"Reed, we can't waste our time on--"
"I'm telling you, Detective, it's not a waste of time," I said, my blood racing now. "That girl is
capable of murder. I know she is. And she hated Cheyenne. Last week she even threatened
Noelle."
This caught his attention. "Threatened to kill her?"
"Well, no. Not in those words, but--"
Suddenly, the detective looked extremely tired. "Look, unless you have some real evidence against
the girl, there's nothing I can do."
His tone was condescending and impatient. Like I was just some stupid kid spreading rumors. I
retightened my fingers around the strap of my duffel bag.
"You haven't gotten the whole story," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "Believe me."
Hauer blew out a sigh and looked up at the starless night. "How about we start with your story?"
he suggested. "I know we already talked about the... uh, letter, you received from Ms. Martin's e-
mail account the night she died and your contentious friendship with her. But I need your official
statement. Where you were at the time of Ms. Martin's death... who you were with...."
I felt fire burning from my eyes. He needed my statement when a psycho like Ivy was strolling
around campus free and clear?
"You want my statement? Fine. Here it is," I said, drawing myself up straight. "At the time of the
murder I was asleep in my bed while my roommate was asleep in hers. I woke up to the sound of
screaming and ran down the hall to find the president of my dorm dead on the
8
floor of her room. That's all I know. Now why don't you go interview someone with, oh, I don't
know, a motive?"
Hauer gave me an exasperated look, but I no longer cared to humor him. I turned around and
stormed up to Billings, suddenly feeling more confident than ever that I could take on Noelle and
the rest of my friends. Had to love a good adrenaline rush.
At least Detective Hauer was good for something.
9
* * *
I was all confident bravado until I walked into the Billings foyer and got that eerie, sickening feeling