Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91809 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“Sometimes, she wouldn’t come home for days because they went on a trip together, or she was staying at his place. Her parents didn’t even notice.” A trace of sympathy crossed her face till she stamped anger down on it. “Anyway, I’m telling you this because Everton kept this up even after he ditched his trial and went on the run.
“He rented a property nearby under an alias and sent for her whenever he could.” She tapped the page. “Everleigh made us promise not to tell.”
It was true. Written in the bubbly, honest speech of a nine-year-old, Everleigh gushed about her daddy’s secret cabin in the woods. I read a short, sweet little paragraph on how much fun she had roasting marshmallows, curling up in sleeping bags under the stars, and fishing for pike.
“Do you see?”
“See what?” I asked.
“Pike, my sweet little dummy.” Katie would always be Katie. “It’s a freshwater fish and we’re surrounded by ocean. There’s only one freshwater river that cuts through the forest. Everleigh doesn’t live on campus, but she still blows off going home for days or weeks at a time.
“I told you she stopped being real with us a long time ago, so I don’t know where she goes, but it did cross my mind that the cabin could still be there. Everton left everything to her when he died, so...”
“So if she inherited this cabin, she’d never sell or give away a place that was special to both of them. A home where she was actually safe and loved,” I finished. “I bet it’s also the place where she plans everything. That’s where the dirt is. Not in HapApp or on the T.O.D. web server, but in that cabin. Katie, you’re helping already.”
“I have to,” she replied. “I don’t have to tell you that Captain Capaldi isn’t going to arrest her, do I?”
I shook my head.
“It’s not that she’s corrupt, though she is. It’s that she knows a lost cause when she sees it. Connor already confessed to burning down the Gallery, and you already confessed to sabotaging and attacking Royals to get revenge for your sister. If Capaldi tries to put Everleigh in a courtroom, not a single charge will stick.”
“I know this. I assume Captain Capaldi had the same thought when she refused to take Winter’s statement and took the dean’s word over hers when she reported her rape.”
Katie’s eyes widened.
“I just announced to an entire restaurant that I reported Everleigh to the captain. When it all comes out and no one can deny the truth anymore, the first question they’ll ask is why the cops did nothing. Our friendly neighborhood corrupt captain is going down with her.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “About Ashton Scott... Please tell me Everleigh didn’t use the club and paid him to do that to her.”
“I can’t be sure what she told him to do, but Everleigh blackmailed my boyfriend’s father to shoot me and leave me to burn. I don’t think there’s any line she won’t cross.”
Katie went to her desk again. She was trying to hide it, but I knew she mourned the friend she thought she knew. “We should try to find that cabin. Satellite view on the GPS should narrow it down.”
I joined her. An hour passed while we used the flimsy details in the journal to narrow down the list of cabins close to the river. Between that, I flipped through, reading the passages in Everleigh’s unique handwriting. I didn’t have to ask anymore how she became such a cold, heartless person.
The abuse was never physical, but the wounds from her parents’ neglect ran as deep. Ignored birthdays. Vacations where she was left behind with a nanny. Constant taunts and insults from her stepfather. Cold indifference from her mother. The only time the nine-year-old Everleigh wrote with any joy was when she talked about her time with Everton.
It was clear he was the only parent who loved her. I understood that losing him shattered her. I even understood her wanting revenge against the man who killed him. But what I’d never understand or forgive is that she hurt Winter—an innocent person—to get that revenge. Some lines should never be crossed.
No matter how much I hated Saylor, I removed all the secrets about other people that she shared in the texts. I wasn’t about to step on innocents to bring her down. The Royals may have been raised to believe everyone was fair game, but that was just another lesson they’d pay for when I brought the Royal line crumbling to its knees.
“Twelve cabins along the river, but only five that aren’t beneath a Starling,” Katie announced. “Start with these.”
“How will I know if I got the right place? Everleigh’s smart. She’ll catch a tail right away.”
“You’re right.” Katie chewed her lip. “You can’t follow her there, and you can’t be sure of her car because Grant has a dozen of them. She drives whichever one fits her mood. She’s rarely home, so I guess you could wait until late at night, check each one, and you’ll know you’ve got it when you peek through the window and see her eating ice cream in her pajamas on the couch.”