You Can't Catch Me(60)

“And say what?”

She turns toward me. “Why are you asking me? He’s your boyfriend.”





Chapter 27

Aha

The lawsuit was the beginning of the end. Or the beginning of the beginning. I might write other people’s stories for a living, but I have trouble with figuring out where to start, and where to end too. But I’ve had a lot of time to think about this one, and that lawsuit was definitely the start of something.

And the end of Kiki.

I don’t blame the people who suggested bringing it, or those in the Not in Todd Anymore Facebook group who jumped on it. When we learned how much money Todd had accumulated, it was the natural thing to do. That was our families’ money. My parents’ and Kiki’s parents’ and Covington’s. All of us, those who escaped, and the ones who never wanted to leave but were forced to when Todd died, and everything fell apart. We didn’t have the lives we were supposed to, the version we would’ve had if Todd had never existed. And though money doesn’t solve anything, it can feel like it does. If you don’t have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, or how you’re going to pay for school, that’s one less thing to weigh you down.

So, I was all for it. We all were.

Todd’s family caved pretty quickly. His real relatives he’d disowned in life but who were the ones who got it all after his death. The many millions of ill-gotten gain, mostly invested in the market in blue-chip stocks. All the companies that Todd had railed against, that he’d told us we’d be taking down when the day came, they were the backbone of Todd’s wealth. I think that was the actual final nail in the coffin for the LOT; the rank hypocrisy finally penetrating through to even the diehards.

Nothing went to the adults who’d chosen to live with Todd. Everything went to the kids in equal portions, right down to the smallest one, the girl who was with my parents at the funeral. There was one helluva party, but then we pulled apart. We’d won, achieved our purpose, and now we could move on. Only, someone should’ve done some research. Looked at the data on lottery winners, for instance, who often end up bankrupt, addicted, or right back where they started only a few years later. We were no different from the statistics. Some of us were prudent. I paid off my student loans and socked the rest of it away for a rainy day. Others bought a boat and sailed around the world, skipping from beach town to beach town as their livers slowly disintegrated under the constant pressure of cheap liquor and sugary mixers. Et cetera.

And Kiki. Kiki used her money to educate herself. Her plan was to become a teacher. But that’s not how it turned out. And when it all fell apart, she didn’t have the tools to cope. My John Hughes–inspired education wasn’t a substitute for the real help I should’ve found her. The therapy Liam helped others get, which I’d always turned down because I thought I didn’t need it.

She sank.

And sank.

And it wasn’t until she turned up dead that I even knew she was drowning.

I tell Jessie and JJ that I’ll call Liam once we’re back at camp. I don’t want to talk to him while they’re watching me. Things are shifting between Liam and me, but whatever there is, it’s still private.

When we get to our tents, I park the car and we get out.

“What should we do now?” Jessie asks. It’s midafternoon, and hot. The air is full of buzzing insects. “While you talk to lover boy?”

“We need a new plan,” JJ says.

“No shit,” says Jessie.

“Guys, Jesus. This is exactly what she wants,” I say. “To divide us.”

“Looks like it’s working.”

“Enough!” JJ says. “This is not helping.”

I take a deep breath. “You’re right. This isn’t the way.”

“What is, then?” Jessie asks.

“We need to work together.”

“That hasn’t gotten us anywhere to date.”

“Come on, Jessie,” I say, reaching out my hand. “Truce?”

She hesitates, then reaches out. Her hand is cold, like it’s been dipped in ice. “Truce.”

Because we’re playing nice now as we try to think up our next move, Jessie agrees to go for a paddle. JJ needs time to think, she says, and we can bring some food and regroup on the other side of the lake.

“You guys get changed,” I say after we’ve settled this. “And I’ll call Liam.”

They agree, and I take my phone out and start walking to where I can get a clear signal. The Tetons are beautiful, but they aren’t great for cell service. Liam picks up before the first ring is through.

“Hey, there,” he says.

I can’t help but smile. “Hey.”

“How did it go today?”

“Not great.”

“She didn’t show?” he says with resignation.

“No, she did. Listen.” I sit down on a pine bench on the side of the road and fill him in. “So, can you do it?”

“Watch out for another Jessica Williams? Of course.”

“Don’t watch her too closely.”

“Is that jealousy I hear?”

“Maybe.”

Liam goes silent.

“What?”

“That was weird that Jessie came into the airport.”