Page 40 of Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets

“I’ll be down in a minute,” I say, holding up an index finger. “Promise.”

His head falls back in frustration, but he turns and plods back toward the woods.

When he disappears into the trees, I sink back down beside Jacey. “I have to talk to Abby.”

Jacey’s eyes dart to mine. “Abby? What does she have to do with any of this?”

“Noah says they were tight before Piper’s fall. That they were always whispering. Maybe she knows who Alex is. Or who had an issue with Piper.”

Jacey shakes her head. “Abby has no idea what was going on. If Piper never confided in me or Noah about the threats, she never would’ve told Abby.”

“What if all of it happenedafterthe dance? You and Noah weren’t exactly speaking to Piper those last few days.”

She inhales, and her fingers fiddle with a hole in her pants. “If you talk to Abby, she’ll just make up a story. She’s a drama queen.”

“I mean, technically, she’s an opera queen. It’s a lead, Jacey. The only one we have.”

“I just don’t want you to waste your time.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal and starts to braid her hair over one shoulder.

But a wariness causes my muscles to stiffen. Why is she so against me talking to someone who could help us get to the truth?

“I’m not going to do anything this second.” I stand, dusting gravel off my pants. “I have to apologize to Mr. Davis and convince Grant that I’m stable enough to stay on this trip.” It might be hard to believe after the way I just flirted with death on the cliff’s edge.

“I’ll come with,” Jacey says, letting the braid fall loose. She stays at my side as we walk through the weeds, like a friend accompanying me back.

Only it feels like I’m being monitored.

Grant must’ve trusted that I’d be right behind him, because he’s back in the water when we make it to the bank. Sam and Abby are down there too.

Drained, I find my stuff beside Grant’s by the pool’s edge and plunk down onto a patch of gravel. I remove my shoes and socks and dip my feet into the cold water, leaning forward to let the mist catch my face. Nearby, Jacey and Noah sit on a slab of granite, sharing a snack. On the other side of the river, I spot Mr. Davis digging through his pack. Alexandra is over there, too, resting on an elbow and writing in a notebook splayed out on her lap.

I reach for my pack and scrounge through it for my water. As I tug it free, a shadow falls over me.

“Everything good?”

I use my hand to block the sun. Through my fingers, I catch a wink of metal. “Don’t tell me you thought I was going to jump too.”

“I don’t really know you well enough to determine what you will and won’t do.”

I roll my eyes.

“Noah told me about your sister,” Tyler says, running a chain through his fingertips. “I’m really sorry.”

“Thanks,” I mumble before moving the bottle to my lips. Of course, the one person I don’t need to speak to is the friendliest. I guzzle the cool water, suddenly realizing how thirsty I am.

In front of us, the river roils, just like my mind. I’m dizzy. I have to get to Abby, the girl who didn’t want to talk in the woods yesterday.

Tyler walks away, but a moment later, he drags his pack over and dumps it next to mine. “Want some trail mix?”

My stomachisa little rumbly. I hold out my palm, and he shakes cashews and dried fruit into it.

I cringe. “Where’s the chocolate?”

“This is the true outdoorsman’s version, not the child’s.”

“Well, it looks like squirrel food.”

“Adds to the experience.” He tosses back a small handful.

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