Page 32 of Deceiving Grier

I knew I was pushing my luck, that he was already suspicious of my questions. Still, I heard myself say, “That fire sucked, but these guys really got to trade up as far as living situations. Did authorities ever consider any ofthemas suspects?”

Grier turned and gave me a shocked look, and Finn’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning shuttered. Oh, oh, I’d pushed too far.

“I don’t know why Alistair, or Grier, or Jett would haveeverbeen considered suspects,” Finn said. “They weren’t even home when the fire started. Besides, why would they want to burn down their own house?”

Finn had a point. Grier, Jett and Alistair didn’t know they’d wind up living in Oliver Mackenzie’s house, so of course, they’d had no motive. Unless that wasn’t true, and they’d known exactly where they might live.

Cold washed over me like an icy wave, and my heart rate kicked up a notch. All this time, I thought Greyson Mackenzie had let Grier and Jett live in this house as some kind of payoff, keeping them quiet for something they knew, something Mackenzie had done. What if I was wrong? What if all three of them had been complicit? What if they had burned down that house, and living here and paying almost no rent had been the reward?

I looked over at Grier, who was laughing at something Jett had just said. But there was no way I could believe Grier would do something like that. He was too honest, too good. I had to be wrong.

“This house iswaybetter than the last one, but the other house wasn’t haunted, at least,” Jett said.

Grier rolled his eyes. “Thishouse isn’t haunted either. You just need to clean your room.”

“I’m telling you,” Jett said. “This house has a ghost.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Grier said. “You just can’t find anything in your messy room.”

“I’m telling you, everything I’ve lost, that textbook, my notes, my phone, they are nowhere in my room,” Jett said. “Besides, I’veseenhim.”

I tensed, “What do you mean you’ve seen him?”

Jett leaned closer, voice lowering. “I’ve seen him in the shadows, watching me sleep. I don’t think he knew I was awake.”

“When? Where?” I asked.

“A couple of nights ago. Wednesday, I think. I was asleep, and something woke me up. It was dark, and when I opened my eyes, I thought I could see a shadow in the hallway looking in at me through my partially opened door. I stayed quiet, and I didn’t move. After a few minutes, it backed away and disappeared.”

“Did you get up and go after it?” I asked.

“Go after a ghost?” Jett looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “I told you, it disappeared.”

“It was never there in the first place, you mean,” Grier said.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Jett might not be completely wrong. I’ve heard things too.”

Grier let out an exasperated sigh and looked up at the ceiling, shaking his head. “Not youtoo.”

“What did you hear?” Jett asked, his eyes huge.

I turned to Grier. “The other night, when we… when you finished practice early.” Oops, I’d almost slipped up. Hopefully, no one noticed. “I heard something that sounded like footsteps on the second floor.”

“Ha!” Jett jumped to his feet and pointed at Grier. “Itoldyou this house is haunted!”

Grier rolled his eyes again. “Strange noises in an old house do not mean there’s a ghost. There’s no such thing as ghosts. Whatever youthinkyou saw or heard, there’s got to be a perfectly reasonable explanation for it.”

“Those footsteps weren’t the only time I’ve heard something. My first night here, I thought I heard somebody walk past my room.”

“Oh, my God. You two need to stop encouraging each other.” Grier stood and started to gather the dishes.

“Here, let me help,” Alistair said, closing up some of the takeout boxes before following Grier into the kitchen.

I stood and closed up some of the containers too, then made my way to the kitchen. I stopped, just outside the doorway.

“Okay, so what’s going on with you and Sawyer?” Alistair asked.

I knew I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, that I should let them know I was there, but I was too curious to hear what Grier would say.

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