"Kaitlynn, she was pure evil... a waste of life," Ariana said, stepping forward to look right into her friend's eyes. Kaitlynn, however, averted her gaze. She couldn't stop staring at the corpse. "But her death won't be a waste."
Kaitlynn blinked. "What?"
Ariana took Kaitlynn's hands and tugged, forcing her friend to face her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to convey the seriousness of the situation with her eyes. Somewhere in the trees, a branch snapped. Ariana prayed it was just a deer or a raccoon, but her pulse quickened. "Kaitlynn, the police need to find my body."
At first, Kaitlynn didn't understand, but slowly her eyes widened. She tried to step back, but Ariana held her firm. A breeze rustled the trees and sent a chill down Ariana's back.
"You can't be serious," Kaitlynn said.
"Serious as life in prison," Ariana said flatly.
255
Her palms were starting to sweat. Every second that passed was a second she couldn't afford. She was counting on Dr. Meloni's ego--on his survival instinct--to protect her. Counting on the probability that he wouldn't have a rush of conscience and confess what he had done. If he kept quiet, she and Kaitlynn had until seven a.m.--the first bed check--before anyone realized she was gone. But if he confessed, the cops could be after them at any moment. Ariana needed to get this over with and get out of there before that happened.
"We need to take her out to the center of the lake, weigh her down, and drop her in," Ariana told her friend, clutching her hands. Somewhere across the lake an outboard motor started up. Ariana's heart was in her throat. Then she heard a whoop and a laugh carry across the water. Just some college guys out for a drunken ride on the lake. That was all. "It's the only way they'll stop looking for me," she told her friend. "It's the only way I--we--can ever be free."
An incredulous noise escaped the back of Kaitlynn's throat. "You want me to... to touch her? I don't think I can do that."
"You can and you will," Ariana said. The engine noise grew dimmer. The boat was headed in the opposite direction. Ariana breathed a bit easier. "I did all of this for you. I got you out of prison. Now you have to do something for me. Unless you want me to go back to jail. Unless you want both of us to go back."
Kaitlynn appeared startled. "No. I don't want that."
"You have to help me," Ariana said desperately.
Something shifted in Kaitlynn's eyes. Sharpened. It was as if she
256
had just realized she was free and, at the same time, realized how fleeting that freedom could be.
* * *
"You're right," Kaitlynn said finally. "Let's get this over with."
Ariana reached for her friend and hugged her. "Thank you," she said. "Now take off your clothes."
Kaitlynn understood without further explanation. She quickly removed her regulation Brenda T. blue shirt, white T-shirt, elastic-waist jeans, socks, and sneakers. Ariana grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater from the bags in the car and gave them to Kaitlynn to wear. Together, they stripped Briana Leigh down and dressed her again in Kaitlynn's prison wear. As they worked, Kaitlynn never looked at Briana Leigh's face. Not once. Ariana's heart welled over the sacrifice her friend was making for her. She just hoped that Kaitlynn wouldn't have nightmares about this moment for the rest of her life. Ariana knew how horrifying that could be.
She waited until a moment when Kaitlynn's back was turned to remove the engagement ring from Briana Leigh's finger and slip it onto her own, the diamond turned in. Kaitlynn could not know that Briana Leigh had been engaged. Sweet as she was, it might make her feel real remorse.
"Okay. You get her feet," Ariana said once Briana Leigh was dressed.
As Kaitlynn hoisted Briana Leigh's legs, she glanced up. Her jaw dropped in shock.
"Her hair," she said.
"I know. She did that on her own," Ariana said with a smile. "Crazy, huh?"
257
Ariana wanted to bask in the lucky irony with her friend, but Kaitlynn was too stunned to comment further. She walked awkwardly backward, struggling with Briana Leigh's dead weight, until they were standing alongside the floating skiff. Together, they bent at the waist and lowered the body into the boat. Then Kaitlynn climbed in, sitting on the bench near Briana Leigh's feet. She was still staring at the girl's face, as if she was understanding for the first time that she was really dead.
"It's almost over," Ariana promised her, climbing into the boat. "Just one more thing."
She sat behind Briana Leigh's lolling head. Her fingers trembled as she reached around her own neck and unclasped the gold fleur-de-lis necklace. The moonlight glinted on the pendant's smooth surface and Ariana felt her heart tear down the center. It was the only thing she had left. The only remnant of her old self.
"Ariana, no!" Kaitlynn gasped.