Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“I didn’t edit anything!” Caleb shoves back, but I don’t move. We’re not on the fucking ice right now. I’ll lay his ass out. “Jesus, man, you think I’m some kind of movie editor? I don’t know how to do that shit. My dad asked me to check the cameras after the cops came around asking everyone on the lakefront for footage from that night.”
He pulls out his phone, swiping through screens. “Look. Here’s the email I sent them. Raw files. All of them. That’s all I found. I don’t know what to tell you. Grant was going in at four a.m. The camera’s ancient. It only records when it senses motion, and it’s pointed at the door, not the whole property.”
Luke doesn’t back down. “You didn’t see us earlier? The party?”
“No! The camera probably didn’t trigger. I don’t know, bro.” Caleb drags his hand through his hair. “I didn’t even think it was a big deal until I went down there to check things out. I figured if I didn’t see anything, there was no point even sending it to you or the police, but I saw…”
He stops, swallowing.
“Saw what?” I ask. Stop keeping me in suspense here!
“Blood.” Caleb’s voice drops. “Inside. On the floor. Not a lot, but enough. I thought someone got hurt at the party, maybe a fight or something. I don’t know, but with Murphy missing and then the rumors about a body in the lake, I had to, man. Come on.”
Luke stares at him, the anger draining slowly, replaced by something worse. Realization.
“Grant went back,” Luke says quietly. “He went back to the scene of the crime at four a.m., and you caught him.”
“I guess so.” Caleb shrugs, actually appearing apologetic for once. No jokes. Shit is now real for everyone. “I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know it would get him arrested. I thought... I don’t know what I thought.”
Luke steps back, dragging his hand down his face. “Fuck.” I second that fuck, third it too. Caleb doesn’t know shit, and now I really want to know what Grant was up to. One thing is for sure: I’m not talking about any more details in front of Caleb.
“We need to get going,” I say, touching Luke’s arm. He looks down at me, understanding my silent message. Georgia has been eerily quiet. Normally she’d whisper a few comments under her breath for my ears only, but nothing. I’m sure she’s reeling with all of this information coming out about Grant.
Luke nods, still processing. He points at Caleb. “If you’re fucking lying—”
“I’m not!” Caleb’s voice cracks. “I swear to God, Locke. I just pulled up the footage that was there. That’s it.”
We leave him there, heading in the direction of Luke’s car.
I twist in my seat, checking on Georgia. She’s staring out the window, her face pale and unreadable. She hasn’t said a word since we left Caleb.
“You okay?” I ask her.
“I think it might be my fault,” she finally says, her eyes meeting mine. That’s when I see they’re filled with tears.
“Georgia—” I start to take off my seat belt to climb into the backseat, but Luke’s arm comes across, pinning me back to my seat.
“What the hell?”
“You wear your seat belt when the car is moving.” Oh my God, he’s rude. It’s sweet but annoying.
“You’re doing twenty-five!” We’re right on the edge of town.
“Two seconds, Buttercup.” I roll my eyes at him as he pulls over, parking on the side of the street. I see a church ahead of us. I’m guessing this is it. “There,” he says when he puts the vehicle into park. I roll my eyes at him, my attention going back to Georgia.
“We’re talking about Grant, aren’t we?” Her brows rise. Does she really think I don’t have eyes?
“Grant went back,” Luke says again, more to himself than us. It better not be Grant. I’ll kill him myself. Luke might not know it, but it’s bothering him because he likes Grant. He let him past that wall he always has up. He’ll never admit that, but again, I’ve got eyes. “Why would he go back?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly.
“Maybe he forgot something,” Georgia suggests.
“At a murder scene? At four a.m.?” Luke slightly turns in his seat so he can see her. “No. He went there for a reason.”
“Come on, we will come back to this after we talk to Emily,” I tell them. I don’t want her to bounce out on me.
The building looms behind a chain-link fence, boards nailed over most of the doors. I see a paper nailed into the door about an upcoming auction for the property.
Emily cracks the door open before Luke can try to open it.
“This is creepy,” Georgia says, and I nod.
“You’re not alone,” Emily states.
“Yeah, she’s not going to an abandoned anything alone.” Luke pushes the door open more. Emily hurriedly takes a couple of steps back.