So she did. When they got to Belinda’s building, he jumped out. But Emily couldn’t find a place to leave the car, even an illegal spot. It took her ten minutes and she was still half a block away. As she finally made it to the top of the stairs, she stopped across the hall from Belinda’s apartment door, out of breath and courage. She heard voices, but couldn’t make out the words. Finally, she pushed open the door. The room was dark and quiet. Esme fumbled for the hall light switch, and tripped over Belinda’s cell phone. From somewhere inside, she could hear Stefan moaning, almost growling.

“What came next?” I said.

With all my might, I did not want to know. “What did you do?”

Emily crept into the living room.

She leaned to one side to snap on the lamp she knew was there.

She said that Belinda and Stefan were lying on the floor, in front of the couch, their bodies half on top of each other, almost in an embrace. A golf club, thickly coated in blood, was propped like a sword against Stefan’s leg. He was stirring, his head thrashing a little, but Belinda... Belinda’s head was broken in the back like a pumpkin after Halloween.

“There was nothing I could do, Thea. I knew she was dead.”

Emily breathed in slowly, then out. She said she went into the bedroom then and found the little satin bag she and Belinda were using to save cash for their plan of running away together. They’d put together a few hundred dollars.

“Then I just ran, Thea, I just ran. I didn’t want to go to prison. Because now you get it, right? You see what I mean when I said I knew the truth. It was really all my fault.” She glanced up and reached for her backpack. “I have to go.”

“Wait,” I said. “I’ll drive you to the bus.”

Stefan slapped his hands on his thighs and got up. I heard him going up the stairs, then the bathroom door slamming. Didn’t he realize I was just bluffing?

Esme said, “I’m going far away. Because things happen to people. Something could happen to me. In a deserted place, and I would just be there until I was a skeleton, all alone.” She added, “Things could happen to Stefan too.” She snapped her fingers. “Like that! That easily. If he remembered the wrong thing, he would tell you, and you would tell the police.”

If he remembered the wrong thing? There is only one story...

“What wrong thing?” I said. “Are you talking about Jill? Is this tied up in some weird way with Jill’s reputation? With vengeance?”

Emily said, “No,” and then, “Yes.” Then she said, “Trust me. You don’t know the side of her that I do.”