Two Can Keep a Secret

by Karen M. McManus

  Daisy pauses. “Circle of trust, right? This can’t leave the room. Not yet.” She glances toward me, then Ellery, and bites her lip.

  Mia reads her mind. “Ellery’s totally trustworthy.”

  “I can leave,” Ellery volunteers. “I understand. We don’t know one another.”

  Daisy hesitates, then shakes her head. “It’s all right. You’ve heard this much, you might as well hear the rest. My psychologist keeps telling me I have to stop being ashamed. It’s starting to sink in, although I still feel like a terrible friend.” She turns toward Mia. “I was in love with Declan all through high school. I never said a word. It was just this…thing I lived with. And then the summer before senior year, he started treating me differently. Like he saw me.” She gives an embarrassed little laugh. “God, I sound like an eighth grader. But it gave me this, I don’t know, hope, I guess, that things could be different someday. Then one night he told me he was in love with me, too.”

  Daisy’s whole face glows, and I remember why I used to have such a crush on her. Mia is sitting as still as I’ve ever seen her, like she’s afraid the slightest movement will end the conversation. “I told him we couldn’t do anything about it,” Daisy continues. “I wasn’t that bad of a friend. He said he thought Lacey had found someone else, anyway. She was acting distant. But when he asked her, she wouldn’t admit it. They started fighting. It got really messy and ugly and— I just sort of withdrew. I didn’t want to be the cause of that.”

  Daisy’s eyes get shiny as she continues. “Then Lacey died and the whole world fell apart. I couldn’t stand myself. Couldn’t deal with knowing I’d been keeping this secret that I’d never get to explain to her.” Tears spill down her cheeks and she lets out a choked little sob. “And I missed her. I still miss her, so much.”

  I steal a glance at Ellery, who’s wiping her own eyes. I get the feeling that she just took Daisy off her mental list of suspects in Lacey’s murder. If Daisy feels guilty about anything other than liking her best friend’s boyfriend, she’s one hell of an actress.

  Mia grabs Daisy’s hand in both of her own as Daisy continues. “I told Declan we couldn’t talk anymore, and I got out of Echo Ridge as soon as I could. I thought it was the right thing to do for both of us. We’d been wrong not to be open with Lacey from the start, and there wasn’t a way to fix that anymore.” She drops her head. “Plus, there’s this whole other layer when you’re one of the only minority families in town. You can’t make a mistake, you know? We’ve always had to be so perfect.”

  Mia regards her sister thoughtfully. “I thought you liked being perfect,” she says in a small voice.

  Daisy sniffs. “It’s fucking exhausting.”

  Mia lets out a surprised snort of laughter. “Well, if you can’t handle it, there’s no hope for me in this town.” She’s still holding Daisy’s hand, and shakes it like she’s trying to knock some sense into her sister. “Your psychologist is right, Daze. You didn’t do anything wrong. You liked a guy. You stayed away from him, even when he liked you back. That’s being a good friend.”

  Daisy dabs at her eyes with her free hand. “I wasn’t, though. I couldn’t stand to think about the investigation, and I shut down anytime I was near the police. It wasn’t until years later that I started thinking about things that might actually be helpful.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask. Ellery leans forward like a puppet that just got its strings yanked.

  “I remembered something,” Daisy says. “A bracelet Lacey started wearing right before she died. It was really unusual—a bangle that almost looked like antlers twisted together.” She shrugs at Mia’s dubious expression. “Sounds weird, I know, but it was gorgeous. She was really coy about where she got it, too. Said it wasn’t from Declan, or her parents. When I was in the hospital in Boston, trying to figure out how my life had gotten so far off track, I started wondering who’d given it to her and whether it was somebody who, well…” She trails off. “You know. I wondered.”

  “So you came back here to investigate?” Ellery looks like she approves.

  “I came back here to recover,” Daisy corrects. “But I also asked Lacey’s mom if I could have the bracelet, as a keepsake. She didn’t mind. I started Googling it, trying to find something similar. And I did.” A note of pride creeps into her voice. “There’s a local artist who makes them. I wanted to check her out, but I didn’t feel quite strong enough to do it on my own.” Her voice dips a little. “Declan used to text me occasionally. The first time he did after all this happened, I asked him to visit the jeweler with me.”

  And there you have it, I think. An actual, rational explanation for what Declan has been doing in Echo Ridge. Would’ve been nice if he’d ever told me any of this himself.

  Mia raises her brows. “Was that the first time you’d seen him since you left for Princeton? I’ll bet you two had a lot to talk about. Or, you know, not talk about.”

  Daisy’s entire face goes red. “We were mostly focused on the bracelet.”

  “Sure you were.” Mia smirks.

  This conversation is going off the rails. “You guys have any luck?” I ask, trying to get it back on track.

  Daisy sighs. “No. I thought maybe the jeweler would look through her sale records when I told her why I was there, but she wasn’t at all helpful. I handed the bracelet off to the police, hoping she’d take it more seriously if they followed up with her, but I haven’t heard anything since.” She lets go of Mia’s hand and rolls her shoulders like she just finished an exhausting workout. “And that’s the whole sordid tale. Except for the part where Declan and I finally got together. I love him.” She shrugs helplessly. “I always have.”

  Mia leans back on her haunches. “That’s quite a story.”

  “You cannot tell Mom and Dad,” Daisy says, and Mia mimes zipping her lips.

  “I have a question,” Ellery pipes up. She starts doing that twisty thing with her hair again as Daisy turns to face her. “I was just wondering who you gave the bracelet to? What police officer, I mean. Was it someone in Echo Ridge?”

  Daisy nods. “Ryan Rodriguez. He graduated from Echo Ridge High the same year I did. Do you know him?”

  Ellery nods. “Yeah. Were you guys friends at school?” She looks like she’s back in investigative mode, which I’m starting to realize is her default setting.

  “No.” Daisy looks amused at the idea. “He was really quiet back then. I barely knew him. But he was on duty when I got to the station, so…” She shrugs. “I gave it to him.”

  “Do you, um, think he was the best person to handle something like this?” Ellery asks.

  Daisy crinkles her brow. “I don’t know. I guess. Why not?”

  “Well. I’m just wondering.” Ellery leans forward, elbows on her knees. “Did it ever occur to you that he might’ve given the bracelet to Lacey?”

  ELLERY

  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4

  When I knock on the cellar door, I’m not sure anyone will answer. It’s four o’clock on Friday afternoon, three hours before the House of Horrors is supposed to open. I’m not working tonight, and no one’s expecting me. Unless you count my grandmother, who’s expecting me to be in my room and is going to be furious if she realizes I’ve left and walked through the woods on my own. Even in the middle of the afternoon.

  Brooke’s been missing almost a week now, and nobody in Echo Ridge is supposed to walk anywhere alone.

  I knock louder. The park is noisy and crowded, a blend of music, laughter, and shrieks as a roller coaster rattles nearby. The door cracks just enough for an eye to peer out. It’s deep brown and winged with expertly applied liner. I flutter my fingers. “Hi, Shauna.”

  “Ellery?” The Fright Farm makeup artist swings the door open with one tattooed arm. “What are you doing here?”

  I step inside and look around for any sign of Murph, my boss. He’s a
stickler for rules. Shauna is a lot more laid-back. I can’t believe my luck that she’s here and he isn’t, although I half expect him to come barreling through the velvet curtain with a clipboard any second. “Are you here alone?” I ask.

  Shauna raises a brow at me. “That’s an ominous question.” She doesn’t look worried, though. Shauna has at least six inches on me, and is all slender muscle and perfectly toned arms. Plus her spiky heels would make lethal weapons in a pinch.

  “Heh. Sorry. But I have a favor to ask, and I didn’t want to ask Murph.”

  Shauna leans against the doorframe. “Well, now you’ve got my attention. What’s up?”

  I channel Sadie again, twisting my hands with fake nerves. “My grandmother gave me an envelope to deposit at the bank the other day, and I can’t find it. I was trying to figure out where it went, and I remembered that I tossed a bunch of stuff into the recycling bin the last time I was here.” I bite my lip and look at the ground. “I’m pretty sure the envelope went with it.”

  “Ooh, sorry.” Shauna grimaces. “Can she write another check?”

  I’m ready for that objection. “It wasn’t a check. It was cash.” I tug at my dagger necklace, running my thumb over the sharp point at the bottom. “Almost five hundred dollars.”

  Shauna’s eyes widen. “Who the hell carries around that much cash?”

  Gah. Maybe she noticed I lifted my entire excuse from It’s a Wonderful Life. “My grandmother,” I say as innocently as I can. “She doesn’t trust checks. Or credit cards. Or ATMs.”

  “But she trusts you?” Shauna looks as though she’d like to give Nana a detailed explanation of why that’s a terrible idea.

  “She won’t when she finds out. Shauna, is there any chance…do you think I could get the keys to the recycling bin? Do you know where they are?” She hesitates, and I put my hands together in a praying gesture. “Please? Just this once, to save me from having to hand every cent I’ve earned over to my grandmother? I’ll owe you big-time.”

  Shauna chuckles. “Look, you don’t have to beg. I’d open the damn thing if I had a key, but I don’t. No idea where it is. You’ll have to ask Murph.” She gives my arm a sympathetic pat. “He’ll understand. Five hundred dollars is a lot of money.”

  He would, probably. He’d also stand over me the entire time. “Okay,” I sigh.

  Shauna goes to the vanity and plucks a few makeup brushes from a can, dropping them into a half-open leather bag resting on the chair. “I have to get a move on. You caught me on the way out. The evil clowns need touching up at Bloody Big Top.” She zips the bag closed and slings it over her shoulder, crossing to the door and pulling it open. “You wanna come with? Murph might be there.”

  “Sure.” I make as if to follow her, then wince and put a hand on my belly. “Ugh. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first? I’ve had kind of a stomach virus all day. I thought it was better, but—”

  Shauna waves me away. “Just meet me there. Make sure the door locks behind you.”

  “Thanks.” I dash toward the tiny restroom for effect, but she’s already out the door. As soon as I hear it click, I pull two paper clips out of my pocket and head for the office.

  I’ve never tried to pick a lock before. But I took Vance’s advice, and I’ve watched a lot of YouTube videos in the past twenty-four hours.

  * * *

  —

  “You took it all?” Ezra stares at me as I empty a trash bag’s worth of paper onto Mia’s bedroom floor.

  “Well, how was I supposed to know what’s important and what isn’t? I couldn’t sit there on the floor and sift through it. Anybody might’ve walked in.”

  Malcolm eyes the pile. “At least we know they haven’t emptied it in a while.”

  Mia plops down cross-legged on the floor and scoops up a handful of paper. “What are we even looking for?” she mutters. “This is some kind of invoice. This looks like an envelope for an electric bill.” She makes a face. “We’re gonna be here for a while.”

  The four of us sit in a circle around the pile and start sifting through its contents. My pulse has slowed since I left the House of Horrors, but it’s still jumping. I checked the office thoroughly and didn’t see any security cameras, but I know they’re all over the park. It’s entirely possible that someone’s staring at footage of me hauling a garbage bag through Fright Farm right now. Which, okay, could easily be the sort of thing an employee would do in the normal course of business. But it could also look weird, and I wasn’t exactly subtle about it. I didn’t even wear a baseball cap or pull my hair back.

  So I hope it’s worth it.

  We’re silent for almost fifteen minutes until Malcolm, who’s sprawled next to me, clears his throat. “The police want to look at my phone.”

  Mia freezes, a scrap of paper dangling from her fingers. “What?”

  We’re all staring at him, but he doesn’t meet anyone’s eyes. “Officer McNulty said that with Brooke still missing, they need to dig a little deeper. I didn’t know what to do. Peter was…kind of great, actually. He managed to get across the point that they shouldn’t be asking for access to my personal stuff without a warrant while still sounding totally helpful. Officer McNulty ended up apologizing to him.”

  “So they didn’t do it?” I ask, placing another invoice on our reject pile. That’s all we’ve found so far: invoices for food, maintenance, supplies, and the like. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it takes a huge amount of fake blood to keep a Halloween theme park running.

  “Not yet,” Malcolm says grimly. He finally looks up, and I’m struck by how dull his eyes are. “They won’t find anything about Brooke if they do. Other than that text from Katrin telling me I should invite her to homecoming, which could go either way. But there are a bunch of texts between me and Declan and…I don’t know. After that article yesterday, I’d rather not get scrutinized like that.” He tosses aside a sheet of paper with a frustrated grunt. “Everything looks bad when you examine it too closely, right?”

  Thursday’s Burlington Free Press article rehashed the past five years of Declan’s life, from the time Lacey died to his recent move to Solsbury, sprinkled with occasional references to the unnamed younger brother who was a key witness in Brooke’s disappearance. It was the sort of article Viv might have written—no actual news, but lots of speculation and innuendo.

  Last night, I sat in my room in front of my bookshelf full of true-crime novels and made a timeline of everything I could think of related to the three missing girls and Echo Ridge:

  October 1996: Sadie & Vance are crowned homecoming queen/king

  October 1996: Sarah disappears while Sadie is with Vance

  June 1997: Sadie leaves Echo Ridge

  August 2001: Sadie returns for Grandpa’s funeral

  June 2014: Lacey’s junior class picnic with Declan, Daisy & Ryan

  August 2014: Declan and Daisy get together—Lacey has a secret boyfriend?

  October 2014: Lacey and Declan are crowned homecoming queen/king

  October 2014: Lacey is killed at Murderland (Fright Farm)

  October 2014: Sadie returns for Lacey’s funeral

  June 2015: Daisy & Declan graduate, leave Echo Ridge (separately?)

  July 2019: Daisy returns to Echo Ridge

  August 2019: Daisy gives Lacey’s bracelet to Ryan Rodriguez

  August 30, 2019: Ellery & Ezra move to Echo Ridge

  September (or August??) 2019: Declan returns to Echo Ridge

  September 4, 2019: Anonymous homecoming threats start

  September 28, 2019: Brooke disappears

  Then I hung it on my wall and stared at it for over an hour, hoping I’d see some kind of pattern emerge. I didn’t, but when Ezra came in, he noticed somethin
g I hadn’t. “Look at this,” he said, tapping a finger on August 2001.

  “What about it?”

  “Sadie came back to Echo Ridge in August 2001.”

  “I know. I wrote it. So?”

  “So we were born in May 2002.” I stared at him blankly and he added, “Nine. Months. Later,” enunciating each word slowly.

  I gaped at him, blindsided. Of all the mysteries in Echo Ridge, our paternity has been the last one on my mind. “Oh no. No, no, no,” I said, leaping backward as though the timeline had caught fire. “No way. That’s not what this is for, Ezra!”

  He shrugged. “Sadie said she had something more to tell us, didn’t she? That stuntman story has always been kind of sketchy. Maybe she looked up an old flame while she was—”

  “Get out!” I yelled before he could finish. I yanked In Cold Blood out of the bookcase and threw it at him. “And don’t come back unless you have something useful, or at least not horrifying, to contribute.”

  I’ve been trying to put what Ezra said out of my mind ever since. Whatever it could mean is totally separate from the missing girls, and anyway, I’m sure the timing’s just a coincidence. I would’ve brought it up with Sadie last night at our weekly Skype call if she hadn’t skipped it. Her counselor told Nana she was “exhausted.”

  One step forward, one step back.

  “Huh.” Ezra’s voice brings me back to the present. “This is different.” He separates a thin yellow sheet from everything else, smoothing a wrinkled corner.

  I scoot closer to him. “What is it?”

  “Car repair,” he says. “For somebody named Amy Nelson. A place called Dailey’s Auto in…” He squints at the sheet of paper. “Bellingham, New Hampshire.”

  We both turn instinctively toward Malcolm. The only thing I know about New Hampshire is that his brother lives there. Used to live there.