Second Nature (10 page)

“We only had one day of
school. Intro day is always on a Friday, and my dad knows that. He wouldn't buy
schoolwork.” I didn't want to talk about the blouse.

He chuckled. “Yeah, but
trust me, when you walked down the stairs, he gulped and maybe peed a little.
You got the hair down and—”

“Anyway, Vince and I went
to Rachel’s last night and then we went to Ashton and Sage’s.”

“You and Vince?” He gave
me a hostile look as he raced down the winding road.

“Lindsey was trashed,
like puking trashed. Rita and Sage were drunken hostesses, and Sierra and you
were wrestling in the pool. Did you want me to see if Andrew wanted to come and
find his father’s killer?” The words spit from my lips.

“Easy tiger, I was just
trying to keep Andrew in good spirits. Sierra and me weren’t wrestling. And
besides, I didn't think you and Vince did much alone.”

“Well, we both want to
find Ash.”

“And the killer, I guess,
huh?” he added.

“Yeah. And the killer.” I
didn't know if I should tell him about Sage, but I did anyway. “I think
it’s
Sage.”

He jerked, swerving the
car and skidding to a stop on the side of the road. “What?”

Swallowing the fear of
saying the words aloud, I told him everything we found and what I had deduced
on my own.

He sat silent until the
very end of the story. “She set Ashton up? She would do that to her own
brother? I don't believe it.”

“I know. But think about
it—Tom is such a dick to her and Em, and he loves Ash. Her mom is always
on Ashton’s side.”

“He’s the nicest
guy—”

“I know.” I nodded. “But
imagine always being the asshole and the disappointment and the sucky kid?”

He conceded, “I guess so,
huh?” He paused for a moment. “What about Andrew’s dad?”

“That, I don't know. I
think those answers are with Ash. We need to find him. And the picture of the
fish is his happiest memory. When he was a little kid, his dad always took him to
that crappy cabin in the woods. His mom and Sage never went. She hid that pic
from the police because she knows he’s there.”

“Which sounds like she’s
protecting him.”

“Or that she’s biding her
time until she’s ready to finish the frame job.”

He shrugged and started
back onto the road again. “I think there are two very large holes in your
story.”

“Which are?”

“If Sage hated anyone,
and that's a big if, it would be Vincent and Linds. She has way more reason to
be pissed at them over her brother who has always been awesome to her.
Especially Vincent. I mean
,
he never loved
her—ever. He dated her, he screwed her, but he never even came close to
love. And the whole time she loved him. She says she didn't, but I know she
did. She tried the whole ‘help me forget Vincent’ crap with me. And she knew he
loved Linds the whole time too. She tried to break things off with him once,
and her mom put her on meds. It was screwed up. I heard my mom talking about
it.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah. So why wouldn't
she frame them or her mom instead of Ash? He might be the favorite kid, but he
also protects the shit outta her.”

I processed that and
shook my head. “You’re right. I don't know why she would go for Ash instead of
Vince. But it does look like she might be framing Lindsey a little bit.”

“How?”

“I can’t tell you yet.” I
remembered we hadn’t told them that Lindsey and Sage had left blood behind at
the scene.

“Okay, whatever. Anyway,
hole number two is timing. Sage was on the beach with us when Linds was
attacked by the killer.”

“It doesn't matter who
the killer is, they have a team. The killer would for sure pay other people to
do things when she is visibly with other people so that she can say she has an
alibi.”

“I’ll give you that
point, but you are forgetting this girl is scheduled every day from dawn to
dusk. She doesn't have time to take a piss without the royal wipers coming and
ensuring she did it right. Her mom is up her ass, all the time. And even if she
did manage to find a bit of free time, the other hole in the theory is still
standing.” He glanced over at me, his eyes lingering on my chest. “I do like
that blouse though. So you get a point for that.”

“Oh my God, stop.”

“What? I can’t help
myself. You always have them wrapped up so tight. It must feel nice having them
all free and shit. Like breathing is easier. I feel better with them out there
like that.”

“I hate you.” I folded my
arms around my chest, wrapping the cardigan around me even more.

He laughed and nudged me.
“You’re too easy to mess with, Lain.” He left town and headed north toward the
highway to get to Darien.

I tilted the seat back
and closed my eyes. I knew the drive was long enough we would either suffer
through him harassing me, or I could pretend to sleep as I processed. Sage had
complained about it taking half an hour to get to the cottage when we were
seven.

I jostled and drifted,
and after a moment Jake’s voice was loud in my ear. “Lain, wake up.”

I blinked and sat up
quickly, looking around. We were parked outside the rundown cottage on Old Huckleberry
Road, a name I always thought sounded quaint.

“We’re here, Sleeping
Beauty.”

“Stop,” I growled. “Don't
be creepy.”

He gave me his winning
smirk. “Don't be sexy.” He laughed and climbed out of the car, stretching.
“Made it in seventeen minutes. That has to be a record.”

“How long was I asleep
for?”

“Ten minutes. It was
weird. You just passed out, snored a little, and then silence.”

“I don't snore.” I
climbed out too, nodding. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

His face lost all its
humor. “Me either. Not since August. Will you be all right or do you need a
minute to wake up?”

“I’m okay.” I sighed and
stretched, realizing his eyes were lost on the front of my shirt. I jerked back
to normal and wrapped my cardigan. “This is why I wear hoodies and sports bras,
in case you were ever wondering.”

He blinked and looked
confused. “What?”

“Nothing.” I groaned and
walked to the cabin that honestly didn't look like it had seen any life in
years. Sage’s family never came up here anymore, not even Ashton really. With
football and school and Rachel, he didn't have a lot of free time. And Tom
hated it, likely because he was a narcissistic douche nozzle who couldn't stand
that Ashton’s father and the family had spent all their free time here.

“Man, it’s sort of hot
here, huh?” He stretched and looked around. My eyes caught a glimpse of his
bare stomach when he lifted his arms. The tanned, smooth skin was attractive
but the V-line above his hips held me captive. I had seen him without his shirt
more times than I cared to count, but something about seeing it this way felt
voyeuristic and made it better.

By the time I realized I
was staring and biting my lip, he was already grinning at me. “Something wrong,
Lain? Your cheeks are all red.” He glanced down at his abs and waist, as if
searching for the thing I was stuck on. “Should I throw a tensor bandage on
that to help you fight staring at it?”

“What?” I looked away.
“No.”

He chuckled and started
looking around. “He hasn't been here. We made the first tire marks in the
driveway.” Jake pointed, proving he was far more than just an insanely handsome
face and a pair of sexy abs and whatever that V-shape thing was called.

I strolled around the
side of the building and nodded. “Yeah, he’s not here.” I didn't want to be
near him, not with the way I had just debased and ogled him the way he always
did me. I was being a hypocrite.

Looking around,
completely oblivious to the shame I was feeling, Jake strolled to stand next to
me and pointed at the lakeshore and the dock. “Someone has been here. Look.” He
walked to the footprints in the mud that led to the back door. Someone had
covered each one with dried gold and red leaves but some of the leaves had
blown off. “He must have come by boat.”

“Then we wait here? Maybe
he’ll come back.”

“I wouldn't. If I saw the
car here I wouldn't come back.” He turned and looked around. “There’s a few
small spots close by where he could get groceries and other things. I bet
that's what he’s doing. It’s only a half-hour walk from here to the stores in
Wilton. He wouldn't go to New Canaan. He’s too known there, and they have been
posting the missing person shit everywhere. Wilton is a tiny bit smaller and
more touristy
. Everyone likes to see the Underground Railway
stops.” He walked back to the car. “We can go to town and split up.”

I gave him a look. “What
did you mean when you said if the shoe was on the other foot, Ash would be
searching high and low for me?”

His eyes widened, but he
didn't answer.

“Dude.” I sounded like
Lindsey.

“Not my secret. Try to
convince that vault of a brain of yours to let that one slip through the
cracks.”

I sighed and hated that I
might be the one to find Ashton and that would be the only thing I ended up
thinking about.

Swamps and hearts and fresh starts

I walked past Pinocchio
Pizza and crossed the road to the coffeehouse, Connecticut Coffee and Grill.
Two things I hadn’t ever imagined together: coffee and food from a grill. I
peeked in the windows, checking to see if I recognized a single face. One of
the girls looked familiar, but I realized she was actually a celebrity and not
a friend.

Glancing down the
sidewalk in front of the stores, I saw something that flashed an image in my
mind. It was a gray hoodie similar to the one I’d seen Ashton wear many times.
I liked the gray on him. It made his eyes pop.

The guy in the hoodie had
the same dark-blond hair as Ashton too. He walked away from me at a fast pace.
Like he was the pied piper, I followed him—my feet moving before my mind
committed.

When I rounded the corner
of the buildings he was already far ahead of me, like he’d run to the next set
of buildings and was disappearing behind them when I got there.

Scared of losing him, I
ran. It was awkward and uncomfortable in the loose bra and flimsy blouse, but I
wrapped my arms around my chest and bolted.

I was huffing and puffing
when I got to the side of the building where a bit of forest was. I paused,
biting my lip and contemplating walking into the forest.

It became quiet the moment
I took my first step, as if maybe my hearing had blocked out the sounds of the
town and focused on the path before me.

My feet crunched with
every step and the noise of the wind dragging the scratching leaves could send
me over the edge, but I continued forward.

A cold wind tickled at my
neck, giving me a chill as I rounded the corner of the small building and stood
before the trees.

A stick snapped to the
right, making me jerk to see what it was. I scowled and stepped to the left,
moving away from a man with dirty clothes and a drunken smile for me.

Part of me wanted to go
into the woods to find the guy with the hoodie, but the rational side of me
whispered the hunt was over.

I wrapped my arms over my
chest and turned, hurrying back to where I had been. The homeless-looking man
put
a pep
in my step as I hurried back, constantly
looking over my shoulder to ensure he wasn’t following me.

I hated that I might have
lost Ashton before I even found him.

When I got back to the
pizza place, I looked around the quaint little town, trying to calm myself down
from the homeless man and the endless list of things that might have gone wrong
there. Tapping my fingers against my lips, I contemplated which shops suited
which friends. I would be at Pinocchio Pizza eating. Lindsey would be in the
coffeehouse behind me. Sage and Vincent would be at the pasta place,
Portofino’s, or the wine bar we had passed on the way into town. Jake would be
at the golf course. He was probably there now. Andrew would be at the deli across
the parking lot or the theatre across town. Sierra would be at the nail salon
in front of me or at the shoemaker. Who even had a shoemaker in their town
anymore? Except in Italy, obviously.

But Ashton was sensitive,
more so than anyone else knew. He would be where his dad had come with him. The
grocery store maybe, of course the market one, not the supermarket chain
version.

I wandered, passing
tourists and locals alike. Small East Coast towns were always filled with
camera-happy foreigners in the fall. Crimson Cove was no different. But we
weren’t on the Underground Railway like Milton.

If anyone should have
known where he might have gone, it was
me
. I had
studied him a very long time. But I didn't see anything Ashton might have
stopped at until I reached the end of the parking lot where a little girl with
an ice cream cone passed by me, licking it as she giggled with a lady I assumed
was her mom.

Ice cream!

Of course.

His dad would have taken
him for ice cream. What dad didn't do that? Okay, mine didn't, but Ashton’s
would have for sure.

I walked in the direction
they had come from, quickening my pace when I saw the sign: Scoops Old
Fashioned Ice Cream.

When I opened the door a
bell chimed and faces behind the counters lifted, all females with smiles and aprons.
There were no patrons in the place. Everyone was outside enjoying their ice
cream and walking about the cute touristy town.

“Welcome to Scoops.”

“Thank you.” I smiled and
glanced about the candy-lined walls and adorable décor.

“We are famous for our
swamp ice cream. Would you like to try it?” a blonde girl asked.

I shook my head. “No,
thanks. I’m wondering if you’ve seen someone. I’m looking for a friend.” I
lifted my phone out and brought up a picture of Ashton for the girls to look
at.

All their eyes widened
for half a second in recognition, but then all three went back to cool and
collected. “Nope.” They shook their heads in unison. It was weird to watch.
They were like Fembots from Austen Powers.

“No? Darn. I thought for
sure he would come in here. His dad always came here with him.” I gave them all
a disheartened stare, hoping they might change their minds, but they didn’t. I
sighed. “Maybe I’ll try some of that swamp.”

The blonde smiled and
nodded. “Okay. Sarah can ring you in.” She tilted her head to the cash register
and the brunette.

I paid cash and waited,
trying to keep the calm smile on my face. I wanted so badly to shake them and
force them to tell me where he was, but I didn't want their heads to fall off
or lasers to shoot from their eyes.

Jake strolled in just as
I was about to burst. “Hey, Lain, any luck?” He asked and then gave me a look
as the girl handed me a bowl of something sinister looking. “Seriously, you’re
getting ice cream?”

“I—” I started to
defend myself when I noticed the smiles on all of the Fembots’ faces. They
blushed and batted eyelashes as Jake walked closer, stealing my hand holding
the spoon in my bowl and taking a slow bite, forcing me to feed him. Rolling my
eyes, I muttered, “I figured Ash would have come in here, but he didn't. These
girls don't know him.” I winked at him with the eye they could see, not that it
mattered. They didn't even know I was in the room anymore.

“Really?” He licked his
perfect lips and sauntered to the counter, working his magical mojo. The thick
obsidian lashes around the dark-blue eyes framed by a heavy brow, sucked your
stare into his. But the chiseled face and supple lips were a tough combination
to avoid also. I had caught many a girl staring at his mouth obscenely.

All of that was attached
to tall, thick, dark, and handsome.

Jake was the perfect
package. And he was a bit of a pervert, which some girls really liked.

I preferred the
sensitivity of Ashton to it.

“You lovely ladies
haven’t seen my cousin?” He leaned on the counter and smiled. He could easily
pass for Ashton’s cousin. Both were gorgeous with dark-blue eyes and beautiful
faces. Jake’s hair was a bit darker than Ashton’s but not much.

They paused, staring at
the handsome face and beautiful eyes. Finally, the blonde broke, “We knew the
police were looking for him. He asked us not to tell anyone we saw him. He said
he was in trouble for drinking and driving. He’d crashed the car and his evil
stepdad was pissed.”

The brunette nodded. “He
was here about fifteen minutes before you. He can’t have gotten far. Black
hoodie and jeans and a bowl of swamp.” She sighed, beaming. “Of course. He
loves it.” Her eyelashes fluttered as her cheeks flared.

“That was him by the
woods!” I turned and ran, clunking along in my riding boots. I hurried for the
road back to the cottage, taking a shortcut through parking lots, cutting past
Subway and some bar. I was just about to cross the road when I saw another
dark-gray, almost black, hoodie. I stopped to shout at the dark-haired guy wearing
it as he walked along the side of the post office. He paused when a girl in a
white tee shirt and jeans with long blonde hair walked out from behind the post
office. He took the grocery bags from her hand as she wrapped her arms around
his neck, and I gasped as they embraced and kissed.

My stomach froze,
hardened and aching. My heart felt like it might have slipped out of my chest
and dropped onto the sun-warmed concrete, gushing everywhere.

Ashton had fled to another girl?

He wasn't alone. He was working
the girls at the ice cream shop and whoever this girl with the grocery bags
was.

“LAIN!” Jake shouted and
caught up. His shouting my name made the other two stop and turn. They were too
far away for me to tell if it was Ashton, but by the time I realized they were
running into the woods behind the post office, they were gone.

“Was that Ash? Who’s the
chick? Man, smart. He’s got the girls all over this shitty little town keeping
his secrets.”

A sound slipped from my
lips, a sound I didn't mean to make. It was a sob.

“Lainey? You okay?”

I shook from the sobs
leaving my lips. I didn't even really know why I was crying. I’d spent my
entire life watching him kiss Rachel.

Jake wrapped an arm
around my shoulders, pulling me into him. “It probably was just some girl who
was helping him. You saw how loyal those girls at Scoops were.” He rubbed my
back and I cried like a stupid little girl. “If anyone is good at playing
pretend with girls, it’s Ash. He has a lot of practice.”

It took a minute for me
to be able to even hear his words. I pulled back, sniffling and wiping my face
with the back of my hand. “I don't kn-know-know why I’m cr-cry-crying. I-I-
I’m
s-sorry.”

Jake dragged me back in,
wrapping himself completely around me. “Don't stutter. That means you’re really
upset.” He leaned over, consuming my body with his. He even kissed the top of
my head the way my dad did when I was little.

I
let
Jake, the equivalent to Vincent in my mind
,
hug me
.
I let him comfort me as if I'd lost something truly important to my heart. But
at some point I had to realize I hadn’t lost anything more than a daydream.
Ashton was my friend’s brother and my other friend’s boyfriend, and he was
never mine. I was crying because a wish upon a star never came true. It was
nothing more than that. And I was acting like a fool.

I forced myself to woman
up and pulled back again. “Thanks.” I admitted my defeat and humiliation with a
nod as I wiped my eyes. “Let’s go to the cabin and see if he went there.”

“He won’t go there.”

“We still need to check.
We need to warn him about Sage.”

“If it’s Sage.”

“Right.” I sniffled and
walked back to the parking lot where the car was. He walked beside me, not
needing to talk, thank God.

It dawned on me then,
Jake might have had a thing for Sage. He was pretty determined it wasn’t her. I
wondered if I had crapped all over his wish too. Maybe Sage was his star, and
he had been biding his time to make his move since she and Vince had broken up.
I always thought Sierra was the one for him and that it was sad because I knew
Sage had a thing for Jake. But then Sierra told me how into Vincent she was,
and I realized it was Sage and Jake who were more than messing around.

He drove silently, maybe
brooding over the whole Sage thing. I realized then I owed it to him, and to
Sage, to be sure. “Let’s not tell Ash I think
it’s
Sage.
You’re right
,
it might not be
her
. We should be sure.”

He shrugged. “Ashton
might have a reason for all those pieces of paper, and he might have a reason
for the ransom note. We should check with him before we even think
it’s
Sage. Just to be sure.” He parked the car a ways down
the road from the cottage and got out. “If we walk up, he might not have a
chance to run again.”

I got out and followed
him up the road. He turned and waited for me. There was something about the way
he looked that made me sorry I’d said that about Sage. His blue eyes were
filled with something, an emotion I couldn't read. If he liked Sage he had to
be worried that she was the killer and that she had a secret life going on.

I felt the same way, and
she was just one of my friends, not the person I daydreamed about. I did have a
million memories of her that were close to my heart. If I hadn’t seen
everything I had, I wouldn't have believed it either. But to me the proof was in
the pudding.

We hurried along the
forest’s edge to the lake and up the lakeshore to the house, getting slower and
quieter as we reached the beach near the cottage.

Something moved in the
window, making me freeze and slide my body up against a tree. Jake snuggled in
next to me, leaning forward and nodding. “It’s him. He’s there.”

“What if it’s not him?”
Neither of us could really see.

He looked down on me.
“Then I’ll kick the shit out of whoever it is.” He winked and ran for the
house, rushing the door and jumping inside. I could hear the commotion and
struggle as I ran after him but didn't see what was going on.