Alexa got to the Grille at ten minutes to seven and secured a seat at the bar. The bartender was a girl who had graduated a few years ago, Natalie Gallagher. She was really tall and really thin and had freckles and that gingery hair that works on some people and not on others. On Natalie it worked. Alexa had heard Natalie Gallagher had been in a J. Crew modeling shoot the year before. She smiled at Alexa like she knew her, so Alexa didn’t even try to order a drink. She got a seltzer with lime, and she saved the seat next to her—easier said than done; it was crowded. At exactly seven o’clock, Sherri walked in.

Sherri ordered a tequila shot, which she threw back without blinking.

Alexa couldn’t help saying, “Wow.”

“Listen,” said Sherri. “You sent me a text, the night your friend died. And I haven’t been able to talk to you about it, because, well . . . because obviously you were tied up with all of that awfulness, after the accident, and I wanted to respect you, respect your privacy. Respect your friend. And I’m so sorry about all of that. It’s really terrible.”

“Thank you,” said Alexa, bowing her head, waiting for the “but.”

“But. I need to know what you meant by the text that you sent me that night. I can’t remember the exact words. I deleted it—I can’t have texts like that on my phone.”

“Of course you can’t,” murmured Alexa.

“I know you said false alarm after, but it’s clear that you know something about me.”

Alexa took a sip of her seltzer. Sherri was watching her, waiting for an explanation. “The thing I said about somebody being after me. That was a misunderstanding. A huge, embarrassing misunderstanding. I’m really sorry. I never should have worried you. I was panicked, and scared, and I was confused about what was going on, and there was somebody knocking on my door. I’m so sorry.”

Sherri looked at Alexa for a long time, and then she said, “The part about knowing who I am. That part is what I’m concerned about here. I did a thorough search of Katie’s room the day after the party, and I read her diary. I’m assuming that you read it too. That’s the only way I can figure out that you’d know anything.”

Alexa nodded. “I saw it in her room one day, and I opened it, I don’t even know why I opened it, and once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I just couldn’t. And then I did some googling, and I put everything together. I’m so, so sorry.”