“Okay, gorgeous, we’re going to get to the bottom of this.” I say this, but my head is still stuck on Alicia Redgrave, the stepdaughter of my former nanny, being Freya’s friend as well as the girl Royal killed.
Echo nods. “I know. We have to.”
“Did you say you’d seen this guy more than once?” Wilder eyes her as he runs a hand over his jaw.
“Yes. I could swear I saw the same guy leaving the police station while we were there.”
My head is spinning like a top. “That’d make sense for him to be there the day after his sister’s murder, so I think you’re probably not mistaken.”
The door quietly clicks open, and Royal ducks in, his gaze immediately traveling to Echo who shoves the laptop behind her, closing it. His head tilts to the side as he studies the three of us. Wilder and I exchange an uneasy glance. Ofcourseshe’d be nervous, considering what we’ve learned so far.
“I think you need to tell him.” Wilder’s voice comes out gruff and scratchy. “We don’t keep secrets from each other. Not anymore.”
Royal comes to stand right at the edge of the bed. “Echo, tell me what the fuck is going on. Even Chase recognizes you’re upset.” Her mouth drops open as Royal continues. “He asked if you were scared. He saw it in your eyes, felt it in your actions, just like we all do.”
Slowly, Echo relays what she discovered at Freya’s memorial and explains how because of that, she thinks Smith might be behind some of the things that have been happening in the last few weeks. Royal then spends a few minutes scrolling through articles that pop up that have to do with the accident. Finally, he nods. “Yeah, I don’t know what this all means, but it seems like maybe Smith is acting out now that we’re all here. But that doesn’t explain Freya’s death. I can’t see why he’d off his own sister.” Royal grits his teeth, worry leaching from every pore in his body and permeating the room. “We’re still missing something.” He reaches for Echo, drawing her from the bed to hold her tightly in his embrace. “We’re going to figure it out,though. And then we’re going to forget all this bullshit ever happened. Live our lives and be fuckin’ happy.”
“Promise?” Echo whispers.
I don’t know why she bothered to question it, because the trust in him shines in her eyes for anyone to see. Royal kisses the top of her head. “Promise.”
Wilder nods. “Yep. We’re not going to stop until we unravel this mess, and then we’ll light it on fire and walk away.”
“I’ll make you that promise, too.” With a sigh, I know I have one more unfortunate piece of information to add to everything that’s been said, another connection that might help us begin to untangle this web of vengeful behavior. Clearing my throat, I take my time, first locking eyes with Wilder, then Royal, before finally meeting Echo’s. There’s knowledge in those pretty green eyes of hers. She knows. I’d better spill what I know. “Like Wilder said, we don’t keep things from each other. I think we’ve figured out the same thing, only coming at it from different angles.”
Wetting her lips, she stares nervously at me and nods. “I kept thinking after we visited the prison that the last name was familiar, but I don’t know why I didn’t place it until I saw her photos splashed all over the place today. Redgrave. Alicia is somehow related to Megan, isn’t she?”
THIRTY-THREE
ECHO
I wokeup with one thought on my mind, and it’s lingered there all day long, my brain caught up in it and everything it could mean—Smith’s dead girlfriend, Alicia Redgrave, is Megan-the-pedophile’s stepdaughter. Smith is right here on campus, we know that much. But where the hell is Megan? An unsettled, nervous feeling has taken over, and my stomach has been twisted in knots since we uncovered all the new information last night.
We’ve got some Netflix cartoon dinosaur movie on for Chase that should take us right up to his bedtime. Kara is due home this evening. At least, I think she is. I glance down at my phone, but all that’s there are the texts I sent her last night.
Hey. I think you need to come home.
I mean, I know you’re coming tomorrow.
But as fast as you can manage it.
We’ve got a situation here.
I don’t know how to approach things
or what to do next.
I’ve gotten no response, which is very unlike Kara. It doesn’t even look like she’s read the messages, though it does show they’ve been delivered.
Royal sits on my left. “It’s odd she’s not answering, isn’t it?”
I bite my lip, chewing absentmindedly on the tender flesh. “Yeah. I guess she and Todd have been busy.”
From the far end of the couch, Beckham lets out a laugh muffled by his hand. “Gettin'busy, you mean.”
“You’re kidding. Still nothing? Isn’t she supposed to be home any time now?” Wilder glances down at me briefly before turning his attention back to the half-asleep child on his lap. “You want another piece of candy, Chase?”
A smile stretches my cheeks as I watch them. I guess Chase had decided that Wilder looked like a comfortable enough seat for his movie-watching extravaganza. Beckham sits on Wilder’s other side—he’s the one with the Smarties—feeding Chase one tiny candy at a time.
