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Back She's Gone Save as PDF
Chapters (95)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Video #1
  6. One
  7. Two
  8. Three
  9. Four
  10. Five
  11. Six
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Ten
  16. Eleven
  17. Twelve
  18. Thirteen
  19. Fourteen
  20. Fifteen
  21. Sixteen
  22. Seventeen
  23. Eighteen
  24. Nineteen
  25. Twenty
  26. Twenty-One
  27. Twenty-Two
  28. Twenty-Three
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Video #2
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. Thirty-Nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-One
  48. Forty-Two
  49. Forty-Three
  50. Forty-Four
  51. Forty-Five
  52. Forty-Six
  53. Forty-Seven
  54. Forty-Eight
  55. Forty-Nine
  56. Fifty
  57. Fifty-One
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Fifty-Four
  61. Fifty-Five
  62. Fifty-Six
  63. Fifty-Seven
  64. Fifty-Eight
  65. Fifty-Nine
  66. Sixty
  67. Sixty-One
  68. Sixty-Two
  69. Sixty-Three
  70. Sixty-Four
  71. Sixty-Five
  72. Video #3
  73. Sixty-Six
  74. Sixty-Seven
  75. Sixty-Eight
  76. Sixty-Nine
  77. Seventy
  78. Seventy-One
  79. Seventy-Two
  80. Seventy-Three
  81. Seventy-Four
  82. Seventy-Five
  83. Seventy-Six
  84. Seventy-Seven
  85. Seventy-Eight
  86. Seventy-Nine
  87. Eighty
  88. Eighty-One
  89. Eighty-Two
  90. Eighty-Three
  91. The Final Video
  92. Acknowledgments
  93. About the Author
  95. Back Cover

“I didn’t know. Not at all. I gambled like you wouldn’t believe. I got lucky that you couldn’t remember what Chloe had told you, and that she hadn’t told anyone else. Except perhaps in the journal you so skillfully pilfered. I was prepared to lose everything then—and then again when you came back to school after the accident. That’s why I was out that day, the day you came by the office. I was avoiding what I believed was about to land on me. And looking for another job. A safe harbor to jump to. But the call never came. Your memory remained a black hole. And no one knew what I had done to drive Chloe to that point.”

“That’s why you kept asking me whether my memory was coming back,” I say. “You were worried I’d remember what Chloe told me and then the whole world would know.”

He doesn’t deny it.

“How could you do that to her?” I ask. “Treat her that way. Put that pressure on her. Try to... She was so unhappy that last month. She must have felt so alone. And hurt and scared.”

“That wasn’t my intent.”

“And me? You did that when you knew I loved her so much. You didn’t care about either one of us.”

“That’s not true.” Ron raises his index finger in the air. He sounds more passionate, more emotional than at any time during our conversation. “You can’t say that. I did care.”

“You used us all. Especially Chloe. Like she was a toy.”

“I cared. I still do.” He shifts in his seat, turning to face me. “You say I don’t care, but you’ve never figured out who took you to the hospital that night, have you? It was me. I brought you there and made sure you were looked after.” He turns away and stares out the windshield at the slowly filling lot. “I found you, and I brought you there. Don’t forget that. Don’t ever forget it.”

Seventy-Four

The small space of the car is confining. I want to smash my fist through the window.

Instead, I slam it against the dashboard, which feels totally unsatisfying. And stingingly painful.

“You took me to the hospital? After you ran us off the road? What did you do to Chloe? Where is she, and why did you only help me if you wanted her so much?”

“I didn’t run you off the road. And I don’t know where Chloe is. But I did follow you that night. That’s true. I believe that is my car behind you in Daniel’s movie.”

“Did you kill him? Daniel?”

“What? God, no.”

“Why did you lie to me about knowing him? His mom said you were helping him.”