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“I assume it is password-protected?”
“Yes.”
I placed the knife on the desk, but his eyes never left my face. “Benjamin, was it? Make this easier on yourself and give me the information I need and I will leave you unharmed.” My patience was waning, and I didn’t want to be in the presence of his rank body odor for an extended period.
He rattled off his username and password, and I entered them into the prompts. I searched the database for her birth name. There were two girls with that name, but only one of them was born in Tennessee. There was little information about the girl. The fire that killed the mother would have destroyed any important documents, but I knew they didn’t hold onto anything of importance regardless.
“There’s a reason these cases are closed,” Benjamin said. “They are to protect the child.”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “That is your job, isn’t it? To protect children. What about those who needed protection and were denied?”
He blinked rapidly, tracks of sweat dripping from his brow and into his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please let me go.”
“Once I get what I need I will.” I looked away. His relief would accompany him in death. I printed the information I needed and closed out of the file and signed out. If the system was monitored, I didn’t want anyone finding him before I was long gone. I crossed the room to the water bubbler and took the powder-filled packet from my pocket and dumped the contents into the paper cup. I filled the cup with water; the powder dissolving quickly.
I went to Benjamin, placed the cup on the desk and untied him. “You’re sweating like a pig. Here.”
“Thank you,” he said staring at me.
I was used to the stares; they didn’t bother me as much as they used to. I handed him the cup. He chugged the liquid greedily. It wasn’t his fault he was going to die. It was an unfortunate circumstance that he had been working late when I arrived. I couldn’t risk his identifying me to anyone. His death would be swift, merciful.
I picked up the rope and coiled it around my arm, then shoved it in my bag and lifted the strap over my shoulder. “Goodbye, Benjamin.”
He opened his mouth to say something but, instead of words, a wet gurgle filled his throat.
I watched him clutch his chest and seize for a few moments before he went still. I pushed his rolling chair so he was situated under his desk. They would say he had a heart attack. No one would be the wiser.
I slid the papers from the printer into a large envelope, giving them the care they needed for my travel to Chester Bay, Connecticut.
Chapter 1 (#ulink_7dabc18d-2794-53a2-b5d3-c1ee6b1a48fa)
It was the first time in hours that my phone didn’t ring. To any other average sixteen-year-old girl that would have caused an aneurysm, or at least twitchy fingers and a headache. I rolled over; the bright-purple-and-pink-striped beach towel under me stuck to my leg from the heat of the early afternoon. I sat up and lifted the towel from under me. I wiped my sweaty face and dropped my sunglasses down from my head. Like hell was I going to get raccoon-eyes tan lines! The girls wouldn’t forgive such a summer faux pas. The lounge chair was warmer than it was when I sat down to sunbathe two hours ago and the backs of my legs immediately stuck to the plastic surface.
I grabbed my phone from under the chair so it didn’t take the brunt of the New England late-June heat, and I pressed the round button on the bottom of the screen. Several photo texts littered the screen. Earlier, I’d turned off the text notifications, leaving the ringer on in case Mom or Dad called. Dad would be okay with leaving a message, but Mom would have been frantic if I didn’t pick up before voicemail.
I scrolled through to find the latest from Kat. My best friend, and my boyfriend’s sister, posed on the deck of her parents’ sailboat in the matching bikini we both bought last week. Well, she bought mine as an early birthday present. I kept my relief to myself since I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to explain that expense on Mom’s credit card. The suit cost more than several items of my clothing combined.
I looked down at the pink and gray bandeau top with matching bottom. Mine looked dull in the Connecticut sun while hers appeared more vibrant against the clear blue ocean of the Caribbean. I flipped through the photos and commented on each one as she would be expecting. Then I took a picture of myself in my suit and sent it along.
It was around one. I wouldn’t be expecting anything from Rachael or Brittany for another hour. They were night owls and the main reason my parents forced me to turn my phone on silent at night. Rachael’s and Brittany’s late-night barrages of texts over the past week had disturbed the entire Daniels household. And, after two sleepless nights before the new cellphone rule, I was happy to comply.
After checking my text log, I let out a whoosh of breath. There weren’t any texts from Joe yet. I’d woken up this morning with twelve missed calls from him and one cryptic voicemail.
“Call me back, Cara” was all he said, though I sensed the “or else” in the silence following his voice. I wished he would have gone on the family trip with Kat, though he insisted on staying home as his own graduation present. Two weeks of freedom to do whatever he wanted.
Even in the stifling heat, I shivered. Joe and I had been on some seriously thin ice since his graduation out of Chester Bay High two weeks ago. Our relationship seemed solid to everyone else. It had started like a fairytale, with a junior jock plucking a sophomore nobody from the masses of high school social hell. But it had a happy ending for only about a year. I could have ended it at any point after getting to know the real Joe, but, at the same time, I couldn’t. There was no going back after getting a taste of the high life. Besides, I’d burned enough bridges clawing to the top of the food chain, I would be ground meat if I ever attempted to climb back down.
The sliding door opened and my sister, Madison, stepped onto the deck. She squinted in the sunlight as if it would burn her pale skin the second she came into its light. Or it might have been the glare from her Coke-bottle glasses. She twisted her blonde ponytail around her finger. Hair color was the only trait we shared. I thanked the genetic gods for my ability to sustain a tan, unlike my sister.
“What is it?” I asked. Madison had rarely left her room so far this summer.
She pushed the bridge of her glasses further up her nose. “Joe’s on the phone.”
I ground my teeth together and glared at the phone in her hand. Why didn’t I think about the landline?
She held the phone in her outstretched hand as it continued to ring. “He’s been calling all morning. I saw his name on the caller ID.”
I stood up and crossed the deck, my bare feet pounding on the wood. I grabbed the phone from her hand and pressed the end button.
“Why did you do that?” Madison asked, squinting up at me.
I held the phone out to her. “I’m not in the mood to talk to him.”
She crossed her arms. “You don’t want to talk to your boyfriend? Since when?”
“Since, I said so,” I snapped. I wasn’t going to explain the intricacies of high school relationships to a fourteen-year-old.
Madison stepped back and scowled. “Why are you so mean all the time? Your stupid friends have turned you into a jerk, you know that?”
“I’m not mean,” I said. “You need to stay out of my business.”
She rolled her eyes. “Devin is right. You’re always mean.”
My breath caught in my throat. Devin was my best friend since fifth grade. In fact, she’d been my only friend. Then I started dating Joe and all of that changed. She got weird and suddenly stopped hanging out and talking to me. Sometimes, Madison hung out with her little sister, Sabine. It was Devin’s fault that she didn’t stay friends with me; now, apparently, she had only her little sister to talk to. Pathetic.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not my fault Devin was jealous that I had a boyfriend.”
Madison shook her head. “Whatever. I’m going inside.”
“Take the phone with you,” I said, holding it out.
“Take it in yourself.”
She closed the sliding door, and I groaned, tightening my grip on the plastic phone. I would deal with Joe later.
I grabbed my cell, opened the door and entered the kitchen. Madison was already gone, probably in her room reading one of her fantasy books. She was obsessed with whatever new series was ripping money from tweens’ hands.
I placed the phone back on the cradle. It was one of Mom’s rules of cleanliness. Admittedly, there had been a few instances of low battery, enough for her to create the rule based on my phone habits before I had my own phone. Now it was ingrained in my head, as were many of her other rules around the house.
The relaxation from sunbathing had been ruined by Madison’s interruption, and I didn’t feel like going back outside. Besides, I didn’t want to burn this early in the summer. I wanted to be a deep brown goddess, not a lobster.
I opened the refrigerator and pulled out leftover homemade pizza from the night before. I ate a slice while I headed to my room. I sent a dirty look to Madison’s door. I hadn’t been that annoying when I was fourteen. Her dour moods had brought down the entire family at times. I wished she would get over herself.
I went into my room and closed the door. My shoulders relaxed upon entering my sanctuary. I tossed my phone on my bed, still not made from that morning, my faded pink comforter a heap on the floor.
I headed to my desk and adjusted the photo of Kat, Rachael, Brittany, and me at senior prom back into place on my corkboard. We were the only juniors in attendance this year. Next to that were our tickets and several other candid photos. I smiled at the memories of the fabulous time we had that night. I couldn’t wait until my own senior prom next year.
I sat at my computer desk and opened my laptop. It was nearly five years old, yet refurbished. It took a while to boot up, but it was my baby. The keys were perfectly worn to the shape of my fingers, and it had been my first big purchase last year after working as a grunt at the Chester Bay Inn. It helped that Dad managed the inn, though he didn’t portray any nepotism. I smiled and nodded at every task given to me, even though I cringed on the inside. I never looked at a toilet the same way after that summer. I negotiated to help out during school breaks as long as cleaning toilets was out of the picture. I was checking my email when the phone rang from the kitchen; the shrill brrring-brrring grated against my temples every few seconds. Joe wouldn’t give up.
I glanced at the prom picture; Kat’s eyes bored into mine. The combination of that and the echo of Joe’s voicemail filled my head. I inhaled sharply. I couldn’t believe I’d been so reckless. What if he told Kat I was ignoring his calls? Then all of this would have been for nothing.
I flung the door open and ran for the phone. “Keep ringing,” I mumbled to myself.
I heard Madison’s door open. “Can you—”
“I got it!” I huffed, entering the kitchen. I flung myself over the counter and reached for the phone and pressed the talk button on the last ring.
“Joe?” I said into the receiver.
“Wow, finally,” he said.
I scratched my forehead. “I was outside.”
“I heard Madison talking to you,” he said.
I bit my lip and tried to find some legitimate excuse. “She accidentally hung up?” I couldn’t help the statement coming out as a question. I was never quick on my feet.
A female voice said something in the background.
“Is someone there?” I asked.
“If you bothered to call me back, then you’d know.”
“Be serious.” Joe had been into many things, but I never thought he would cheat on me. At this point, I knew too much for him to do that without serious repercussions. We had been at a stalemate for a while now because of it.
“It’s the TV. Relax, babe.”
I cringed at the endearment. Joe took a long inhale, then exhaled, filling my ear with the sound of his satisfied breathing. I glanced at the clock. It didn’t matter to Joe what time it was. Any time was a good time to get high. He could be just as childish as Madison, though in more reckless ways.
“Why did you call?” I asked.
“Can’t a guy call his girlfriend? You’re still my girl, aren’t you?”
He was taunting me. I’d made it clear many times over the last year that I wanted it to be over. But he held my reputation over my head, like a piece of meat above a starving dog. I didn’t give in this time. He would be away at college soon, and a mutual breakup was imminent.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I want to see you. One last time.”
I paused. “What do you mean ‘one last time’?”
He inhaled slowly. I could imagine he was holding a joint or his pipe, blowing smoke rings into the air. An accomplishment he found as impressive as winning a gold medal at the Olympics. “I’ve decided I wanted to be free this summer.”
“Free?”
“Yeah, I’m going to Stanford in the fall. And I don’t want to be tied down to Chester Bay anymore.”
I could have done a backflip if I wasn’t afraid of breaking my neck in the process. “When and where?”
“I have something to handle this afternoon. How about tonight at my house around six?”
“Done, I’ll see—”
“And bring Thai food,” he added.
I sighed. “Sure. See you, then.”
“Bye, babe.”
I hung up, not bothering with the fake pleasantries. I jumped up and down, pumping my fists into the air. With Joe breaking up with me, I could stay on Kat’s good side since he was the one to supposedly break my heart. I could see the girls’ nights in with tubs of ice cream and boy bashing. The girls were serial daters, and I would be able to partake in the fun at the multiple planned parties over the next few months. This was really going to be the best summer, I could feel it.
Chapter 2 (#ulink_41e7732e-ff24-53d7-aea6-1d926295c8a1)
After dinner with my parents and Madison, I drove to Joe’s house with Thai food in tow. I had my windows down to keep the airflow going so the sharp curry scent wouldn’t cling to the inside of my car. Joe knew I hated Thai food. He never made things easy. I blasted the air conditioning to the maximum level, though it barely reached me in the vortex created by all four windows being open. With the savings from last summer, I wondered if I’d be able to get enough for a car manufactured in the last two decades instead of the clunker Mom and Dad had surprised me with after I got my license. It was reliable but not very pretty.
I blared the radio, clearing my head for what was to come. I sang along with the pop song that I heard at least five times a day on that station since its release several weeks ago. I was sure I’d hate it by the end of the summer. For now, I sang my heart out, distracting myself from the ball of nerves coiling in my stomach.
The fifteen-minute drive stretched on as I anticipated getting exactly what I’d wanted for such a long time: an end to our relationship. It would open my summer and the rest of my life up to do what I wanted. I wasn’t sure how Kat would take it at first, though her previous snotty comments about how Joe and I needed to “get a room” made me think she’d be okay with the new arrangement. Out of all the crap I had to deal with from Joe over the years, becoming friends with Kat was a definite upside. She could be challenging at times, but at least she kept it interesting.
The Blair estate overlooked the bay. I traveled down the windy road around the steep bank, the glare from the setting sun reflecting off the calm waters separated from my side of the road only by a slight decline and a wooden fence. The few homes that were on the level of the road were threatened with floods every year, but the view kept these houses in the multimillion-dollar ranges.
I turned the car up the driveway, the entrance visible only to those who knew where to find it. Behind the thick hedge was a wrought-iron fence. I leaned out of the window and typed the passcode into the numeric pad. Everyone had their own passcode, so Kat’s parents were aware of the comings and goings of people through their house. I was not given my own number until after a year of dating Joe. It was probably a request from Mrs. Blair, who wanted to know the whereabouts of his son’s girlfriend. I didn’t mind: it was better than waiting at the gate for someone to buzz me through.
I drove up the steep driveway. The familiar drive pinched at my heart a little. The next time I drove in, it wouldn’t be for Joe.
A text lit up my phone. I used the side of my hand to balance steering and reading the message. It was a group message from Rachael and Brittany about a meeting time for the movies tonight. I hadn’t decided yet how to tell them the news. I did want to get the story straight before Joe somehow twisted this entire ordeal into something that was my fault. I’d have to see how the meeting with him went before I could come up with a detailed story, though I already had some ideas.
The main house loomed in front of me. I followed the circular curve of the driveway. In the center was an ostentatious white-marble fountain with several half-naked cherubs continuously spewing water into the large basin. The piece was bigger than my car. And several times the cost.
Lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the massive Blair residence. The forecast didn’t mention rain, and I didn’t have a chance to go home and change before the movie, so I grabbed the umbrella from the back seat and hopped out of the car. I tucked the umbrella under my arm and grabbed the Thai food bags. I left my keys and purse in the car since I knew I wasn’t going to be here long.
I dashed around the side of the house, my flip-flops thwacking on the Belgian block walkway.
I slowed when I reach the multilevel stone patio in the back. At the far end of the grounds, the underground pool was lit, and the water calmly lapped against the sides.
A muffled thumping bass shook the windows of the pool house, which was closer to the size of my ranch-style home. I always hated being in there. It was a bachelor pad, even though Joe was in a relationship. Another reason added to the list of why he needed to be dumped.
Safe from the rain, I dropped my umbrella on one of the chairs and opened the glass doors.
Electric guitar and thundering drums blasted at me. Why did Joe always insist on having his music at ear-shattering levels? I went to the music system and turned it down. I rubbed my ears, adjusting to the lower volume. The members of Metallica stared accusingly at me from Joe’s favorite poster above the speakers.
“Joe?”
I looked around the dark space. The rain clouds had moved in quickly, cutting out the setting sun. And the blackout curtains that Joe insisted on having closed at all times didn’t help. Also, the stupid rotating strobe light made it impossible to see anything further than a foot in front of me.
“Hello?” I wrinkled my nose, smelling something putrid.
I found him in the center of the room on the sectional couch, sleeping. He lay on his side, his face buried in the cushions. I navigated around empty beer bottles on the floor to get to him. The smell was stronger now.
