It’s not hard to make a to-do list. We’ve been here before and we know how this goes. It’s just that, this time, I hope it goes better.
“Check every camera you can find,” I tell Megan. “I don’t think the police ever considered the possibility he wasn’t murdered on the island. It’s possible they missed something big.”
“On it!” she says.
“We need to find some other suspect. Any other suspect,” I say.
Lila considers this a moment, then asks, “What about that creepy guy? He seems like he could break somebody’s neck.”
“What creepy guy?”
“Scar Guy. You know, the one who was following you,” Lila says, and I can feel the room shift.
“The Scarred Man is following you?” Noah asks me.
“No. Yes. I mean, I’ve seen him around.”
“He’s following you?”
“It’s nothing, Noah,” I say.
“Do I need to remind you that two weeks ago you swore that the Scarred Man killed your mother?”
“And do I have to remind you that I just told the story of how Dominic saved my life?”
“But what if he did kill your mom?” Rosie asks.
“He didn’t. I know for a fact he didn’t.” I don’t even try to tell them why I am so certain.
“And yet you’re convinced that Ms. Chancellor and my mom are criminal masterminds now?”
Noah has a point, but I don’t say so. “I think they’re hiding something. I think we need to find out what. Now, do you have a problem with that?”
Noah shakes his head and backs away. I know he wants to fix this — fix me. He doesn’t yet know that his best friend was broken long before he met her — that I’ll never really be okay again.
“Can I follow the new prime minister?” Rosie asks. “Please. I’m really good at following prime ministers.”
Megan and I share a look before I cautiously say, “Okay. But be careful. And … take Noah with you.” Noah looks less than excited about this prospect, but he doesn’t bother to protest. “Don’t approach her. And don’t follow her anywhere that isn’t totally public. Okay?” I ask, but Rosie says nothing. “Rosie, okay?”
“Okay.” She sulks like I never let her have any fun.
“You almost act as if you’ve done this before.” Lila laughs, but Noah shrugs. Instantly, Lila registers the truth. “You’ve done this before?”
But we don’t have time for Lila’s shock or outrage.
Megan gives her a that’s old news hand wave and starts making notes for what she has to do.
“And I guess that leaves us,” I say, looking at Lila. “I mean, if you want to help.”
“That depends. What are you going to do?” Lila sounds more than a little skeptical.
“We’re going to the Society,” I say. “We’re going to claim our birthrights.”
Slowly, we all stand and gather our things. Once we’ve cleared away any evidence that someone has been inside Iran, Alexei takes my hand and pulls me aside.
“I believe you forgot to give me a job.” He’s smiling, trying to tease. To flirt. He doesn’t want to hear what I have to say and, already, he knows it.
“You can’t stay here, Alexei.”
“No.” He’s shaking his head. “I’ll not leave you to take chances because of me. I’ll not sit on my hands while you and our friends place yourselves in danger because of me,” he says again.
“We won’t be in any danger! Megan’s going to be on her computer. Noah and Rosie are going to be walking down public streets. And Lila and I are just going to go look around a place we’ve already been invited to look around. It’s not dangerous.”
“Digging up secrets is always dangerous.”
“Alexei, you’re still the most wanted man in Adria. We need you to go back to the cave.”
“No. These are dangerous people. I don’t want you sticking your noses where they do not belong.”
“Why?” I ask. “It’s not like you’ve got anything to hide,” I say in the manner of someone who knows too much about secrets.
Alexei catches my arm and doesn’t let me pass. When he speaks again his voice is low and his accent is thick. “We all have things to hide.”
It’s late in the day when I return to the embassy and find a suitcase on Jamie’s bed. Rows of neatly folded clothes sit in orderly stacks. Some books. A few toiletries. For a second, I panic. Jamie just got here. I just got him back. But another part of me has to wonder if this isn’t what I want — for Jamie to leave Adria, to go back to West Point. For my brother to get far, far away from me.
“Jamie? Are you leaving?” I step farther into the room, but Jamie just keeps folding and refolding clothes, trying to bring order to our messy world.
He doesn’t even look me in the eye when he says, “No. Not yet.”
“But —”
“These are Spence’s things. His parents asked me to ship them home.”
Suddenly, the feeling in the room makes sense. Jamie isn’t packing. He’s mourning. And as usual I’m in the way. I should slip back through the door, but my legs don’t move. I stand, frozen.