In other words, she kept to herself—and kept her nose clean.

If any student had been privy to inside info on Stephanie, however, she could be the one—even if she had been away on a retreat the weekend of the disappearance and wouldn’t be able to offer any insight about that.

Kayla hauled the duffel to her side of the room and heaved it onto the bed in silence.

After debating her next move, Cate leaned over and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse.

Kayla glanced toward her as the cellophane wrapper crinkled, twin furrows creasing her brow. “You can’t smoke here.”

“Who’ll know?” She shook one out.

The girl faced her. “I don’t want trouble.”

“So don’t smoke.” Cate shrugged and fished around for a lighter.

“Listen . . .” The teen took a step closer, panic flaring in her eyes. “I don’t wanna get busted, okay? The class mom can smell smoke like an elephant smells water.”

That would be Marian Howard, the pleasant, sixtyish widow who’d shown her to her room yesterday. The quiet, wouldn’t-hurt-a-flea type.

“I met her yesterday. She seemed pretty laid-back.”

“Not about smoking. Her husband died of lung cancer and she hates cigarettes. If you want to smoke, go out in the woods like my other roommate did.”

Ah.

Two useful pieces of information.

Kayla stayed on the straight and narrow—and she followed the rules.

Stephanie didn’t—and she disappeared into the woods to break them.

“She get caught? Is that why she’s gone?” Cate shoved the cigarette she didn’t want back into her purse, where it would stay. The prop had served its purpose.

“No.” Kayla turned back to her bed. “She ran away.”

“Yeah? How come her parents didn’t haul her back here?”

“She’s still gone.”

“You mean she, like, disappeared?”

“Yeah.” Kayla zipped open her duffel bag. “With her boyfriend.”

“That is so lit.” According to her research, lit was a common teen expression for amazing—but in view of the odd vernacular high schoolers used these days, she’d have to dispense her slang sparingly. Enough to sell her role, but not enough to make an inadvertent mistake.

“No. It’s stupid.” Kayla began yanking out clothes with more force than necessary. “She shoulda talked to Reverend Wilson instead of Mr. Evans if she had issues.”

“Who are they?”

But she already knew.

In addition to being a trustee, the reverend was also the school’s chaplain. Noah Evans was one of two guidance/career counselors.

“Chaplain and counselor.”

“Why shouldn’t she have gone to Evans?”

Kayla continued unpacking, keeping her back turned.

Several seconds ticked by.

“Kayla?”

“Just stay away from Evans.”

“Why?”

Silence.

“Fine. I’d rather listen to music than talk anyway.” Cate retrieved her earbuds, plugged them into her phone, and called up a tune from the latest teen heartthrob.