B00B9FX0F2 EBOK (12 page)

Y
ou’re out of your mind.”

“What? I like this song!”

“This song?
This
one?”

Jenna turned the volume knob so that MGMT’s “Kids” blared even louder. “Yes, I love it,” she said defiantly and giggled at the look of disgust on Jason’s face.

“It’s, like, one of the top five overplayed songs in the world. And it wasn’t even that good to begin with!”

“Do you have ears? Do you have a
heart
? It’s a great song. You can dance to it, but it’s serious, too. The reason people are always playing it is it literally never gets old.”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe I’m on a stakeout with someone who loves ‘Kids.’ This is what you get when you associate with people who think
The Sunset Tree
is the best Mountain Goats album.”

All afternoon it had been like this; Jason had met Jenna at the Brighton High entrance and they had sat in the bleachers observing Troy’s lacrosse practice under the guise of watching the JV soccer game taking place on the next field over. They’d waited patiently out of sight next to the field house while Luke and Troy and a few other diehards stayed behind tossing the ball after the official end of practice. At dusk, when Troy left the locker room with Luke, they’d tailed them to the parking lot, and then into town where they’d watched the two guys
devour burgers on plates heaped with fries through the glass window of Johnny Rockets. All the while Jason and Jenna had chatted easily like old friends, exchanging stories about school, going back and forth about music, and occasionally mocking one of Troy’s jock mannerisms.

“You really don’t have a heart,” Jenna said.

“
All Hail West Texas
has more heart in a single song than all of
Sunset Tree
combined!”

“I swear, it’s like you and Lacey are the same person when it comes to music.”

The mention of Lacey’s name thudded heavily in their buoyant conversation.

Before the pause grew awkward, though, Jenna pointed into the restaurant. “Look, there’s Aaron Majors and Luis Gonzales.”

“Friends of yours?”

“No, but they’re on the lacrosse team, which means we might be here a while since they tend to travel in a pack.”

Luis slid into the booth and Aaron pulled up a chair. A few elaborate high fives were exchanged. Inside the car, Jason rolled his eyes.

“So you’re one of those guys who hates high school, huh?”

“And you’re one of those girls who loves it?” Jason challenged.

“Yeah, you know, my best friend, who I thought died in a freak accident or was murdered, turns out to be hiding out somewhere and giving me the silent treatment, but other than that it’s
peachy
.”

Jason was taken aback. Jenna, usually so warm and kind, sounded utterly angry. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I shouldn’t have …”

She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. Honestly, before all this stuff happened, I
did
like high school. We’d be in a car seven deep, and I’d be sitting shotgun on Lacey’s lap with the radio blasting and the windows down, and we’d be driving to go to some house party, and I’d think, ‘This is the stuff people remember.’” She looked at him. “You probably think that’s the type of cheesy thing Taylor Swift would sing about. Anyway, now that Lacey’s gone, I
do
remember those nights, and I’m even more grateful that we had them, and it makes me want to enjoy what’s left of high school. You know,
after
I figure out what really happened to my best friend.”

“I’m going to help you do that,” Jason said. “And by the way, I love Taylor Swift. A lot. Unironically.”

“I knew there was a heart beating somewhere in there.” She tapped Jason’s chest lightly and smiled the sad smile he’d come to associate with her.

As they watched the boys in Johnny Rockets fumble for their wallets and pool cash on the table, Jason asked Jenna where her parents thought she was.

“Volunteering at an animal shelter. Which I do, but normally the shelter closes at six. What was your excuse?”

“I told my mom I have a chemistry project. It’s weird, I think she’d rather I be out partying somewhere than on Facebook.”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. The other day my mom tried to talk to me about sending ‘intimate photos.’”

“If my mom ever said ‘intimate photos’ in front of me, I think I would move in with Rakesh.”

“Oh, look, they’re leaving.” Jenna and Jason shifted their gaze to the diner. On the sidewalk outside, the guys split
up — Luis and Aaron heading for one car while Luke and Troy climbed into Luke’s Jeep. Jason wondered how he’d reacted when he realized the video had gone missing. Maybe he hadn’t noticed yet, though that didn’t seem likely considering the urgency from Lacey’s instructions. When Luke pulled out of the parking space, Jason waited a minute and did the same, leaving two cars in between them. Brighton was becoming more familiar now that Jason was spending so much time there, but navigating out of town they found themselves on streets Jason had never seen before. He asked Jenna if she knew where they were.

“I think we’re going toward Troy’s house. He’s neighbors with a girl I used to be friends with, and she lives a couple streets over from here. She had the best American Girl doll collection I’ve ever seen.”

“Were you really into American Girl dolls? Is that a phase all girls go through?”

“Yes! Except I was totally obsessed. I had Molly, and I took her with me
everywhere
. Even Lacey made fun of me for it.”

“Really?” Jason was incredulous. He was certain Lacey had told him about her own doll, but the night they talked about childhood toys seemed like a lifetime ago now.

Before he could question her further, they watched the SUV slow to a stop, and Jason pulled over halfway down the block. Troy jumped out of the car and grabbed his lacrosse bag from the backseat, slinging it over his shoulder. They waited until they saw Luke’s brake lights disappear around a corner before pulling up to Troy’s house. A few of the lights were on, but there were no people visible through the windows.

“So now we wait?” Jenna asked.

“I guess so.”

Considering how little progress they were making on uncovering Troy’s darkest secrets, Jason was in a pretty good mood. If he had met Jenna in school, he would have dismissed her as just another generic popular girl. At first glance, she seemed just like the pretty girls from Roosevelt, the ones who piled into shiny cars on Saturday nights wearing the same designer jeans, the same ruffled tops, the same lip gloss. Rakesh was friends with those girls. Most of them were perfectly nice, some of them were plenty book smart, but all of them were hopelessly boring.

Jenna was a lot of things, but boring wasn’t one of them. She was funny and opinionated — even if most of her opinions about music were wrong — and she treated Jason like an honest-to-god interesting person, not just a sidekick who might help her get closer to the most sought-after guy in school. She was telling him about a night when she and Lacey had told their parents they were sleeping at each other’s houses, gone to a Feist concert in the city, and then wound up crashing on the dorm room floor of two guys they’d met there after they realized they couldn’t go home. He was laughing when he saw the front door to Troy’s house open.

“Look,” he whispered, as if Troy could hear him from across the street.

Troy had unlocked a station wagon and was climbing into the driver’s seat. Jason waited until the taillights reached the end of the block before starting the Subaru. They did their best to stay at least a block behind him, but between the hour and their distance from the center of town, there were fewer cars on the streets; Jason prayed they weren’t too conspicuous. Jason asked Jenna if she had any idea where they were headed.

“Could be one of his buddies’ houses, but …”

“But what?”

At first Jenna didn’t answer. And then they hung a left, and she finally said, “The cemetery where Lacey is buried is on this road.”

“Oh.”

As soon as she said it, Jason knew that was Troy’s destination. Night had fallen, and the energy in the car had suddenly grown tense. In the headlights, Jason began to see headstones dotting the fenced-off grass on either side of the road.
The cemetery where Lacey is buried
. Jenna had said it so simply, but it wasn’t simple at all. Lacey
wasn’t
buried.

“It could be a coincidence,” Jason said, but Jenna didn’t even bother to reply.

Troy turned sharply into the road leading into the graveyard, but Jason pulled over before the entrance. “I guess I should park here so he doesn’t see us.” He killed the engine but neither of them moved.

“Do you know where it is? Her grave, I mean.”

Jenna nodded. “Not far. I haven’t been here since the funeral. It’s too depressing. It’s why I wanted that memorial.” Jenna’s voice was strangely flat and disembodied in the dark. “I know this was the whole reason we’re following him, but I honestly didn’t think he’d do something like this. I kind of don’t want to get out of the car.”

Jason couldn’t see her face, but he realized she was scared. Out of nowhere there was a loud beep and Jason jumped with fright. He heard Jenna fishing around in her bag. “Just my phone,” she said with a nervous laugh. The glow from the screen illuminated her face and soothed Jason’s jangly nerves.

“It’s Max — he wants to know how it’s going.” She thought for a minute. “We should wait until we know something before we answer.”

Their eyes met. “Come on,” Jason said, opening his car door. “It’ll be fine.” He wished he believed it to be true. He took her elbow and guided her up to the entrance to the park. The streetlights from the road dimly lit the path they trudged up, but the farther they got into the cemetery, the deeper the night grew. There was something otherworldly about being in a cemetery at night. Marble monuments shone eerily in the darkness, and the moon cast shadows over the soft grass beneath their feet. In the absence of light, all the flowers Jason could see looked black, as if the petals had been touched by some sinister force and the stems were infected by death. He shivered, hoping Jenna didn’t notice.

Jason had been yawning all day, his midnight trip to Brighton catching up to him, but now his body pumped with adrenaline. He could hear their individual footsteps and the soft rhythm of their breathing. He was glad they were both wearing dark clothing that wouldn’t stand out if Troy happened to be approaching from the opposite direction.

Jenna led the way without speaking. There was still no sign of the station wagon, and they stayed a good distance from the road, weaving between the neat rows of stone slabs. Finally Jenna stopped and turned to him. “Up there,” she whispered. “At the top of the hill, just past those trees.” She didn’t move, so he began walking up the hill, his curiosity outweighing his fear. A moment later, she was by his side, pointing to Troy’s car, which was pulled to the side of the narrow road as if it had been abandoned.

They crept behind the thick trunk of an oak tree, and Jason blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust. They stood as still as statues, barely breathing. Thinking about the skeletons beneath their feet, Jason felt his skin grow clammy. The idea that one of these plots was Lacey’s sickened him. Had he had it wrong all along? Was she underground, lying there lifeless, her ghost responsible for the messages he was receiving? He pushed the thought out of his mind the moment he heard rustlings. It sounded like someone was being strangled, and he wrapped his hand protectively around Jenna’s wrist. With her free hand, she covered her mouth in horror. She had seen something he hadn’t, and he followed her gaze until he could make out Troy’s silhouette as he kneeled on the ground.

Just then, a cloud that had been covering the moon passed, and a beam of light caused Jenna’s and Jason’s shadows to stretch out along the tidy row of headstones right up to Troy’s back. But Troy didn’t notice, and it was at that moment that Jason realized the choking noise was the sound of Troy weeping. Blood rushed into Jason’s ears, and he caught his breath.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Troy sobbed quietly, repeating the words over and over again. In the moonlight, Jason could see him digging at the earth with his fingernails, occasionally lifting one hand to wipe his face. “I’m so sorry, Lacey.” Jenna gasped, and Troy looked up. “Who’s there?” he called into the shadows.

They stood frozen in place, so near each other Jason could smell the clean scent of Jenna’s shampoo, and Jason’s heart was pounding so loudly he feared Troy would be able to hear it. To Jason’s great relief, he remained on his knees at the base of the cold gray headstone, though the crying grew softer until finally
it subsided entirely. Troy sat a moment longer, and finally got up to go. Jason and Jenna ducked to the other side of the tree as they waited for him to pass. After what felt like an eternity, they heard his car start and watched as his taillights faded down the road. Jason began to approach the plot, but she grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

“I want to get out of here.” If he hadn’t been standing a few inches from her, he wouldn’t have heard, but the urgency came through loud and clear. He desperately wanted to know what Troy had been doing, but he wasn’t too keen on sticking around the moonlit graveyard much longer, either. So he cautiously led Jenna back along the path to the street.

Jenna’s hands were shaking as she pulled at the door to the Subaru. Jason helped her inside. “My curfew,” she said when he started the car. It was 9:57. As if they didn’t have enough to be worried about.

“I can get you home in five minutes,” he said reassuringly. His mind was still with Troy. “Am I making this up or did we just see Troy Palmer sobbing?”

“Unless we were having the same hallucination, that is what we just saw.”

“Do you think he was saying sorry because …” The words hung in the air.

“I don’t know,” Jenna said. Neither said what they each knew the other was thinking.

“What was he doing to the ground?”

“He was burying something.”