Chapter 18

I had to think quick, and that meant making a call to Rhett first and then meeting up with my friends at my house after school.

“What do you mean now you think it’s Rhett who knows?” Atlas asks. “It was just George! Jesus, Marley. He’s in the hospital because of this.”

“Are you kidding me? Yeah, George is in the hospital because of Jesse! How was I supposed to know that voicing my theory would result in that? He didn’t even wait to find any evidence; he just burned his freaking house down.”

Jesse takes a step closer, putting himself firmly in my personal space. “All right, Marley, chill. You’re all over the place, creating more problems than you’re solving.”

Luce looks between us but says nothing.

I narrow my eyes, holding my ground. Nope, you’re not intimidating me. “Excuse me? Why the hell am I getting the blame for all of this?”

“Babe, will you just stop? This isn’t helping,” Atlas says.

The fact that Atlas directs his warning at me makes me want to scream. I’ve never felt like he was against me before. He’s supposed to have my back.

I don’t know why I’ve gone to them with this. Maybe because I’m scared that Jesse will go back to finish George off, and I know he won’t be able to touch Rhett.

Maybe because I’m totally lost, and I can’t do this alone.

“The person knows about my latest dare. George wouldn’t…and he’s currently fighting for his life, so I don’t think he has time to send a quick text!”

“So your solution is to go camping with Rhett. This is crazy. You’re not going,” Atlas says.

If he shows up tonight, I’ll know it’s him. Rhett’s the kind of person who would use this information to his advantage, get us to do his dirty work. He’d have total control.

“Whoa, hold on.” Luce takes my phone and shoves it in Atlas’s face. “We don’t have a choice here. Think about what’s at stake. If he tells anyone what we’ve done…”

“We’re talking about leaving Marley alone all night with him!”

“He’s not going to do anything,” I say. “Come on, he can threaten and use his money to get what he wants, but at no point ever has he gotten his hands dirty. I have to do this because we have to find out what he knows.”

“She’s right,” Luce says, her big eyes full of guilt and worry. “But will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” I turn to Atlas, who’s huffing. “I have to do this.”

“I know,” he replies, blowing out a long breath. “I just don’t like it.”

I’m not exactly looking forward to it either. Spending more than thirty seconds in Rhett’s presence makes me want to commit a felony—another one, I guess—so the thought of all night in the woods with him…Yeah, not happy.

“When are you doing it?” Jesse asks.

“Tonight.”

Atlas’s head snaps in my direction. “What?”

“Has to be. My mom’s off tomorrow, and then she’s back on the day shift. Tonight is the only night I’ll be alone here, and I can’t risk being caught if I have to sneak out. We all need this to be fixed.”

Atlas runs his hands through his hair. “What are we doing, guys? How long can we keep this up for?”

“Tell me you’re not thinking of doing something stupid,” Jesse says. “It’s not just me who’ll get in trouble. You understand that, right? Your life will be over too. You’re—”

“Yeah, yeah.” Atlas cuts him off with a glare. “I’m not an idiot and I haven’t forgotten. But is there no part of you that thinks we’re going to get found out?”

“We can control that,” Jesse says.

“Naive.”

“He’s not naive. We’ve covered our tracks.” Luce lowers her voice, totally Jesse’s puppet. “No one is ever going to find out what we’ve done. We can’t throw our lives away now, or what was the point? We can make up for what we’ve done.”

“By going to college, getting married, and having kids? I think Arthur would rather be alive,” I say.

Luce’s shoulders sag. She looks done in, like she could evaporate into thin air. “Not helpful. This is killing me too, Marley, but we have to get through this.”

I wish this conversation could’ve been a text, but I think Jesse needs the control in-person offers. Not that I can misread a message from him. I’ll never think him telling me he’s watching is him looking out for me.

“You guys should leave. I’m going to shower and pretend that I’m having an early night so my parents don’t try calling me on their first break.”

“Are you certain you want to do this?” Atlas asks. “Because all you have to do is say the word, and we’ll figure something else out.”

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to take him up on his offer, but this is the easiest way I can think of, and we don’t have time to come up with another plan. It’s hard to figure out something else when we don’t even know what Rhett plans to do with the information.

“I’m sure,” I tell him. “Let me figure this out.” I don’t want Jesse involved.

“Do you have a tent?” Luce asks.

I roll my eyes. “My dad’s is broken. Rhett’s bringing his.”

“You’re sharing a tent with him?” Atlas asks, sitting up straight.

That’s the part of all of this that he has a problem with?

“No, he can sleep outside.”

“Should you take something? A weapon? Grab a knife or pepper spray,” Luce says.

“I’m covered, don’t worry.”

“Good. Let us know what happens,” Jesse says. “And if you needhelp.”

If I need help with…

Oh my god. If I need help with body disposal.

Well, I won’t, because I know what I’m doing. I have everything planned, my bag still in my closet and ready to go.

I arrive at the creek early, wanting to be the first one here. Somehow that feels like having the upper hand, and I can do with feeling like I’m not totally at Rhett’s mercy.

It’s a small victory.

My backpack with warm clothes, a flashlight, and a sleeping bag weighs heavy on my shoulders. I packed a hammer from my dad’s toolbox. A knife is too intentional. Not that a hammer to the body is friendly, but it feels less brutal.

It’s darker tonight, thick clouds still hiding the sky. I know once we go into the forest, it’s going to be pitch-black.

And the only person I’ll have with me is a guy I don’t trust.

Rhett walks over, backpack on his shoulders, grinning like he’s a predator about to play with its prey. I’m in no mood for any of his crap, so he’s going to be disappointed if he thinks he can push me around today.

“So tell me what changed your mind,” he says.

“You’re the one who keeps saying we don’t have a choice. Now, where are we going to set up camp?” I ask, and start walking up the mountain, wasting no time.

He doesn’t mention my impatience. Instead he follows and asks, “When was the last time you saw a bear out here?”

“I think we should pitch the tent up there,” I say, pointing up the mountain. “The higher the better.” Where we used to camp. It’ll be the perfect place to hide things I never want found.

“Because Garrett and Truett were out here last month and saw one closer to town than usual.”

“We’ll be able to camouflage the tent with shrubs up there too.”

Rhett stops and sighs sharply. “You are so frustrating.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You know what I’m talking about!”

I stop and turn to him. “You’re having your own conversation too. I’m trying to figure out where we should sleep so we can get this over with.”

“And I’m trying to figure out if we’re safe out here.”

“Then why are we here? Wait, no. I get why you gave me this dare, but why are you here?”

“You’re right, we’ll set up at the top,” he says, turning back around and hiking the steepest part of the hill.

All right, that was weird. “Rhett, what’s going on?”

Does he think that this is a way to get closer to me?

“Why didn’t you give Ruthie this dare? You could have had a nice romantic evening in the woods.”

“Shut up, Marley,” he replies, monotone and bored.

“Not happening.”

I want to push and push until he cracks. We need to know if he’s the one who sent the message, if he’s the one who knows what happened.

“Come on, Rhett. We have hours until morning. Why don’t we get it all out.”

“Get what out? You’re doing a dare.”

“But why?”

“Senior pranks.”

I jog to catch up with him. “Yes, I know it’s senior pranks. You’ve never joined in, so why now?”

“I like the woods. I like camping.”

I snort. “You’re so full of it. Do you think you sound credible?”

“I really don’t care what you believe.”

I roll my eyes. “All right, keep your secrets. Not that they’re secret.”

He doesn’t bite. Instead he throws his bag down and huffs. “This’ll do.”

We’re not quite at the top, but I’m not going to argue. It’s useless at this point. I have bigger things to worry about.

There’s about an hour left until we’re plunged into darkness. There’s just enough space between trees for us to be able to see around us.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask.

Rhett does a double take and lifts his brow. “Are you willingly cooperating?”

“Don’t get used to it.” I point to the sky. “It’ll be dark soon, and we need to set up.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” he asks.

“Don’t even try, Rhett.”

I was actually going to ask him that, because I have no desire to share a tent with him, but again, it’s going to be a waste of energy. I have a limited amount of time with him, thankfully.

He unzips the bag. “We’re going to need wood.”

“You’re lighting a fire? Do you expect us to sing camp songs and share s’mores?”

He laughs. “I don’t share s’mores.”

“What’s happening?”

He laughs again. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone we got along for two minutes.” Straightening, he throws a flashlight to me, which I catch. “Look, let’s call a truce for the duration of the dare. It’s going to be a long night if not.”

“O-okay.”

Away from everyone else, I can see more of the old him, the one I was friends with.

It won’t last.

“Don’t go far but get as much dry wood as you can. We’ll need rocks and a clear patch of ground, so we don’t set the forest alight.”

“Sure thing, Eagle Scout.”

“You know the top-ranking Scout?”

I shrug. “My cousin’s just joined and talks about nothing else. Back soon.”

“Danny has? Nice. But you do know ‘back soon’ is a bad thing to say in the middle of the woods.”

Yeah, well, I don’t think there’s anything scarier out here than me. Someone who helped cover up a murder.

I leave him to pitch the tent and walk off course, needing to be fast. The ground here is undisturbed and far enough away from any routes to make it the perfect place. This spot is already out of theway.

The ground is a little damp and covered in slimy green moss, but I burn the bag of evidence and bury the ashes, then manage to gather enough wood to keep a small fire going for a couple of hours.

The tent is up when I get back. Rhett’s cleared a circle on the ground and outlined it with a small wall of rocks.

“That looks good,” I say, dumping the wood down beside him. A couple of branches hit his leg, but he says nothing.

“What took you so long? I was about to come searching. Hold on, did you just give me a compliment? Wow.”

I roll my eyes. “Now, now, we called a truce. It took a while to find enough dry wood.”

He nods, accepting the lie, and takes the wood to make a fire. It’s still warm out, but we’re completely shaded here, so the temperature will drop pretty quickly soon.

“Can I ask you something?” I say, sitting down and watching him strike a match.

“That’s rhetorical, right? You’re going to ask regardless.”

“True.”

He sighs, prodding the small fire. “Go on, then.”

“What happened in eighth grade?”

“If you can’t remember any of it, I fear for your SAT results.”

“None of your friends are around to laugh at your dumb jokes, so you might as well be honest.”

“Nothing happened.”

“You’re full of crap, Rhett. What are you scared of?”

“All right. Let me ask you something first.”

“Shoot. I’m not a scaredy-cat.”

“Why do you care?”

I whack him. He winces, rubbing the spot where my knuckles just made contact. That felt kinda good. “Because we were friends and then nothing. No explanation. You just stopped talking to me one day. You’re no Einstein, but even you must see how that’s confusing and hurtful.”

He dips his chin, and it’s the first time I’ve seen him look even remotely remorseful. “I don’t know. People change, I guess.”

“Overnight?”

“Yeah, Marley. Overnight. No explanation and no warning.”

I look over at him and he’s still staring at the ground, but I feel his eyes roll.

At what point do I ask him outright if he’s the one sending me messages? I want to get this over with so I can find out what it’ll cost to keep him quiet, but I’m actually terrified of having that conversation.

He already has loads of money, so I don’t think he’ll take a bribe. Also, I only have about four hundred dollars.

“Why are you here?” I ask, not quite ready to be so direct.

“The bear. I’m not totally heartless.”

“Your brother’s dare. I know my way around these woods, unlike Bryany and Elizabeth. I won’t get lost.”

He knows this because we spent half of middle school in the woods hiking and camping with my dad. Before he became too cool for me.

“Just seems like I should be here.”

“That’s not a real answer.”

“I never said I’d give you one.”

Do you know?

I clench my hands into fists, frustration building inside me like I’m a pressure cooker. How much longer before I burst? A part of me hopes he knows, and he’ll tell someone. That way I won’t have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Otherwise we’ll never be able to relax, not really.

Just look at all those old cold cases getting solved, like, twenty years later thanks to new technology. What’s to say that once we’re out of college and settled into our perfect lives this won’t come back to bite us?

Atlas and I could be sitting on the porch while our children play, and the cops could show up.

We’ll never know what’s coming.

That’s our future.

I’m not sure what’s worse, that or prison.

“Rhett, please.”

I don’t know what I’m asking. For him to tell me why he wanted to come. For him to tell me what he knows.

“What’s the deal with you and Ruthie?” he asks.

“Ruthie?” All right, that I didn’t expect. “What do you mean? She hates me and I think she’s a shallow, hateful witch.”

He nods, smirking, trying to act casual, but I can see the tension around his eyes. He’s fishing for information, and I have absolutely no clue what that could be. I’ve never spent any time with Ruthie on purpose.

Does he think I hate her because I’m jealous?

“That’s it?” he prods.

“Why are you asking me this?”

“She’s…always talking about you, how to mess with you. By the way, don’t leave your drink at prom. Laxatives.”

“She was going to spike my drink?”

“Her final revenge.”

“Revenge for what? That evil little jerk.”

I’m tempted to put laxatives in her drink and see how she likes it. Who plans that?

He full-on laughs and nudges my arm. “Forget her, just watch yourself around her, okay?”

“Yeah, thanks. Is that why you’re here? Because that didn’t need to be a camp thing. You have my phone number.”

He shrugs. “I guess I figured we should camp one last time. You know, before you go off to California. With Atlas still?”

“Yeah, I’m with Atlas. Why did you say it like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you don’t believe it.”

“Don’t see him as the California type.”

“There’s a type?”

“Yep, and he’s not it. It’s too sunny.”

Atlas does prefer fall and winter, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be somewhere with that climate for college.

“He can do four years of hotter weather,” I say. “We’ll pick where we want to be after.”

“Right, because you’ll still be together.”

“Why are you being an asshole?”

“I’m not.”

“It’s going to be a long night if you keep doing this.”

“Fine,” he says, standing. “I brought buns and hot dogs. I’ll make dinner.”

“We need to keep the fire under control,” I say.

“Yeah, don’t want the woods to go up like Arthur’s.”

I side-eye him, adding another few sticks. “That’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing,” he says seriously. “Think George will be okay?”

“I hope so. Mom’s keeping me updated, but there’s been no change yet.”

“Ruthie’s convinced there’s a killer in town.”

“What?”

“Well, maybe not a killer, because George isn’t dead. You don’t think Arthur burned his house down, and that’s why he’s staying away?”

My jaw nearly hits the floor. “With his grandson inside?”

“Maybe he thought George was out. On a cozy date with you.”

I’m not reacting to that, because it’s ridiculous. “You need a hobby to keep that overactive imagination occupied.”

“Whatever, the cops will figure it out soon enough.”

I don’t move as he pulls a pan and small cooler from his backpack. That’s not because I’m unwilling to help, but because of everything he’s said. I can’t make sense of it, and I can’t figure out if his words have a hidden meaning.

But he does know something.