"Jordan, stop." Brittany grabs my arm, but I rip out of her grip and continue toward the cabin. Brittany stops walking. "J... Just talk to me."
I ignore her, continue to the cabin. I'm not playing these games anymore. I'm going home. With Kyle or without Kyle. I'm getting down the mountain today.
I'm stuffing clothes into my suitcase without stopping to fold them when Brittany grabs my arm again. "Jordan, we need to talk."
I turn on her, cross my arms over my chest. "Why did you lie about your phone?"
Her lips purse into a smile as she holds the phone up. "This isn't my phone, J."
My eyes narrow at her before I take a closer look at the phone. It's true. She's had the same rose gold iPhone since high school, sometimes with a clear case filled with glitter, other times completely bare. This one is black and chipped in the corners.
"I don't even know the password, J." She slides the unlock bar, keys in her four-digit password, Claire's birthday, but the screen shakes to show the attempt was incorrect. "Your brother is trying to turn us against each other."
I stare at her, thinking her defense over. She could have a second phone. She could be pretending not to know the password.
She takes my face in her hand. "Can't you see what he's trying to do?"
I take a step back, let her hand fall to her side.
She makes a hurt noise in the back of her throat. "Jordan... Are you serious? Did you just forget that we watched Zach kill your own dad?"
"And I killed some high school kid," I snap. "What's the difference between the two of us?"
Brittany steps closer and takes my hand in hers again. "You're letting them get in your head, J. You are not the same as your brother. He tried to murder us. He murdered my sister. He murdered Kyle's brother."
I scoff.
Her eyebrows pull together as she attempts to read my face. "Do you think Zachary is innocent?"
I pause, fiddle with the zipper on my jacket. The only way we're going to get through this is with honesty. I've been trying to hide things from Brittany to spare her feelings but this is life or death. If she leaves me, that's fine. At least she'll be alive.
"Zachary told me you convinced him to murder Claire," I blurt. "You and Kyle. He said you guys wanted your siblings dead and you found us because our mom was known for being crazy and you used him as a... Like a pawn in a game." I shake my head. "And then Kyle shows up here? And he's saying you asked him to?"
"Jordan, I—"
"Grace told me when Zachary kidnapped you, you went into the basement willingly. You weren't tied up."
Brittany stops chewing her gum, thinks for a moment. "And?"
"Why would you go into the basement willingly?" I'm shouting. I can't help but let out some of the frustration that's been building in my chest since this trip started.
Brittany raises an eyebrow at me. "He had a knife, Jordan."
I freeze. Good point.
"But why did Zachary trust you enough to let you walk around on your accord? It seems like a really bad idea to let your kidnap victims wander around by themselves."
Brittany lets out a breathless laugh. "Zachary had a bigger crush on me than you did, J. I just played him like I played everyone else." After a silent moment, she adds, "why didn't you talk to me about this?"
"I didn't want to fight anymore," I admit. "I didn't want to lose you." I open my mouth to say something but there's a lump in my throat. "It started to feel like all we do is fight."
Brittany's expression melts, her eyebrows pull together, and instead of responding, she shakes her head. "I know. Sometimes I wonder if we should have stayed friends."
It feels like there's a golf ball in my throat as I try to speak. "Are you... You're breaking up with me?"
Brittany smirks, rolls her eyes. "No. It's just something I think about sometimes."
I swallow, nod once. It's all I can manage to keep the tears at bay, to keep myself from breaking down in front of her. She's so stoic. It's intimidating. So, I shove the rest of my belongings in my bag and zip it up before I follow her into the snow and up to the common room without saying a word. Letting the tension ebb and flow between us as she holds the door for me.
Kyle, Ron, and Roger are standing around the dining table when we make our way into the room. Their palms are pressed firmly against the tabletop, their brows furrowed as they stare down at a notebook.
"You're sure this is hers?" Kyle asks.
Ron nods, chews his cheek. "It was only her and her boyfriend in that cabin."
The three of them look at me at the same time and I swear, Roger's lips perk into a sly grin before he slams his fists into the table and shouts, "You!"
He's charging me, his heavy work boots thumping against the hardwood floor as tears stream down his cheeks. "You killed my boy!" He shoves a stubby finger toward me but Brittany steps in front of him, shielding me with her body.
"Why don't you take a step back, lumberjack." She blows a bubble with her gum, pops it.
"Your friend killed my boy! We have proof!"
Brittany crosses her arms over her chest. "What are you talking about?" If she's nervous, she doesn't show it. There's no hitch in her voice. Her demeanor is steady, her words smooth.
Ron pats Roger on the back. "I asked Officer Hemmett to check Clementine's cabin for any clues as to what's been going on around here." He passes a notebook to Brittany. "He found this."
I scan the paragraph-long journal entry over her shoulder, the breath stuck in my chest as I wait for the punchline.
We read it at the same time. I can tell by the way Brittany's shoulders fall. It's like the air is being sucked from the room.
I followed Joey today but I wasn't expecting to witness a murder. I saw her throw that poor boy over the railing in the barn. I'm totally going to use this to blackmail her.
Brittany closes the notebook and passes it back to Ron. "Conveniently left out that part about it being self-defense," she mutters. "Stupid citrus bitch. Who keeps diaries anymore anyway?"
"Self-defense?" Roger shouts. "My boy—"
"Cool it," Kyle orders. "What are you talking about Britt?"
A glimmer of hope sparks in my chest. I never would have guess Kyle could be on my side one day.
Brittany shrugs. "He had a knife. He was attacking Jordan."
Roger waves her explanation away. "Bullshit!"
Kyle's eyebrows perk up. "Do you have the knife?"
I shake my head. "Clementine took it so she could blackmail me."
"I'm going to do one more sweep of her room," Kyle offers. "That knife could be the key to your freedom."
Ron squeezes his shoulder and shakes his head. "Unfortunately, that will not be possible. I called the Mono County police department earlier. Since the murder took place in their jurisdiction, they'd like the room to be locked until they send someone up."
Kyle opens his mouth to say something when Ron claps his hands together and cuts him off. "They also told me to keep you here until their officer shows up." He motions for me to follow him. "The officer's on his way now. Until then, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me." He motions toward the door that leads to the back where the cabins are.
"You can't take her. We'll wait right here," Brittany argues.
Ron makes a clicking noise in the back of his throat. "Seeing as the crime your friend is being accused of is so... Horrific, I'd rather have her someplace safe." His eyes flick to Roger and back. "I can assure you, this is in everyone's best interest, sweetie."
Roger is staring at me, his eyes narrowed. I want to tell Ron I'd like to see him try something but this isn't the best time to pick fights.
"It's okay," I tell Brittany and take her hand in mine. "Go home with Kyle." I kiss her knuckles gently. "Promise me you'll go home."
Her eyes go wide at the suggestion. She doesn't hesitate to shake her head. "Are you insane? I'm not leaving you here."
Ron grabs my shoulder, begins pulling me along with him. I don't resist. I can't give them more of a reason to doubt me, can't give them any reason to try and keep Brittany here too.
Brittany turns on Kyle. "Can't you do something?"
His eyes are fixed on me as he shakes his head. "It's out of my jurisdiction, Britt." He sounds genuine and finally, it clicks. Maybe he can't help me, but there's still hope for Brittany.
"Kyle!" I call out as Ron guides me outside.
He raises his eyebrows at me.
"Take her home!" I beg. "It's not safe here. If you care about her at all, you'll take her home!"