“Me too.” Zoe shakes her head. “What even was that assembly? Officer Edwards is creepy as hell.”

I wonder if she’s thinking about what would happen if he found out the truth.

Wrapping my arms around my torso, I shiver slightly, watching the rain come down in sheets beyond the overhang of the roof. “I can’t stand him.”

“He talked to me once before, but I—” She stops, and my heart beats faster. “I think I need to go home,” she declares, keeping her voice steady. “I’m so grossed out. I can’t handle watching people get sick.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Leaving with her is very low on the list of things I want to do, but how I react right now is important.

“No, I’ll see you later.”

Without giving me a chance to say anything else, she heads back inside, disappearing down the hallway, unknowingly confirming her guilt.

As soon as she’s gone, Mason slips outside, eyes blazing, and the sense of relief I feel at the sight of him is enormous, my shoulders instantly relaxing.

“What the hell was that?” he says. “What kind of games are the police playing?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, feeling rattled. “The pressure is increasing.”

“The thing is, it didn’t seem like they were trying to put pressure on you this time.”

“Zoe mentioned Officer Edwards tried to talk to her . . .” I trail off, the hope that springs up in my chest too sudden to tamp down. “Maybe they’re trying to get her to confess?”

“That could be,” he says, though I can tell both of us are trying not to have too much faith. “And the others.”

“James is obviously guilty.”

“His reaction certainly doesn’t make him look good.”

I lean against the brick wall of the building, the material feeling rough against my skin, even through my sweater.

“I just want this to be over,” I admit, my voice soft.

“It will be,” Mason promises, steely determination evident in his words. “Soon.”

Sofia is furious about the events of the assembly when I tell her what happened.

She had been spending most of the day preparing for the business trip she’s leaving for tomorrow, but the fact that they showed a picture of my car and the fact that it was Edwards in the first place was enough for her to call the school to make a formal complaint.

Up in my bedroom, I’m wired, buzzing with energy. I feel safer in here, away from everyone at school, like I don’t have to be constantly looking over my shoulder. My brain doesn’t currently have the mental capacity to focus on homework, but I can’t just sit here, doing nothing.

Pacing my room anxiously doesn’t help, and finally, when I spot my laptop, my movements cease.

There has to be more on here than what Mason and I found.