Bad Like Us, page 16
Okay. Just take your time, Karly. Were you at the accommodations when Javier returned?
Yes. I talked to him. He seemed really stressed, and he said he thought Piper had been with Danny somewhere.
Did you see Danny back at the accommodations?
Yes. He was outside on the deck.
But Javier still thought Piper had been with Danny?
Yes. He was upset and paranoid, I think. Piper never would have cheated on him, if that’s what he was thinking. She wasn’t like that. She was really committed to him.
Karly, I need to ask you a tough question, okay? Do you believe that any of your friends might have harmed Piper Meyers?
(0:27 DELAY) I’m not answering any more questions.
PIPER
ALBUM: SAVED VIDEOS
Okay, I’m literally about to leave for my trip. The girls will be here in... Oh, shit, literally any minute. Okay. So, I just wanted to let you all know that my DMs are always open if you ever need to talk. Senior year spring break was something I’ve dreamed about since I was a freshman. Honestly, I’d kind of imagined myself in Florida or Cabo, somewhere with a lot going on. Obviously, this trip to Oregon is going to be a little different. But Javier is really into surfing and all that fun stuff, so it’ll be good. It’s quality time with my people, anyway.
So, because it’s such a big moment in our high school lives, we managed to convince our friend Miles Brynne to come with us. Miles is so adorable, he’s all nerdy and little and I always just want to squish his cheeks, but he’s been through a rough time lately. You’ve probably read about it online, and if you haven’t, I suggest you google it. This shit is real. Pressure of school can get to anyone, so please, please, please, please check in with your friends. Let Miles’s story be a caution to you all.
The short version is he got caught cheating, and he’s facing the consequences of that. This is one of the many reasons why I’m so against cheating. It always comes out sooner or later. There’s always someone who’s going to talk. It’s just not worth it, guys.
Okay, well, that’s all I wanted to say. Stay true to you. Love you guys so, so much.
EVA
Karly’s in the outer corridor with her hood pulled up to cover the damp and fluttering strands of her hair. She’s untangling a large branch that’s lodged between the railing posts and blocking the path.
She frowns at me as I climb the steps to the deck, taking in my wet hair and clothes.
“I’ve been talking to my parents.” It’s a weak explanation for why I’m soaked through and dripping with rainwater, but Karly looks too drained to care. It’s partly true; I did call my parents. But I’m not ready to admit to Karly that before my phone call, I was out on the beach confronting Alice about the letter. I think that’s Alice’s story to tell.
Karly stands and brushes aside her bangs with the back of her hand. “Noah and Colton are in the communal room,” she says. “I think they’re going to come help clear the corridor, but I figured I’d get a head start.” She offers me a weak smile. “I guess it’s good to keep busy, you know?”
“Yeah,” I murmur. I join her, setting to work moving the debris that’s been swept in by the storm.
“I knocked on Alice and Miles’s door, too,” Karly adds, “but they were talking, and it seemed heavy. They said they’d be out in a minute.” She exhales. “So I guess I’m on my own.”
“I’m here now,” I tell her. “You’re not alone.”
She nods.
The last few hours have thrown me for a loop. I’ve barely had time to process Alice being the person behind the note, let alone Danny’s not-so-subtle suggestion that I get rid of Piper’s phone.
But I know that getting rid of the phone isn’t an option. Not if it contains any information that could make sense of what really happened to Piper. She needs justice, and we need the truth.
“My parents are worried,” I relay to Karly as I dislodge a gnarled branch from the deck railings. “They said a lot of the roads coming into Tillamook have been closed, and flights out of Seattle are getting canceled. They’re talking with Paul now, trying to figure out a plan.”
“My mom just texted me, too,” Karly whispers softly. “She said there are no more flights out of Seattle tonight.”
My stomach rolls as I glance up at the grim sky. The rain is getting heavier, and beyond the cabins, the waves are even wilder, rising high and exploding against the shore.
My phone pings in my coat pocket, and I slip it free.
Mom: Two major roads officially closed. Hang in there, honey. The storm should pass tonight, and we’ll be there first thing tomorrow.
Dad: We’ve contacted the local police and they’re having closures on their end, too. They’ve suggested you stay put. Stay at the cabins with Paul. We’ll be there first thing.
“Travel out of Seattle isn’t happening tonight,” I tell Karly.
She stops and takes a small breath.
“Karly,” I say, catching her gaze. “You know I didn’t do it, right? I didn’t push Piper.” My heart beats a little faster while I wait for her response.
“I know,” she answers quietly. “For a second, I wondered...”
I press my lips together.
“Because of the phone,” she adds. “You had her phone, Eva. You must have gotten pretty close to her.”
I think of Piper’s phone, still hidden in my room. A piece of Piper still lingering.
My throat feels tight when I answer. “I was close to her,” I say, swallowing. “I just didn’t realize it at the time. If I’d have just looked around the cave a little more, maybe I could have...” A ragged breath escapes me. “Maybe I could have helped her.”
Karly’s gaze dips. “Don’t do that to yourself. It was dark, you couldn’t have seen her.” Then, faintly, she adds, “It wasn’t me, either. In case it ever crossed your mind.”
“I know,” I murmur.
“And Javier,” she says in a hoarse voice. “I just don’t believe it.” Her eyes land on mine, and she bites her lip. “Do you think he’s okay?”
“I hope so. Maybe we could call the station if he isn’t back soon, check up on him?”
“Yeah.” She pauses and her gaze strays to the surrounding forest. “Who did this, Eva?” Her stare lands on me as she waits for an answer.
I can see it in her eyes. That searching look. She has a name, and she wants to say it, her lips almost ready to move.
But I know whose name she’s going to say, and I don’t want to hear it. Instead, I turn my attention to the cove. Specifically, the cave in the distance. The tide has risen and is already starting to flood the entrance. Before I have time to think about it, I’m heading for the steps.
“Eva,” Karly calls after me. She lets the branch drop to the planked floor. “Look, I’m not accusing anyone. I’m sorry, I just—”
I stop and turn to her. “It’s not that. There’s something I need to do.”
She frowns. “What?”
“I have to go back to the cave,” I tell her, zipping my jacket and flipping the hood.
Her lips part. “What? Right now?” Her eyes wander skyward to the rain that’s lashing beyond the shelter.
“The tide hasn’t come in yet, and if I don’t do this now, who knows if I’ll get another chance.” I glance farther along the corridor and lower my voice. “Karly, I heard Piper scream last night. Whoever was with her ran away. But they weren’t running back to the lodge, they were heading in the opposite direction.” Her eyes are locked on mine, listening intently as I muddle through my thoughts. So I keep going. “When I got to the lodge a few minutes later, Danny was there. I need to go to the cave and retrace my steps to see if he could have doubled back and gotten past me without me noticing.” Her eyes wander along the corridor to the room that Colton and Danny share.
“You can’t go out alone in this weather,” she says in a thin voice. “It could be dangerous. After what happened to Piper...”
“I’ll be okay.”
But she’s already heading for the steps after me.
“What?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow at my expression. “I’m coming with you. If you can be reckless, I can be, too.”
I muster a smile. “We can be reckless together. Maybe we’ll cancel each other out.”
“Let’s hope,” she says with a jittery laugh.
We brace against the wind as we leave the shelter of the corridor, heading into the rain and down the slippery stone steps toward the sand. The grains aren’t soft and fine like they were yesterday. Now, the sand feels like thick sludge, and we sink deeper into it with every step. The gale whips at our coats as we forge a path toward the mouth of the cave.
An icy chill moves over me—not from the cold wind or jarring rain. I was here, just last night, standing in the darkness with my phone’s flashlight carving a path to the rocks.
The police have marked off the entrance to the cave with a single stretch of yellow tape that’s tremoring and snapping in the gale.
“I heard the stones click,” I tell Karly, pointing to the pebbled route leading away from the cave.
“Okay,” she says, shielding her eyes from the storm.
“So whoever ran must have been right here.”
With Karly following close behind, I climb over the rocks, and small stones clack with our every stride. If someone had been heading to the lodge from here, I would have heard their footsteps, the click of stones and pebbles underfoot.
“I was probably in the cave for less than a minute,” I explain to Karly, raising my voice to be heard above the storm. “It was a calm and still night. Surely, I would have heard Danny, or whoever, pass me to get back to the lodge. But I didn’t. Whoever it was went the other way.”
Karly’s gaze lands on the cave, and she swallows. The wind tosses around the loose strands of her hair. “So, you don’t think it was Danny?” she asks, wrapping her arms around herself.
I shake my head. “I don’t see how it could have been. I’m sure I would have seen him or heard him. When I got to the lodge right after, he wasn’t out of breath or rattled at all. It looked like he’d been there for a while.”
Her shoulders shake as a shudder moves over her. “Okay,” she murmurs. “If you’re sure...”
“I am,” I say. “Danny didn’t do it. I know he didn’t.”
“But he was alone,” Karly says.
The wind howls and I shiver. “I know,” I answer. “But he wasn’t the only one.”
Title: Audio File_Miles Brynne Interview
My name is Detective Brennan, and it is eleven-fifteen in the morning, Saturday, April sixteenth. Can I take your name, please?
Certainly, of course. It’s Miles Brynne.
Thank you, Miles. Why don’t you go ahead and talk me through your account of what happened here last night?
Absolutely. We were on the beach, all nine of us. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits. I was talking to my friend Danny mostly. We haven’t seen each other in a while, and it was good to catch up.
You haven’t seen each other in a while? You don’t attend the same school?
No. I mean, I did. I’ve been off school, and I haven’t seen my friends for a few weeks.
Right.
Yes. Yes, it’s been nice to see everyone.
Okay. Going back to last night, at what point did you return to the accommodations?
It was seven minutes past midnight.
That’s very accurate.
I remember checking my watch when we got back.
We?
I was with my friend Alice.
Were you with Alice when you left the group on the beach?
Yes.
Were you alone at any point in the evening, Miles?
No. I was with the others on the beach, and then Alice during the walk back. Alice and I have been sharing a room, too. We were together the whole time. Yes, I’m absolutely certain of that.
In your opinion, did any of your friends have reason to harm Piper Meyers?
No. Everyone loves Piper. Loved, I mean.
EVA
When we get back to the lodge, Noah and Colton are at either end of the corridor, clearing the path. Karly lowers her gaze and retreats to our room without a word, soaked through and shivering.
I see Noah’s eyebrows pull together as he looks between me and the closed door where Karly disappeared, but I just summon a smile in response.
“Hey,” I murmur to Colton as I approach him. “Where’s Danny?”
“He’s in our room, I think.” Colton frowns. “Why? Is everything okay?”
I nod. “Can we talk?”
“Sure,” he says, his brow creasing.
I start for Colton and Danny’s room, and he follows me.
Inside, Danny is standing on his bed, working a screwdriver into a loose plank in the ceiling. A cooking pot is placed beneath the leaking roof, catching the steady drips. When we step into the room and the door falls shut behind us, Danny turns to stare at us silently, as we stand there, windswept and dripping rainwater onto the floorboards.
I draw in a breath. “Danny didn’t do it,” I announce. “What happened to Piper, I mean. Danny didn’t do it.”
He rolls his eyes as he jumps down from the bed.
“I already know I didn’t do it,” he says. “But thanks for sharing.”
“Wait, what do you mean?” Colton takes a seat on his bed and leans forward, clasping his hands together. “How are you so sure?”
Danny shoots him a withering look.
“I was at the cave when Piper fell and I heard the stones stir when someone ran away,” I explain quickly. “No footsteps passed me. I used my phone’s flashlight around the cave and then the whole way back to the lodge where I found Danny on the deck. It would have been near impossible for Danny to pass me without me noticing, unless he’d run at full speed, but then he would have been out of breath by the time I saw him.”
Danny rolls his eyes again. “Near impossible, but not totally. Thanks, Eva.”
“Anyway,” I say, waving my hand, “the point is, Danny wasn’t the person in the cave with Piper last night.” I press my hands to my heart. “I know it.”
Colton smiles. Then he turns his smile toward Danny, who frowns back at him.
“It’s not that I didn’t trust you, Danny,” I tell him, gently. “I just wanted proof, for you. One of us did this, and you...” A little hesitantly, I meet his eyes. “You found her.”
“Yeah,” he says, running a hand over his mouth. “And I have to live with that memory. You guys aren’t asking me how I feel, you’re just treating me like a suspect.”
I swap a glance with Colton.
“Maybe I should start treating you two like suspects,” Danny says, gesturing between us with the screwdriver. “How do I know that you aren’t lying?”
The gesture makes me flinch, and Colton heaves a sigh.
“Unlike you guys,” Danny grits out, “I liked Piper. She was my friend and I cared about her.”
Colton stares down at his hands.
“Danny,” I murmur. “I’m sorry. I liked Piper, too.”
“Yeah, okay, maybe you did,” he says to me. Then his gaze slides to Colton. “But you didn’t.”
There’s a breath of silence. Colton doesn’t disagree with the comment. Because what would be the point? We all felt the tension between him and Piper; it was no secret.
“Let’s not turn against each other,” I implore, pressing my palms together. “We’re on the same side.”
“It doesn’t feel like it,” Danny mutters.
Colton stares at him from across the room. “There’s something, though, isn’t there? Something you’re not saying.”
Danny’s eyebrows knit. “No.” But a flush begins to creep into his neck. “What are you talking about?”
Colton’s focus stays on him for a moment longer. “I don’t know.”
“Okay.” Danny slaps his hands together and stands. “Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way, can I carry on with this?” He gestures to the loose ceiling plank with the screwdriver.
While Danny climbs onto the bed and starts working the bolt, my eyes land on Colton. The muscles in his jaw tighten.
“Did you guys manage to get hold of your mom?” I ask.
“Not yet,” Colton says, and Danny makes a sound through his teeth. He starts working the screwdriver a little more forcefully. Across the room, rainwater drips from another leak, spattering the floorboards.
“I spoke to my parents,” I tell them. “But it doesn’t look like anyone will be traveling out tonight because of the storm.”
Colton holds my stare and says nothing.
“We’ve just got to get through tonight,” I add. “Then we can make sense of everything in the morning. Maybe the police will let us talk to Javier.”
“I was thinking I should call the station,” Colton says, his gaze flickering to Danny. “Explain to them that I was wrong, and that I was with Javier at the time—”
“What?” Danny’s face falls. “And where does that leave me?”
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll say I was with Javier, then went back to the lodge to meet you—”
“You can’t have been with both of us,” Danny cuts him off, and his eyes narrow. “You were either with me or him.”
Colton starts to speak, but the conversation is cut short when a frantic shout comes from the corridor.
EVA
I fling open the door to the corridor. Colton and Danny are off their beds fast and right behind me.
Farther along the deck, Alice gestures to us from outside Miles’s room, where the door is ajar. “I need help,” she shouts, waving us over.
