Page 97 of XXXVII: The Elite

“At the time of the murder?” I ask.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur shakes his head. “Here’s the thing. When I saw your brother, it was maybe one in the morning. JP was found a little after five. In theory, he could have sobered up enough to attack him, but I doubt he’d have been able to move the body, especially without attracting attention.”

“So someone else killed him, and Cole took the blame?” Payne suggests. “Why would he do that? And what about the girlfriend?”

“I don’t know.” Arthur admits. “You’d need to ask him that.”

“If Cole didn’t do it, who do you think did?” I ask instead.

Sucking in a long breath through his teeth, Arthur sits back in the chair again. “And that’s the million-dollar question.”

“You must have some suspicions,” Payne says, the frown back on his face. “There must have been something specific that got you expelled.”

The speed at which Arthur’s expression changes is so fast it gives me whiplash, and there’s now fear in his eyes. “I think I’ve said enough.”

“Arthur, please,” I say quickly, before he has a chance to hang up. “Just tell me what you know, and I’ll do the rest.”

“The rest?” He laughs, but it sounds empty. “Therest, whatever you think that is, is a short list. Whoever did it was most likely a member of the Elite. The only members of that group I managed to get reliable alibies from were Pippa Rushmore, Collette Highgroves, Preston du Pont, and Phillipe Wentworth. The rest all had the same responses.Exactlythe same. The answer lies in the Elite, and you…” Through the screen, he looks me up and down. “You are not Elite material, even if your brother wasn’t in prison. And even if you could get close enough that you could be trusted, you’d be looking at people who’ve since graduated, and good luck getting near them.”

“What if I could?” I ask.

Arthur laughs again, but it sounds more hysterical. “I suspect the answers you’re looking for would bring them all down. And they’re going to do everything they can to stop that from happening.”

“All the more reason to try.”

His laugh turns into a cough, but he grows serious and looks at the screen. “Getting into the Elite would be signing your life away.”

“Synclair Keyingham is already doing what he can to destroy it,” I tell him. “Which is why I’m going to go in there and get the answers I need. And if it destroys them in the process, so be it.”

Tilting his head, Arthur stares at me. Finally, he leans forward and starts typing on the computer he’s sitting in front of. Moments later, the phone in Payne’s hand beeps. “You have one shot, and this might help. Use it well.”

Payne clicks on the message, and a video starts playing. There’s no sound, but the image is clear enough, even though it seems to have been taken from behind something as a part of the screen has a black shadow to it.

On his knees, his face completely visible, is JP. He’s naked, completely erect, with his hands tied behind his back. A figure comes into view, although his head is cut off so he’s not identifiable. JP’s grinning, his eyes wide as the guy walks over.

Then the guy starts to urinate all over him—over JP’s dick, his chest, and into his open mouth. When he’s done, he steps even closer to him until JP’s almost hidden, but it’s obvious he’s busy giving the guy a blowjob.

I glance at Payne who looks as shocked as I do. Returning to the call, I frown at Arthur. “How did you get this?”

“You have it,” Arthur says. “It didn’t come from me, and I’m not telling you how I got it.”

“What are we going to do with this?” Payne asks him. “JP’s dead, and so what if he’s gay or bi, or whatever? No one is going to care if we out him.”

Arthur shrugs. “You know everything I know. What you do next is up to you. Personally, I’d say get the fuck out of James Keyingham University while you can still be accepted into another college, and stay as far away from anyone associated with the Elite as possible. Do not contact me again.”

And then he hangs up.

As Payne lowers the phone, I let out a long breath. “I guess that’s it.”

Turning, he shakes his head. “Not yet.”

I look at him, my eyes growing wide. “You’re not suggesting...”

“Yeah, you heard him. He doesn’t think Cole killed JP, but he thinks the answer lies with the Elite.” He puts his hands on his hips, glancing back up at the trees above us. When he looks back to me, I can see the determination. “That’s where we go next.”

Inside my head, my thoughts are going a million miles a minute. When did this suddenly become awesituation? “The answers might be there, but they’re not just going to start talking, Payne.”

“But we have this.” He holds up the phone. “We use this; tell them we’ll release the footage if they don’t’ start talking.”

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