“Mr. Winston is ten minutes late every day and you know it. We have time.” I plead at her with my eyes. “Please?”

After a beat, she nods. “Fine. But make it fast.”

We walk silently down the hall toward a bank of lockers that’s squished into its own little corridor. Once we’re alone, I don’t waste any time.

“The police are here today interviewing some of Reed’s friends and classmates.”

She doesn’t look at all surprised. “Yeah, I know. I already got a summons to Beringer’s office. I’m talking to them at lunch.” She rolls her eyes. “They wanted to pull me out of class and I was, like, fuck that. I’m not falling behind just because some Royal killed his daddy’s girlfriend.”

I flinch as if she’s slapped me. “Reed didn’t kill anyone,” I say between clenched teeth.

Savannah shrugs. “Don’t care if he did. I never liked Brooke.”

I furrow my brow. Did Savannah even know Brooke? I’m confused for a second, until I realize that Sav did know her. She referred to Brooke as an “extra” the day she gave me the Astor Park tour, and she’d dated Gideon for a year, so she must have run into Brooke at the house on a bunch of occasions.

“That woman was garbage,” she adds. “Gold-digger with a capital G.”

“Either way, Reed didn’t kill her.”

She arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Is that what you want me to tell the cops?”

I swallow my frustration. “You can tell them whatever you like, because he didn’t do it. I wanted to talk to you about the other thing.”

“What other thing?”

I shoot a glance at the main hall. It’s empty. “The Gideon and Dinah thing.”

According to Reed, Dinah broke into Gid’s phone and stole nude pictures that he and Savannah had exchanged. With that ammo, she’s holding a statutory rape charge over his head, because Savannah was only fifteen at the time, while Gideon was eighteen.

At the sound of Gideon’s name, Savannah’s wary expression transforms into one of pure malice. “You mean that thing where my boyfriend screwed a trashy cougar?” she snaps.

“Yeah, and that the trashy cougar is blackmailing him with pictures you sent him,” I snap back.

This time it’s her turn to flinch. “Are you saying it’s my fault Gid is in this mess? Because it’s not! He’s the cheater. He’s the one who hooked up with that awful woman, and it’s his fault she became obsessed with him and stole his phone. All I did was send pics to my boyfriend, Ella!”

I see myself losing control of the conversation, so I hastily put on a calm, non-threatening tone. “I’m not blaming you at all,” I promise. “All I’m saying is that you’re involved in this whether you want to be or not. Gideon could get in a lot of trouble if the cops find out about Dinah and the pictures.”

Savannah doesn’t answer.

“I know you hate him, but I also know you don’t want to see him go to jail. And telling the detectives about it will only make them try to somehow use that information against Reed.” I glare at her. “And Reed’s innocent.” Or at least I think he is.

She stays quiet for a long time. So long that I don’t think I’ve gotten through to her. But then she lets out a heavy breath and nods.

“Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Relief swamps me, but Savannah doesn’t even give me the chance to thank her. She just walks away without another word.

9

Ella

I don’t see Savannah again for the rest of the day. Normally I wouldn’t think twice about that since we don’t have any afternoon classes together, but the paranoia is getting to me. She was supposed to speak to the detective at lunch. I was hoping she would track me down afterward and tell me about the interview, but she didn’t, and I don’t even catch a glimpse of her in the halls during the second half of the day.

At lunch, though, Val confessed that the detectives left a message with her parents this morning asking for permission to interview her. I guess her aunt and uncle are like Callum, because they insisted on being present for Val and Jordan’s interviews.

Yup, Jordan. Apparently she’s on Cousins’ list, too. Which is very, very disturbing, because I know Jordan’s only going to have terrible things to say about Reed.

I’m not sure who the cops even spoke to today, other than Savannah. I’m dreading my own interview, but hopefully Callum can delay it for as long as possible. Maybe until these detectives do their stupid job and find the real killer.

If there’s a real killer…

A silent scream forms in my throat, causing me to stop in the middle of the parking lot. I hate these thoughts that keep popping into my head. I hate that I’m still having doubts about Reed. He insists he didn’t kill Brooke. He swears he didn’t.

So why can’t I one-hundred-percent believe him?

“The parking lot is for cars, little sis, not people.”

I spin around to find Easton grinning at me. He gives me a little nudge forward, adding, “Poor Lauren’s been trying to pull out of that space for about, oh, two minutes?”

My gaze shifts to the red BMW with its engine running. Sure enough, Lauren Donovan is waving at me, a slightly apologetic look on her face, as if she’s the one inconveniencing me and not the other way around.

I wave in apology at the twins’ girlfriend and hurriedly step out of the way. “I spaced out,” I tell Easton.

“Still worried about the interviews?”

“Yeah. But I did speak to Savannah and she promised she wouldn’t say anything about the Gideon stuff.”

Easton nods. “That’s good, at least.”

“Yeah.”

“Ella,” Reed’s voice comes from behind us. “Ride home with me?”

I turn as he strides into the parking lot with Sebastian at his side. Again, my paranoia kicks in. “What happened? Don’t you have practice?”

He shakes his head. “East does, but I’m excused. Dad just texted and ordered me to come directly home.”

Fear pricks my spine. “Why? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” Reed looks frustrated. “All he said was that it’s important. And he already cleared it with Coach.”