The Accomplice(105)

“They’re not here,” Mason said.

“Is this Mason?”

The voice was familiar, but Mason couldn’t place it. He felt a tad paranoid that the girl on the line knew who he was.

“Who is this?”

“Scarlet.”

“Oh hey,” Mason said, less paranoid.

“Have you seen Owen?”

“Uh, yeah. We were hanging out in Luna’s room earlier.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. I fell asleep. Where are you?” Mason asked.

“I’m waiting for Owen at Black Oak Bluff.”

“Why? It’s cold out, and you shouldn’t be there at night.”

“I’m so fucking over it,” Scarlet said.

“Over what?”

“Doesn’t matter. Everyone will know soon enough.”

“What’s going on? You sound weird.”

There was a long pause. Mason thought the connection had dropped.

“You still there?” he asked.

“Luna is not who she says she is,” said Scarlet.

Scarlet’s tone worried Mason. He was afraid for Luna.

“Who is she, then?” Mason asked.

“Forget it.”

“Come on, tell me.”

“Remember that girl who lied on the stand and her brother got away with murder and then he—”

“I know the story,” Mason said.

“That’s Luna.”

Mason’s mouth was so dry he couldn’t swallow. He thought he was the only one who knew. “You shouldn’t spread ugly rumors. It says more about you than her.”

“It’s the truth, Mason. I went to the library, did some research. It all adds up. Luna’s mom’s name is Belinda. Belinda Brown is the name of John Brown’s stepmother. Later she changed her name from Brown to Grey. How stupid. You can change your name and you don’t pick something different or even cool.”

“You should come back to the dorm,” Mason said. “Why don’t you meet me at the Mudhut. Let’s talk about it.”

“I gotta go,” Scarlet said.

Mason didn’t know Scarlet’s number and he didn’t have a mobile. He stopped off at his dorm room and got a flashlight. It had begun to drizzle when he stepped outside again. No one saw him as he crossed the quad and disappeared into the back woods.

Mason reached the base of Black Oak Bluff about fifteen minutes after he ended the call with Scarlet. A good ten of those minutes were the most frightening of his life. With only the narrow tunnel of his flashlight as his guide, Mason’s hearing went on high alert. The rustle of leaves, a gust of wind, even the sound of his own footsteps terrified him. When the trail hit an incline, he knew he was getting close.



* * *



—

Scarlet had been waiting for Owen at a high point on the Black Oak Bluff trail for over an hour. It was dark and scary and she wanted to leave, but she’d already made the precarious hike up the narrow trail. She was beginning to sober up. With sobriety came the realization that she was unlikely to change anything between Owen and Luna. And still, she waited, because she didn’t want to walk the path alone again. It was an unseasonably warm night for early March, but it was still too cold to be just standing around in the woods. When it began to drizzle, Scarlet finally decided to turn back. She had to pee something fierce, though, and didn’t think she’d make it down to the trailhead without bursting. There was a tree on the edge of the drop. She hiked up her dress, pulled down her tights, and leaned against it. As she was relieving herself, a light flashed over her.

“What the fuck,” she said.

Startled, she scrambled to cover herself. Her foot lost purchase and she plunged down the twenty-foot drop.



* * *



—

Mason heard the scream and the sickening crack of skull on stone. He stumbled down to the bottom of the trail, waving the flashlight around the base of the cliff. When he saw the angle of Scarlet’s head, he knew she was gone. He tried to say her name, but he could barely speak. He thought he might vomit. Then, he thought he heard something in the woods. He tried to remember what bears did at night. Do they sleep or do they stalk their prey? He didn’t know. He was pretty sure there had been bear sightings nearby. He didn’t want to be attacked by a bear. He was hearing things. Some things were real, others were marijuana-induced embellishments. He followed the trail back to the main footpath that looped around campus.

He purged at the side of the footpath. Guts unburdened, Mason got his bearings, remembered the pay phone outside Bancroft Library. He jogged the path for twenty yards. He felt sick again. He picked up the phone. There was no dial tone. He rummaged through his pockets for coins. After depositing a quarter, he saw the OUT OF ORDER sign. He shouted a few expletives and fought back tears. He ran back to Bing Hall and used the back entrance to avoid any revelers. He climbed the stairs to the second floor. Some guy who didn’t live on that floor was on the pay phone.

Mason climbed the stairs to the third floor. He picked up the pay phone. Then a girl whose name he didn’t know asked him why he wasn’t using the phone on his floor. Mason put the phone back on the cradle and walked away without a word. He returned to his room on the second floor and sat on the edge of his bed. He took off his muddy shoes and stuffed them in the back of his closet.