Hanna curled her fist. “Yeah, and I distinctly recall how easy it was for you to torture people, judging by what you did to us that night.” She didn’t blink. “Who’s to say you didn’t do that to Ali?”
The playful look on Nick’s face vanished. “I loved her.”
“Do you still love her now?” Hanna challenged.
Nick muttered something Hanna couldn’t hear.
Aria shifted her weight. “Look, we’re trying to find Ali. Bringing her back, making her explain—it will help you, too. You’ll serve much less time. We know you didn’t orchestrate those murders. We know you weren’t the ringleader.”
Nick’s jaw was so tense that ropy cords stood out on his neck. “I hate you bitches,” he whispered raspily. “You were supposed to die in that room. Ali and I were supposed to escape together.”
“But instead, she left you for the police to find,” Emily pressed. “She framed you.”
Nick’s bottom lip twitched. “She was trying to save herself. It was part of our plan.”
Aria snorted. “It was part of your plan for you to take the blame for all her crimes?”
“Of course it was. We were in love. I love her. She loved me.”
Emily leaned forward. “No, she didn’t,” she said in a strong voice. “Know how I know? She told me so when she tried to drown me. She said I was the one she always loved. She told me she was just using you. She laughed about it.”
Hanna turned and gaped at Emily, but Emily didn’t meet her eye. Emily hadn’t talked much about Ali trying to drown her at the Rosewood pool, but Hanna suspected it had shaken her to her core.
Nick glanced at Emily suspiciously. “She didn’t say that.”
“Yeah, she did,” Emily stated. “She said you were pathetic. A nothing.”
A conflicted expression crossed Nick’s face. Hanna’s heart started to pound. He was going to crack. She could feel it.
Spencer shifted her weight. “Tell us where she is. Please.”
Nick snorted. “Like I’d know.”
“She was last at your parents’ property in Ashland,” Hanna pressed, her words coming out in a jumble. “Had you told her about that place?”
He averted his gaze. “We’d been there a few times. It wasn’t surprising that she hid out there.”
“Does your family have other properties she might be hiding out in?” Hanna asked.
Spencer looked at Hanna. “Ali wouldn’t do something so obvious. They’re listed online, remember? I’m sure the cops are searching all of them.”
“I’m sure the cops are searching all of them,” Nick mocked Spencer. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You girls think you’re so freaking smart, but don’t you get it? The cops aren’t looking for her. They don’t think she’s out there. They think she’s dead, thanks to you.” He pointed at them.
“So you don’t think she’s dead, then,” Spencer stated.
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know,” he admitted.
Hanna’s heart leapt. “Where do you think she is, if you had to take a guess?”
Nick breathed in, as if he was about to speak. Then a shadow loomed over them. The guard clapped a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Time’s up.”
“Wait!” Emily surged to her feet. “What were you going to say?”
“Time’s up,” the guard repeated angrily.
“Nick, please!” Spencer called out. “Tell us!”
Nick looked at them. “Ali really liked gathering seashells in Cape May,” he blurted. “We walked with my grandma Betty on the beach this one time. Senile old lady had no idea who Ali was, kept calling me my dad’s name. It was a nice day, though.”
Everyone looked at one another. “What do you mean?” Spencer shouted after him. “Is Ali in Cape May?”
“Is she with someone named Betty?” Aria tried.
But it was too late. Nick waved blithely. The guard shoved him through the door. It slammed hard, the metallic sound thundering in Hanna’s ears.
What seemed like moments later, they were back in the parking lot. A skunk had just sprayed, and the air smelled rank. Hanna sighed heavily. “Well. Glad we did that.”
Spencer touched Emily’s arm. “Did Ali really tell you that stuff about not loving Nick?”
Emily shook her head. “I just thought it would get him to open up. And it worked.”
Aria breathed in. “You know, maybe Nick was trying to tell us something.”
Spencer stopped next to a pickup truck. “Meaning?”
Aria twisted her hands. “Maybe Ali is in Cape May. Maybe his parents have another property there, or maybe it was a hint about his grandmother having a house there,” Aria said. “Senile old Grandma Betty.”
“Oh my God.” Hanna whipped out her phone and typed in the address for public property listings in Cape May, New Jersey. “I’ll look for Betty Maxwell.” Data popped up on the screen. It took Hanna several minutes to wade through a bunch of names, but then she gasped. “Guys. Someone named Barbara Maxwell owns a house on Dune Street in Cape May. Betty is a nickname for Barbara, isn’t it?”
“We need to go,” Emily said automatically. “Now.”