by Angel Lawson
“Did you call your Dad?” I ask Ezra.
He nods. “He said he’d call Mr. Holloway and make sure Finn kept his mouth shut until he got there.”
Mr. Baxter isn’t a criminal lawyer, but he’s better than nothing.
“Do you think he tried to hurt her?” Ezra asks, glancing at Kenley. She’d been quiet since the police walked in the room and took Finn away. She’s either in shock or desperately trying to sort this out in her head.
She watches the video again, this time without the volume.
“I really can’t see Finn getting physical with her.”
I tug off my cap and run my hands though my hair. “This sucks. Why didn’t he tell us he had this argument with her?”
“Because he knew it looked bad?” Ezra says.
Kenley narrows her eyes and presses pause.
“There,” she says, “right when it looks like he’s grabbing her around the neck.”
I grimace. “Yeah, not a good look.”
“But he’s not hitting her or throttling her or whatever. He’s reaching for something.”
Ezra spins the phone. “What?”
She stands and pulls me up with her. She takes my hand and brings it to her neck, grazing her fingers just under her neck. She’s still wearing the chain from the day before and my fingers hook underneath.
My eyebrows shoot up and I say, “Holy crap. You’re right!”
“About what?” Ezra says, still clueless.
“Finn didn’t try to hurt Rose. He grabbed the chain off her neck.”
Ezra frowns. “And that chain was found in the water? So you’re excited that he’s the one that took it? I don’t get it.”
“It established our timeline. Finn tore off that chain two days before she went missing. Whatever happened, she didn’t have it when the car vanished.”
“Why didn’t he tell us that?” I ask, a dark feeling blooming in my chest. “Do you think he knew about the account? That she was cheating on him.”
“Could be,” Ezra says. “Those two were always together. Don’t you think he’d get suspicious when she started bailing on him? I know I sure as hell would’ve.”
Kenley shakes her head. “No. Finn did not do this.”
“Ken,” I say, “I don’t want it to be true either, but he hasn’t been honest with us.”
Her face pales. “What about…”
“What about what?” I ask.
Her bottom lip trembles. “He told me that he liked me this whole time. That he didn’t care that she wasn’t into him anymore because he’d been thinking about me.” She swallows back a sob. “We kissed. At Rose’s house. Maybe it was all just to keep me from finding anything.”
Ezra swears under his breath. I think I hear the word, “Bastard.”
I take her hand, trying to think about her kissing Finn. I tell her the truth, “I have no doubt Finn has feelings for you. Unfortunately, that doesn’t eliminate the possibility that something happened with him and Rose. If anything, it gives him more motive.”
A whistle screeches on the field. Ezra winces. “Look, I have to go. Coach is going to freak about Holloway being gone, and I don’t want him to take it out on me for being late.”
Ezra runs off, leaving me and Kenley alone. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. This whole thing is a roller coaster—topsy-turvey—but every fast-moving ride has to have an end. I just hope we’re off of it before it crashes.
34
Kenley
“I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that Finn turned out to be an abusive asshole,” Alice says, fidgeting with the radio.
I slam on the breaks and the car lurches forward, flinging her body with it. The seatbelt catches her across the chest. “Jesus, Ken! Are you trying to kill me?”
She rubs her neck where the strap caught her. We’d been alone in the car for two minutes, after dropping Ozzy off after school. “What did you just say?”
She looks over at me, expression innocent. “Did you not see the video? That was an epic fight. I mean, he grabbed her by the neck. With all that bulk he put on this summer, he probably had no problem tossing her over the bridge.”
I stare at the girl that has been my best friend for the last three years—the girl that stuck by me when everyone else bailed, and I just feel…nothing.
“You don’t know that’s what happened.”
She rolls her eyes. “Are you seriously going to start defending him even when there’s evidence? I swear to god the obsession with you never stops. When he goes to jail, are you going to be one of those crazy chicks that sends him fan mail and marries him for conjugal visits? Whatever,” she continues, “the police have all the proof they need that Finn isn’t Mr. Perfect. I mean, fighting on the corner of Main Street is pretty fucking stupid. You and I both know the whole goddamn town can see everything there. You should thank whoever turned that video in—it probably saved your life.”
“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?” My head is pounding. I just want to go home and take a nap and forget this day—this week--ever happened.
But Alice, predictably, isn’t done. She never is when it comes to Finn Holloway and Rose Waller. “Rose goes missing and then a few days later he’s confessing his true love for you. He’s probably a serial killer who got a high and wants to recreate it. It’s not like you aren’t an easy target.”
Again, I slam on the breaks. “I’m not an easy target.”
She snorts. “Okay.”
“You know what, Alice,” I say, wrapping my hands around the steering wheel, “I know you’re jealous of my relationship with Finn, and you were terrified I’d accept Rose’s apology—you’re half the reason I didn’t accept it. I couldn’t handle the bullshit you would give me if I had. It was easier for me if I just ignored her. But even with her gone, you can’t handle it. You’ve just transferred your envy to Finn. What’s next, Ozzy? Because guess what? I kissed him, too. And you want to know something else? I’ve been hanging out with Ezra Baxter.” Her eyes widen as I speak. “I like having them back in my life. I missed them. And if you keep acting like this, I’m not sure if there will be room in my life for them and you.”
Her lips form a tight line and the tips of her ears turn red. “Oh yeah? If I’m so jealous, why did I not turn in that video of Finn and Rose fighting until now?”
My jaw drops, and she laughs.
“That’s right, the video isn’t from the Gas & Go. It’s from our shop across the street. I saw it all go down. Actually, went outside and heard the fight while it happened.”
“What? You knew about it the whole time? Why didn’t you say something?” We both know it wasn’t to protect Finn.
“Because I heard them break up, and I knew that for the first time in three years, Finn Holloway was going to be single and your obsession with him would kick into gear—right when I’d finally gotten you to let it go!” Tears prick at her eyes. “When Rose went missing and Finn never admitted that they broke up, I figured he just wanted attention for being the suffering, doting boyfriend. No one knew they’d split, and I was happy to keep it that way. But that bastard had to hit on you anyway.” She shakes her head. “Senior year was supposed to be about me and you—not you and Finn Holloway.”
I’m stunned by what she’s staying. It’s not like Alice ever hid her dislike and downright hatred for the two, but the lengths she’d gone to keep the truth from me is astonishing.
“Finn was at the bonfire, Alice. There’s no chance he killed Rose. What’s the point of turning him in to the police?”
“To make you second guess him? To destroy his reputation. To drag him through the mud. I don’t care. I just wanted you to remember he’s still a bad guy. The worst. The same one that hurt you all those years ago.”
Alice doesn’t know that Finn wasn’t involved in spray painting my house. Just like she doesn’t know he cleaned it up before anyone saw. I’m not going to tell her, because she’s proven she’ll never s
ee him for who he really is. Just like she’ll never trust me.
I take a steadying breath and say, “Get out of my car.”
“What?”
“Get out of my car. You can walk the rest of the way home.”
“You’re kidding.” Her voice trembles, and I see the flicker of panic in her eyes. We’ve fought before. Even over this very subject, but after the last two weeks, I’m done.
“No,” I tell her, “I’m not.”
“You still want him, even though you know who he really is.”
“This isn’t about Finn, and it’s not about Rose. It’s about me and you, and the fact that you don’t get to dictate who I’m friends with and you don’t get to demean and belittle and call me names anymore.”
Her jaw drops. “I never—”
“You did. Always. And I guess in some ways, I thought I deserved it. You were there when I needed you, but now I see that you’re really no better than Rose and Juliette. And I’m still the girl letting people walk all over me.” I exhale. “If this whole thing has taught me anything, it’s that I deserve more than that. We all do.”
She stares at me, but I have nothing else to say, waiting until she finally opens the door and steps out of the car.
My shoulders shake as I drive off, leaving her on the side of the road. I don’t know where I stand with Finn, and I have no idea what’s going to happen with the video, but I do know that after today, Alice and I are through, and I feel so much better already.
That night, I sit at my desk pretending to do my homework, but really, I’m waiting for Finn to come home. He never does. There’s no word that he’s been arrested, but photos of him being walked out of school, flanked by the two detectives, along with the video from the gas station, have already sealed his fate.
Finn Holloway, football star and doting boyfriend, has fallen.
At the very least he looks abusive, at worst a murderer, but I still don’t believe it, which probably makes me as big of a fool as Rose.
Why didn’t he tell us, or the police, about the necklace?
Restless, I open the SugarBabies app on Rose’s iPod and go directly to her account. I start reading the messages between her and Big D. They started in the spring, mid-February. They’d gotten past the introductions and small talk.
BD: Have you ever been with an older man before?
R: Yeah, I have. My friend’s dad.
BD: Did he treat you right?
R: Sometimes. He’s hot. Good in bed, but he can’t give me the lifestyle I want LOL
BD: Money?
R: Among other things.
BD: Explain.
R: Why?
BD: I’m just curious, wanting to know about you, this is a relationship, not just an arrangement.
The time stamp implies Rose took five minutes to reply. If she was using that time to consider her answer or do something else, I’ll never know. Eventually, though, she replies.
R: I want out of this little town I live in, away from these people I call my friends, away from my squeaky-clean boyfriend, the glares from people that hate me, and the sins of my past. I crave something bigger, wilder, something that takes money—money of my own—not my father’s. I want somewhere to go when I feel like I can’t breathe anymore. Somewhere where no one can find me.
BD: I can understand that, but you have to understand that if I pay you to be my princess, you have to fulfill your obligation. Money isn’t free, no matter how you earn it.
R: I promise you, Daddy, this is exactly the way I earn it, doing what I love, with the type of man I want to be with; rich, handsome, and in control.
She follows it with a picture—it’s spring and she doesn’t have tanned skin. I see the necklace glinting against her neck. Although she’s talking a big game, there’s an innocence to her that’s missing in more recent photos. Whatever Rose got into with this guy, I have no doubt she was in over her head.
35
Finn
“Can I get you anything?" Detective Jones asks. It’s the fifth time in as many hours. “Water? Soda? Tea?”
“No thank you,” I say, trying not to fidget under the table. I’m nervous. Fucking terrified. My dad is in the lobby waiting for Mr. Baxter. Until he gets here, I’m not supposed to say a word.
I can’t believe that fight got caught on video.
I run my hand through my hair and my knee starts bouncing again.
The door opens and Mr. Baxter walks through, my dad following him.
“Finn,” he says, shaking my hand. “Detective Jones, nice to meet you. Let’s talk about why you’re holding this young man.”
“I’m not sure you’ve seen the video,” the Detective begins.
“I’ve seen it,” Mr. Baxter says, tugging at the cuffs of his suit. “And I admit, it doesn’t look great for Finn.”
My stomach drops. Fuck.
“But it also isn’t an indication of murder. Teenagers having a lover’s quarrel?” His manicured eyebrow raises. “That’s not exactly unusual.”
“It’s the fact he made threatening advances to her, that concerns us most.”
“I wasn’t threatening her—” I blurt. I’ve held it in all day. Both my father and Mr. Baxter glare at me to be quiet. “I wasn’t. I want to explain what happened. Can I just do that?”
Mr. Baxter holds my eye, then nods.
“Yes, Rose and I got in a fight that night. It wasn’t the first one, but it was the last. We were supposed to hang out the Saturday before school started—head down to the beach with everyone else. She didn’t want to go, but I talked her into it. We were on the way, and she was being moody and checking her phone constantly. I got annoyed. It was happening all the time.”
“Her moodiness?”
“And distraction. I was tired of it, and when we got to the gas station I decided it was time. I broke up with her.”
Detective Jones raises an eyebrow. “At the gas station? Classy move.”
“Hey, it’s better than ghosting her.”
“What does any of this have to do with exonerating yourself from harming her?”
“Because I didn’t hit or grab her or whatever. I yanked the necklace I gave her off her neck.” I glance at my dad, feeling ashamed. “It was a promise and that was over. I didn’t want her to have it anymore.”
Jones frowns. “Are you talking about the Claddagh charm?”
I nod. “We skipped the party and I left her at Juliette’s house. On the way home, I tossed the charm over the side of the bridge. What Rose and I had was over. It was a long time coming.” A wave of emotion rolls over me. “Two days later, she vanished. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know if maybe…you know, after I broke up with her, she did something to hurt herself.” I blink back tears. “I couldn’t face myself or my family or her family.”
Mr. Baxter gives me a tight grin. “Thank you for your honesty, Finn, better a little late than never.” He looks at Detective Jones. “The simple fact that multiple witnesses and photographic evidence can place Finn Holloway at the bonfire during the time of Ms. Waller’s disappearance means that he is not a suspect in this crime. Now that he has explained the video, and there is no evidence of any other crime either, I expect you to release him immediately.”
The detective nods and stands. “Thank you for your patience.”
“I’m sorry for not coming forward sooner.”
“It’s been a long, scary week for you kids.” He rubs his beard. “The information you’re giving us corroborates with a few other pieces of evidence that points to this being a suicide, which is something we’d always considered.”
“Really?”
“Yes, she was parked on the bridge when Alice Kendrick stopped to talk to her—it seems they had a few words as well. Then Ezra,” the officer looks at Mr. Baxter, “met up with her for a potential drug deal—”
“He what?”
“There is no evidence your son ever sold her drugs. At least, not that night.” The detect
ive looks between us. “She’d recently apologized to Ms. Keene, had nothing of value in her car, and the likelihood that she took her own life is increasingly clear.”
“But what about the dating app?” I ask.
“What app?” my father asks. Mr. Baxter looks curious, too.
“Thank you for that, by the way, the information about the dating app has come in handy, and further leads us to think she was a very lonely, desperate girl. Her final comments to people were about how she wanted to ‘leave Thistle Cove,’ it just took us a moment to realize how she meant to do it.”
I’m dumbfounded and momentarily speechless. Jones shakes my hand once again, then we walk outside, where my dad gives me a tight hug.
“You did good in there.” Then he turns to shake Mr. Baxter’s hand. “Thank you. We were in over our heads.”
“No problem. Finn is one of Ezra’s oldest friends and teammates.” He clamps a hand down on my shoulder. “The last thing we need is to lose our captain before the season really starts. What’s this dating thing you’re talking about?”
I glance at my dad, feeling a little uncomfortable. “It’s called SugarBabies—for girls looking for a sugar daddy. Rose had an account and it’s really likely she was involved with a man, if not several men.”
The two men share a look, one of surprise. “Well,” Dad says, “I guess you really never know what someone is going through.”
“We weren’t sure if the police were taking it seriously, so we’d done a little digging into it ourselves,” I admit. “It seems real.”
“Well, if you’ve learned anything today, it should be to be honest with the police and stay out of their way,” Mr. Baxter says. “Don’t get involved.”
“Yeah, I agree,” I say. “If only I can get Kenley to stop playing detective.”
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“She feels a lot of guilt over her last conversation with Rose. She’s the one she apologized to, and she rejected her. No one knew she was depressed or upset—at least not to this extent. But don’t worry,” I add, quickly, looking at Mr. Baxter. “Kenley did tell the police all about that.”
