Julie’s heart plummeted, and her face crumpled into a pained expression. Parker. She must have borrowed it.
“And I noticed potassium cyanide on your porch,” Caitlin said in a small voice. “The same thing that killed Nolan.”
“I saw you driving around Claire’s house,” Mac added, looking just as tortured.
“Julie, what’s going on?” Ava cried. “Are you doing all this?”
Julie blinked hard, suddenly understanding. “Wait, you think I did it?” she blurted. But it made sense. She’d skulked by Claire’s house just to make sure Parker wasn’t there. Her mom had god-knows-what on the porch, and surely Parker had known that and stolen some. And Parker had worn Julie’s earrings when she pushed Leslie off the ledge.
“I know what it looks like,” she said. “But honestly, guys. It wasn’t me. You have to believe me.”
Ava looked disappointed. “Julie, all signs point to you. What are we supposed to think?” Her face crumpled. “The question is . . . why? Why would you do this to us?”
“Just trust me, okay?” Julie said frantically, her eyes darting back and forth. The music’s volume had been pumped up even louder, making her head swim. She craned her neck to look for Parker, worried she might be hunting Claire down. “I have an explanation for you, but I can’t get into it right now.”
She tried to move past them, but Ava caught her arm. “You have to get into it right now,” she hissed. “We’re not letting you go until you do.”
Something inside Julie snapped. “Let go of me!” she screamed.
“No can do,” Mac said, forming a wall behind Ava.
Julie struggled to get out of Ava’s grip. “Let go! I have to stop her!”
Caitlin’s brow furrowed. Mac cocked her head. Ava clamped even tighter on Julie’s arm. “Stop who?”
Julie stared at them crazily. God, she didn’t want to say the name out loud. As soon as it escaped her lips, she would betray Parker for good. “Isn’t it obvious?” she cried. “Who isn’t here right now? Who else knows about our list?”
“You, Julie!” Mac practically screamed. “You know! You’re the one behind this!”
“No, I’m not!” Tears formed in Julie’s eyes. She could practically feel Parker’s presence nearby, Parker witnessing this. Hating Julie. Finally realizing what a shitty friend Julie was, something Julie had known all along. She’d promised Parker she’d keep the secret. She’d sworn on her life never to tell a soul . . . and here she was, telling everyone.
She pressed her hands over her face. “I didn’t hurt anyone! It’s Parker, okay!” She wrenched away from Ava. “I’m trying to keep her safe. And I’m trying to keep Claire safe. But Parker is sick, guys, and if you don’t help me find her right now, she’s going to get Claire next.”
She looked up at the others, expecting expressions of shock . . . but also understanding. But Ava had gone pale. Caitlin had her hand pressed over her mouth. Mac looked almost . . . pitying. And it all seemed like they shared a secret, something they hadn’t let Julie in on.
Her skin began to prickle. “So are you coming, or what?” she asked sharply.
Finally Ava spoke, her voice unsteady. “You want us to come look for Parker?” she repeated.
“Parker . . . Duvall?” Mac whispered.
“Yes,” Julie spat. “Our friend. Parker Duvall.” She blinked at them. They all seemed to have frozen solid. “What?” she snapped. “Why aren’t you listening to me?”
“Julie,” Caitlin said quietly. She exchanged a glance with the others. Ava’s eyes were filled with tears. Mac’s chin bobbed.
Caitlin looked at Julie again, her expression sad and scared and very, very worried. “Julie. Parker’s been dead for over a year.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
AVA WATCHED AS JULIE REDDING, a girl she thought she knew, crumpled against the wall. Her whole body was trembling. “No,” she whispered. “That’s not true. You’re lying.”
Mac was crying now. “Julie, Parker’s dead. Her dad killed her. He . . . he beat her to death, that night she came home on Oxy.”
Julie covered her mouth. “No, he didn’t. She lived.”