Chapter 17

Jacey's shoes, sweatshirt, and flashlight are gone. Did she try to head back down the mountain?

I rush to Noah's tent, whispering his name as I crouch like a cougar beneath the watery moonlight.

The front flap unzips, but it's Tyler's head that pokes out. "What's going on?" he asks, rubbing sleepy eyes.

"I need Noah," I say, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

"He's not here. Left with Jacey a few minutes ago."

"He left?" I run both hands through my hair, turning in the direction of the trail and seeing only a black abyss. "Do you know where they went?"

He shakes his head, but his shoulders stiffen. "What's wrong, Savannah?"

I exhale, ruffling the loose hairs framing my face. "Nothing." My head falls back. "I don't know."

"Should I get Mr. Davis?"

"No!" The word flies out like a shot, and Tyler flinches.

"Sorry, I just—everything's fine. I'll talk to him in the morning." I walk away from his tent, barely feeling my feet against the ground.

Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe Jacey doesn't know I'm on to her and she and Noah are simply off in the woods, reenacting what happened in that photo booth.

Or maybe she and Noah are in on this together. They could be on their way down the mountain, ready to destroy anything that could implicate them.

I kick a branch, sending it flying straight into my tent. I'm an idiot for not handing that note and Piper's phone over to the cops. Now I'm trapped up here with no phone signal.

Still, if Jacey was the one behind all of this…who is Alex?

My head is in my hands as I pace in front of my tent. I barely feel the cold as nerves buzz beneath my skin.

"They went to the Point." The voice is small and soft, but it sends every hair on my neck upright. I turn toward the sound, finding a figure silhouetted against the moonlit forest.

"How do you know that?" I ask, shining my light at Alexandra, who steps closer, a small book clutched to her chest.

She shrugs. "I'm a journalist."

"So, a spy." But relief floods my body.

"I followed you and Abby to the woods. I heard enough. And when I tried to sneak back inside my tent, I overheard Jacey and Noah whispering about taking a midnight stroll to the Point."

Heat courses from deep in my gut up to my jaw. Did the cops even examine that place? There could be something there—some small shred of evidence left behind. Something Jacey wants to keep buried. "How romantic. Why were you eavesdropping on my conversation with Abby?"

Alexandra's hands tighten around the notebook. "The same reason you're on this hike. To find out the truth about Piper."

Shock streams through me, but I cross my arms. Somewhere in the woods, an animal lets out a horrific squeal that ends in unnerving silence.

I press my lips flat. "Okay, Nancy Drew. Why don't you just go back to bed?"

"You're the one who came to me, remember? Claiming I'd called Piper the day she fell? That someone threatened her?"

"Yeah, well, I was wrong," I lie. "I've been through a lot lately."

"I don't think you're wrong," she says as the wind whips a brown coil of hair in front of her eyes.

Any trace of tiredness from the long day vanishes, replaced by adrenaline as I move closer, dropping my voice. "What do you mean?"

"Something was definitely going on with Piper before she fell. And I want you to tell me everything so I can—"

"So you can write a story about it for the school paper?" I snap. "Is that what your little notebook is about?"

I try to snatch it, but she steps back, twisting her body to protect it. "Of course not."

"Piper wasn't your friend. So why do you care?"

"Let's just get to the Point," she says. "I'll know more after we find out what Jacey and Noah are up to."

"You're not coming with me."

"It's not safe to go alone. Not if they're murderers."

"I'm not safe with you ! All I know about you is that you stalk people. I'll bring Grant."

"And tell him what, Savannah? I've noticed he's not exactly helping with your investigation. Does he even know why you're really here? How's he going to react when he finds out you only came because you think someone tried to murder your sister?"

I let out a growl. Grant asked why I was coming on this trip, and I lied to his face. He's so worried about my mental state that if he knew about my investigation, he'd force me to go back down the mountain without learning the truth. "Fine. But we need to hurry. Before Jacey cleans up whatever evidence she left behind."

I zip up my jacket and pull my hood over my hair.

Heads down, we scurry toward the trail. "Do you know the way?" Alexandra asks.

I swallow, my throat raw from thirst and the dry mountain air. I think of Piper toppling over that guardrail. Then I think about my own encounter with the Point. I'll never admit I followed the three amigos to that cliff on one of their adventures because I was bored or curious. Or even jealous. "It's all the way down to the fork and then back up for a good thirty minutes after that. At least an hour from camp."

The Point . Shortened from Vanderwild Point by the locals. Shortened from Suicide Point by the faint of heart. Up until a few days ago, I was certain Suicide Point was the most accurate name. A spectacular view tainted by a series of tragedies.

And now, it might be the scene of an attempted murder.

An owl hoots overhead, the cold wind stings my face, and I tug the string on my hood tighter.