“That could have gone better,” she said, wringing out her hair.
“It wasn’t for nothing. I think you’re onto something with your theory about Ben.”
“Did you see how Mia reacted? She looked like she had no idea. I can understand Ben not telling anyone he committed a murder. But wouldn’t he at least have told her if he took the money?”
“She said Ben had accused her of not trusting his friends.Maybe he didn’t think Mia would react well if he told her he gave the money to Theo for safekeeping.”
“But ifhetrusted Theo, why give him the money and then turn around and kill him?”
“Greed?” I offered. “Maybe they had an argument over what to do with it?”
“Maybe. But how are we going to prove any of it? Mia’s probably calling Ben right now. Once he knows we’re onto him, he’s going to cover his tracks.”
“Or come after us.” I got a chill remembering what Ben had said when we’d cornered him in his office.My job is to make problems disappear.
Is that what Theo had become—a problem?
“Either way, we shouldn’t stick around. Let’s go find Cam and Zoey and get out of here.” I stepped into the hall. The house was in a frenzy. The music had abruptly cut off, and everyone was shouting at one another as they stumbled out of bedrooms and flocked to the windows.
Who called the cops?
We weren’t being that loud!
Shit, somebody hide the bong.
Vero and I backed into the bathroom and slammed the door. She hiked up her dripping pant leg. A red light flickered faintly on her ankle monitor. It made a staticky noise before it finally sputtered out.
A familiar voice boomed outside.
“I’m looking for Veronica Ramirez,” Officer Oates called into the house.
I locked the bathroom door. “Quick, take your belt off!”
Vero pulled up her wet sweater and tore the transmitter belt from her waist. She looked frantically around her for somewhere to stash it. “What am I supposed to do with it?” she cried.
“Throw it out the window!” If Officer Oates was looking for Vero inside the house, then putting the transmitter outside the house seemed like our only move. Vero shoved open the window and dropped the belt behind the bushes. She slammed the window shut, locked it, and straightened the blind. I fired off a quick text to Cam, letting him know where it was and asking him to sneak it out of there before anyone managed to spot it.
We started at a loud rap on the bathroom door.
“Veronica Ramirez? This is Officer Oates. I know you’re in there. You can come out on your own, or I can come in there and get you. What’s it going to be?”
“Wait!” I whispered, holding the door shut. “What are you going to tell her?”
“Nothing.” Vero reached around me, opened the door, and faced off with Officer Oates. “I’m not saying another word without my stupid attorney.”
CHAPTER 27
Officer Oates snapped a set of cuffs around Vero’s wrists and marched her down the hallway. I followed close behind them, checking my phone as I hurried to catch up. Where the hell was Cam, and why hadn’t he checked his messages? And why hadn’t all these drunk people left the party and gone home? The answer to that question became clear as I followed Officer Oates and Vero outside. There was a single unmarked police car parked at the foot of the driveway.
“You want to tell me why you’re not at home?” Officer Oates escorted Vero roughly through the gawking crowd in the front yard. Blue lights flashed in the front grille of Oates’s car, making the house look even more like a rave than it had before.
“I had an essential errand to run.”
Officer Oates stirred the air with a finger. “Does this place look like Wednesday night confession to you?”
“Give it a few hours. I’m betting everyone here will have plenty to confess once they’ve sobered up a little.” Vero winced as Oates shoved her a little too hard, propelling her faster down the driveway.
“How is it you were in your mother’s house fifteen minutes ago, and then suddenly, like magic, your GPS beacon disappears and you pop up at a frat party?”
