The Lost Causes

by Jessica Koosed Etting

“It’s weird Greenly never said anything about knowing him. Like after Lily was murdered, in the news or something,” she said.

  “I said the same thing to Nash,” Andrew told her. “The newspaper was doing stories on this woman every day for a month. They would have loved a quote from someone who once knew her ex. Especially at the beginning, when Robert was still a suspect.”

  “Right. Why wouldn’t he have mentioned that he knew the guy? If he had nothing to hide.”

  Andrew pulled up a local database. “What’s the girl’s name again?”

  “Amy Hanson.” Little goose bumps raised on her arms again at the mention of it.

  His hands flew across the keyboard. “I’m not seeing a local match.”

  Sabrina’s heart sank. “Don’t worry,” Andrew told her. “I’m just getting started.”

  He clicked on a few different search engines, broadening the parameters in the hope that that would yield something more conclusive. The hits started popping up, one after another. “Now we’re getting somewhere. I’ve got at least ten deceased Amy Hansons here!” He reddened as the librarian looked over at him, realizing he shouldn’t sound quite so excited about a bunch of dead women.

  Sabrina suddenly felt a chill in the air. If there was any place for spirits to hang out, it was in an ancient library like this one. Her eyes darted around the room and she sucked in her breath when an elderly man hobbled by their table. He looked so pale … was it possible he was …

  “I can see him, too,” Andrew whispered.

  She smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. Habit now. Okay, look for an Amy Hanson who died as a teenager. So far, these ghosts seem to appear to me at the age they were when they died.”

  It took him about ten seconds to check the first six obituaries. Then, “Got it.”

  She scooted her chair closer to look at the grainy yearbook photo Andrew pointed at.

  Instantly, she recognized the face.

  Amy’s black hair was swept over one shoulder, her almond eyes boring into the camera. She wasn’t smiling for the photo — she looked as if she’d just seen something she didn’t approve of.

  “That’s her,” Sabrina whispered.

  “She’s from New Mexico, died in 2007,” Andrew said. “She was a senior at North Valley High School, survived by her mom, aunt and uncle. There was a memorial service at school held two days later but no information about a church service.”

  Sabrina read the obituary herself, disappointed. “It doesn’t say how she died. It barely says anything.”

  Andrew opened a new window and ran several more searches on Amy Hanson now that he knew where she was from. When archived articles came up from the local newspaper, he clicked on the first one, adjusting his laptop so Sabrina could read it, too.

  February 5, 2007

  North Valley — A tragic car accident took the lives of five North Valley High School students late last night amid one of the worst flash floods the city has seen in years. Amy Hanson, Catherine Freeman, Christopher Jarvis, Kevin Beswick and Danielle Wenkie were crossing the Rio Puerco Bridge around 11 p.m. when Hanson apparently lost control of her car. Though the families of the teens don’t believe any foul play was involved, others who knew the deceased are not as certain. An administrator at North Valley High, who prefers to remain anonymous, suggested drugs or alcohol might have been involved. “All five of these kids were troubled. We’re talking clinical depression, social anxiety. I’m not saying they weren’t good kids. There was just something off with all of them. They were loners. It was news to me they even knew each other.” Another student, who was on the varsity baseball team with Kevin Beswick, concurred. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this little get-together had something to do with drugs,” he noted. “Why else would these five be together?”

  Sabrina was filled with unexpected sadness, her connection to Amy having more impact on her than she’d thought. “She died in the water. That’s why she’s always sopping wet when I see her.” She looked at Andrew, who was practically jumping out of his seat. “What is it?”

  “I think I know why she’s coming to you. And it’s not because of Lily or Devon.” He glanced at the screen again, as if part of him didn’t want to say it out loud. “Five teenagers, all troubled, all loners, who hadn’t previously been friends.”

  It finally clicked for Sabrina.

  “Just like us,” she whispered.

  “And this girl keeps showing up, telling you not to trust Patricia and Nash.”

  Sabrina locked eyes with him. “They can’t be …”

  “Another group of Lost Causes.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  The sun had already set that night when Gabby and Justin were buzzed through the massive wrought-iron gates of Z’s house. Sabrina and Andrew had called an emergency meeting.

  “Do you think they found something with one of the teachers?” Gabby wondered as they wound up the long, curved drive to Z’s mansion. The suspect field had been narrowed down to three, which made her more nervous about going to school. With each passing day, the chance increased that whichever teacher they were after would lash out at one or all of the Lost Causes.

  “We know we’ve got Schroeder and Manzetti out of the equation now,” Justin said. Soft-spoken Mr. Schroeder had been cleared once Z discovered he’d been at an AA meeting (and officially eliminated after Nash had confirmed the time and place of it). Nash had also eliminated Manzetti after checking out his home security camera feeds.

  Of the three that were left — Greenly, Wincott and Dr. Fields — Gabby knew Greenly was the top suspect in Andrew’s mind. He’d sent them all an email about Greenly’s connection to Robert Carpenter earlier that afternoon. Gabby couldn’t help agreeing that that pushed him to the top of the list, especially given his temperament. Anyone who could be as cruel as he’d been to Andrew had a major character flaw. “Maybe Andrew found out more about Greenly and that’s why he called us here.”

  “Maybe. But I still think Dr. Fields is the one we should be looking into,” Justin said. He’d had a bad feeling about him ever since Fields pulled up in his flashy new car that morning. “He’s the one who has the actual connection with Lily, anyway. They could have met at that science conference Patricia said Lily went to years ago. Greenly only knows Robert, and he may or may not have even talked to him in the last twenty years. They could just be two dudes who once lived in the same dorm.”

  “What about Wincott?” Gabby asked as Justin parked in front of the five-car garage. Sabrina had gotten a weird vibe from Wincott earlier and so far nothing had come up to clear him, so he remained a suspect as far as she knew. After hearing about Sabrina’s run-in with him, Gabby was relieved that she had a different English teacher this year.

  “Wincott’s a dark horse,” Justin said. “He’s pervy with all the girls at school. His dad’s a Chinese spy —”

  “Alleged Chinese spy,” Gabby interrupted.

  Justin looked at her, amused. “You really do give everyone the benefit of the doubt, don’t you?”

  He gave her a quick kiss before they exited the car.

  “Hey, this way.” Z opened the gigantic front door and motioned for them to come in. “You’re the last ones.”

  * * *

  Inside Z’s room, Gabby and Justin perched on the large bed, while Z settled herself on the ottoman next to Sabrina. Andrew was across from them in an ornate antique desk chair that was way too small for a guy as tall as he was.

  “So, what’s going on?” Z asked.

  Sabrina and Andrew exchanged a look.

  “I know this is going to sound crazy …” Sabrina started.

  “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” Andrew interjected.

  Sabrina nodded. “Because we do have proof —”

  “Just tell us!” Justin interrupted.

  Andrew took a breath. “We don’
t think we’re the first group of Lost Causes. There may have been another group just like us.”

  “And they’re all dead,” Sabrina added.

  It was the absolute last thing Gabby had expected them to say.

  Z and Justin looked up, equally in shock.

  A group of teens like them who were now all dead? There were so many questions swirling in Gabby’s mind that it took a second before she could formulate one and get it out of her mouth. “How did you find this out?”

  “You know that ghost I keep seeing?” Sabrina said. “The teenage girl who warned me not to trust Nash and Patricia?” Everyone nodded. “I finally got her full name this afternoon. Amy Hanson. Andrew and I looked her up and we found this.”

  She pulled up the article on Z’s iPad and passed it to the group.

  Gabby read through the article slowly, certain phrases jumping out at her. “Tragic accident … all five of these kids were troubled … clinical depression, social anxiety … lost control of her car.”

  Justin was the first to speak. “This is all you got? I think you guys are reaching. It sounds like those kids were just a bunch of losers who all became friends.”

  Z raised an eyebrow at him. “Sounds familiar.”

  Gabby wasn’t surprised that Z had instantly latched on to this second Lost Causes theory. But Gabby wasn’t convinced. “You mean you think this group was recruited by Patricia ten years ago?” she asked carefully.

  “Right,” said Sabrina. “Just like us … given the serum, maybe to solve a case.”

  “It’s about a thousand times more likely that they were just a group of random friends,” Justin said. “That Amy chick didn’t know how to drive in the rain and they went off the bridge. Accidents happen. End of story.”

  Sabrina shook her head. “Think about it. Why does Amy keep coming to me? More than any other ghost. Three times already. There’s something she wants me to know.”

  “And look at where they lived,” Andrew added. “North Valley is in Albuquerque. Where Patricia and Lily are from. Patricia said they developed the serum at the FBI field office there.”

  “Is it possible these are all coincidences, though?” Gabby asked. Only Justin nodded.

  “It’s a lot of coincidences,” Sabrina said. “Patricia said she developed the serum ten years ago. That’s when these teens were killed.”

  “But Patricia and Nash also said they never used it on anyone before,” Gabby pointed out.

  Z gave her a pitying look. “Exactly. That’s the point. They lied to us! If these five kids were Lost Causes, that means that ten years ago, Patricia — and probably Lily — gave them the serum and then somehow they all wound up dead.”

  “In a car accident,” Justin said. “It’s not like they were poisoned or something. Even if in some fantasy world, you’re right about them being another group of Lost Causes, the way they died had nothing to do with the serum.”

  “That we know of,” Z responded quickly.

  “And why did Amy Hanson tell me not to trust them?” Sabrina asked. “If they were Lost Causes and everything was great until they all accidentally died in a rainstorm, why is Amy warning me about Patricia and Nash? Doesn’t that mean there has to be some kind of connection?”

  Gabby didn’t have an answer for that.

  Sabrina continued. “Here’s the most important question: Are we putting ourselves in more danger than we think by helping Patricia and Nash with this case?”

  “We knew from the start that this was dangerous,” Justin said, growing exasperated. “I don’t think we should stop investigating Greenly, Wincott and Fields just because there’s a tiny chance Patricia and Nash may have lied to us about something unrelated.”

  Andrew nodded quickly. “Agreed. Regardless of this, the threat of the serum is too big to be put on the back burner. We should for sure keep investigating the teachers. We can’t just let this person off the hook. Especially if they’re on to us somehow.”

  Even though Gabby had been the most scared that morning — the one who thought they should take a step back from the case — she agreed with Andrew. The danger of the serum getting out was too high. And they were all way too invested to walk away now. At least she thought they were. Sabrina and Z still looked conflicted.

  Andrew spoke again. “If Nash and Patricia can’t be trusted, that’s even more reason for us to stay on this case. To stay a step ahead of them.”

  Sabrina’s and Z’s eyes met, and Gabby knew Andrew had just found their common ground.

  “That’s true,” Sabrina agreed. “But we should be careful how much we tell Patricia and Nash from here on. At least until we can find out more about Amy Hanson and the other kids in that car.”

  “How are we going to do that?” Justin asked.

  “I think we should go to New Mexico,” Sabrina said firmly. “Talk to Amy’s family.”

  “I’m down to go,” Z said. “Maybe we could ditch and do it during school tomorrow. It’s only a three-hour drive.”

  Justin shook his head. “What are you going to do? Ask these dead kids’ parents if they were ever tricked by the FBI into getting psychic powers?”

  Something suddenly occurred to Gabby. “And if they really were Lost Causes like us, then their parents won’t know anything anyway.” For a moment, she felt a flash of kinship to Amy and the others. If they were actual Lost Causes, she knew their lives hadn’t been easy.

  “Look, I admit this whole idea about another group of Lost Causes could be a total delusional road we’ve gone down. I actually hope it is,” Sabrina said, sounding sincere. “But what if we’re right? The only way to protect ourselves is to find out the truth. We’ll know more if we ask some questions. We need to get a sense of who these kids were, at least. And if their death really was an accident.”

  Andrew suddenly straightened up. “If they were Lost Causes, then Patricia and Lily probably gave them the serum to help solve a case, right?”

  “Probably,” Z agreed.

  “So what if they were on the trail of someone, just like we are right now … and what if the person they were after is the one who killed them all?”

  It struck a chord with Gabby. Hadn’t she been worried for her own safety?

  Sabrina said exactly what Gabby had been thinking. “If someone killed them for being Lost Causes, what’s to say the same thing won’t happen to us?”

  “What if this is even bigger than we thought?” Z ventured, the room eerily silent around her. “What if the person that they were after is the same person we’re after?”

  CHAPTER FORTY

  If Sabrina had to guess, she probably got three hours of sleep, but she somehow had the jittery energy that came from too much coffee. She grabbed the keys to the rental car and texted Z that she was on the way. She was glad Z was the one headed to New Mexico with her.

  Justin might be skeptical about another group of Lost Causes, but Sabrina kept coming back to it. Why else would Amy keep showing up to her? It seemed too strange to be just a coincidence.

  The thought dancing around in her mind all night, though, was that if another group of Lost Causes really had existed, that meant Patricia had flat-out lied to them about never using the serum. More important for Sabrina, did that mean Nash had lied, too?

  She wanted to believe that he had nothing to do with it. Obviously, even if there had been another group of Lost Causes, he wouldn’t have been involved in giving them the serum. He was only twelve at the time of Amy’s death. But he was running this case with Patricia. Wouldn’t he have seen every file there was on the serum? Was it just wishful thinking on her part to think he was out of the loop? It was yet another reason why she was desperate to get down to New Mexico and find some answers.

  Rocket’s bark snapped her back to attention. He was peering out the living room window, barking his head off at something — or som
eone.

  Her heart thumped and she took the pepper spray out of her purse. She kept her back against the wall and peeked outside the window just enough that she wouldn’t be seen by whoever was outside.

  It was Nash.

  He was getting out of his car. What the hell was he doing here? Did he somehow know that she and Z were about to embark on a trip down to New Mexico?

  She needed to act completely normal. The last thing she wanted to do was tip him off.

  She met him on the sidewalk in front of her house. His five o’clock shadow made him look more rugged than usual. How was it that part of her still wanted him to throw her up against the car and make out with her even while she was conflicted about whether she could trust him?

  “What did I do?” he asked as soon as she walked up. Then she followed his gaze to her hands. The pepper spray. She’d forgotten she was still holding it. He was actually making a joke. It was so unexpected that she found herself smiling.

  “Nothing. Just being cautious, like you suggested.”

  “That’s good.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “The security cam we put in the back of your house is going in and out. I want to reinstall it.” He paused and their eyes locked. She thought he would look away quickly, just as he’d done every time they’d made eye contact at Cytology the day before, but instead he kept his gaze steady. Sabrina felt her body moving toward his — a magnetic pull she couldn’t resist. Were they going to kiss? Should they kiss? Never mind, she knew the answer to that and she really didn’t care.

  But instead of moving closer, he abruptly looked away and took a very deliberate step back from her.

  Her cheeks flushed at the rejection. “Was there anything else you needed?” she asked shortly. “I’ve got to go.”

  Taken aback by her tone, he asked, “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m just confused which version of you showed up today,” she replied. “It’s like you’re two different people sometimes. There’s Nice Nash, and then there’s Agent Nash, who doesn’t always answer my questions and won’t even look at me.”