The Third Lie's the Charm (15 page)

The school day seemed endless. Bradley, Naomi, and Liam were all noticeably absent. And me, I was there. Physically, I mean. Mentally, I was interrogating Porter. I was digging through the files in the Farrow family office. I was with Liam. Begging him to forgive me. Figuring out a way to get him off.

“Kate!” It was a familiar squeak. A squeak I had come to love. “Did you hear? Liam! Expelled!” Panic was written all over Seth's red face. It would have been comic if the situation hadn't been so serious.

“What? Expelled? Are you sure?” I knew it was bad and I figured Liam would be in trouble, but to be expelled so quickly. I guess I just thought we'd have more time. But as usual, it wasn't on my side.

“I'm sure. I just saw the paperwork in the office.” Seth was almost running to keep up with me as I blazed through the hallway toward the office.

“Wait! Kate! Stop!” Seth grabbed my arm and swung me around to face him. Turns out he was, like, freakishly strong.

“Let me go. I'll talk to her. I'll fix this. You don't understand, Seth. She'll listen to me now.”

“You're not thinking straight. You're smarter than this, Kate.” Seth grabbed me by the shoulders and stared straight into my eyes. “If you go in there now and cause a huge scene, Ms. D.'s gonna be on to you.” He steered me away from the office. “But if you lie low, if you can get close enough, you can strike from within.”

God, he was right. It was my plan all along. To join the Sisterhood and become one of them, and here I was, their new leader. Ms. D. trusted me. I could do more for Liam from the inside.

“I hate to interrupt this little chat.” Bethany's tone belied her words as she practically hip-checked Seth to plant herself directly in between us. “But we're having a sleepover in the headquarters.” She held up a tattered duffel bag that hadn't seen the light of day since my last sleepover with Grace and Maddie.

“But my parents…”

“Where'd you think I got the bag?” Bethany smiled evilly, and I couldn't even imagine what kind of lies had been told to make this happen. My guess it had at least required a call from Ms. D.

I looked at Seth. He jerked his head in a subtle nod and I slapped a smile on my face. Game on.

***

“So this is where the magic happens!” Taylor splayed her arms out like a game-show hostess showcasing a row of computers, screens flashing in the darkness.

“Oh, um, cool.” Leave it to the Sisterhood to turn a slumber party into a surveillance operation.

Taylor grabbed my hand. “Come on, you're going to love this.”

She gestured breezily at some girls sitting in front of the computers, and they moved aside instantly. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone would ever obey me like that. Somehow I didn't think so. In high school, obedience was usually earned with charm and good looks. I was average on both counts. But maybe it didn't matter if I had someone like Taylor to do my dirty work for me.

“So, this is it. Our command center.” Taylor yanked me down into the chair next to her. Flashing before us were five screens positioned at different exits at Liam's house. “We're watching his every move. No more surprises.”

I wanted to laugh because it was so ridiculous to think that Liam was involved. But I kept my face composed, my emotions in check. I couldn't show any sign of weakness, or I'd blow my cover.

Her fingers tapped and clicked on the screen until she pulled up Liam's email account. “And we're monitoring all of his email activity, as well. He isn't going to hurt anyone else.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “All thanks to you.”

Movement on one of the monitors caught my eye. Liam walked outside onto his patio and collapsed into a chair. Watching him sit outside while I viewed him from an underground tunnel made me a little queasy. This was so wrong. But I couldn't let on. Not yet.

“So we're just going to watch him now? I thought we had all of the information we needed. I mean, he's already been kicked out of school.”

“I know, but I guess Ms. D. suspects there was someone else involved. Some of the timing just does not add up.”

“So we're just supposed to sit here and wait for him to get in contact with his partner in crime?” I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. Liam's shoulders were hunched over, his head in his hands.
Oh
God, he must hate me so much.

“That's the idea.” Taylor smirked.

“But what about Naomi?” The words came out of my mouth too fast. I couldn't stop them.

“Naomi?” Taylor's pretty features twisted in confusion.

“I mean…is she okay? I haven't seen her all day.”

Taylor's face relaxed. “Oh yeah, you lost me for a second there. She's fine. Just sick. Stomach flu or something.”

Stomach flu, my ass. The Farrows were planning something. They had to be. And I had to stop them before anyone else got hurt.

Taylor snapped her fingers, and the first-years appeared behind us in seconds. “I'm exhausted. Let's go get some rest while they keep an eye on things. Delegation is the key, my friend.”

“Oh, right. Delegation.” Leadership 101 with Taylor Wright. Good times.

I didn't protest when she grabbed my hand. I did look back, though, for a second and saw the first-years hovered around the computer, giggling as they scrolled through Liam's personal emails. A combination of curiosity and horror rushed through me as I watched them click on an email from Bethany.

You keep saying that you aren't interested, but I can't stop thinking about you.

Wait, so Liam wasn't into Bethany? Was it possible that their whole love affair had been one-sided?

“Aren't you coming?” Taylor asked, her light eyebrows pulled together.

“Oh…um, yeah.” I wanted to sit down next to the girls and pour over all of those emails, but it would have been so wrong, such a huge violation of Liam's privacy. But as Taylor led me toward a suite at the end of the hall, the words of the email kept running through my mind.

I needed a plan. Now that I was finally here, there had to be proof that Naomi and Bradley were behind this whole thing. I just needed to figure out how to get to it.

Once I was sure that almost everyone was asleep, I got up and made my way back to the computers. If they had hacked into Liam's emails, there must be a way to get into Naomi and Bradley's. As I padded down the hall toward the bay of computers, I was relieved to see that the first-years had given up their watch. There was no one in sight.

I sat down in front of the monitor. Liam's emails were still up on the screen. Before I could stop myself, I had already opened one he'd sent to Bethany.

Please stop writing, stop calling, stop kissing me. I still have feelings for someone else. It has nothing to do with you, but I just can't offer you anything more than friendship at this point.

My breath caught in my throat. Liam still had feelings for someone else. The email was from a week ago. Had that someone been me? Probably. Too bad he probably hated me now.

My hands shook a little on the keyboard and I closed my eyes.
Not
now, Kate. Focus.
I navigated to the main menu, and sure enough, there was a list of every student at Pemberly Brown. I pulled up Bradley's name and clicked on an email he sent to Naomi earlier today.

N—The Chapel. 2 AM. This happens tonight. Now or never.

It read like a dare, and there was no way I wasn't going to take it.

There wasn't time to think about how the long shadows stretching across the cool brick in the tunnels looked like crooked fingers or that the temperature was five degrees cooler underground, like in a morgue. I didn't even have time to think whether or not I would be safe with Ms. D.'s driver by myself or if it was even legal for him to take me anywhere.

I knocked on the window frantically and even through the tinted glass could see the driver jolt awake, grabbing at his chest. I widened my eyes, praying he'd recover. The last thing I needed was to give the poor guy a heart attack.

He rolled down the window, his chest rising and falling faster than it should have been.

“I'm sorry if I woke you,” I said uncomfortably. I wondered if he always had to sleep in the car or if he switched off with another driver. Either way, kind of the worst job ever unless living in a car was your thing. Time to focus. “Do you mind driving me somewhere, Mr…?” I blushed at not knowing what to call him. I hated that.

“You can call me Judd. And that's what I'm here for, Ms. Lowry.” The driver gestured to the back of the car with kind eyes. Great. Nothing made me feel less competent than when someone remembered my name and I had totally forgotten theirs.

“Thanks, Mr…Judd.” His eyes crinkled around the corners even deeper, and I climbed in the back as he started the car and rolled down the privacy window. I resisted the urge to launch my body through the opening and into the front seat. I settled on shoving my head through and breathing down his neck instead.

“Where to?” Judd drove the car forward and punched in a code that opened a secret garage door. Black night spilled in. I glanced down at the two dots on my phone inching forward on the screen.

“The chapel. Can you drop me by the gardens?”

“Not a problem, my dear.” Judd tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he drove. “But if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here all alone in the middle of the night?” He caught my eye in the rearview mirror, and I thought of Liam. This was it. My chance to save him. To make things right.

My stomach muscles tightened as we closed in on the gardens. I hated the thought of going near the chapel by myself at night. It was haunted. At least for me it was. Going there alone would mean facing everything that had happened to Grace. I couldn't go alone. My body felt rooted to the seat of the car.

“My daughter's barely ten but acts about seventeen. I'd kill her if she ever got involved in this stuff.” His eyes flicked to mine in the rearview mirror. “But I'm not stupid.” Judd twisted around in his seat. “Here.” He held out a small container of pepper spray. Such a dad move. “I'll wait for ten minutes, but if you're not back, I'll come looking. Call me immediately if you need me before that.”

I looked down at my phone, willing myself to move. Judd's number appeared on the screen. Was I prepared for what I might find? Did they sneak to the chapel in the middle of the night to do séances or sacrifices or pray to some great Conventus god or something? Were they planning another attack?

It was enough to give me the courage to get out of the car and face whatever was waiting for me.

“This might take longer than ten minutes, but I'll hurry.” I shut the door with a soft thud and never felt more alone.

The air was still crisp at this hour, and it cut through my thin sweater as I ran the path toward the thick woods beyond. I gripped the pepper spray in one palm, the tube slipping with sweat despite the cold air, while my phone was clenched in the other. Anticipation bubbled in my chest, burning my lungs, and the air felt charged with the brink of a discovery. Justice and an ending all rolled into one. I'd catch Naomi and Bradley, and this would all be over. Everyone could move on, and no one would get hurt again. Happily ever after. The end.

I slowed at the entrance to the woods and let the thick trees and heavy undergrowth take my breath away for a second. If I thought it was black outside, I didn't know the definition. The woods swallowed things whole, and I wasn't sure they'd ever spit me back out. But with responsibility came great risks, and I was ready.
Mind
over
matter
, I thought as I willed my feet to tread lightly. Like eating sushi or swimming with sharks. This wasn't only where Grace died, it was where she'd been betrayed and tricked. It was where she'd been sacrificed. And now it was going to be the place where she was avenged.

Movement caught my eye, although in their camouflage clothing Naomi and Bradley were almost impossible to make out. Naomi held a white card, and it cut through the night, glaring at me. Daring me. They were delivering another one of their horrible Factum Virtutes. I'd actually caught them in the act. With shaking hands, I brought my phone to life and let my finger hover over a single button.

I snapped the picture and immediately sent it off to the entire Sisterhood. They'd come now. All of them. They'd panic. But it would all be worth what everyone was about to witness.

I should wait for them to arrive so we could all confront them together, but I remembered the way Naomi had accused Liam. The way she'd framed him. And I just couldn't stop myself from speaking the two words that had been waiting on the tip of my tongue since I'd found out Grace had died.

“It's over.”

“How could you?” The words erupted from my mouth in staccato. For a minute, they both just stared at me, but it wasn't until Naomi let herself fall to the ground, her small frame shaking with tears, that I knew I'd won. I'd finally won.

Bradley wrapped his arm around her and tried to shush her, and I had to look away. The moment was so private and so real, and it was messing with my head. They'd set up Liam, they'd orchestrated the deadly Factum Virtutes, but even worse, they'd killed Grace. All of those secret meetings, the way they'd instructed her to wait in the basement no matter what. The way they'd preyed on her feeling lost and confused and used all of those emotions to make her feel like she was important, like she belonged. They didn't deserve to be human, to act sad. I wanted them to be the kind of villains with twirling mustaches and evil plans. I needed to be able to hate them.

And in that moment, I stopped. I stopped and I remembered Grace. The way her long black hair always dried perfectly straight. The way she always started laughing at the most inappropriate times. Her ridiculous plans and ideas and the way she could pretty much talk anyone into anything. I remembered the way she used to snore like an eighty-year-old man at every sleepover we ever had together and how she'd granted me permission to kick her repeatedly until she rolled over onto her stomach. How we knew we'd be friends through college, through marriage and babies and midlife crises and lunch dates and old age. How we didn't have to talk about it, but that our friendship was rooted in forever.

And there it was. The rest of our lives. I had thought I'd be kicking her sorry ass until we were little old ladies bunking together in a nursing home. And the Farrows had stolen that from me. They'd stolen my best friend.

“How could you have let her die out here? Alone? How could you go to her funeral and pretend to cry? How could you live with yourself after what you've done?” My words all ran together like the lines of mascara that were streaking down Naomi's cheeks. She was sobbing uncontrollably now, and Bradley was still buried in her shoulder, but that didn't stop me. Nothing could have stopped me. Not even the sound of footsteps approaching behind me.

“You killed her. You killed a girl in cold blood. You killed your best friend.” The words came out like a curse. “And for what? Your asinine little society? For some half-baked dream of unity? I don't care who your parents are. I don't care how much money you have. I will spend the rest of my life ending yours.”

Somewhere behind me, a small spattering of applause broke out. I had an audience. The entire Sisterhood flanked my sides. Headmistress D. and her driver stood back, watching with interest. It was too dark to be sure, but I was almost positive she was nodding encouragingly.

“You don't think we know?” Naomi's words were barely audible, choked with tears and muffled by her brother's arm. She surprised me by pulling away from Bradley and making her way shakily to her feet. “You think I haven't spent the past 392 days thinking these exact same things? You think I haven't wanted to die?” As she stood, her voice grew stronger, her words more pronounced.

“Bullshit,” I spat. “What total bullshit. How can you even say that with a straight face?”

“You have no idea what you're talking about, Kate. None.” Bradley chimed in now. “You don't know what we've been through, the things we've thought about doing…” His voice cracked, and he looked back toward the remains of the chapel.

“Actually, Bradley, I know exactly what you have thought about doing. Even worse, I know what you've done. You killed your best friend. You've been targeting the Brotherhood one by one, forcing them to pay for not supporting Conventus.”

“Wait, what are you even talking about?” Bradley looked genuinely shocked, but I wasn't fooled.

I shook the letter at him. “Nice try, but I have the proof. I read Grace's journal. Why do you think I'm out here tonight? What did you think I was doing? I'm here for this. For one of your stupid Factum Virtutes. And I finally have it.”

Naomi laughed, a hysterical, broken sound. And once she started, she couldn't stop. It was unsettling. She handed me the letter.

“Read it.” She managed to choke out the words between her hysterics. “Go on.
Read
it
.”

I looked back at Ms. D., and she nodded again. With trembling fingers, I opened the letter.

Dear Grace,

We haven't forgotten you. We haven't forgotten your sacrifice. This week, we sent your parents yellow peonies and made a donation to the animal protective league in your name. We remembered hearing something about how you rescued your dog from there, so that was our good deed this week. More soon.

Naomi's careful script was unmistakable. The letter wasn't proof of anything except two students trying to honor a dead classmate.

I lunged for Naomi, only to feel dozens of hands holding me back.

“What is this? What does it even mean? Where are the real letters? You framed Liam! You're lying.” It was my turn for hysterics. I couldn't process how they had managed to trick me again. I couldn't fathom how two people could continue to get away with murder. Literally.

“It was our fault she died.” Bradley's voice was steady. “We take full responsibility. She was waiting in the chapel basement for me. It was a test. We had to be sure about her allegiance to Conventus. We had to show her that the Sisterhood didn't care about her enough to save her.” Bradley's face crumpled and he turned away. “It was my fault. I was supposed to go back for her, but the fire…” His voice dissolved into a cry that sounded like it was torn from his throat.

“We had no idea that Alistair was going to set the chapel on fire,” Naomi choked out. “He was just supposed to create a distraction, and by the time we got there…” She stopped and looked at me, tears coursing down her cheeks again. “I am so sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to die, to burn for this.” The grief in her eyes was wild, real. I remembered that grief. I remembered what it was like to want to die.

“But we had nothing to do with Alistair, Clayton, or Porter. I swear.” Bradley had regained his composure and his rich-boy mask was firmly back in place.

“You really expect us to believe you? After you killed Grace?” I expected to hear the rest of the Sisterhood cheer behind me. I expected Ms. D. to come forward and escort the Farrows back to her office. I expected the police.

“I think it's time for you to go home, Kate. I know you care for Liam, but we have all the evidence we need at this point.” Ms. D. said the words with quiet authority and turned back toward her car. My heart broke a little. My anger had been popped like an overinflated balloon, and now all that was left was sadness. Sadness that aside from the people here tonight, no one would ever know what really happened to Grace, but mostly sadness that it had taken me this long to realize that it didn't really matter.

Liam's life was ruined and it was all my fault. Grace was gone, and I was the one who had let her go. The common denominator here was me.