“People are accusing him of something horrible,” she continued. She chose her words carefully, knowing just how close to home they must hit. “And, believe me, he has done horrible stuff. But I don’t know. My gut is telling me that this thing… it isn’t him.” Sydney slumped down with a sigh. “Maybe my gut’s the problem. I think it might have multiple personalities.”
“No way,” Joey said immediately. “Your gut is all you have, Sydney.” He turned toward her, his expression fierce. “You’ve got to trust your instincts. When you don’t… that’s when you get lost.”
Sydney closed her eyes. When they’d accused Joey of being the darer, had she really believed it could be him? Or had she just followed along blindly like everyone else? She wanted to believe that she was different, but the heat in her cheeks told her otherwise. She had never actually stopped and wondered if what they were doing felt right.
She opened her eyes. Joey was still watching her, a concerned expression on his face. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “Thanks.”
Her dad was a million and one things, but he wasn’t the darer. She felt it deep down in her gut, in that place that went beyond thinking, beyond logic.
Now she just had to prove it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Saturday, 9:25 PM
From the Neddles Island bridge, Calum’s house looked as if it belonged in a painting. The windows glimmered with light, casting a deep glow across the sloping, leaf-scattered yard. On every side, the ocean rose to meet the grass, waves black and thrashing: a water-fence that grew and shrank, grew and shrank. The house itself brimmed with revelers. From a distance, they looked like bright splotches, dotting the deck and moving between windows.
Tenley felt a dart of satisfaction as she drove through the iron gates, which had been propped open for the night. For two days now, she and Emerson had been secretly following Matt Morgan around, on the hunt for any proof of foul play. But Matt’s life had turned out to be annoyingly boring. No rendezvous or illicit meet-ups. Just firehouse and home, plus a few stops at a therapist’s office.
There were still things that didn’t quite fit, too. How did Matt connect to the kidnapper, for one? And where did Caitlin and Tenley, not to mention Sydney, work into Matt’s motives? And, to top it all off, where was all the money coming from? Their darer had deep pockets—deep enough to rig their cars with surveillance and pay off Gerry Hackensack, the previous fire chief. Matt Morgan was the local fire chief; it was a noble job, but not a high-paying one. So who was funding him?
They couldn’t actually do anything until they had more information. Emerson kept hoping Delancey’s key would bring them answers. But the purple door—if that’s even what it opened—still eluded them.
She might have failed in darer-land, but at least she’d succeeded here. The party was packed.
Calum’s voice greeted her as she stepped inside the house’s marble-floored entryway. “Rule number three,” he boomed. “No going in the basement!” His voice was so loud that it echoed off the windowed walls and rattled the crystal chandeliers that dangled in every room. Tenley looked around, searching for its owner. But Calum was nowhere to be found. Instead, her eyes landed on a large intercom jutting out from the wall. A green light was flashing at the top of it.
“Obey those three rules,” the voice continued, exploding out of the intercom’s speaker, “and you can partake in all the debauchery you please!”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Tenley growled. She pushed her way through throngs of people, hunting for Calum’s white-blond head. She finally spotted him in the kitchen, talking to Abby Wilkins. Tenley strode over and grabbed his arm. “Can I borrow Calum for a second, Abby? We have some party logistics to discuss.”
Holding tightly to Calum’s arm, she yanked him into the pantry off the kitchen. The shelves were packed with canned food, enough to feed an army. For a second it distracted her. “Is there an apocalypse coming that I should know about?”
“Octo-storm,” Calum replied solemnly. “Though we’re always stocked at the Bauer household. My dad says that preparation is akin to—”
“Forget I asked.” Tenley put her hands on her hips, glowering up at Calum. “Rules? Over an intercom? That was not in my party-planning guide, Calum!”
“I took artistic liberty,” Calum replied. “This house is my dad’s baby. It’s important that no one swing on the chandeliers—they’re all antiques—or go in the basement, where my dad has an office, or use the bedrooms for, well, you know, romantic relations. The intercom was the most efficient way to spread the word.”
Tenley swallowed back a groan. “Here. I have something for you.” She pulled a small, gift-wrapped box out of her purse and handed it to Calum. “Happy birthday. It’s a thumb drive,” she added before he could bother to unwrap it. “You know, for all your computer stuff.”
Calum’s jaw came unhinged as he stared at the box. “I… uh… wow.”
“You don’t have to look so surprised,” Tenley huffed. She started back to the kitchen, and Calum followed. She scanned hopefully for Tim, but she didn’t see him anywhere.
“Right,” Calum said quickly. “I just…” He shook his head, sticking the box in his pocket. “Never mind. Thank you, Tenley,” he said, his voice turning formal.
“You’re welcome.” Tenley’s cheeks warmed. “Now time to forget the rules, Calum, and have what we common folk like to call fun.” She grabbed a beer off the counter and passed it to him.
Calum glanced past her as he took it. She turned around to find Sydney making her way through the crowd, looking as if she’d rather be mucking a horse stall than attending this party. Tenley bounced nervously on the balls of her feet. Sydney had been avoiding Tenley and Emerson ever since their fight in the tree house on Thursday. But finally, Tenley and Emerson had agreed: Sydney had to know what they’d found in her dad’s trophy box, whether she wanted to hear it or not. So a few hours earlier, Tenley had sent Sydney a text, detailing their finds. She hadn’t heard back.
Tenley had assumed she wouldn’t be seeing Sydney tonight, considering her aversion to all things Winslow. Not even Emerson was coming to the party, claiming she needed a break from the whole human species. But here Sydney was. By the way Calum was gazing at her, Tenley had to assume he’d talked her into coming.
Tenley shifted nervously as Sydney made her way toward them. For the first time, she noticed that there was a guy with her. He had buzzed hair and chiseled features, and he wore a Red Sox T-shirt that showed off defined arms. Tenley rocked backward in surprise when she recognized him. “What’s Joey Bakersfield doing here?”
“I don’t know.” Calum frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. He’s nervous to see Sydney, Tenley realized.
“The big one-eight,” Sydney said when she reached the kitchen. “Feeling one year wiser yet?”
“Still waiting on that.” Calum gave Sydney a small smile. “I’m glad you came.”
“Look who’s in town,” Sydney said, gesturing at Joey. She kept her attention firmly on Calum as she spoke.
“Good to see you, Joey.” Calum extended his hand for the most awkward handshake Tenley had ever witnessed. “You’re at Danford now, right?”
Joey nodded. “Yup.” An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. It was made even more pronounced by the laughter and voices walling them in.
“Calum went to Danford for a while!” Tenley jumped in. She smiled in Sydney’s direction, but Sydney ignored her. “Have you heard of any crazy senior pranks yet, Joey?” Tenley persisted, remembering Calum’s story.
Joey scrunched up his forehead. “Senior pranks?”
“Yeah, there were wild ones when you were there, right, Calum?” Tenley nudged him in the side with a pointed look. “You helped some seniors make strawberry jelly squirt out of showerheads or something?”
“Yeah, the pranks can get pretty intense.” Calum sneaked a peek at Sydney before focusing back on Joey. “But you’re new. I’m sure you’ll hear all about them once you acclimate.”
“You’ll have to tell us what the next one is,” Tenley continued.
Crash!
The sound of breaking glass made them all jump. Tenley turned around to find a gorgeous stained glass lamp lying in a million shattered pieces on the floor. “Sorry!” Lizzy Helman squealed, swaying unsteadily on her feet.
Calum sighed. “I better…”
“We’ll help,” Sydney supplied quickly. By the way she grabbed Joey’s arm, it was clear the we did not include Tenley.
Tenley turned in a slow circle. All around her people were laughing and drinking. Nearby, Missy Henderson and Hannah Welsh were cuddled in the corner of a couch, heads bent together. If Tenley squinted, it could be her and Caitlin there instead, so close it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. She looked away, her chest squeezing.
She moved farther into the house. She’d hoped this party would lure out the darer, so what better time to start the hunt than now? No one was talking to her anyway. But when she neared the dining room, she faltered. Tim was in there, laughing with his friends. He looked up, his eyes meeting hers. He gave her the tiniest of smiles, and suddenly hope wafted through Tenley, silencing all thoughts of the darer. Tim had changed his mind. He was going to come over. He—