“It’s been quite a few years but, yes.”
“So, in the original, Vince was the killer. He had a major crush on Lacey—Mom’s character—and it was his house on the lake. At the end, you figure out he’s the bad guy because he tries to kill Matt, who is Lacey’s boyfriend. You think Matt is dead and Vince is being all creepy and trying to get Lacey. You find out that he wants Matt gone because he wants Lacey to go on a semester abroad with him. But Matt staggers back up, kills Vince, saves the day, and rides off with the girl.”
“How is the new script different?”
“Well, first of all, it’s set on a beach, not a lake. Vince now has a dog, which is a classic writer’s trick for making a bad character more lovable. The big twist, though, is that Vince kidnaps Matt, kills everyone, frames Matt for the murders, has him arrested in front of Lacey, and when the police take him away, Vince professes his love to Lacey and they kiss. The end. The bad guy gets the girl. Bring on the sequel.”
“And you think his script translates to real life?”
“Yes, I think Vincent thinks the movie is real life. He told me he had the dog and he had Matt.”
“So you think he’s going to kill people and set Brooklyn up to take the fall?”
“Yes.”
“And then he’s going to ride off into the sunset with you?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Do you still think he’ll kill you?”
“If he does, I think he’ll kill himself too. Just know that no matter what the evidence looks like, Brooklyn didn’t do it.”
“Got it. Now get some sleep.”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 7TH
Just me.
Noon
I’m in my room, packing a few things in my backpack. I stop to run my hand across the prefect badge on the shirt that’s still lying on my bed, trying not to cry. I wish I was coming back to use it.
I shake my head and focus on the task at hand.
Then I go meet Dallas. He’s walking with me to the chapel, where we’ll sneak down to Stockton’s.
Riley and Aiden went into town to get pizza, so I have a small window of opportunity to stash my backpack down there without anyone knowing I’m planning to leave tonight.
“You’re not thinking of running away, are you?” Dallas asks.
I hate to lie to him, but I do. I hold up my backpack and say, “I’m taking this down there, just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
“Garrett reneges on his promise. We agreed to seven days. But I can see him trying to keep me here longer than that.”
“And if he does?”
“Then I’ll sneak out of Stockton’s, go home, and try to find Brooklyn myself.”
“Ugh,” Dallas says.
I turn around and see him crumpled on the ground. “Dallas! Are you—”
“Keatyn!” I hear Cooper yell.
As I turn toward his voice, a booming sound assaults my ears. I watch in horror as Cooper takes two bullets to the chest and falls to the ground.
And I know.
Vincent is here.
A strong arm wraps tightly around my neck, choking me. “Eastbrooke Homecoming Court, huh?” Vincent says. “Congratulations.”
Oh my god. I forgot all about the Homecoming Court sash that’s been hanging off my bedpost since October. He must have seen it during our video call last night. I was so focused on trying to find a clue on his screen that I never even looked at mine.
I’m an idiot. I led him straight to the one place I wanted so badly to protect.
“This looks like a fancy place,” Vincent continues, “but their security is pretty lax. I drove right through. I mean, after I shot the three guards.”
Ohmigawd.
He’s going to shoot anyone who gets in his way.
I have to get him out of here—and fast.
“Where’s Brooklyn?” I ask him.
“He’s fine. A little tied up at the moment,” he says again with a maniacal laugh, pressing a gun into the small of my back and pushing me toward a white delivery van.
“You don’t have to push me, Vincent. I want to come with you.”
“Don’t move,” he says, keeping the gun trained on me while he lifts Dallas up and puts him in the back of the van.
I’ve got to convince him not to take Dallas, I think, as I’m hit on the back of the head and everything goes black.
Riley
Aiden and I picked up a bunch of pizzas and are turning into the Eastbrooke driveway when a white delivery van barrels around the corner, almost hitting us.
“What the hell?” Aiden yells.
“Wonder what delivery he needs to make in such a big hurry?” My phone rings with a call from Dawson. I answer it as Aiden flips a U-turn. “What’s up, bro?”
“Keatyn and Dallas were just kidnapped! Thrown in the back of a white van! The guy shot Cooper when he tried to stop it!”
“A white van almost hit us . . . Wait!” I see that, somehow, Aiden already knew. He’s racing down the road. But I still say, “That delivery van. Keatyn and Dallas are in there. Kidnapped. Cooper shot!”