Page 75 of No Place Left to Hide

I threw a small get-together. Claire showed up drunk, so I broke up the party. Claire came back to apologize, and I went home. I thought everyone else had left.

An owl hoots somewhere, echoing across the water.

I had no idea Claire would convince Jena to go back to the lake house and start drinking. If only they’d stayed onshore. Maybe they wouldn’t have crashed the boat. Maybe Claire would still be alive.

My feet touch the bottom of the lake, and I stand, trudging through the last stretch of water toward the shore.

What a tragedy.

Thirty

Now

I move to press the answer button on the steering wheel, but Jena snatches up my phone and unplugs it from the car.

“Give me that!”

She shakes her head and holds it away from me, far out of reach. “You can have it as soon as you let me out of this fucking car.”

“What are you talking about? If we don’t run into the police responding to the cop’s crash scene, we can turn off in Dallas and my parents will come meet us.”

“No. Here. Now.”

“Why do you want to get outnow?”

“Because I don’t feel safe in this car with you.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, my fucking god. Now who’s being dramatic? I can’t believe you’re acting like this. I didn’t have achoice.”

A beeping draws my attention to the dash. My gas light flashes beneath the speedometer, but that doesn’t make any sense. I filled the tank before we left the coast. As I watch it, the gas gauge slips down further and further.

That last domino hit from the police car must have damaged the gas tank.

We might not make it to Dallas.

“You absolutely did have a choice,” she argues. “Youchoseto drive that boat when you’d been drinking. Youchoseto push Claire under the water. Youchosenot to tell the police what really happened and blame her for all of it—to blamemefor stealing the boat. Youchoseto protect yourself even when it cost someone else their life.”

My phone stops ringing. My mom hung up.

I shake my head. I thought she of all people would understand. “What happened toOne of these days you’re going to put her in her place, and when that happens, I’m going to cheer? I finally stand up to her and I’m some kind of villain? You were the one who wanted to throw her out of the party in the first place. She tried to break up you and Felix—”

“There’s a big difference between asking someone to leave a party anddrowningthem, Brooke! That’s not standing up for yourself. That’s murder.”

“I did what I had to do!”

She simply stares at me, and then up at the sunroof. “God, you know what’s so sick? I watched Claire come at you foryears, and I always defended you, always took your side, like she was some big bad bully and you had a target on your back. But I can finally see it for what it really was. You and Claire are the same person. You’re both backstabbing social climbers who would do anything to get ahead. No matter the cost. You were just better at playing the victim than she was, and I’ve fallen for it for the last fucking time. Let me out of this goddamned car.”

My teeth clench at the vitriol in her tone. She’s never spoken to me like that before, and I’ll be damned if I cave to her disrespect now.So instead of letting her out, I stomp on the gas. “Sure fucking thing. I’ll let you out as soon as we get to the Dallas police station. I can’t wait to press charges.”

Jena barks out a laugh. “Againstme? What for?”

“Stalking. Harassment. Attempted murder. Take your pick.”

“That’s incredible. By all means, drive on. I have a lot to tell them too. There are probably a lot of people in this county who’d love to know that Claire Heck was murdered, and one of the most prominent lawyers in the state helped cover it up by intimidating witnesses in the hospital.”

I cut her a sharp look. “Nobody intimidated you.”

“Your dad loomed over my hospital bed and told me it would be a shame if someone with such a bright future went down for the negligent death of a classmate. He said he’d be happy to help me if I helpedyou.”

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