Darkest Dawn (12 page)

Sloane and Tucker stared at the phone.

Mrs. Blake didn’t speak for a few seconds. “Brianna. I told Abbey this wasn’t a good idea. This is something between the two of you. I don’t like to be in the middle of it.”

Bri stepped in front of the phone. “Middle of what?”

Mrs. Blake sighed. “I can’t keep lying for her.”

Sloane clenched the phone harder in her hand. “Lying about what?”

“She said she’d be back tonight. Talk to her then. I’m sorry.”

“Wait!” Bri pleaded as the line went dead. “Mrs. Blake?”

Tucker stepped back, leaning against the counter. “What the hell was that?”

Bri’s hands shook. She wasn’t sure if it was anger or terror. Her phone rang in Sloane’s hand. Could it be Mrs. Blake? Ready to explain more of her otherwise cryptic message? Bri grabbed the phone. Max’s face showed up on the screen. She pressed the side button, hanging up on her. She didn’t want anyone else to know her mom was a liar. Not until she got all the information. Explaining about Sloane would take up too much time.

“What do we do now?” Tucker asked.

Bri sighed. “Mrs. Blake said Mom was coming home tonight. So I guess we wait.”

Sloane rubbed at her temples. “I don’t have a lot of time. Is there anything else we’re missing? She doesn’t have a cell phone?”

Kael’s face flashed across Bri’s eyes. She’d completely forgot about seeing him and Chloe at the school.

“It might be nothing, but I saw something at the library.”

When Bri was done explaining what she’d seen, the kitchen was silent for a few moments.

Sloane shook her head. “What do they have to do with Abbey?”

Bri thought of the key to Kael’s house hidden in her dresser drawer. She wanted to hold on to that information for as long as she could. For what reason she had no idea. “The only connection would be that my mom helps out around Kael’s house sometimes.”

“That makes no sense.” Sloane tilted her head toward the ceiling. “There’s more to this and we have to figure it out.”

“We do?” Tucker asked.

“Yes we do. We have a lead. If we stay here I’m going to go crazy. Where does Kael live?”

Tucker crossed his arms. “I’m not going there.”

“Why not?” Sloane asked.

Bri shook her head. “Chloe said they were going back to her place. If we’re going anywhere we should go there first.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

Tucker and Bri looked at each other. “Actually, no.” Bri grabbed her phone and scrolled her finger across the screen. She smirked. “That’s why we have a school directory.”

***

They arrived at Chloe’s house about fifteen minutes later. Her house was in a small residential area close to the center of town. It had to have been a development at some point since the rows of houses were identical except for the paint colors on the houses and the landscaping.

“Number sixty-seven,” Bri said as Tucker slowed the car.

“Over here are the odd numbers.” Sloane unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned closer to the window.

Bri wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to get used to her own voice coming from another person.

Chloe’s house was at the end of the street at the top of a cul-de-sac. The Cape-style house was a light cream color, the condition a little more run down than the rest of the neighborhood. So much for Chloe’s home matching the perfect image she emanated at school. Tucker pulled around the cul-de-sac and parked in front of another house, the nose of his car facing the exit.

Smart move
, in case they needed a quick getaway.

Bri turned in her seat. “Do you mind staying in here?”

Sloane pursed her lips.

“I don’t need to give them more information than necessary,” Bri explained.

“Fine.” Sloane sat back in her seat. “If they have anything to do with this I need to know.”

Bri nodded. “Of course.”

Bri and Tucker exited the car. They walked up the driveway and knocked on the front door. A full minute passed before she knocked again. Something was off.

Tucker cupped his hands around his face and peered into the window next to the door. “She said they were coming here, right?”

“Yes,” Bri said. She moved away from the front door and peered through the front windows. The house looked vacant. She stayed there a little too long before her attention snapped to a presence nearby.

An older woman waddled across the front lawn, holding a pair of pruning shears. Her knees were dirty and Bri glanced at a basket near her bushes. They hadn’t seen her when they pulled up.
Great detective skills, Bri.

“This house has been empty for about a decade.” The older woman squinted her eyes, the lines around her face deepening. “Mrs. Henley died in that house and her children live in London. They had it up for sale for about a year and it did sell, but no one moved in.”

“Thanks for the information,” Bri said. “Sorry to bother you.”

“Oh no bother,” the woman said with a gentle smile. “It’s a quiet neighborhood. We rarely get visitors.”

Bri glanced at the house again, narrowing her eyes as if she was able to make Chloe appear in there.
Another dead end.

Tucker squeezed Bri’s arm and led her down the driveway. “Mrs. Bartlett in the office would never let a fake address slide.”

“There’s nothing in there,” Bri said. “And you heard the nosey next door neighbor. She was dying to give us more information, gossip, or whatever. She had none.”

“What happened?” Sloane leaned between the passenger and driver seats.

“Apparently we had the wrong address.” Tucker started the car but didn’t put it into drive yet. “Where to?”

Bri swiped a hand over her face. “Instead of getting answers, we have more questions now. Should we try Kael’s house?”

“Hell no!” Tucker said. “That dude is creepy business. Who knows if we’ll come out alive?”

“He wouldn’t hurt anyone,” Bri said.

“How do you know that?” Sloane said. “Didn’t he help steal your mom’s phone? He doesn’t seem very trustworthy.”

Bri shook her head. She didn’t know Kael well, but her mom trusted him. On the other hand, considering her mom was turning out to be a liar, she wasn’t sure who to trust.

She turned in her seat. “Sloane, I’m sorry this has been a waste. We should head home and wait for my mom to come back.”

Sloane sat back, not coming up with any ideas either.

***

On the way back to Bri’s house, Tucker groaned. “I’m starving. Jake’s working; I know we can score some freebies.”

“Tucker,” Bri warned. “We all can’t just walk in there.”

He shrugged. “I’ll take it to-go.”

Bri looked at Sloane. “Are you hungry?”

Sloane stared out the window. “I could eat.”

“Yes,” Tucker dragged the word out with a huge grin on his face.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sloane

Tucker parked in the motel parking lot next to the diner so they wouldn’t be spotted. “Bri, I know you want to come in.” He winked.

Bri pressed her lips together, unable to hide her smile.

My stomach twisted. I wasn’t sure if there would ever be a good time to mention that I’d kissed her soon-to-be boyfriend.

She turned in her seat. “What do you want? They have everything.”

I know.
“Grilled cheese and fries.” It was all I could stomach.

They left the car and I settled in, pressing myself further into the seat. The motel room that I’d stayed in had a piece of crime scene tape hanging off of it. I shivered. Good thing I’d taken my bag with me. The thought made a chill run down my spine. Were there cameras to spot “Bri” staying the night? I glanced at the diner now unsure that I’d be able to hold down any food. The car was suddenly stifling.

I opened the car door and practically fell out. The damp, cool air surrounded me. I inhaled deeply. I leaned against the car and took in the massive sky above me, unmarred by towering buildings. With time to think about the insane trip I’d taken to Willows Lake, I still didn’t feel right about it. It wasn’t a coincidence that a girl who looked exactly like me lived in this town. Had my mom been the bait to get me to this place? Was Bri the actual reason? If so, how would meeting her do anything for me? Why had the note demanded that I get here now?

“Hey yo!” someone called.

I turned to the voice and my body stiffened. It was Bri’s friend. The girl I’d met in the bathroom. Max. Bri had been ignoring her calls all day.

“Where have you been? I’ve been calling you all day.”

For the first time in a long time I was speechless. I glanced over her shoulder at the diner. Bri and Tucker were still inside.

“My phone died.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Have you seen the news?”

“No…”

She scoffed. “Of course. You’re stuck in the past watching cold cases that never get solved. You hear about the murder at the motel?” She showed me the screen of her cell phone. “What I want to know is how your face is on that suspect sketch.”

I snatched the phone from her and scrutinized the pencil sketch of my and Bri’s face. It wasn’t perfect but anyone who saw us against it wouldn’t have a doubt. I scrolled through the blotter and saw that it noted the guy was murdered in the same room I’d stayed in. My head spun.

“Come on.” She pulled me toward the diner’s back door.

“I should—”

“I’m getting you away from the main road. What are best friends for?”

It wasn’t safe. And I knew I couldn’t keep up the ruse any longer. I needed backup. I followed Max to the back of the diner. I avoided looking at the stairs where Jake and I had kissed. I knew he was right beyond the doors and I prayed he didn’t need to take out the trash.

Max whirled around. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

I thought about the lie while we walked over to the diner. And I needed to shake this girl before Bri and Tucker came back. “I had dinner last night at the diner. Someone must have seen me walk home.”

Her lips pursed. “The report says you checked into the motel.” She gasped. “Did you and Jake?”

“No.” Who did she think Bri was? “I have the house to myself. Why would I need to rent a motel room? Their witness is clearly delusional.”

The back door opened. I bolted behind the dumpster.

“Hey, Max.” Jake’s voice cut through me like a blade. “What’re you doing back here?”

Max furrowed her eyebrows at me. “Talking to Bri.”

“On the phone?” he asked.

“Do you see me on the phone?” Their banter reminded me of how Amber and her little brother spoke to each other, sarcastic but affectionate.

“Bri’s inside.”

Damn it.

“She’s right here.” Max grabbed my arm and attempted to pull me from my hiding spot.

I had two choices. I could expose myself and let the secret out to two more of Bri’s friends or I could run and hope Bri could explain this to them later.

I went with the latter.

Halfway across the parking lot I heard shouting from behind me. I didn’t look around until I got to the car. I heard my name clearly as I pulled the door open.

Two worlds collided as Bri and Tucker walked toward the car from the front of the diner and Jake and Max from the back. I slipped into the backseat, hoping Max would approach Bri and not suspect anything. Who was I kidding?

“Hey, Max!” Bri called as her best friend neared.

“Why did you run away?” she asked.

“What? I was inside getting food with Tucker.”

This was going downhill very fast. Bri wasn’t a liar. I looked around the empty parking lot and took a breath. There was no hiding from them now. I opened the car door and stood, allowing Max and Jake to see me.

Both of them stopped in their tracks, Max stumbling over Jake’s foot before straightening up. The same confused expressions crossed their faces just as Tucker’s had when he met me.

Bri widened her eyes at me.

I tucked my hair under the hood of my sweatshirt in case anyone passed by.

“This is a prank,” Max said incredulously. “This has to be a joke.”

I risked a glance at Jake. He was staring at the ground but his gaze was calculating. I wondered how long it would take him to figure out it had been me at the diner and not Bri.

Bri’s fingers tightened around the paper bag in her hands. “It’s not a prank.”

“Who are you?” Jake’s voice was husky in his throat.

“I’m Sloane.”

He shook his head once. I knew he’d figured it out.

“I came to Willows Lake Thursday night.” I focused my gaze on Max. “Someone promised me something if I came here.”

Bri looked over her shoulder. “We should go to my place.”

Jake took a step back. “I have to finish my shift.”

Bri went to his side and I found myself staring at them, almost a mirror image of him and me on the night we met. “Will you come by after?”

His eyes flicked to me. “Definitely.” He squeezed her hand and walked to the diner.

I caught Max watching me. I returned my gaze to Bri whose cheeks were pink with blush. Did my cheeks do that too?

Tucker shoved a fry into his mouth. “Ready?”

***

Even though it was probably quicker to get to the condo by walking through the woods, we opted to drive with Tucker. We filled Max in on what had happened so far. She started off the conversation a bit miffed. As we clued her in she started to relax.

“I was the one you met in the bathroom Friday.”

She looked at me, realization flooding her face. “I was wondering why you were acting strange.”

I smiled and she politely smiled back. I could tell that Max would take a little more convincing that I was one of the good guys.

Tucker parked a few spaces from Bri’s place in a numbered spot. Before leaving the car I put the hood on again. I wondered if there would ever be a time that I could stand next to Bri without hiding.
You’re leaving though. Who knows if you will see her again?
As much as leaving town made sense, I wanted to think we wouldn’t leave this situation as we arrived in it. At least I hoped not.

Bri tossed Tucker her keys and he opened the door for us. She grabbed the mail from the box outside the door as we shuffled inside.

Tucker beelined to the kitchen and Max hovered in the foyer. Both of us waited for Bri to come inside. Bri was picking through the mail when she kicked the door closed behind her. A small piece of paper fluttered to the ground. I reached for it and couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips as I read the words.