Chapter 36

Claire clung to Betty,letting the girl's overpowering perfume settle around her like a cloak. With her eyes shut tight, Claire let herself imagine they were still at Passages and none of this had happened. When she opened her eyes, Hayes would be there with that ‘you can trust me' smile, while Max watched on stoically from the corner.

Max … God, she missed him. She hated thinking of him out there alone.

Betty pulled away, breaking Claire's imaginary bubble. "Claire, tell me the rumors aren't true. Do the police really think you witnessed the murder?"

Claire flinched. "Who told you that?"

"Lincoln told me. I ran into him at the precinct. My interview was after his. I guess he overheard some cops talking about you witnessing it."

Claire swore, her eyes darting around the room until she found Lincoln. The stoner was standing with two men in dark suits that screamed security detail, and they probably were, considering his popstar parents. "Lincoln has a big mouth," Claire muttered.

"What did you tell the cops?" Betty pressed.

"The truth."

Betty scrutinized her. "Then why do you look so worried?"

"Why don't you? Hayes is dead, Max is missing, and I think Meredith might be a problem."

"Meredith?" A spark of concern flashed across Betty's bright green eyes. "I thought that issue was taken care of."

"Me too."

Meredith had been a thorn in Claire's side from the very beginning. She'd almost lost Dana and Jake because of her. There was no way Claire was going to be the reason the deceitful woman wormed her way back into their lives. That's why Claire had gone to Hayes immediately after Dvita first brought Meredith to Passages.

He'd known exactly how to handle Meredith.

Everything had been working perfectly until … it wasn't.

Claire closed her eyes again, sucking in a deep breath.

She missed Hayes. If he were here, he'd know what to do. He had a naturally devious mind. One Claire craved. Ironically, she was a genius in her own right, but only because she possessed an eidetic memory. The gift enabled her to recall and recite anything and everything. But she'd come to regard it as a curse. One that forced her to remember things she'd prefer to forget.

Sadie, Fuller, the Grave and everything she'd seen there—even now, the memories flipped through her head like a morbid scrapbook, haunting her even while she was awake. That paired with the crippling depression, courtesy of her parents' rejection, had made her a prime candidate for addiction.

Claire wasn't blameless. She knew she'd played a part in everything that happened. And that's why she'd been trying so hard at Passages. She'd met Betty and Max and Hayes. They made her feel less alone. With them, she'd finally found what she'd been searching for. But now …

Three loud claps echoed through the room making Claire jump. Dr. Dvita's voice rang out. "Group, let's gather."

Betty gripped Claire's hand tightly, her gaze fearful. "Find me after," she whispered. "We need to find Max and make sure he doesn't talk."

"He's not going to say anything," Claire said, trying to reassure her friend.

But Betty shook her head. "I'm not willing to take that risk, and you shouldn't either." Then she turned her back on Claire and went to join the group.