I slapped it shut and dropped it back onto the desk like it was on fire.

Those were Lily’s bizarre ramblings. But this was Agatha’s notebook.

Had she done this? Judging by the shakiness of the script, it must have taken her hours. As for the content, it was so creepy. Why would a person my age even think things like that, let alone write them down?

After catching my breath, I flipped the cover open and then fanned through the pages. Even though I’d known what I would find, it was still awful. Page after page was covered in the chaotic scribblings—sometimes the same lines over and over, sometimes whole pages of long paragraphs in her increasingly erratic handwriting.

I was contemplating this when, to my utter horror, I heard voices in the hall.

Were they back already? I’d been so busy snooping that I hadn’t kept an eye on the driveway. How could I have been so stupid?

Had I lost time again, been caught dazed and unaware like that first night?

I listened, my body electrified by fear.

Only when I imagined Laura finding me in here did the magnitude of my judgment error really sink in.

But a second later, I relaxed—slightly. That wasn’t Laura’s voice or John’s.

It was a young man. And the other person in the conversation was Mr. Albright—I was almost positive, based on the clipped, formal phrasing of his responses.

I edged closer to the door and pressed against the wall so I’d be blocked from view if they looked inside.

“Andy ran out of money in Sardinia, and his father wouldn’t wire him more, so we changed our flights and left early. You know how the Bensons are,” the young man said, sounding slightly disapproving.

This had to be Barrett. We’d been expecting him over the weekend, but until I stood there eavesdropping, it hadn’t truly sunk in for me that there was going to be another person in the house with us. And not just a person—Mr. Albright was a person. But someone my age. A boy.

And now he was home early. This was bad. I wasn’t prepared. Everything I’d come to know was about to be disrupted. I felt shaky and sweaty and anxious.

“I’m not surprised,” Mr. Albright said. “I’ve heard some troubling rumors about the state of their finances. I wouldn’t expect to spend any more time on that yacht.”

“Too bad,” Barrett replied. “I mean, it’s probably for the best. Boats are a terrible investment. Well, thanks for picking me up. I can get the bags from here.”

“It was perfect timing; I was coming out anyway. Oh, and your mother and Agatha are in town. They should be back within the hour.”