The Hollows(6)

‘The police thought it probably wasn’t planned,’ Connie said. ‘Or not properly thought through, anyway. The theory was that he’d seen them having sex and been sent into some kind of frenzy. There was speculation he was on drugs. Out of his mind.’

‘Hold on,’ I said. ‘They blamed him because he watched a music video and had a pagan symbol on the back of his jacket? Isn’t that, like, circumstantial evidence?’

‘It is. But there was forensic evidence too. That’s the important part.’ Connie looked over my shoulder as she spoke, and I turned to see Frankie and Ryan coming back up the path towards us. They were laughing; clearly, they had hit it off.

‘Everett always used to wear this scarf,’ David said quickly. ‘A bandana? And guess what was used to daub the symbols on the rock? The cops found it on a path near the clearing, covered in Eric’s blood.’

I’d heard of criminals being caught because of their own stupidity before, but this was something else.

‘Did Everett confess?’

Frankie and Ryan reached us just then, a big smile on Frankie’s face, the sulkiness of earlier forgotten. ‘What are you talking about?’ she asked.

Ryan rolled his eyes. ‘I bet I can guess. The Hollows Horror. My mom and dad are obsessed.’

‘We’re not obsessed, Ryan,’ said David.

‘You could have fooled me.’

‘Yeah, well, our podcast paid for this vacation. Don’t forget that.’

‘How could I?’ said Ryan. ‘You only mentioned it twenty times on the way here.’

He went inside, muttering something about needing the bathroom, before his dad could respond.

‘So what happened to Everett Miller?’ I asked, giving Frankie a wary glance. I didn’t feel comfortable talking about this stuff in front of her. ‘Does Maine have the death penalty?’

‘No, it doesn’t,’ David said. ‘But it wouldn’t have mattered in this case anyway. Because they never caught him. The night of the murders, he disappeared.’

Connie leaned forward. ‘And no one ever saw him again.’





Chapter 3


Sunday


Sunlight splashed through the trees, the sounds of the resort fading behind them, as Frankie and Ryan took the path towards town.

It had been his idea. Last night, down by the lake, she’d complained about not being able to get online and he’d suggested this: a walk through the woods to Penance the next day.

‘They’ve got to have 4G there,’ he’d said. ‘Or we’ll be able to find a Subway or a Dunkin’ or something. Somewhere with Wi-Fi.’

‘It’s just cruel,’ Frankie had said, hoping Ryan could tell she was being ironic. ‘Expecting us to exist without internet.’

Despite what she’d said to her dad, she wasn’t that bothered about the lack of a connection. It was nice to have a break from all the drama in the WhatsApp group she was in with Sienna and Abby, and they’d be able to catch her up when she got home.

The real reason she’d wanted to go on this little expedition was walking beside her. Fifteen years old, six foot tall, fit as hell. He looked just like Harry Styles. Actually, that would be one good reason to get back online. To share a picture of Ryan. Her friends would freak.

She glanced at him now, daring to wonder if he liked her too. He’d certainly seemed keen to spend time with her, but she wasn’t getting any ‘I fancy you’ vibes from him. He hadn’t made any lame sexual jokes. He was, so far, being a perfect gentleman. And that made her like him even more.

They continued along the path and she tried not to worry about how much she was sweating. Mosquitoes buzzed around them and she swatted at them as casually as she could, not wanting Ryan to know how much bugs freaked her out. He barely even seemed to be sweating. He gave off more of a glow, like from an Instagram filter.

‘So you’re from California?’ she asked.

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Whereabouts?’

He flicked his hair out of his eyes. ‘San Jose. I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s all big tech companies and homeless people.’

‘Is that what your parents do? Work for a tech company?’

He pushed a low-hanging branch out of the way and held it so Frankie could step past. ‘No. My dad sells insurance. The most boring job in the world. My mom stays home and does her podcast.’

‘The famous podcast.’

‘Yeah. It actually is famous. It was like, number three on the Apple Podcasts chart at one point.’

‘That’s amazing.’

‘I guess.’ She could tell from his expression that he really didn’t think it was amazing. ‘So . . . do you mind me asking? What’s the deal with your parents? Is your mom British too?’

‘No. She’s from Albany but moved to the UK for college, which is where she met my dad. And after they got divorced she came home, bringing me with her.’

‘And how did you feel about that?’

The answer to this always left a sour taste in her mouth. ‘I didn’t get a say. I hated it at first. Schools in America are so different. It’s kinda . . . it’s actually like Mean Girls at my school.’

He laughed.

‘But I’m used to it now. I like it. I’ve made friends.’