Page 62 of Little Buried Secrets

She said goodnight and left the room.

Once her bedroom door closed, Isaac looked at me and said, “We can talk, but not here.”

CHAPTER 24

Isaac wanted us to chat in private, something I assumed he’d suggested so his mother wouldn’t overhear the conversation. Or had he suggested it for a different reason—one I hadn’t figured out yet?

I walked behind him, descending the stairs until we reached the basement. We stepped inside, and Isaac closed the basement door behind him and leaned against it.

He tipped his head to the side and said, “I’m guessing you’ve heard some things about me, or you wouldn’t be here.”

“What is it you think I’ve heard?” I asked.

“Depends on who you’ve been talking to, I guess.”

“I’ve talked to a lot of people this week. I’ve met with some of your former classmates, Margot’s family, and a handful of others. Right now, I’m just gathering information.”

“I’m not sure I have anything useful to say.”

I didn’t believe it.

I took my cell phone out of my handbag. He looked at it, and his eyes widened.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “You can’t record me.”

“I’m not recording you. I’d need your consent.”

“What are you doing then?”

“Taking notes,” I said.

He walked over to a beanbag chair and plopped down on top of it.

I remained standing.

“I didn’t have anything to do with what happened to Margot,” he said.

“I never said you did.”

“I didn’t even know her. Not much, anyway.”

“Well, that’s not true, is it? You liked her, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not cool to hit on the girlfriend of one of your friends?”

“I wouldn’t call Sebastian a friend. We played football together, hung out a handful of times. That’s it.”

“How did you meet Margot?” I asked.

“She started working at a coffee shop last year. I used to stop by there every day after school. They had a protein shake I liked to get before my workouts.”

“Was Margot single when you first met?” I asked.

“She told me she was, and the way I saw it, I showed interest in her first, which means I had first dibs.”

What an odd comment.

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