“Ned…” Julia doesn’t know how to say it. How much to say to her mother. This is going to destroy her mother’s image of her: the wonderful daughter, the outstanding student, the bright and spotless future. Of course, it’s not worse than her father being a person of interest in a crime. “Ned was acting like he knew who he thought had killed Danielle, and then Gordon texted him, and then he was all upset with Dad. I think he suspected someone else before.”

“Who?”

“He won’t tell me now. He thinks Dad is guilty. But…” What does she say? If she confesses what she and Ned have done, then it might help her father, but her future is over. It’s over.

So, Julia takes a deep breath and tells her mother everything.

Grant’s phone pings. It’s a text from Peter: my dad just told me to come home. That there are “developments” in the case. Have you heard anything?

Grant wonders what he should do. But Peter has been helping him, so he writes: my dad is being questioned by the police and I don’t know what’s going on or what I should do.

Peter says: wait I’ll come straight over

His mom and Julia are having a long talk. They treat him like a child, when Julia’s only two years older and has done plenty of stupid teenager things.

What if his dad’s been caught? The Sender knew his dad did something wrong. Maybe the Sender has evidence. The Sender must want something from Grant, to keep reaching out to him, to send him these things. So what is it?

His phone pings again. Email. He opens it. It’s from the Sender:

No pictures for you today. But go look in the tree for a surprise.

Peter’s camera. If the Sender was there, it would have caught him or her.

He closes the email. He decides to wait for Peter. Having a witness is important. And he doesn’t know how to get the video off Peter’s hidden camera.

He texts Peter: come to my house via the greenbelt, not front door.

Ten minutes later, Julia and Mom are still talking inside and he sees Peter loping up to the house. He’s flushed.

“Hey,” Peter says.

“Hey. I got another email. Directing me to the tree. I hope your camera worked.”

Peter holds up a hand, and with a sinking feeling, Grant can see the iciness in his stare.

“What did your dad do to Danielle?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“I think it’d be super hard to keep a big secret from your mom,” Peter says. “She’s just the type to see through that. It was something Danielle liked about her.”

Grant bites his lip.