Page 23 of If Anything Happens To Me

“I didn’t actually ask her,” he said to me.

“You didn’t?” I asked. “Seems as if she thought you did.”

“Well, she’s friends with Fitch’s sister. I asked him, and he asked if we could take Abigail and Gisele, too. He said the salt air would help Abigail, but actually, I think he likes Gisele.”

That made me feel bad for Adalyn, who had a crush on Fitch. Or maybe she didn’t anymore. Adalyn got over crushes quickly, and I realized that I hadn’t spoken to her in ages. After Eloise died, I backed away from pretty much everyone. At first, people texted, trying to get me to do things, but when I stopped answering, they stopped asking. I was a little worried that I’d hurt their feelings, but when your sister dies, everything changes.

“Fitch might like Gisele, but Gisele likes you,” I said to Matt as we walked outside.

He looked amused. “That bothers you?”

“Well, no, I mean . . . I don’t blame her, but . . .” I said. Now I was stammering, and it made him grin.

“I’m only doing it for Fitch. He’ll try anything to help Abigail,” he said.

I didn’t know Abigail well, but everyone knew she was sick. Last spring there had been an incident on a school field trip where she’d had a seizure and had to be taken to the hospital. It was serious, and ever since then she’d been homeschooled.

“Is Abigail okay?” I asked.

“Not really,” Matt said. “Her condition is serious, and apparently it runs in the family. Some of their ancestors died of it. Fitch said she’s really depressed, and has been totally shutting herself off from friends. And Fitch’s upset that their mom isn’t doing more to help Abigail, but she’s wrapped up in other things.”

“That’s horrible,” I said. I understood the dynamic of shutting off from friends. And I felt a connection with Fitch, too. I knew how it felt to worry about a sister.

We headed to the Jeep, and Matt’s phone buzzed. A voicemail had dropped in. There’d been no cell reception inside the Y, and he had missed a call from Fitch. He played the message on speaker.

Hey, what’s going on? What’s your question? I’m in the middle of some research, trying to figure something out, but I’ll pick up if I can.

Matt called again—still no answer, so he texted:

We want you to check on a friend who we think might have a concussion. Can we stop by?

We climbed into the Jeep. Fitch could get obsessed when he was focused on science, so I knew it might be a while before he told us we could come over.

“Ready to continue the scavenger hunt?” Matt said as he handed Iris her sandwich and a bottle of iced tea.

“Right. Searching for my memory,” Iris said, staring blankly into space.

“You have to eat,” I said. “You need your strength.”

“I’m not hungry,” she said.

“Do it for your sister, if you won’t for yourself,” I said. “Your brain needs food to start remembering where to find Hayley.”

She shrugged and reluctantly began to unwrap the sandwich. I’d known it would work: the mention of Hayley’s name. It was a major thing we had in common: Like me, Iris would do anything to help her sister.

After we finished eating, we continued our scavenger hunt for Iris’s memory. Matt drove slowly, giving Iris a chance to scan the scene. We passed the barn where I’d hidden Iris when I’d gone back to the grave for my phone. Then we were in the countryside. There weren’t many houses, but there was lots of open space—woods, meadows, ponds, and farms.

Iris stared out the window.

“Anything look familiar?” I asked.

“No.”

Matt kept driving, expanding the circle. Now we were making our way through neighborhoods. At first we passed estates—mansions you could barely see from the road, surrounded by tall hedges, with long driveways. Some had gates. This was where the rich people lived. They belonged to the country club—which we also passed—and many sent their kids to boarding school instead of Black Hall High. Fitch and Abigail lived here in a big stone house on a hill. Chris lived next door to them.

I looked over at Matt. “Does Chris ever talk about what happened to Eloise?” I asked, my stomach clenching. “Like the investigation?”

“Only that he hopes the cops find the person soon.” Matt glanced at me. “We all hope that.”

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