Chapter 16 - A Truly Perfect Group of Friends
☼
﹏﹏﹏
Austin - Saturday, 11:30 AM
The air is cold as Mia opens the front door. I see her gaze drift towards the window. I couldn't erase the scratches made with the knife, but I closed the shutters from the outside to avoid drawing attention to them. I squeeze her hand in mine, and we head towards my motorcycle parked on the opposite sidewalk. I help her get settled and fasten her helmet despite her protests that she can do it herself. I climb in front of her, and before starting the engine, I turn my head towards her. "Ready?" She tightens her arms around me. "If you are." I start the engine.
I have a knot in my stomach, even though I don't dare admit it. I know I have to do it, I have to question and suspect my best friends, but I'm not like Mia.
She has always been suspicious by nature, not trusting everyone and being rational, but these are my best friends. People I've known inside out since childhood. I don't dare admit it, but I think I'm mostly afraid of discovering that I don't know them as well as I thought. "What if someone is lying about their alibi?" Mia's question has haunted me since this morning. What if she's right? What if the culprit isn't Mr. Ward but one of us? I'm convinced otherwise, but as Mia says, all leads must be investigated.
Just for that, I have to do it, to eliminate them once and for all from the list of suspects.
The ride to the beach is rather short. As we pass through the streets, my gaze lingers on the posters of Cara plastered everywhere by Ethan and his group.
They're all still there and seem to catch the attention of the town residents. I feel Mia's hands gripping my t-shirt. I park in front of one of the restaurants around the beach and get off at the same time as Mia. She takes out her phone and looks around. "The girls shouldn't be long. I'll be able to see what's wrong with Anna."
"I'm going to Ethan's; the guys are already there. I'll keep you updated, okay?"
I'm surprised when she tiptoes and wraps her arms around my neck. "What are you doing, Mia?" I smile as I bring my face closer to hers. "Aren't you afraid someone will see us?"
"No, I don't care. What we have is serious, right?" My lips on hers answer her question. The kiss is gentle, and I feel her hands on my cheeks. She pulls away, and I take her hand in mine. She turns her gaze away, and her face takes on a surprised expression. Her mouth forms a silent "oh," and I turn around to see the girls standing a few meters in front of us. Allison has a big smile and applauds while Heather and Anna look at us with the same expression as Mia.
I turn back to Mia, smiling wide, and give her a kiss on the forehead before greeting the girls and leaving.
I arrive at Ethan's place about ten minutes later and walk in directly. I hear the guys in Ethan's room and join them. Jace and Ethan are engrossed in a video game, while Matt and Max are sitting next to them on their phones. "Hey guys," I greet them and sit on the edge of the bed. Ethan throws his controller at Max and turns to me. "How's Mia this morning? Any news?"
"Eh, she's on edge," I intentionally omit, albeit reluctantly, the threats she received.
"Do you have any idea who could have done this? I'm convinced Cara's father has something to do with it," I run my hand through my hair and nervously play with the chain around my neck. The others turn to me and silently observe. "During the last night she was seen, are you sure you didn't see anything unusual? Suspicious? Anything?"
Jace puts down his controller, and the game is paused. A heavy silence hangs in the room. "We've already told Mia everything. It was a normal night, we didn't hear anything out of the ordinary."
The others nod in silence, and I persist a bit longer. "And this summer, did you notice anything?" I look at all of them, focusing a little more on Ethan. I feel his jaw tighten, and his hand brushes over his beard. He sighs in frustration and sits up straight. "We had communication issues, and she became more withdrawn, but we've known each other since childhood, and we love each other. We're planning to move in together next year. It wasn't anything serious. Well, that's what I thought..." He puts his head in his hands and murmurs, "I should have dug deeper into the problem. I should never have let her go home alone that night, damn it." His honest and worried gaze meets mine, and I fully understand the sense of powerlessness he feels. Jace puts his arm around his shoulder.
"We'll find her. The police have started the search and haven't found any body, so that's a good sign. We just need to keep looking."
"I know where," Ethan responds, raising his head towards me with a determined look. "At the psycho's place." The tension in the room is palpable, and I meet Max's worried gaze as he leans against the window. "We can't just go to Eddie's like that, but we can search that side of the island." Matt tries to be diplomatic, and I agree with his idea. "There are search teams organized by the mayor and the police chief throughout the day. Can we join one of them?" Max adds to Matt's idea.
"Then let's go," Ethan abruptly stands up, already ready to leave, and I step aside to send a message to Mia, informing her of the situation.
☼
﹏﹏﹏
Mia - Saturday, 1 PM
We are all sitting on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the beach when I receive a message from Austin. They are joining a search team on the other side of the island.
I reply to him and put away my phone to watch the girls sipping their drinks. My gaze lingers on Anna. She is silent next to Heather. Her red hair is tangled, and dark circles mark her eyes. Her knee shakes incessantly, and she avoids making eye contact with me like the plague.
"Is everything okay, Anna?" I force her to engage in conversation, and Heather looks at me with understanding. Allison takes Anna's hand in hers and continues, "You can tell us what it is, right? We're here for you." She nods, and her gaze falls to her feet. She hunches her back.
"You need to tell us if you know something, Anna." I instantly regret saying that as she suddenly looks up at me and straightens up angrily. "You think I have something to do with this, right?! All of you do!" She stands up so abruptly that her glass falls and shatters on the floor.
The few people around us turn abruptly, and we hear whispers like "It's her, it's her best friends... They should be helping, and they're here." "Maybe they..." The murmurs amplify, and I try to calm Anna down and get her to sit back, but she looks around frantically.
She seems to be in the midst of a paranoid episode. Allison, who is next to her, stands up as well, but Anna pushes her, and she falls to the ground. "Allison!" I rush to help her up, and she struggles to stand. "What the hell, Anna, what's your problem!"
"You're my problem!" She screams hysterically before rushing out of the café, under the stunned gaze of all the witnesses.
"Allison, are you okay?" I ask, extending my hand to her. She takes it in hers, and I can tell from her expression that she doesn't understand what's happening. "I'll go after her and take her home," Heather grabs her car keys and goes after Anna. I turn to Allison and state, "What the hell is going on?"
After apologizing for the damage and paying for our drinks, Allison and I quickly leave the place and decide to walk towards her car. "Something really happened this summer. There's a distance between all of us, and it's only getting worse."
"Do you think Anna is still taking her medication?" I know Allison is very close to her, so if anyone knows, it's her. "I... I don't know. I'm ashamed, but we also drifted apart a bit during the vacation. I was working, and she was off the island, and..." she pauses and sighs before continuing, "If I tell you a secret, promise me you won't say anything?" "Yes, of course!" I look at her, and she continues.
"I talked a lot with Max this summer, and we grew closer. It's new, so we don't want to talk about it with anyone, except you now, but I really love him, and he feels the same way."
"Oh..." a smile escapes my lips, and I'm genuinely happy for the two of them. They are really cute together.
"I need to confess something to you about that night now that you know this." My smile disappears immediately, and I stop. She does the same, and her voice trembles slightly. "On the night Cara disappeared, I took Anna home, but I didn't stay with her. Max came to pick me up, and we went to his place. Anna was asleep when I left, but the next morning... When I came back..." Her gaze is ashamed, and she tucks strands of hair behind her ear.
"When I came back around 6 a.m., her bed was empty. She didn't come back until a few hours later, around 9 a.m. I pretended to be asleep, and she didn't ask me where I had been, so I didn't ask either. I thought maybe she also had a hidden boyfriend or girlfriend. But her behavior and what happened today..." She looks at me with a lost and sad expression. "I'm her best friend, and yet I wonder if she could be capable of that..." Her lips tremble, and I can sense tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mia. I should have told you earlier." She bursts into tears, and I feel helpless in front of her. I embrace her, and she sobs against me. "You don't have to worry. I know this whole situation is completely crazy, but we will find her, and everything will go back to how it was." My voice sounds so fake that I can't even convince myself anymore.
Where are you, Cara?
⋆☾⋆