Page 72 of Did You See Evie

I wonder how many other people have seen this video. The IT team. The police. If Detective Fields has seen it, she’ll recognize both Connor and Joanna. The humiliation is too much to bear.

“I can cover your classes the rest of the day,” Reynolds says. “You know, if you need to take some time.”

My first reaction is to lash out with another cruel remark, but I realize how important his offer really is. I don’t need to be here right now. And if I stay holed up in my office the rest of the afternoon, I’ll just keep replaying my thoughts, wondering exactly where I went wrong. How I could have missed that my assistant coach and my fiancé were having an affair right under my nose.

“Thanks,” I say, turning quickly. I pause again and look back. “Please, don’t mention this to anybody else.”

“I won’t,” he says.

There’s that same pity in his voice, and yet it isn’t as infuriating as I thought it would make me feel, and I’m not embarrassed by it. I’m simply grateful someone is willing to handle things here so that I can handle things at home.

THIRTY-SIX

Connor should be working from home today, so I drive straight to our house.

I’ve replayed the video of Connor and Joanna over and over again in my mind. There’s no way he can deny what I saw. Her arms clinging to him, his lips on hers. The way they were swaying together like they were in some prepubescent fairy tale at a school dance.

And what is Joanna’s excuse in all of this? I acted as her mentor. She was supposed to be my partner on the sidelines. Giving her the job at the beginning of the season was a favor for Connor and Rex. Never once did I think my fiancé was fooling around with his best friend’s sister. Now, I wonder, how far back does their relationship really go? How long have they been romantically involved?

My mind travels back to the early morning hours of the lock-in. Joanna had followed me into the main office as I spoke over the intercom. She clumsily knocked over the water bottle which damaged the camera footage. Could that move have been intentional? Even in those early moments of Evie’s disappearance, was she thinking about how her own secret could be uncovered?

In the video, she turned away from Connor and looked back at the school. Is it possible one of the girls at the lock-in saw them together? I encountered two of the girls alone in the hallway around the same time. Joanna told me she was distracted, but I had no idea she was outside with Connor. What if one of the girls followed her and saw her locking lips with my fiancé? What if it was Evie?

The possibilities are dramatic and endless, but I can’t rule out anything.

If the past week has taught me anything, it’s that I can’t trust anyone.

Sure enough, Connor’s car sits in the driveway of our house. My house. I bought this place years ago, turned it into a home where I could live my life. I invited Connor into my life, into my heart, and this is how he repays me?

He must hear me approaching before he sees me. The slammed car door, my stomps on the wooden steps—all give away my presence, and an angry one at that.

“Cass?” he says, greeting me at the door. He’s wearing the same outfit from this morning, fuzzy socks on his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk,” I say. My shoulder slams against him, and he takes a step back. Before shutting the front door, he looks outside, trying to piece together why I’m home this early in the day. And why I’m so upset.

“Did you find out something else about Evie?” he asks, following me into the living room and sitting on the sofa.

I’m too filled with angry energy to sit, so I pace the room. “This isn’t about Evie.”

Connor’s eyes move around the room slowly. “Okay. What’s it about?”

“Joanna.” My hands clench into fists. It takes all the strength I can muster not to scream her name.

Connor goes still. He watches me carefully, trying to decipher how much or how little I already know, but he’s not an idiot. He knows I’ve left work and I’m seething with an anger he’s never seen before. His secret has been found out.

“Cass, I can…” He’s floundering for words, then he gives up. “How did you find out?”

I’m grateful he’s not going to cause further insult by lying, but I’m still enraged.

“The IT team was able to recover some of the damaged security video, which showed the parking lot on the night of the lock-in,” I say. “I had the pleasure of finding out you were cheating on me in front of Mr. Lake and Coach Reynolds.”

He squints his eyes shut. “Cass, I’m so sorry?—”

“What the actual hell, Connor?” I shout. “Joanna of all people?”

“I was going to tell you after the season ended,” he says. “Then all this drama happened with Evie, and I wasn’t sure you could handle anything else.”

“How long has it been going on?” I ask. “You started talking to me about hiring her more than a year ago! Was this your plan all along?”

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