White Rabbit(69)

“I kept her distracted until it kicked in, and then I left her in the bedroom. Race was already gone, Peyton split as soon as she knew April was out cold, and the second I managed to talk Arlo out of going inside to take Fox on again, we hit the road, too.”

“What about Fox? Where was he during all this?”

She lets out an unpleasant peal of laughter. “He was making himself a fucking snack the last time I saw him.” Wrapping her arms around herself, Lia explains, “April was dead to the world when I left her; that’s why it didn’t make sense to me when Hayden said she’d killed Fox. Honestly, right up to that exact minute, I was actually terrified that I’d overdone it—that maybe April had OD’d or something. That’s why I didn’t mention anything about the fight she had with Peyton. I thought that if something had happened to her, and that’s why she wasn’t answering her phone when you called…” Her voice ends in a choked squeak. “It would have been my fault.”

Sebastian and I look at each other in the quiet that follows, Lia’s admission finding its place in the picture we’re trying to assemble. It finally makes sense how stoned April seemed when we found her, yet how convincing she’d been when she swore she’d had nothing stronger than alcohol all night. It also fleshed out the rolling exits a little bit more: Race left after fighting with Fox, Peyton waited until Lia had defused April, and then my sister was abandoned—unconscious and alone—in the house with her boyfriend. So what had happened next? Who else returned to the cottage?

“I should never have shown her that video,” Lia suddenly confesses, rueful. “It was all my fault.”

“Video?” I repeat. “What are you talking about?”

She glances up at me, embarrassed. “The video of Fox and Peyton doing … you know.” Unnecessarily, she demonstrates what she’s getting at by making a circle with one hand and jamming a finger in and out of it with the other.

I do everything I can to prevent the correlated image from forming in my mind, but to no avail. “There was a video?”

“Yeah. Fox had recorded it on a hidden camera and sent it to Arlo; and when Arlo got pissed off, he showed it to me—and then I got so pissed I showed it to April.” She shrugs guiltily. “It’s why she wigged out.”

“There was a secret video of Fox and Peyton?”

There must be something in my face as I stare at her, because Lia’s brow furrows in confusion. “Yeah. You didn’t know about it?”

I look from her to Sebastian and back again, my pulse picking up. “Have you heard from Race or Peyton at all? Have either of them called or texted you?”

“Both of them.” She frowns anxiously, rubbing her arms. “Like, a bunch of times. And Ramona fucking Waverley’s been blowing up my phone all night long, too, like I need to deal with that on top of everything else.”

“Ramona Waverley?” I repeat, thrown. “How the hell is she involved in this?”

“She’s not! She’s just the biggest gossip in Chittenden County. Lord only knows what she’s heard and who she’s told it to.”

“Well, what did she say?”

“I don’t know … Bash said not to talk to anyone but you guys. I had no idea what was going on, or what to think, so I just ignored all my messages!” She tosses her phone at me, and I barely catch it before it smacks me in the face. “Look for yourself.”

I pull up her messaging app, which shows three unopened conversations, along with the latest incoming missives from each sender. Race: Text me as soon as you get this ok? PLEASE? Peyton: What the hell is going on tonight? Ramona: Girl call me ASAP about R+P I need this shit confirmed!! Or just stop by k? Working till suuuuper late.

“R plus P?” I read out loud. “Race and Peyton?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Lia sweeps her arms out decisively. “Why are they all writing me, anyway? What am I supposed to do?”

“Lia…” I don’t want to scare her. Or maybe I do. Maybe I need to. “Hayden didn’t kill anyone, and neither did Lyle; we overheard a conversation between them, and we’re pretty sure they’re in the clear. But that means it could be either Race or Peyton.”

“What—?” She squints disbelievingly. “Are you high? Neither one of them could take Arlo! There must be—”

“They’re the only ones left,” I insist, “and we’ve got no idea how things went down when Arlo got killed. They might have outsmarted him somehow. Don’t talk to either of them, don’t answer the door if they come over, and don’t go outside alone, okay?”

“What the hell are you trying to say?” She sounds immediately querulous and fearful.

“Lia, the first thing April assumed when I told her Arlo knew what had happened at the lake house was that you knew about it, too.” I take a step forward. “Whoever did this apparently killed Arlo because of what he saw, and if they think he told you about it? You could be next.”





22

“‘Don’t go outside alone?’ ‘You could be next?’” Sebastian recites my own words back to me when we’re seated back in the Jeep outside of Lia’s house, incredulousness writ large on his face. “Rufus, she’s never gonna sleep again!”