Chapter 15

Jesse drives, his wipers snapping back and forth, swishing water from the windshield only for it to be replaced the next second. Rain drops from the sky like a giant waterfall.

“It’s getting worse,” I say.

“We’ll be fine.”

I side-eye him, noticing how tense his shoulders are and how hard he’s gripping the steering wheel. He’s no longer relaxed behind the wheel…or with me.

That makes two of us.

“Jesse, you know I’m not going to mess this up, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t. You wanted to go to the cops right away.”

Isn’t that a normal instinct?

“I wasn’t thinking,” I tell him. “I know this is what we have to do, and I’m in. Forever.”

The words don’t quite feel right to me because this isn’t what I intend to do for the rest of my life, but I realize, with fear trickling down my spine, that I’m saying it because I’m scared of Jesse.

“Good,” he replies as he parks where he did the night we buried Arthur.

I zip up my waterproof coat and pull the hood over my head. Jesse does the same, preparing for a very soggy hike.

“Jesse, what if whoever sent the message is watching us?”

“Have you seen anyone?”

“No.”

“Neither have I, and I’ve been looking.”

“We didn’t notice anyone that night. Besides the cop.”

He holds a hand up. “Let’s not go there. We were preoccupied. There’s no point speculating, we have to deal with what’s happening now. Okay?”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

We get out of the car, and rain pelts at me, bouncing off my waterproof jacket. It won’t be long until I’m soaked through if it keeps up like this.

Jesse and I jog along the trail and then break off, moving into the trees the way we did that night. Only it’s much easier this time. Physically, anyway.

I remember our route as if the map is tattooed onto my brain. I remember every single detail about that day.

“How much farther?” Jesse asks.

“Not far.”

“When I find out who’s behind this…”

His razor-sharp voice sends a shiver down my spine.

“Jesse,” I say, not really certain how to handle this. He’s never seemed so…volatile before.

He cuts me a look, eyes stony. “Don’t start. Someone’s messing with us, and if they really do know, which—let’s face it—they do, then we’re in serious trouble. I’m not letting anyone expose us.”

I want to ask how he plans to silence them, because it’s not like he has Rhett’s money and influence, but I’m terrified of theanswer.

An accident is one thing, to kill in cold blood is another. Would he go that far?

“Where is it?” he asks.

It?

I clear my throat. “Not far.”

He’s never been that in love with the mountain, never hiked or camped anywhere, always preferring to be on the road. I might be able to take him to another spot and convince him it was there, but I think even he would notice the undisturbed ground.

And right now, I’m scared of what he’s capable of. He changed so quickly, like a switch was flipped. I didn’t see it coming.

We weave between trees. I step over roots and my feet sink into wet moss. The rain is still coming down hard, nosily hitting leaves above us, but it’s so dense in here that we’re sheltered from the worst of it.

I push my hood down and point. “There.”

Up ahead is the disturbed ground of Arthur’s grave.

“It doesn’t look like it’s caved in,” Jesse says.

No, but we’re still too far away to be certain and we can’t take any chances.

“Come on, we have to be sure.”

I move closer, my stomach tying knots and threatening to eject my dinner.

“Why’re you slowing down?” Jesse asks, moving past me as if we’re just off to see a friend.

I watch him as I shuffle forward. Shoulders relaxed, long strides toward the man we killed like it’s a deer down there.

I stop a few feet away from Jesse and look at the ground.

“No,” I say, taking a sharp breath.

The grave has sunk about an inch. Arthur is still covered, but the caved rectangle frames his grave.

“What do we do?” I ask.

Jesse scratches his head. “If no one knew, I’d say leave him. Take the top layer up and chuck more mud in there before replacing it. But we can’t do that.” He turns to me. “We’ve got to dig him up and move him.”

I know that. I mean, what else can we do to hide what we’ve done if someone knows the grave’s location? But it still hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest, crushing my bones.

Digging him up again is a new low, and I don’t know how much further we can sink before we’re lost forever.

“We can’t do that alone. And having your car detailed again will make it obvious.”

“How far is the river from here?” he asks.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, the shock of his words stealing mine.

Jesse wants to chuck him in the freaking river!

“Marley?” he prompts, already out of patience.

“Um…like, what, twenty minutes north? But we can’t do that.”

“We have no choice. I’ll call the others, we’re going to need help,” he says, holding his phone up and walking to get a signal.

I close my eyes and crouch down. “I’m sorry,” I whisper to Arthur, hoping that wherever he is, he can forgive me.

Jesse walks back a minute later, wiping water from his eyes. “They’re moaning but they’re on their way.”

I jolt, my eyes fly open, and I stand. “What?”

Jesse rolls his eyes. “They’re whining about shit they have to do today as if it’s more important than this. But they’re coming. We’ll have to be fast because they can’t be out long.”

“Okay,” I reply weakly.

He pulls something from his pocket and holds up nylon-coated gloves.

I reach out and take a pair, realizing that he’d always come here with the intention of moving Arthur. I’m unsure what I thought this was about. What were we going to do, just leave him so this stalker could go to the cops?

Jesse pulls the gloves on and crouches down. I watch him as I get ready. He carefully lifts the top soil with the moss and grass. It’s soaking wet and caves in, breaking in two as soon as he moves it.

“Damn it!” he says.

“Don’t worry about that, we don’t have time. They’ll be here in, what, thirty minutes? We can disturb the rest of the ground around it, make a giant circle and put rocks in the middle, make it look like it was used for a campfire.”

He throws the moss lump beside him and looks up. “Brilliant idea. Should we actually light the fire?”

“Everything’s too wet. We could come back another time, but that’s risky. No one will question it if they even find it because the rain would’ve washed away any embers. I don’t know if forensics would be able to tell someone has been under there, but we should move the soil directly around him and replace it from another area.”

Jesse watches me with pride in his eyes. It creates a fresh wave of guilt and a heavy dose of shame. I want to change my name and move to another country so I will never see him again. I’m not the same as him.

I’m not the same.

I kneel beside him, my knees sinking into the damp moss and tears blurring my vision. Using my gloved hands, I begin to dig.

It doesn’t take long because we’re no longer being careful. I scrape the mud and my fingertips brush something hard. I swallow bile that hits the back of my throat and brush dirt from Arthur’s leg.

The stench stings my nose. I turn my head to breathe fresh air, gagging.

“Don’t stop, Marley, we’re nearly there,” Jesse says. “Think I can see the head.”

The head.

Depersonalizing him, turning him into a piece of meat.

“Go careful, he’s still a person,” I say, recoiling in horror.

“I know what he is. Hurry up.”

“What the hell, guys,” Atlas says.

I turn to see him and Luce, drenched and jogging toward us.

“I don’t want to do this again,” Luce says, pushing her hair away from her face.

I didn’t want to do it the first time. We’re always going to be one step behind, wondering what we need to do next to cover up ourcrime.

They’re all drenched, but it’s better under the trees where we are.

“Save the theatrics, Luce,” Jesse snaps. “We’ve almost got him out. We’re taking him to the river. Come on.”

Atlas looks to me, wide-eyed. “Marley?”

I shake my head, stopping him from coming closer. “Don’t. Just help us so we can get this over with.”

I’m boiling hot, sweating under this waterproof jacket, and again covered in dirt. This is what we’re doing, so we just need to do it.

“Who sent the message?” Luce asks.

“Arthur didn’t say,” Jesse replies sarcastically. “Help, Luce! Dig!”

She sobs but drops to her knees, leaning over and scraping mud away from Arthur. With the four of us working together, we uncover him quickly. Soon we’ll throw him in the water.

The river flows fast, the current heading toward the sea. It’ll take a long time because we’re not exactly near the coast, but that’ll be where Arthur will head.

“All right, let’s get him out,” Atlas says.

Atlas and Jesse get into the grave to hoist him out and lay him on the edge. They lift themselves out, Atlas caving in one side of the grave. Loose, wet soil tumbles in place of Arthur.

“Please get him before that side goes,” I say, my heart lurching.

Atlas scowls at me but I ignore it. He and Jesse pick up either end, same as before.

“Lead the way, Marley,” Jesse says. “Luce, you stay behind, move dirt and make a circle. Build a campfire, no wood.”

I take a minute then to properly explain the aim of that, and she nods, I think grateful to do this part rather than dumping Arthur.

“Where are we going?” Atlas asks. “Because isn’t the river the other way?”

“We need to go where it’s deeper,” I say. “Everyone swims near the creek. We’ll go near where the bridge is, because it’s too dangerous to swim or sail there.”

“It’s farther and he’s heavy,” Atlas says.

“Man up, dude!” Jesse snaps. “This is the only way to ensure he’s gone for good.”

Atlas doesn’t reply to that. What’s there to say? Jesse might be heartless but he’s not wrong. We need this to end.

“What if we’re seen from the bridge?” Atlas finally asks.

“I’ll be lookout,” I say. “The edge of the forest is near the riverbank. It won’t take long to…you get it.”

To throw him in.

“How far is the hike?” he asks. “Don’t look at me like that, Jesse, it’s only a question! Twenty minutes?”

“Yeah, about that,” I reply, deciding not to tell him that it’ll probably be longer due to the fact that Arthur is slowing us down.

I wipe rainwater from my face as drops make it down through the trees, not bothering with my hood anymore. My hands are sweaty and still covered by the gloves. I’m too paranoid to take them off yet.

I check my phone as we walk. No new message from the stalker, no threat, nothing. It must be someone from the creek, a senior. They were the only ones who knew we were out there, and that road can’t be seen from anywhere in town. The only other car was the cop, and I think they’d take a different approach if they saw.

Rhett would definitely use something like this, but I don’t think he’d do it anonymously. Unless he was trying to drive us crazy before he revealed himself and whatever he wants in return for his silence.

Who else would choose this rather than running straight to thecops?

I can’t think of anyone.

“Here we are,” I say as we reach the edge of the forest. “Wait here, don’t put him down. I’ll check the road.”

The river stretches for miles, and the only way across is the bridge that cuts straight through to the road on either side of the water.

Rain hammers down when I leave the cover of the trees. I use my hand as a shield so the rain doesn’t get in my eyes and look up at the bridge. I can’t hear much over the rain hitting the river, but the bridge is clear. That road is a bit sketchy in the rain, so I think most people would avoid it.

I can’t count on it, though, so I wait another minute and then say, “Now. Hurry!”

The boys emerge from the forest, struggling as they move quickly toward the riverbank. It’s a sheer drop, about ten feet from where we’re standing down into the river.

Rain bounces noisily off the surface of the river. I keep my eyes on the bridge, only just able to make it out through the storm, my heart in my mouth as I wait for them to do it.

“Ready?” Atlas asks.

“Throw,” Jesse says.

My stomach churns. Then, a second later, I hear the splash.

I turn in time to watch Arthur sink and then float off. The river is wide and the current particularly strong today. It’s the perfect place to keep your secrets. It gobbles them up and hides them forever.

Arthur’s gone in seconds.

“B-back into the woods,” I say, watching the river with tears in my eyes and water streaming down my face.

There’s no sign of him now. He’s gone.