The Hanging Girl

by Eileen Cook

  Was it possible something had happened to her? I ran through possibilities from Ryan to a random wild animal attack, but I kept circling back to the fact that a very select few items had been left behind. And while it wasn’t impossible, the idea that Ryan had followed me out to the cabin to confront Paige seemed unlikely. The entire situation smacked of Paige.

  I left school without going to the rest of my classes. Lester told me the police wanted to talk to me personally. He offered to take me, but I wanted to go alone. They were going to ask me if I’d ever been to the park, and I had to figure out whether I should keep lying or tell the truth. I needed privacy to think. I couldn’t decide if each lie was helping me build a bridge to get out of this mess or burying me alive. I sat with my back against the bed and wrapped my arms around my knees.

  I had to figure out what to do next. I mentally turned over each moment, trying to look at it from a different perspective, seeing if it would lead me in a new direction.

  Paige had planned everything down to the tiniest detail. She did all her research on the library computers so that her laptop wouldn’t have anything weird in the history. She figured out that the airport cameras were down in the long-term lot. She planned her route to make sure she wouldn’t be caught on any traffic cams. She planted her blood, just enough, in the car. She stocked the cabin with what she would need. Both the detectives had talked about how they were sure I hadn’t done anything, because the whole thing was too well organized. Nothing that girl did was by accident.

  She’d thought it all through. She loved the mental gymnastics of it.

  And when she realized that she would need a partner, someone who could be connected to the outside world while she was gone, there was no way she left that to chance.

  She played me.

  I slammed my fist down on my thigh. She brought the idea up like it was a lark at first, and somewhere along the way, I went from telling her it was crazy to debating the details. I’d been carefully selected.

  How did she know how badly I needed the money? It was possible she assumed anyone who lived where I did could always use some extra cash.

  I rubbed my temples. Paige had disappeared. She’d left a diary behind, and that would have been no accident. She wanted those pages found. Whatever was on them was meant to be seen.

  Paige had enjoyed putting this all together. She was practically giddy when we talked about it. I could still remember meeting with her at the library a few weeks earlier. She had said we couldn’t meet anymore. There was too much of a chance that people would see us together.

  “We’ll go old school. I’ll leave you notes here, and you leave your responses for me in the same place,” Paige whispered to me as she pulled one of the giant encyclopedias off the shelf. “We’ll type all of our correspondence. Use the library printer downstairs so it can’t be traced to us. No handwriting if it can be avoided. We’ll come up with names, aliases.”

  I touched the book nervously. “Isn’t this over the top?”

  “No. It’s careful. From this point on, you should think of me as Pluto.”

  “Pluto?”

  “Like the planet—the one that’s not a planet anymore. Get it? It’s missing!”

  “It’s still a planet, just a dwarf one,” I said. “And it’s still there. It’s not like it disappeared.”

  She rolled her eyes, then burst out laughing. “Whatever, you want to make sure that thinking of me as someone else, as Pluto, comes as second nature. There is Paige, the girl who’s missing, and Pluto, the guy who you’re involved with. You need to mentally see us as two different people. You can pick whatever name you like.”

  “I don’t know—”

  “It can be whatever. The more random the better. We can change it if you want—it doesn’t have to have some big meaning.” She pulled the encyclopedia closer to her. “Now look, I doubt anyone has opened this book in years. I’ve got some throw-away phones to use when I go missing, but until then we’ll use this for communication. We only use the phones for emergencies once I’m gone—those can be traced. The police can see where calls are made from based on what cell tower was used. The fewer times we use the phone, the better.”

  “I’m not agreeing to this,” I said. The “yet” hung in the air between us.

  Paige gave me a pageant smile. “All I’m asking is that you think about it. Feel free to leave any questions for me here, and I’ll do my best to answer them, but I think it’s a good idea if you don’t know all the details. You don’t have to worry. This is going to go off without a hitch. If you don’t do it, you’re going to kick yourself for missing the chance.”

  I nodded. Intrigued, but scared.

  “But you have to make up your mind soon. I’m going to do this, with you or without you.” She tapped me on the nose. “Picture it: when school is over, you’ll have more than twelve grand. That’s a new life.”

  I still hadn’t said yes until the afternoon when Drew canceled her dorm plans. But I might have done it anyway. Paige hadn’t been stupid. She picked me because she could smell the desperation.

  And now I was more desperate than ever.

  Twenty-Seven

  My foot bounced up and down while I waited in the police station lobby. My anxiety was like an out-of-control zoom lens on a camera. One second I would take everything in and be drowning in sensory overload, and the next my brain would drill down on a single detail and not be able to let go. The whipping back and forth between the two made me nauseated. I kept swallowing over and over as my mouth filled up with sour saliva.

  The door to the back opened, and I saw Detective Chan step out leading Ryan.

  Holy shit. My heart picked up more speed. It was going so fast it seemed ready to explode. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Ryan’s hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and he kept giving these curt nods.

  Finally, Detective Chan looked past Ryan, spotted me in the waiting room, and waved me forward. The nerves running from my brain to my legs seemed to have short-circuited because for a split second they didn’t do as I commanded and I didn’t think I’d be able to stand, but then I jerked up like a puppet who’d had her strings yanked.

  I made myself walk toward Chan. Ryan and I passed each other midway through the room. I tried to tell what his expression meant as he went by. Was he warning me? Was he pissed? A quick look at Chan didn’t tell me anything either. His face was a total blank. He’d be a killer poker player. A nervous giggle threatened to bubble up, so I made myself cough instead. Chan stood back and motioned toward the interview room.

  Detective Jay was already waiting inside. He stood as I came in. I hoped he couldn’t smell the sweat breaking out under my arms. I nodded rather than said hello because I wasn’t sure I could manage speaking.

  I took a long time getting myself settled, pulling the chair in and out slightly. I could feel the panic inside me pushing back, wanting out. Trickles of it sought any weak points in my defenses, slowly eating away my control.

  “. . . as you can imagine.”

  My head shot up. I’d missed what Chan had said. “Sorry, can you repeat that?”

  The two of them exchanged a glance. “I said, we’re very concerned for Paige’s safety.”

  I nodded, then realized I was doing it too quickly, my head jerking up and down, so made myself stop. “Me too. You mentioned having me touch her diary pages to see if could pick up anything.”

  “I’m afraid we can’t let you see them quite yet. Right now we’re not releasing the full content.” Detective Jay’s expression was neutral. “I’m sure you understand.”

  “Oh. Okay.” I curled my toes inside my shoes in beats of five. Had she said something in those pages they didn’t want me to see?

  “We just had a couple questions for you,” Detective Jay said. “Have you ever been out to Comstock Park?”

  “You mean, like, recently?”

  Jay smiled like it wasn’t a stupid question. “Well, we’re most intereste
d in recently, but ever is good to know too.”

  Images of me walking through the park ran through my brain. I pictured them finding evidence I’d been there—a hair, a piece of paper from a pocket drifting to the ground. “I used to go out as a kid, for walks with my mom. And a few people used to have parties out there.”

  “By the river? Near the picnic setup?” Chan asked.

  I nodded.

  “How about the rest of the park? You take any hikes out there lately?” Chan pushed.

  I shook my head. Had Ryan told them he’d met me at the theater and I’d been walking out behind the building? This was the moment of truth. I’d decided before I came that denial was my best plan.

  “Have you had any other visions of Paige? Any sense of where she might be now?” Jay asked.

  “No,” I said.

  “Can you try to get a reading from something?” Jay reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small bag. The air in my lungs locked into place.

  There was no easy way to refuse. I held out my hand, and Jay poured the item out into it. I recognized it instantly. It wasn’t anything of mine.

  It was Ryan’s bracelet. There was a piece of white medical tape over the name plate so I couldn’t read the engraving. I stared down at it, my heart hammering away in my chest. If they hooked me up to a lie detector, I’d make it blow up.

  I closed my fist around the bracelet and shut my eyes. It was easier if I didn’t have to see them. My brain spun as I tried to figure out what to say. I could say I didn’t have the sense it had anything to do with Paige, but they must already know it belonged to Ryan. I could admit I knew it was Ryan’s. That would give me points for accuracy, but it was also possible he’d already told them he gave it to me. If I was him I would have given me up in a heartbeat, but I had a hunch he hadn’t told them anything. He was playing for time, to get Paige back. He wouldn’t tick her off if he could avoid it. “I’m not getting anything.” I opened my eyes. “Sorry.”

  Jay sighed. “It’s okay. It was just a shot in the dark.”

  Chan stood, his chair squeaking on the floor. “Thanks for coming in this afternoon,” he said. “Let us know if you’ve got any plans that would take you out of town.”

  I nodded. They suspected me of something. They were saying, in not so many words, that if I left, they’d consider it running.

  “Would you like me to take you home?” Jay offered.

  “No thanks.” The last thing I wanted was time for more awkward conversation.

  I walked slowly out of the building. There was always the chance that Paige had left the bracelet there by accident, but I didn’t think that for a second. She’d left it to be found.

  I walked down the steps just in time to see the bus turning onto the street. I started to run. I reached the stop just as it braked in a cloud of exhaust. I pulled myself inside, flashing my pass to the driver and dropping into a seat half way back.

  That’s when I saw Ryan. He was sitting across the street from the police station on a park bench.

  Watching me.

  Twenty-Eight

  “There you are!” Drew moved past me into the apartment, shoving a giant bottle of Diet Coke into my hands along with a bag of Doritos. “You haven’t answered any of my texts. You left me with no choice but to show up here. At least I brought snacks.”

  My heart was still beating madly. I’d been half certain the detectives had come for me when I heard the pounding on the door, but it was just Drew babbling about how the school was buzzing with the news of Paige.

  “A bunch of people are organizing a candlelight vigil tonight out at the park for Paige’s safe return.” Drew plopped onto my sofa. I moved my books so she had more space. “Do you want to go?”

  The last thing I was going to do was provide the media with a photo op of me standing around praying for Paige. “I don’t think I’m up for it,” I mumbled.

  Drew reached over and grabbed the bag of chips back from me and opened them. “How did your meeting with the police go?”

  “Fine.”

  Drew folded one leg underneath her, settling in. “Seems the least they could do is tell you what’s going on.”

  I wanted her to leave. I needed to think. I waved off the open bag of chips. The smell of nacho cheese made my stomach roll. “Sorry I didn’t answer your messages; the entire day has been exhausting.”

  She ignored my subtle hint. Her foot nudged my leg. “It’ll be okay.”

  “Maybe.” I lowered my voice. “I think the police suspect I had something to do with it.”

  Drew’s face wrinkled up. “Why would they think that?”

  “Because of the stuff I’ve known.” And because they would be right. I needed to talk to Paige, but whatever she was doing, she certainly wasn’t answering the phone. I’d called roughly a million times. My eyes fell onto my bag on the floor. I willed the phone inside to ring, but it was silent.

  “Hey.”

  I looked up.

  Drew smiled. “I can see the wheels in your brain turning. I’m guessing you’re already picturing yourself in prison.”

  “I would look like shit in an orange jumpsuit.”

  She laughed like I was joking. “They can’t put you in jail when you haven’t done anything. All you did was give a prediction. If anything, you’ve been helpful.” Drew tossed another chip into her mouth, which was already full of carrot-colored mush. “You need to look at the bright side.”

  “There is no bright side.”

  “You’re getting tons of attention; everybody wants you to do a reading for them now. Seriously, everybody.”

  “Attention is the last thing I want,” I said.

  “I know you hate feeling hassled, so I started a list of people who want you to read their cards,” Drew said. “I told them not to bug you. The only way they get on the list is by talking to me.” She pointed at her chest with her thumb and then leaned in. “Guess who is on there?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Ben Adler.” Drew leaned back and smiled. “Only the very person you’ve had a crush on since eighth grade.”

  “It wasn’t a crush,” I insisted. “I just thought he was nice and, you know, kinda cute.”

  “Earth to Skye—” Drew thumped the side of her head. “That’s the definition of a crush. Get this: he wants you to come to his house to give him a reading. Apparently his dog died a couple years ago, and he wants to know if you can put him in touch with her.”

  The idea of pretending to send messages over the Rainbow Bridge to Ben’s long-lost Lab filled my stomach with a fresh dose of acid. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “I told him a home reading was going to be sixty bucks.”

  I was so shocked I knocked over my water, sending a puddle all over the coffee table. I yanked the magazines out of the way before they got soaked. “Sixty dollars?”

  “You’re going over to his house—that’s pretty good service. A reading at school is only thirty.”

  “I’ve never charged more than ten,” I said. There were times when I did it just for free beer at a party. Even my mom only charged forty, and she was the professional. I’d never imagined being able to make that kind of money.

  Drew passed me a wad of Kleenex to blot up the water. “Way too low. Especially with all that’s going on.”

  “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

  “Why? With me to organize things, we can make some serious cash in the next few weeks.” She held her hand out for me to high-five.

  “It has nothing to do with you,” I pointed out. “You wouldn’t even care if it wasn’t Paige.”

  Drew stiffened. “Is that what this is about? What’s your issue with her?”

  “My issue is that you won’t admit you have a thing for her.”

  “I don’t have a thing. So I like her, what’s the big deal?”

  “She’s not a nice person.”

  “You don’t like anyone in that crowd.” Drew shook her head. “And if you
don’t like Paige, why are you trying to help her now?”

  I bit my tongue to keep myself from saying anything I shouldn’t. I didn’t even know why I was fighting with Drew. “I don’t know why I even said that.”

  “I don’t either,” Drew fired back.

  A ring blared from my bag. I was about to ignore it when I realized it was the burner phone. I jumped up, fishing for it madly amongst all the other crap I was carrying around. “I have to take this,” I babbled to Drew, then jabbed the button just before it cut off.

  “Hey, can you talk?” Paige’s voice seemed incredibly loud.

  My heart rabbited into overdrive when I heard her voice. “Hang on.” I stepped closer to the kitchen, away from Drew.

  “I can call later if now’s a bad time,” Paige said.

  “Don’t you dare fucking hang up,” I whispered into the phone.

  “Language, language,” she said.

  “Sure, Mr. Lester,” I said loud enough for Drew to hear me. “Just a minute.” I put the phone down on the counter and took a deep calming breath, before ducking back into the living room. “Listen, I have to talk to Mr. Lester. He got some information from the police.”

  Drew’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You want me to leave?”

  “It needs to be private because of the investigation—it’s, uh, still active.”

  Drew stared at me, then grabbed her bag. “You can just say you don’t want me here. You know I would never say anything. You don’t have to lie.”

  “Drew—”

  “Whatever. See you tomorrow.” The door shut behind her.

  I wanted to go after her, but I didn’t have time. I’d make it up to her once all of this was over. I ran back to the kitchen and picked up the phone, praying she was still there.

  “Hellooo,” she sang out.

  My limbs felt loose with relief at finally hearing from her. I scurried back to my room and shut the door. I hunched over my phone. “This isn’t a joke,” I said. “Where the hell are you?”

  “Look, I called to say I’m sorry—”