Two Truths and a Lie (31 page)

BOOK: Two Truths and a Lie

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“Very funny,” Ethan said, glancing across the lawn. “I
am
scared that whoever killed Sutton is still out there,” he whispered.

“I know,” Emma said, shivering despite the heat. “Me, too.”

A frown settled on Ethan’s face. “If it wasn’t Thayer, who could it have been? All signs pointed to him. He made perfect sense. And I
still
think he’s dangerous.”

Emma shrugged. “Even if he’s troubled, he didn’t do it. I suppose that it’s too much to hope the killer has left town? I haven’t heard from him, or her, since the dance.”

“Maybe.” Ethan folded his ankle over his knee and glanced sideways at Emma. “But something tells me that’s too good to be true. Whoever it is could still be out there. I’m up for finding the truth if you are.”

“Definitely,” Emma whispered. She leaned her cheek on Ethan’s shoulder. He kissed the top of her forehead and she tilted her chin to meet his lips. Ethan returned her kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. His hand reached up to trace the soft hairs that framed her face. He kissed her softly, his lips fitting perfectly with hers, making Emma want to freeze time. She’d never had a real boyfriend, and now she had something—some
one
—more amazing than she could have ever imagined.

A car pulled into the driveway, and Emma and Ethan broke apart. The car door of a blue BMW opened, and Thayer hoisted himself out. Emma felt Ethan stiffen next to her.

“Oh!” Emma said. “Uh, hey, Thayer.” What was
he
doing here? Hadn’t he just said that morning that Mr. Mercer had warned him away?

“Don’t stop on my account,” Thayer said in a sarcastic voice, arms crossed over his chest.

He walked slowly across the front yard. Even with his limp, he had that specific kind of confidence that seemed easy. “So. What’s up?”

“We’re just hanging out,” Emma said foolishly, fumbling for words.

“We?” Thayer’s pale eyes flickered next to Emma. When Emma turned her head, she saw Ethan stepping quickly off the porch. His sneakers kicked up gravel as he trekked across the driveway toward his car.

“Ethan?” Emma called. “Where are you going?”

Ethan didn’t answer as he strode away. It was like he couldn’t get away fast enough. His hands fumbled with the keys as he let himself into his car. He hit the gas, and in a flash, he was gone.

Emma stared at the disappearing cloud of exhaust. What the hell was
that
all about? Next to her, Thayer made a
tsk
sound with his tongue. “Why don’t you and your friends leave that poor guy alone?”

“What do you mean?” Emma snapped.

Thayer threw his hands up in surrender. “Don’t jump all over me!” He put a sneaker on the porch and leaned forward, flexing his calf. “Seriously, Sutton. First it was that prank where the poor kid lost his science scholarship, and now you’re faking a relationship with him?”

Emma stared at him, trying to understand. Slowly, it sunk in. Thayer assumed if Sutton was kissing Ethan, it had to be a part of some prank she and her friends were pulling for the Lying Game. Emma opened her mouth, wanting to make it clear that she and Ethan definitely
were
a real item, but she remembered how hurt he’d looked in the parking and didn’t want to rub it in.

“So what are you doing here?” Emma said, deciding to change the subject. “I thought you were scared of my dad.”

Thayer shrugged. “Laurel gave me the all clear. I came to hang out with her—it’s been forever since we talked.”

He moved toward Emma to walk in the house and paused briefly by her side, as if he wanted to say more. He was so close that Emma could smell his pine soap and fresh-smelling clothes. His bare legs were long and muscular. His white soccer sneakers were scuffed and caked with dirt, as though he’d just come off the field. He reminded her of all the hot, unattainable jocks Emma had ever gone to school with, the ones who’d never given her the time of day.

She quickly snapped back to reality. Okay, so Thayer was cute. But
Ethan
was her boyfriend.

Suddenly, a prickly feeling danced across the back of Emma’s neck. She turned around, sure she was being watched. A breeze rifled through the leaves of a tall weeping willow. Birds shot up in a cluster, calling to each other with tiny squawks. Emma looked all around, finally noticing a face in the window. It was Laurel, staring at her and Thayer from the living room. Emma raised her hand in a wave, but Laurel just kept glaring. Her light eyes sent a chill straight to Emma’s bones. She looked furious enough to kill.

EPILOGUE

As I watched Laurel glare at Emma, a flash of my last memory swarmed my vision. I saw myself hiding in the brush after Thayer had been run down. I’d felt so distraught, so overcome with guilt and fear for his safety. And then I saw two eyes lock with mine. Laurel stared at me with burning rage. Everything in her look said that she blamed me for what happened to Thayer. And I had a strange feeling she was going to do more than just glare at me. Her look said she wanted to reach through the brush and teach me a lesson for all the ways I’d ruined everything.

She looked like she wanted to hurt me—and she looked like she wanted to do the same to Emma now.

In moments, Laurel’s face disappeared from the window. Thayer slipped inside the house to see her. My twin remained on the porch, reeling from everything that had just happened, too afraid to admit what she’d just seen.

But I couldn’t help but mull it over in my mind. Yes, I’d ruled Laurel out as a suspect. She’d been at Nisha’s sleepover all night on the night I died. But there was something about that fact that didn’t add up. If Laurel had rescued Thayer from Sabino Canyon, then she hadn’t been at Nisha’s the whole night. Either Nisha was mistaken … or lying … or Laurel had snuck out without her knowing.

And if Laurel had snuck away from Nisha’s, why couldn’t she have snuck away from Thayer, too? Dropped him off at the hospital, then returned for me while he was in surgery. She’d looked so mad. I had ruined her beloved’s life. I had had a secret tryst with him, a tryst she wanted to have. I had gotten everything she wanted … always.

I hated to think my own flesh and blood could have done such a thing. But that was the wrinkle: Laurel wasn’t my flesh and blood. Sure, we’d grown up under the same roof, lived by the same rules our parents had imposed, but there was always a big chasm between us. I was adopted; she wasn’t. We never let each other forget that. The only real flesh and blood I had was Emma.

And Emma needed answers, fast. Because it looked like my killer could be closer than either of us realized—maybe even under the very same roof.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks, as always, to the fantastic team at Alloy, namely Lanie Davis, Sara Shandler, Josh Bank, and Les Morgenstein, as well as Kari Sutherland and Farrin Jacobs at Harper—this was a tough book to write because of the circumstances, and we all pulled together to make it work. I’m also grateful to Kristin Marang for her web and cross-promotional genius—I don’t know what I’d do without you! Huge kudos to everyone working on
The Lying Game
TV show, including Gina Girolamo, Andrew Wang, Charles Pratt Jr., and all of the other amazing writers, producers, and crew—not to mention the lovely Alexandra Chando, who plays the best Sutton and Emma I could imagine. I’m so excited to see what twists and turns are next!

Most of all, a big thanks to Katie Sise—without you, this book wouldn’t exist. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARA SHEPARD
is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Pretty Little Liars. She graduated from NYU and has an MFA from Brooklyn College. Sara recently moved back to Philadelphia’s Main Line from Arizona, where the Lying Game series is set.