“We were wrong,” I said, holding Bennett’s gaze. “We thought we knew who had the money, but we didn’t find it. And Theo is alive. We were wrong about that, too.”
“We weren’t wrong about everything,” Vero muttered.
“What do you mean?” Mia looked at each of us in turn. The strained silence was interrupted by a second knock on the door.
“Zoey? Mia? It’s Ava,” a hushed voice called through it. “Let me in.”
Mia shoved Bennett out of the way. She threw open the lock, grabbed Ava by the front of her pajama top, and dragged her into the room with the rest of us.
Ava rubbed sleep from her eyes, squinting against the light. She took one look at Bennett, then me, then Cam, then Vero. “What’s going on? What are you all doing here?”
“I’d like the answer to that, too,” Mia said, crossing her arms. “Bennett just told me that Veronica and her friend were at Jackson’s shop tonight, making some pretty wild accusations about where the money disappeared to.”
“Don’t be mad,” Zoey pleaded.
“Vero and I just have some questions for you, Ava,” I said.
“I already told you everything I know!”
Vero shook her head. “You haven’t told us whatreallyhappened the morning the money went missing.”
Ava rolled her eyes. “You’re all delusional. I amnothaving this conversation with you.” She turned for the door.
Mia bolted the lock. “We areallhaving this conversation.”
Zoey wrung her hands. “But Ava already said she doesn’t know anything. Maybe we should just let her—”
Mia cut her off. “As the former president of this sorority andthe senior-most Kappa Gamma here, I am advising you both to take a seat. No one is leaving. We’re going to get to the bottom of all this, right now.”
Ava and Zoey sat reluctantly on the bed.
“Now,” Mia said with a tone of authority, “who wants to start?”
Vero opened her mouth to speak but closed it as we all registered a sudden commotion in the hall. Doors opened one by one. Voices murmured, growing louder until they were calling from room to room.
What’s going on?
Why are the police downstairs?
It’s the middle of the night. Is everyone okay?
A woman’s commanding voice spoke over them: “I need you all to go back inside and close your doors until a member of campus security or Officer Oates comes to your rooms to talk to you.”
“That’s Celeste,” Ava whispered. Zoey looked like she might be sick.
I nearly choked. “Officer Oates ishere?”
Cam yelped as Vero kicked him with her ankle monitor. “I thought you said this thing wasn’t working!” she whispered.
“It’s not! Someone must have tipped them off.” Cam scrambled for the duct-taped belt on Zoey’s desk, looking around frantically for someplace to hide it. Bennett shot me a warning look.
I pried back the shade just enough to peep outside. Blue lights flashed against the glass. “We can’t go out the window. There’s a campus police car in the staff lot. It looks like we’re trapped.” Down the hall, the campus police were already knocking on doors. We had minutes at the most until they’d get to Zoey’s.
Ava shot to her feet. “I’m not staying in this room and becoming an accomplice to whatever it is you’re doing here.”
Vero beat her to the door and held it shut. “You’re not leavinguntil you answer my questions. Did you or did you not let yourself into my room the morning the money went missing?”
Ava’s mouth hardened. “Why would you even ask me that? I don’t see how that’s important—”
