Page 69 of Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets

But it isn’t now.

I was hit in the head. When I was digging through Sam’s phone. I got too close, and I was caught.

Sam was supposed to be with Jacey, though. Searching for the elusive lynx. I look at him, examining his face for a trace of guilt. “Did you have your eyes on Sam?” I whisper to her.

Her features freeze. “We all scattered to search for that cat,” she finally says. “One second, his bright red flannel shirt was in front of me. And the next…” She casts a glance over her shoulder. “He could’ve gone around the back of the camp.”

“Savannah!” Grant barrels through the others, brushing past Jacey and kneeling to take me in his arms. “What happened?”

I look up at him, unable to speak. This is the boy I love. The one who was there for me after Piper’s accident. The one who wants to spend his future with me. But snippets of another Grant—the one I saw earlier today—trickle in. When he lifts me, I don’t resist, but my insides squirm as he walks me over to a fallen log on the outskirts of camp.

Mr. Davis, the last of the group to make it back, pushes through the small crowd that has shifted to continue gawking at me. “What’s going on?” he asks, huffing.

“She hit her head on a branch,” Jacey says before I can answer. “When she was looking for the lynx.” Nice—no need to let things get any further out of control. If the person who did this knows we’re onto him, he may try to finish me off. Or he could beat us down the mountain and start wiping any evidence that’s left.

“Not my finest moment,” I say, trying for a smile that’s probably more of a grimace.

Mr. Davis, too exasperated to move, simply stares at the ground. A moment later, he snaps out of his daze, blinking and rushing off to dig an instant ice pack from his bag.

Grant takes it, pressing it delicately to my head. I let him fuss over me, and I ignore Tyler, who keeps slinging me inquisitive looks. I have to think.

“How’s the pain?” Grant asks, hovering over me.

“Not too bad,” I lie.

“My girl is too brave for her own good.” He shakes his head, the pride in his eyes sending a pang through my chest.

“More like too uncoordinated.”

He smiles gently. “I’ll find you some painkillers. Be right back.” He guides my hand to replace his over the ice pack before trudging over to the others. I adjust my position and concentrate on breathing, the fresh pine aroma all but blotted out by the coppery scent of my own blood.

Noah moves closer to me. “Are you okay?” He bends down to examine me, face rough with worry.

“I’m fine. You know, other than the whole getting-knocked-in-the-head-by-whoever-tried-to-kill-Piper thing.”

His eyes widen, and he crouches lower. “Wait a minute. You didn’t hit your head on a branch?”

“Of course not,” I say, adjusting the ice pack, so cold it burns my scalp. “Hey, you had eyes on Sam the whole time, right?”

Noah reddens. “We sort of got separated, not too long after he lectured me for scaring off the cat.”

The ice slides in my grip, grating against my wound. “You had one job, Noah.”

He looks momentarily hurt, and I feel a pinch of guilt. I didn’t mean to snap at him. I approved this disaster plan. But he recovers, turning to scan the camp. “You really think Sam would do all this?”

I shrug. “His phone is conveniently back in his pocket, the same phone I had in my hands before I was knocked out. And Grant can place Piper a few yards away from Sam and Abby that afternoon, right before she fell.”

“Abby?” Noah asks, brow furrowing.

Oh.There’s that. The other possibility.

Maybe Sam didn’t do this…but his girlfriend did.

I glance at Abby, who’s out of breath, her pale, freckled complexion pink. Hood pulled over her head, red curls falling loose to frame her face.

Did anyone have eyes onherthe whole time? If the mountain cult couple suspected something was up, maybe Abby headed around the back way and took care of things. To keep her boyfriend’s secrets safe.

To keep her own secrets safe.

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