Far from it.
An hour later I’m lying in bed with Wes as he plants drunk kisses on my lips and neck, but I can’t stop thinking about Asher.
I pause the kissing, pulling away to look at Wes. “Did you tell Annica that Asher’s dad hits him?” I say.
“Hm? Oh, uh, like one time in high school I think I did. I’m surprised she even remembered.”
I sit up. “High school? You’ve known about that since high school?”
Wes sighs, turning on his side and propping up his head on a hand. “Um, no, it’s been going on for much longer than that.”
My mouth hangs open, and Wes leans in to kiss it but I pull away. “Wes,” I say. “How could you not tell anyone?”
He sighs again. “Sloane, you don’t understand.”
“I do understand, I saw it happen.”
“No, I mean everyone knows. My dad says it’s not our business.”
“How could he say that? That’s his nephew.”
“It’s complicated. My dad tried to offer to take in Asher and Kara when their mom passed but it started a huge fight so my dad told us to just stay out of it. He didn’t tell you about that during your fake relationship?”
I was starting to think he wasn’t going to bring it up. Like maybe it would just get swept under the rug. “I was going to tell you about that,” I say.
“Well, if we’re telling the truth, is there anything else you want to tell me?”
Your name is in that journal. Your name is in the journal and it’ll be you that dies last if we can’t catch who’s behind this. “No.”
When Wes falls asleep I text Asher.
I’m sorry.
He doesn’t reply.
It’s mid-February when Grange comes back to Pembroke’s campus to speak with me again.
“I told you everything I know, I gave you DNA samples, I don’t know what else I can even say,” I tell him when we sit down at the Bean.
“I just have a few more questions,” he says, and I can tell he’s tired.
“Well, I have questions for you too. Did you arrest Miles after he forced himself on me? Did you look into Kate?”
“You know I can’t share that information, as I’ve told you almost every week now.”
“Well, you must not have if you’re still looking. Tristan comes back from Europe in two weeks—you have to make this go quicker.”
“It’s going as quick as it can. We’ve had to work with the departments in North Winwick and Pembroke to reopen these other cases, comb through security tapes, interview witnesses. This is not a speedy process.”
“And you’ve talked to the Hollands?”
He sighs. “They’re both clean.”
“Did you search their homes?”
“Sloane.” He doesn’t have to say anything else: The tone in his voice is the one my mom uses when the conversation is over.
I go on anyway. “What about Marissa Wilder? Anything on her?”
