Page 31 of Cruel Riches

Laurel nodded slowly. “Right. So you’re a true crime junkie, huh?”

“Yeah.” I forced a smile.

“Do you think he did it?” she asked, brows rising. “Most people think he did, but I’ve seen a couple of people online saying that they think he might’ve been innocent.”

I hesitated. If I told her I thought he was innocent, I risked outing myself as a supporter, and that in turn meant I risked outing myself as his daughter. I couldn’t do that. I had to make myself seem as distant from the case as her or anyone else.

I swallowed hard. “He totally did it,” I said. Each word felt like acid on my tongue.

Ruby nodded. “There’s no way he was innocent. They found so much evidence,” she said in a hushed tone. “Like, in his office here at Blackthorne, they found a knife in a vent that turned out to be the murder weapon. It was covered in his fingerprints along with blood from the victims. One of his jackets had hairs from three of the victims, too, and a few small bloodstains. They also found stuff buried in his backyard. Stuff that belonged to the victims.”

“That’s right,” I said through gritted teeth.

Laurel slowly shook her head. “I can’t believe that happened right here, only ten years ago.”

“Yeah, it’s so sad. So scary, too,” Ruby said in a solemn tone. She perked right up a moment later, clearly keen to change the subject to something less depressing. “Hey, I have an idea.”

“What?”

“Alexis, you mentioned that you’ve had a rough week, and honestly, mine hasn’t been the best either. So… why don’t you two come to the stoplight party with me tomorrow night?”

“The what?” I asked.

“It’s a party where you wear green, yellow, or red. Green means you’re single, yellow means it’s complicated, and red means you’re taken. The Skulls and Roses are hosting it together.”

“Would we actually be welcome at one of their parties?” I asked.

“Of course! The girls told me that I can bring anyone I want,” Ruby replied.

“I probably can’t go,” Laurel said. “I really need to study.”

I knew what she was worried about. She thought she might slip back into her old patterns and fail again if she went to a party.

“I read that recreation is necessary to stop you from overdoing yourself and burning out,” Ruby said in a sage tone. She lifted an encouraging brow. “That means it’s okay to loosen up and go to a party once in a while.”

Laurel sighed. “I don’t know,” she said reluctantly. “It’s probably not a good idea. I have so much to read.”

“What if we get together first thing tomorrow morning and study all day?” Ruby asked, eyes wide and hopeful. “That way you won’t feel guilty about taking a few hours off for a party.”

“I guess that could be okay. Thanks for the invite, by the way,” Laurel said, cheeks flushing. I could tell she felt bad about judging Ruby earlier, because she’d been nothing but nice to us and clearly just wanted to make some new friends. She turned to me. “What about you? Will you come?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I considered it.

On the one hand, I didn’t want to risk running into Nate Lockwood again, and something told me he was definitely a member of the exclusive Skulls fraternity.

On the other hand, the party would be a good chance to meet more people and increase my chances of getting ‘in’ with some of the uber-rich Arcadia Bay types. That could be helpful in my quest for justice for my father.

“Yes,” I finally said, earning a little shriek of approval from Ruby. “I’ll be there.”

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