by Kai Juniper
"Kristen. She was always in my room."
"Why would she take it?"
"I don't know. Just to have something of mine? We told each other we wouldn't let things go past a physical relationship but she started to want more. She'd wear my t-shirts or take home one of my sweatshirts. Things a girlfriend would do. I told her to stop but I wasn't always here to see what she was doing. She could've easily taken that tie and I never would've known. Like I said, I didn't even know I still had it."
"So now what?" Roman says. "What's our next move?"
"We tell the police what we just heard from Jackson," Mr. Langly says. "That Kristen would often take things of his and bring them back to her house. Or perhaps she left it in her car. Either way, if it left the premises, anyone could've used it to kill her."
"We can't prove that she took it," Roman says.
"No, but a jury isn't likely to believe Jackson would be stupid enough to leave the tie he used to kill her hanging around her neck, especially a tie with his initials."
"The jury could think he panicked and didn't think to get rid of it."
"True, but the way I present him in court, I doubt that'll happen. Jackson is a smart young man with the grades to prove it, and his performance on the football field proves he's used to dealing with pressure and thinking on his feet."
"Why would they use my tie?" Jackson asks.
"Someone's obviously trying to frame you," the lawyer says. "Using your tie. Leaving the body on your property. It was all a setup by whoever did this. They wanted to get rid of Kristen and have you take the fall."
"Who would do that?" Roman asks Jackson. "Do you have enemies I don't know about?"
"Just people at Twisted Pine but they're not really enemies. They're just angry at me for leaving. Braden's the only person I'd call an enemy."
"But how would he get your tie?"
"When he went to get Kristen," I say.
They all look at me to explain.
"The week she was killed I saw her at the house with Braden. I didn't see her car out front so I'm guessing he picked her up at her house. If he went inside, he could've got the tie."
"We need more than a guess," Mr. Langly says.
I pause to think. "What about Kristen's stepdad? He lived with her and could go through her room when she wasn't there. Maybe he took it."
"To kill his own daughter?" Mr. Langly says with a laugh. "You might be watching too many of those crime shows on television." He turns to Roman. "I'll call you tomorrow after I've had some time to think about this. I just wanted to tell you before you saw it on the news."
"We'll see you tomorrow," Roman says, opening the door.
I glance at Jackson, knowing he doesn't want me to say it but I have to if it could help.
"Wait!" I say, my heart pounding. "I need to say something."
"What is it?" Mr. Langly asks.
"Rumor, don't," Jackson says. "They won't believe you."
"It doesn't matter. I need to say it." I turn to the lawyer. "A few weeks ago after school I had to stay late and as I was leaving I heard a noise coming from a classroom. It was Kristen and Principal Edwards."
"And?" Mr. Langly says. "What were they doing?"
"They were um..having sex."
"Ms. Halliway, if this is some kind of joke, you should tell it to someone else. I need to be going."
"Why would I joke about that? I'm serious. I knew people wouldn't believe me so I took photos but my camera didn't have the memory to save them."
"Of course it didn't," Mr. Langly says, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not lying. I saw them. And he wasn't forcing her to do it. She wanted it. She was...telling him what to do." I don't want to give details but I will if that's what it takes to get them to believe me.
"Rumor, these are serious accusations," Roman says. "Have you told the police this?"
"No. I wasn't sure if I should."
"I'd advise against it," Mr. Langly says. "You'll portray yourself as being someone who lies. Someone who makes up stories to detract from her own troubles."
"But I didn't make it up. I saw it happening. I swear. I even confronted Kristen about it. I told her I knew, and at first she denied it but then she basically admitted it."
"She told you she was sleeping with her stepfather?"
"No, but she said something that implied the marks on her neck were some kind of sex thing she did with her stepdad."
"She said it was her stepdad?" Mr. Langly asks. "She used his name?"
"No. She said I'll understand when I'm with a man, like an older man, not someone our age. She was talking about her stepdad. Who else would it be?"
"A jury would never buy it," Mr. Langly says. "She could've been talking about anyone."
"But she told me those marks were from him," Jackson says to Mr. Langly. "I told the police about those marks on her neck. I told them her stepdad strangled her, so why the hell isn't he being hauled off to jail?"
"We can't prove he did that to her," Mr. Langly says. "As you've said before, Kristen often made up excuses for coming over here. Her stepfather told the police that. This could've been just another excuse of hers. Making up stories about her stepfather so you'd let her stay here with you."
"You think she made those marks on her neck herself?" I ask, angry he won't even consider I'm telling the truth.
"It's possible," Mr Langly says.
"So that's not crazy, but Kristen having sex with her stepdad is?"
Mr. Langly folds his arms over his chest. "Why would a beautiful young woman who could have any young man go for a man twice her age who also happens to be her stepfather?"
"To get back at her mom, who she hates? I don't know. It's not that uncommon for girls my age to go after older guys, especially guys with power or money." I turn to Roman. "You're rich and powerful? Has some pretty young actress ever hit on you?"
"Rumor," Jackson says, tugging me back beside him. He whispers in my ear. "He had an affair with a twenty-year-old a few years ago."'
"Oh." I look at Roman. "Sorry, I didn't know. But it proves my point. There are girls my age who will go out with older guys. There's a girl at my school right now that only dates older men. She won't even consider guys her own age."
Mr. Langly checks the time. "I need to be going. Roman, we'll speak tomorrow."
"Yes. I'll be here. Goodnight, Jonathan."
Roman shuts the door. "I'm going to do some reading before bed. I'll see you in the morning, Jackson."
Roman must assume I'm not staying over, or is encouraging me not to by only mentioning Jackson. I don't care. I'm not leaving. Why be alone in my room when I could be with Jackson?
"I don't like that guy," I say as we go in Jackson's room. "You should get a new lawyer."
"He's one of the best in LA."
"He's a jerk. He didn't believe anything I said. He didn't even consider it might be possible."
"I told you nobody would believe you. Everyone thinks Steven is perfect. He's devoted his life to educating kids. People would never believe he'd be doing shit with his stepdaughter. And they definitely wouldn't believe he killed her."
"Do you?"
"No. He couldn't have. He was at home that night."
"But how do you know? He said he was asleep in his room but maybe he wasn't."
"He has an alibi. The police confirmed it."
"Who is it?"
"We don't know yet, but it doesn't matter. The point is he wasn't here. Someone else did it."
"Then it has to be Braden. He was home that night."
"And he was with you when it happened."
"We didn't talk that long. He could've snuck out and done it. I'm sure he didn't stay in his room all night."
"I don't think he could do it that fast. He would've had to go get Kristen, strangle her, get her back to my house and drag her body out back in a little over a half hour."
"Maybe he had help. The police think someone else was involved."
"I g
uess it's possible." He brings me into his arms. "We've talked enough about this. You want to watch a movie?"
Normally we'd skip the movie and have sex but I don't feel like it right now and neither does he. We're both worried about that tie. It's just another piece of evidence pointing to Jackson. Making him look like the killer. We have to find the person who did this. We're running out of time. The more weeks that go by, the less of a chance we'll find out who really killed Kristen, and Jackson will be the one paying for their crime.
At nine the next morning, Roman knocks on Jackson's door, telling him to get up so they can talk before going to see the lawyer.
"Will I see you later?" I ask Jackson as we stand at the door.
"I hope so. It depends on how everything goes. What are you doing today?"
"Homework. And I might watch some of the funeral. They're putting it online for people who can't be there in person."
"You sure you to watch that?"
"I want to see Principal Edwards' performance. Acting all sad. Pretending to miss her."
"Maybe he does."
"He misses having sex with her. He doesn't miss HER."
"I don't think you should watch it. Just do something else."
"I won't watch for very long. I just want to see a few minutes." I reach up and kiss him. "Bye. Love you."
"Love you too."
When I get home, I look for Brock and find him in his office.
I stand in the doorway. "Can I talk to you?"
His head is down and he's writing something on a pad of paper. "Spent the night with Jackson again? After I told you not to?"
"Yes." I go in his office. "I'm not hear to talk about that. I wanted to explain the pills."
He looks up. "You're the one who left them?"
"Yeah. I found them in Braden's drawer. The one in the kitchen where he keeps his protein bars."
"Why did you give them to me? They're Braden's."
"You knew?"
"I've found them before. He said he needed them for school. To help him with his grades."
"And you believed him?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"He can't have those pills without a prescription. He bought them illegally."
"Kids do that all the time. I did it myself when I was his age. As long as it's nothing dangerous I don't see the harm."
"Those pills are addictive and they CAN be dangerous, which is why he should get them from a doctor. Jackson said athletes use those pills to perform better during a game. I think that's why Braden was using them. They weren't for school. And I looked them up and those blue ones are really strong. He shouldn't be taking that big of a dose."
Brock leans back in his chair, running his hand over his scruffy beard. "Rumor, I have enough to deal with right now. I'm not going to concern myself with Braden's use of amphetamines. His mother used them for years to control her weight and her health is fine."
"She's not fine. She doesn't even leave the house."
"Her physical health is fine. Her mental health is a different story." He wakes up his laptop and starts typing. "Close the door on your way out."
Back in my room, I text Jackson. Brock didn't care about the pills. He doesn't care if Braden takes them.
I'm not surprised, Jackson texts back.
After a quick shower, I get dressed and try to do homework. It's a waste of time. I can only focus when I'm studying with Jackson. When he's not around my mind keeps going back to him instead of whatever I'm reading for class.
At eleven I go to the webpage where they're streaming the funeral. The church looks packed. I can only see about half of the pews but it looks like mostly older people are there, not people my age. The Twisted Pine people either didn't show up or all sat in the back.
A minister appears and starts talking about God and how loss affects us all and how tragic it is to lose someone so young. After ten minutes of that I'm about ready to shut it off when the minister says, "And now Kristen's mother, Daphne Reynolds, would like to say a few words."
He looks at her in the audience and nods.
The camera turns back to the front row where Principal Edwards is helping Kristen's mom get up from her chair. She's wearing all black with a black veil covering her face. I didn't know people still did that. It could be to shield her face from the media. This case has been getting a lot of media attention outside the local area. Someone at school said Kristen's mom has had to hide in her house to avoid being hounded by reporters and followed around by camera crews.
Daphne makes her way to the podium, with Principal Edwards holding her arm. She stands in front of the microphone and takes a deep breath before starting.
"Kristen was a beautiful girl," Daphne says, her voice shaking. Her hand's shaking too as she tries to adjust the microphone.
"I'll do it, sweetheart," Principal Edwards says, bending the microphone down. He remains next to her as she talks.
"She was always smiling. Always laughing. She had a spirit that drew others to her." She sniffles and Principal Edwards gives her a handkerchief.
"Thank you, dear," she says to him.
He puts his arm around her and kisses her head, like the doting husband who loves his wife. What a joke. If Daphne only knew what I'd seen that day. If she knew her husband was not only cheating, but cheating with her daughter, she'd divorce that asshole and leave him with nothing. At least I hope she would.
I bet he does it again. Now that Kristen's gone, I bet he'll go find someone else. Another girl half his age.
"No one should suffer such a horrendous death," Daphne says. "But especially my dear sweet Kristen." She breaks down sobbing.
Principal Edwards pulls her into his arms. "You don't have to finish. Let's go sit down."
She nods and the camera follows them back to their seats.
The minister returns to the podium. "The choir students from Twisted Pine will now sing a song chosen by Kristen's mother."
It's a church song about children being blessings. The camera is on the choir but I can hear Kristen's mom sobbing. It makes me sad because I know she's not acting. She really loved her daughter and now she's suffering the way I did when I lost my mom. The pain was excruciating. It still is, even months later. At least my mom's death was quick. She wasn't struggling to breathe while someone strangled her.
Kristen's mom not only has to deal with her daughter's death but also deal with what happened to her. Knowing her daughter was scared and alone with her killer in those last moments of life? It's horrible. My heart hurts for her.
"You in there?" Trystan says, knocking on my door.
"Yeah, what do you need?"
He walks in my room as I'm wiping tears off my face. "Were you crying?"
"Maybe a little." I point to my laptop. "The funeral's going on."
"And you're crying? You hated her."
"I can still be sad. The whole situation is sad. Kristen being killed. Jackson being charged. And her poor mom. Kristen always said she hated her but I think her mom really loved her."
"If she did she had an odd way of showing it. She was never around." He sits next to me on the bed, then lays back, staring at the ceiling. "Parents suck."
"What are you doing in here?"
"I don't think we should go tomorrow."
Chapter Twenty-Three
"Trystan, we're going! You promised."
"I never promised."
"Okay, but we had a deal. You said you'd do this."
"Yeah, but Braden might be getting out tomorrow. Dad's lawyers are trying to work a deal with the judge. He just left to go meet with them. If they're able to do it, he'll be out tomorrow. Dad will expect me to be here. If I'm not and he can't find me, he'll take my fucking car. It won't just be a threat. He'll do it."
"So you won't have a car for a few weeks."
"He'll take it for good." Trystan sits up. "He already told me he wants us home when Braden gets here. We're supposed to show our support."
"For a killer?" I
roll my eyes. "How do you welcome home a killer? Should we get balloons that look like guns and knives?"
"You don't know that he did anything."
"Did he say why he had her bracelet?"
"He said he doesn't know how it got there."
"Yeah, right."
"Why would he hide it in there and then tell the police they could search his room?"
"Because he's cocky and thinks he can get away with stuff. What about the blood on it? Was it his?"
"It was hers, but they don't know when it got on the bracelet."
"Did she have the bracelet on when you found her?"
"I don't remember. I was trying not to look too closely at the body. It was disgusting."
"So they think Braden either took the bracelet off her dead body or she took it off during their fight after it somehow got blood on it, and then gave it to him? Neither of those make sense."
"No. It doesn't, which is why the judge will probably set bail and let him out tomorrow." Trystan gets up. "We'll go find your dad some other weekend."
"We can't," I say, following him to the door. "He could be gone by then. We need to go tomorrow."
Trystan looks down, rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes lift to mine and he lets out a breath. "Let's just go now."
"Now? Like today?"
"Dad said he'd probably be with the lawyers until later tonight. If we leave now we could be back before he's home."
"Okay, let's go. Are you ready?"
"Just need to gas up the car on the way out of town."
"Give me a minute. I'll meet you out there."
"One minute or I'm leaving without you." He walks off.
"You are not!" I yell as he heads to the door.
I wasn't ready to go but if this is the only time we can do this, I'm all in. I want to find Devon. I want to see what he knows. If he was really here the night Andrea died, why did he leave? Did he see something he shouldn't have?
A minute later, I'm running down the street as Trystan drives off.
"Trystan, stop!"
The car comes to a screeching halt.
I jump in. "Asshole."
He laughs. "Never gets old."
He makes me listen to his music for the entire drive. We're there by one-thirty.
