BooksBarbecue
Back Someone Had to Do It
Chapters (39)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Authors
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  37. THE STORY BEHIND SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT
  38. SOMEONE HAD TO DO IT: THE PLAYLIST
  39. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

I run both hands over my hair. “Do you have camera footage of people who came in and out this day?”

“Of course,” Raul says. “Want me to show you?”

We both nod and hop on Raul’s heels as soon as he starts leading the way to the small back security room. Before we all huddle up, an explosion goes off in my head.

“Oh, my God. The footage.”

Nate looks at me, lines of confusion between his brows. “We’re getting it.”

“Might take a minute,” Raul warns. “I have to find—”

“No,” I say. “The tape from the night of Simon’s murder.” I swing around to look Raul in the eyes. “You said there was no footage of me on it, but that can’t—that doesn’t make sense.”

“B, we watched that tape back three or four times,” Nate says, shaking his head. “You weren’t in it.”

“Don’t you think Taylor could have had something to do with the footage of me being missing?”

I can’t put anything past her. I’ve learned my lesson.

“She’s clearly been here before. If she could figure out how to get into our apartment, she could have figured out how to get into the security room.”

“Exactly. It had to be her. I told her about it that day you came to see me. I told her and she had this look on her face, this smug look. She knew she had already ruined my alibi.”

Nate nods, then looks to Raul. “Can you get us all the footage from that day you saw the girl bleeding? It’s an emergency.”

Raul nods, taking this all very seriously, but when he finally pulls up the footage from the day I went to that interview, there’s no Taylor caught on the live feed.

There are ten seconds missing from the tape.

26

TAYLOR

Inside my room, I slip on my most conservative black dress. I look into the mirror and practice slow, deeply felt tears, the kind they’ll expect, but I still feel unprepared. Even after all the planning, I never imagined this part, the last time I ever have to see his face again.

I can’t do this sober. I can’t. I open the top drawer of my nightstand, pull out a small bag. Open it. Pour the powder on the counter. Just before I inhale, I hear Carter’s voice, what he said about his little sister, and then I say fuck it, fuck his stupid sister, and do a hit. I take a breath. Swallow. Do another. I feel the rush immediately.

Everything is right.

I put the bag back, then take in my reflection in the mirror. I need to finish my makeup. I reach for my liquid eyeliner and lean closer so I can see.