Page 86 of Keeping Secrets

A strange sort of peace settled over him.

He would protect his best friend, her brother, the only way he knew how.

He would turn himself in.

And everything would be okay because the people he cared about most would look out for each other. They would be okay. And that’s all that really mattered.

He would spend one last night with the people he cared about, taking in the sound of their voices and the warmth of their presence.

And then in the morning, before Nick appeared for questioning, Travis would walk into the police station and confess to the murder of Adam Walsh.

CHAPTER 27

If Keely snatched any sleep at all when she was in the midst of the night’s tossing and turning, she wasn’t sure, but any hope of sleep evaporated before dawn.

She got up around five and brewed herself a fresh pot of coffee. Then she forced herself to eat a slice of pie to get something in her stomach. It had been a sample pie; good, but not quite good enough for Frances. She would make another one this afternoon, prepare it here in her kitchen and bake it at the house on the hill to fill it with the nostalgic scent of apple pie.

But she had other business to attend to first.

Before the sun even peeked over the mountains, she was in her car driving up the highway. She had listened to all of Nick’s recordings the night before, first with him and Travis and then on her own, playing certain ones over and over until she was certain who each voice belonged to.

Her texts had come to nothing. Most of the contacts hadn’t replied, and those that had weren’t able to connect her with anyone useful. Maybe the other numbers would get back to her in time, but she feared that time was running out.

She didn’t like the thought of Nick walking into the police station at all. She didn’t want him to admit to the slew of minor crimes he had committed in his pursuit of Adam, and lying to the detectives would be even worse if they already knew that he had been following him shortly before he met his end at the bottom of a cliff.

She had to find a more interesting lead for Detective Riegler, and quickly.

There was one last option, one place she could go.

One reprehensible man-child who went by Squid.

Keely didn’t know his real name. She didn’t have his number.

But she knew where he lived.

Or at least, she knew where he had lived this time last year. She vaguely remembered Adam saying that Squid didn’t pay rent, that he had inherited the house from his aunt or his grandma or something like that. So while she knew it was a long shot, she held out hope that she would find him there.

It was still early morning when she pulled into the driveway of the house where she and Adam had spent so many worthless nights. She wasn’t surprised to see the lights on; Squid and his friends were basically nocturnal. They would party and play video games all night and then fall asleep around ten each morning. She was relieved to see that the only car there was Squid’s. Maybe she would catch him on his own.

It took all of her courage to walk up to the house where she had only been as the worst version of herself. She had never stepped through the door of that house sober, and she didn’t want to walk in there now. The place made her skin crawl.

But this was for Nick. She could do this. Summoning every ounce of strength that she had, she knocked on the door.

Squid answered, looking just like she remembered him: pasty white skin, bloodshot eyes, and a gamer’s headset. There was a dusting of orange cheeze around his mouth. She had never liked the guy, but he was even more disgusting without the haze of drugs clouding her judgment.

“Hey there.” Even his smile was greasy as he looked her up and down. “Have you been here before? I might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but I think I would remember you.”

“It’s me, Squid.”

He narrowed his eyes and peered at her. “I’m sorry, I don’t–”

“Keely.” She shouldered her way past him, into the house, and kicked the front door closed. Being in this reeking hole of a living room was the last thing in the world she wanted, but this was not a conversation to have on the front step. “I used to come here with Adam.”

“That’s right!” A flicker of recognition passed through his eyes, followed by a muted sort of sadness. The guy was even higher than usual. She must have caught him right before he was ready to pass out for the day. “You’re looking good, girl! Put on some weight in all the right places, know what I mean? Man, I’m sorry about Adam. Shame about what happened to him, huh?”

“Yeah.” She took a breath, trying not to gag on the smell of stale junk food and worse. “Look, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

His eyes widened. “I didn’t have anything to do with that, man.”

---