Taylor narrows her eyes. “You know what Lydia said to me at family dinner? It’s so crazy. You’re going to die when you hear this.” She grabs my arm like we’re still friends or something. “She told me that Hollis is herbest friend. Lydia ismysister. That makes her my best friend. Me. Not Hollis. Hollis is just sucking up to my sister because that’s how everyone treats Lydia. She can do no wrong. She’s perfect. She’s a mom. Hollis is probably getting ready to wear her skin as a suit.”
“Taylor Grace, I’m—” I straighten. “I really need to go. I have to work the shop, so unless you want to help—”
“Help you?” The fury is back. “Help you? This is my shop. You need to help me!” she screams. “I do literally everything around here. Everything!” Taylor Grace storms out.
My ears are still ringing when, a few minutes later, Hollis creeps in.
“Sorry, I was hiding out in the yarn stall. I just can’t face her right now.”
We stare in the direction in which Taylor Grace stormed off.
“I really think she’s gotten more unhinged in the past couple of months.” Hollis sounds a little shell-shocked.
“Yeah, I noticed that too,” I say dryly then remember who I’m talking to. Right. Hollis is potentially a murderer. Back on track. “What do you think triggered it?” I ask her carefully.
“Oh, Willow.” She grabs my hand. “I don’t think it was you. Taylor Grace is just like that with people. She’s all besties with them, then the discard happens. It’s like that with everyone. I tried to be her friend—really, I did—but she’s just so… Taylor. I want to be there for her, I do, but—” She sighs. “And her birthday is coming up next month. She keeps saying she wants to go on abig girls’ trip, but, like, who’s going to plan it? Lydia? Now she’s saying that she has something bigger and better planned and her fake friends aren’t invited.”
“She’s probably planning a romantic getaway.” I think of Hughes.
Hollis grimaces. “She told you about the affair, then.”
“Oh, yeah,” I say, trying to lead her on. Is this the confession?
“I seriously—I did everything for her, you know.” Hollis is anguished.
Including killing for her?
“I really tried to be her friend. I lent her my car, let her live with me, spent hours on the phone with her each night. She did nothing but complain about everyone in my life, trying to alienate me from my friends and family. From you, from my mom, from Lydia. From—” She chewed on her lip. “I just made horrible decisions when I was with her.”
“That’s understandable, Hollis.” I try to sound reassuring. “You couldn’t have known.”
“It’s like she sucks you into a trap.”
“Exactly. The same thing happened to me, then I found myself in horrible debt with this shop in the red. All this money spent for nothing. It almost makes me want to kill something. I get so angry and frustrated sometimes.”
“I know.” Hollis sobs. “She just ruins your life, and then, when you try to explain it to someone, they just think you’re crazy. And then you find yourself doing horrible things, and you think, ‘Oh my gosh, Iamcrazy.’”
“I completely understand.” I decide to make my move. “What happened exactly with Jonah?”
“Oh, you… you know.” She collapses, wailing. “Oh, Jonah. It was a mistake. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“Just tell me how he died.”
“How he—” Her eyes widen. She blinks up at me. “I don’t know how he died. I thought you were talking about the affair.”
“The affair?”
She sniffles. “Jonah and I were sleeping together.”
“But you said you did something horrible.”
“I did,” she wails. “The reason I’m working for you? Taylor convinced me you were evil, that you were out to get her. I believed her lies. She claimed she had an abusive childhood and that everyone always lied to her, and she was convinced that you were trying to steal her company. She wanted me to spy on you.”
I wish she would take this company. I would love to just be rid of it.
“I know,” Hollis says earnestly. “You’re such a hard worker, and you always make sure Rose and I get paid, and you give people free food. I saw that I was wrong. I’m so sorry. She and I used to talk so much shit about you.” Her chin wobbles. “And I feel so terrible. I hope you can forgive me. I want us to be friends.”
I rub her back as she sobs.
