Her tone invites a new possibility of untoward intention, and I know I need to shut it down immediately lest this conversation becomes something else. ‘What? Peyton, do you think I’m –’

‘You better fucking not be.’

‘I’m not. I sort of can’t believe you’d even say that.’

‘Then what are you doing?’ Nothing. I don’t want to say. ‘Mona. Mo. Na. What are you doing?’

I’ve been caught, I realize, and I’d try to weasel my way out of any similar situation but Peyton is the sort of stubborn person to sit here interrogating me all night until I’ve given her a satisfactory answer. ‘Fine. Roxy.’

‘You’re doing Roxy?’

‘We’re investigating. Her disappearance.’

Peyton lets her head fall into her hands. ‘Oh no, oh no …’

‘We don’t think she killed herself.’

‘Please don’t encourage him, Mona. Please.’

‘He approached me about looking into it, and of course I’m curious. I want to help him.’

‘Oh, so you’re gonna casually mess up a kid’s life to satiate your curiosity?’

‘What do you mean, mess up his life? And he was gonna do it anyway.’

‘That’s a shitty reason!’ There’s a knocking from the other side of the wall that makes me jump. Peyton speaks in a hiss. ‘That’s a really shitty reason. By that logic, you know, fuck laws, right? Who needs ’em! They’re gonna do it anyway. People are gonna murder people anyway!’

‘OK, fine. Here’s a reason – I think he might be right.’

‘How? You don’t know anything about these people. You literally just got here. This place is fun for the summer, and it’s fun to sort of dip in and out, but you can tell they’re heavy, Mona. Heavy with … something. All quiet and weighed down. You should know that better than anyone.’

‘Because of Roxy. And that’s what we’re unpicking. We’re righting things.’

‘They all hate Ellis enough without him snooping around for no reason.’

‘Him and Sylvia are moving away at the end of the summer, anyway. Ellis wants to know. You said to take care of him. That’s what I’m doing.’ Using him. Using him. Shut up. ‘I’m keeping an eye on him so he won’t get hurt. Isn’t that better than letting him stumble blindly into this himself?’

‘You’re letting him buy into false hope.’

I bite my tongue. Not false hope. Not a fantasy. His life. Everyone’s lives. ‘But I think he’s right.’

‘Then you’re much dumber than I thought you were and maybe that’s why Harvard said no.’