scared emoticon and Sierra messaged back: My dad and me are coming to your house now. They want to talk to us about that night. We all need the same story. They don't have anything on us, I don't think.
Rita sent a sad emoticon.
I looked at Lainey. “What was the story again?”
She texted the story into the chat: We got there late, meeting Rita at the party. She was there early to help Rachel. Rachel and Ashton broke up as we arrived. He left the party as Sage and Rach started fighting about it. Rita, you were with Sage the entire night. Rachel was being a dick as usual. Me, Sierra, and Lindsey ignored it and all partied together. We noticed later on that Sage and Rita weren’t feeling well. We brought them to Sierra’s house, but her dad wasn't home so we went to Lindsey’s house and her dad took them to the hospital while the rest of us went in the hot tub. We left the party around eleven. We saw Ashton leave before us. Vincent was there, still at the docks around eleven, and he was trashed. We didn't see anyone else we remember. Sage, you and Rita remember nothing, exactly the way you actually are.
I read her text and nodded. “Right. It’s essentially what happened except the part in the woods.” I lifted my gaze. “The one part someone took a lovely photo of.”
Her eyes told me she was worried too. “We got this.” She pushed her glasses up nervously and turned and walked down the stairs. Sierra and her dad walked in as we got to the bottom of the stairs.
He gave us a fierce look and lifted his long finger in our faces. “Say nothing. Let me do the talking. When they question you, let Sierra do the talking.” He stormed through the house, leaving the three of us behind.
I gulped as Sierra leaned into Lainey and me. “I wish this week was over already.”
I nodded, not even certain what day of the week it was. I couldn't be sure, but I had an idea it had been six days since Rachel had died.
The three of us walked back out onto the patio, hanging back and no doubt looking guilty as hell.
Sierra’s dad was talking, shaking his head and looking confident. He was a master of this stuff.
He waved us over. “You can ask them questions all together. They have nothing to hide, but they are traumatized and you are strangers with no warrants. So don't push your luck.”
We sat at the patio breakfast table as the two older-looking men sat across from us. They both smiled and tucked their matching sunglasses away. They reminded me of the Men in Black, only they were both white and one was sort of out of shape for an agent. He was sweaty and uncomfortable looking in his monkey suit.
“Hello, ladies. I am Special Agent Ford. This is my partner, Special Agent Burnett. We are here because of your friend who was killed. We’re investigating it because it’s a very violent crime for such a sleepy town.”
I nodded as Sierra sighed and spoke like she was broken up about it, “Very violent. We heard from friends how bad it was.”
His gaze narrowed. “You didn't see anything then?”
I hesitated answering because a no was a lie and a yes was a place I didn't want to go. Sierra shook her head, shrugging like a pro. “We were dancing together the whole night. We didn't see anything. We wish we had. We could have saved her maybe.” There was a serious amount of truth in that statement.
I nodded along, not even looking at Lainey. I was sure her face told them all sorts of truths.
“What time did you arrive?”
“Late. Like nine maybe. I didn't look at the clock, but the party was in full swing and we were late,” Sierra continued, answering for us all. “Rachel let us know that. She went at me and Sage as soon as we got there. We were supposed to be there for seven to help set up and only Rita showed up early to help out.”
I had missed that, but Lainey and I had been on our own in the beginning.
Ford’s eyes darted to me. “You all arrived together?”
I nodded as Lainey answered, “Me, Sage, Sierra, and Lindsey did.”
Sierra blurted, “We met up with Rita there. She and Sage were sort of doing their thing all night.” She lifted her hand and made a signal for drinking. Her dad scowled and twitched
his head in a no.
“And then what happened?” Ford pressed me, leaning in a bit.
“We found Sage and Rita and they seemed really trashed, like scary drunk. So we took them to Sierra’s house but her dad wasn't there so we came to my house.” I shook my head like I had given up everything.
Lainey shrugged, sounding nothing like herself. “And the party was a bit brutal anyway. Ashton, Sage’s brother, had broken up with Rachel and he had left, really pissed off. And Rachel was being a tyrant, shouting and bitching. It was intense. She’d been in rough shape all night from the fighting. I don't think anyone really spent much time with her.”
Agent Ford nodded, looking like he completely ate up her story. Which was true. She hadn’t lied. That had all happened.
“So you went where after the party?” The man’s eyes hit me. He was asking me directly again.
I opened my mouth and sighed my answer, “Well, we went to Sierra’s and then came back here, but Sage and Rita were sick. They were too drunk, we thought. But after a while they weren’t getting better so Dad took them to the hospital. He was pretty mad at us all. And we went in the hot tub to try to relax before we went to bed.”
“When did you find out that Rachel had died?” His eyes stayed with me. I was clearly the weakest link.
“Facebook and the news the next day. My stepmom saw it and told us. She started screaming, and when I saw it I dropped the phone.” I relived the image and shuddered.
“Did you see anyone who was suspicious or new to the party scene that night?”
I nodded before I could stop myself, still lost in the moment I had, remembering seeing the Facebook post.
“Who?” he asked, suddenly looking annoyed.
“There was a guy with a beard. It’s summer. We don't really hang with guys who have beards in the summer. It was weird.” Again it was the truth.
He cocked an eyebrow. “That's it?”
The three of us looked at each other, shrugging. “I guess so,” Sierra offered.
Her dad winked at us. My dad still looked like he might poop his pants, but he was the one who had been on cleanup duty.
Agent Ford glanced over at the silent and creepy Burnett and shrugged. “Satisfied?”
Of course the silent one was the boss; he was the one analyzing us. Burnett shook his head. “I just have one question. Did you see Vincent Banks at all that night?”
I nodded. “I did. Twice. He was talking to Sage and Rachel, I think trying to get them to stop fighting, but Rachel was being a dick and Sage was drunk so he left them alone. I watched him stumble back into the crowd. Then about an hour later, the second time I saw him, he seemed pretty trashed. He was on the docks, from around ten thirty to just about eleven with me. We left just before eleven, and he was the last person I was with. I had gotten sweaty dancing and needed to cool off. So I went to the docks and Vince was there, chatting with me. Then I found Sage and Lainey again and we left with Sage and Rita and Sierra.” It was almost the truth.
He nodded. “Andrew Henning has an alibi for the time period and so does Jackson Van der Wall.”
I pursed my lips, hating the name Jackson, almost as much as Jake did, hence the reason he went by Jake. “Yeah, I saw Jake a lot, dancing and goofing around. I don't remember seeing Andrew much, but he was probably getting high.” I said it and then winced. The men both laughed but neither of our fathers did.
“We aren’t too worried about some pot, more so the other stuff. The cops can worry about what you kids do at your parties.” Ford laughed but Burnett smiled and turned back to our fathers. “I would imagine the police around here know which kids to bother and which not to.”
My dad took offence to that but Sierra’s spoke cockily to them both, “I think this is done. These girls want to mourn their friend and move on. I’m sure you can understand why they don't want to keep rehashing the details. None of the five of them were anywhere near the Swanson house when the terrible acts occurred.”
Both men stood and offered their hands to our fathers. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen. If we should have any follow-up questions we will be in touch. So far, all the kids are saying the same thing. Jacks—Jake, as you call him, recalls seeing you, Miss Bueller, and Vincent Banks on the docks at about ten thirty. And he recollected you two dancing around then as well.” He nodded at Sierra and Lainey. “And he and several other youths remember you girls arriving late and Miss Swanson making a fuss over it. It’s remarkable two hundred kids all remember the same things.” His eyes darted to Sierra’s dad.
Mr. Casey’s eyes widened but he laughed. “If they all saw it that way, it must be true.”
“We will see.” Agent Burnett nodded. “Have a nice day, ladies.”
They excused themselves and my father walked them out.
When the men were gone Sierra’s dad nodded. “Nice work, girls. You appeared nervous and scared but adding the bit about the drinking will definitely make them understand why. Minors drinking and partying and doing drugs where a girl died, has scandal written all over it.” His pleased demeanor lasted seconds. He sighed and gave us a hard look. “Whoever did this to Rachel knows you—we are almost certain of that fact. They were at the party and no one noticed someone who shouldn't have been there, except the bearded kid. Rachel didn't fight back.” He sighed. “The reason I am telling you this is we all want you to take it seriously and please be careful. No drinking or drugs and no acting crazy. Sierra is on a curfew, and I am telling your parents to put you all on one as well. We need to take this very seriously until this person is caught.” He looked at Sierra. “You coming home now or shall I send a car in a while?”
“Send a car.”
He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Behave and don't bother Mark. He’s got a lot on his plate right now.”
Lainey seemed to understand. He waved and walked away, heading for the games room.
I glanced at Lainey. “What did he mean?”
“Dude, shit hit the fan after the funeral. It’s all real estate crap. The Van Harkers have pulled out and are no longer buying the lots.”
“What?” I gasped.
“Yeah, I guess the Blacks went to see the Van Harkers and told them that my dad promised them the best lot in the parcel. The Van Harkers got pissed and said fine, we don't want any lots from you and are investing in South Carolina now. The Blacks have sold their house privately to an investor for no profit, making it look like the houses out here don't garner any revenues when they sell, which is bad for business and real estate values obviously. People are already worrying that Crimson Cove Inc. isn’t the investment our fathers said it was because of Rachel being savagely murdered out here.”
“Oh my God. Our dads must all be flipping out.”
“They are. To make matters worse, the Blacks are still buying a new house, but it’s in South Carolina where the Van Harkers are building. They have sold them the best lot for a discounted rate, essentially sticking it to our fathers.”
Sierra looked like she might be asleep while standing but I winced. “Oh snap. My dad must be pissed. Who told the friggin’ Blacks that the Van Harkers were buying the land?”
She shook her head. “No one knows yet. Our dads are working right now to find out who betrayed them. The deal was supposed to go through yesterday. Our dads had it all planned out. They would have sold the last piece of the Crimson Cove investment properties, saving them the taxes for the fall and winter when they wouldn't be building anyway. The Blacks would have had the land they wanted and the house they wanted. And the Van Harkers would have eaten the cost of the final subdivision to be built and made money off the sales as they built the homes. The Blacks wouldn't have cared who they were buying their house from. But when they discovered the land had been sold out from under them, they wouldn't listen to reason and they soured the Van Harkers too.”
Sierra gave us both a look. “Why do you care so much?”
I parted my lips, but no explanation was ther
e. Why did I care so much about gossip, real estate, and scandals? I shrugged. “I don't know. I just like it I guess.”
Lainey nodded. “Me too. I love real estate, and I love the behind-the-scenes action no one sees.”
“I couldn't possibly care less than I do about all of my dad’s shit.” Sierra yawned and pulled off her sundress, walking across the patio to the pool, diving in, and bobbing. “You guys coming in?”
Lainey cocked her head. “You look like Ariel. Only you lie better than any Disney princess I have ever seen.”
“I never lied. I fixed the truth to make sure we weren’t in trouble.” Sierra lifted both her middle fingers up. “You look like Barbie’s dark-haired friend.”
Lainey pulled off her shirt and capris and ran for the pool, water bombing the Little Lying Mermaid. I dragged off my clothes and jumped in too.
Before I knew it, Sage and Rita showed up with Jake and Andrew, and we were having us a pool party by the time Vincent arrived, obviously dressed for dinner.
He seemed disappointed when he saw everyone. I hopped out of the pool, feeling weird about forgetting dinner and forgetting to tell him it was off. “Hey.”
He stared down at my bikini and tilted his head. “You wearing that to dinner?”
“No.” I laughed. “I can’t go. I’m on curfew and my dad isn’t in the mood to talk.”
“You didn't text me all day. I was sending you messages.” Vincent bit his lip, looking past me at the pool frothing with our friends.
“I was busy. The FBI came and interviewed me and Lainey and Sierra.”
He didn't look surprised at all. “Can we talk inside for a second?”
I shook my head. “Let’s talk down at the beach.” I turned and grabbed my shorts and tee shirt from the chair, looking at the water and shouting at Lainey. “Be right back.”
She nodded and screamed as Andrew dunked her.
I hurried to the beach, following Vince down the path through the grass to the water. He paused on the long boardwalk, leaning against the railing. He was too good to be true in his pale lavender dress shirt with sand-colored dress pants. His hair was slightly styled but mostly shaggy, exactly the way I liked it. But he didn't look happy.