Page 3 of Burning Your Lies

My eyebrows furrow as I watch the smoke dissipate. I remember the first time I smoked a cigar. Elijah, Xavier’s dad, lit it for us and taught us how to hold it properly. Xavier never smoked one after that because Caitlyn didn’t like it. She said it made his mouth smell foul and refused to kiss him.Caitlyn.I think she was his first and true love. He was smitten with her and wrecked when she left.Savannah was wrong.He couldn’t have hurt her.

“I loved Caitlyn. You know that. I was devastated. How could I have faked that?”

Xavier’s words from our phone call a few hours ago resound in my head. They sound oddly familiar and I can’t quite place why. And then suddenly, the hairs on my arms stand on full alert. Those were practically the same words I said to Savannah in that hotel room when she brought Caitlyn up.No. It was theexactsame words.

My eyes fall to the ground, and once again, I question if Savannah was right. But how could he have heard? If he bugged our clothes, it wouldn’t have mattered because we stripped naked. I close my eyes and try to think straight. Am I really considering that my friend is a murderer?

I would laugh at the thought, but the image of Savannah is back again. Taking a deep breath, I think it through logically.Neither of us had a phone with us. We stripped our clothes and discarded them in another room; so that wasn’t a possibility either. Xavier didn’t know what hotel we were in, let alone the room number; so that wasn’t possible.What did that leave?

I put myself in his shoes. If I was stalking Savannah, how would I make sure my bug went everywhere she went? What could I guarantee she would always have with her?

“Handbag?” I ask myself.

No.That was easily left behind.

“Soles of the shoes?”

No.There was no guarantee she would wear that pair.

“Come on,” I mutter to myself. “Think. If I was stalking the woman who gave birth to my…” My eyes narrow. “The pushchair.”

My laptop pings as the page finally loads. Needing to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, I pull the laptop closer.

No results found.

“How does a dead woman not have a death certificate?”

Xavier said his mum was dead. But there is no record of her dying. In fact, there’s no record of her at all since May 2005. The last paper trail of Elizabeth Rivers is a flight to leave the country. But there’s no return.

The clogs are turning in my brain, and pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. Suddenly, I can see what Savannah saw; a pattern. Grabbing the picture from the coffee table, I head towards the one person who would certainly know if that was Elliot Hunter in the picture.

Jordan is speaking into his phone at a rapid speed as I approach him. “What do you mean she left you with the baby?” he hisses.

My feet halt.Who is he talking about?

“Mia, where has she gone?” He’s silent for a few seconds. “Let me try calling her. She can’t just … I’ll explain later, but the guy is psycho. I hope Sav knows what she’s doing.” His tone drips with concern.

Why would Savannah leave Elise with a stranger?

“Give me the phone.” I don’t wait for him to meet my demand, because I’m snatching it out of his hold. “Miss Woods. Do not react. Do not say my name. Pretend as though you are still speaking to your friend.”

She gulps loud enough for me to hear. “I don’t know what to do, Jordan. She left the baby here with no explanation. She was so paranoid and kept telling me not to open the door unless it’s you.”

“Say she needs to get help.”If Savannah is right, then Xavier needs to think his plan is working.

“Yeah, maybe she needs help. What should I do?”

“Sit tight. When I arrive, I will slip a note under the door. You will open the doorsilentlyand without addressing me. Understood?”

Mia’s voice drips with fear. “What is going on? What has she been hiding?”

My eyes flicker to Jordan, who is still staring at me with annoyance. “I just need to check something. That is all.” I hand the phone back to Jordan and walk away from their panic. But I can’t deny the panic that is building in me.What game is Savannah playing?

The drive to Jordan’s flat feels like an eternity. The best part about a sketchy neighbourhood is the lack of street cameras, which helps me if Xavier ever monitors who came and went. As promised, I slide a receipt under the door and patiently wait for Mia to follow my orders. When she lets me in, I see the worry in her eyes. I raise my finger to my lips to remind her to be silent.

I pay no attention to the messy flat. I search the room for the pushchair. Holding my breath, I check the fixture first, but the leather and plastic are intact. My fingers brush over the fabric of the seat and at first I find nothing. However, there, concealed within the seam, I notice a loose stitch. Getting closer, I zero in on the bug.He stitched it into the seat.

Savannah was right.