“A lot of kids tell lies.”
“Yeah, I know. I mean, I lie to teachers or my parents all the time. But they always seem like they sort of know that I’m lying. It’s hard to tell a really good lie to an adult in a believable way. But Liam was so good at it. He looked right into the teacher’s eyes and said it with a straight face, and the teacher didn’t even suspect for a second. I would have believed it too if I didn’t see him outside messing around. You know? And there was other stuff too.”
“Like what?”
“Like I was at the athletic field after school because I was waiting for Aidan to finish football practice, and the track team guys had a meet. Liam was racing and he lost, and I could tell he was really pissed off about losing. He walked right up to this fence and kicked it so hard, it broke. I was kind of shocked at how angry he seemed.”
“Did you tell that to Olivia?”
“No…”
“Why not?”
“Well, because last year Aidan punched a wall and broke his hand, so I thought if I told her that story, she’d bring up the story about Aidan and act like it was no big deal. Or tell me I should break up with Aidan.”
“Olivia told you to break up with Aidan?”
“Yes… I mean, not in a serious way. But she didn’t like him.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. She thought he was a football player thug, but… what does this have to do with Liam?”
“Has Aidan ever been violent towards you?”
“No! Never! Aidan isn’t perfect, but he’s a good guy. Not like Liam.”
“Was Liam ever violent toward Olivia?”
“No. He could be really nice when he wanted to be. That’s what I’m saying—he was such a fake. And she was totally taken in by it. She was so into him… and she’s not even like that. She doesn’t get that into boys. He totally did a number on her.”
“Do you think he had any reason to hurt her?”
“No. I mean, she already wanted to go out with him, and I bet she would’ve done just about anything for him.”
“So why are you so certain Liam is responsible for her disappearance?”
“Because he’s crazy! Crazy people don’t need a reason to do something crazy, right?”
Chapter Thirty-One
ERIKA
When I get back home, Jason says Liam hasn’t come out of his room since the cops left, so I decide to check on him. It’s a relief when I knock on the door and he tells me to come in.
Strangely enough, I find him at his desk, hunched over one of his textbooks. He’s reading and outlining the book, as if this was any other day. As if the police hadn’t been here, only hours earlier, essentially accusing him of murder.
“Liam?”
He doesn’t look up from his textbook. “Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Studying. I have a history test tomorrow.”
“Could you stop for a few minutes? I’d like to speak with you.”
If it were Hannah, she would have moaned about howI shouldn’t interrupt her when she’s trying to study, even though she gets distracted every five minutes by her phone when she’s studying anyway. But Liam obediently turns away from his history book and looks up at me, blinking his brown eyes innocently.
