“So, Jay might not have been on the boat, the—”
Jack shakes his head. “Hewasthere. I found his boots on my deck the next day. Doc Martens. I tossed them in the water.”
I inhale. The boots Jay told me he always wears. “Why didn’t you tell the police this?”
“Lance told me not to. Said we’d both get into a world of trouble. Told me if I said something, he’d turn me in for boating under the influence.”
“Was it Jay who screamed?”
His voice is small. “I don’t know.”
I squeeze my eyes shut.Lance.Mia’s boyfriend is the one. He threw Jay overboard on Jack’s boat. Jay even screamed.
But why?
I now know what happened to the Jay from my timeline. The one who hasn’t been seen for months. But have I done enough to prevent it from happening in Jay’s timeline?
“What exactly did Lance say happened?”
“He said it was an accident. We were all drinking vodka and I passed out. He and Jay were fooling around, and Jay fell overboard. There were empty bottles on the deck. A lot.”
I inhale sharply. Maybe that’s exactly what happened. Just boys being dumbasses.
“Why would Jay have taken his boots off?” I ask. I remember Jay telling me he wouldn’t be able to swim in them.
He shrugs, looking down at his hands. “I wouldn’t have let someone on my boat with boots. She’s new.”
That made sense. And it was cold that night, so Jay would have kept his wool coat on.
“Youshouldhave done something when you sobered up,” I say. “Told the police. Maybe they could have rescued him from the water.”
He shakes his head. “It was November. The water was pitch black. No one could have survived in it very long. Even a good swimmer. But ...”
“But what?”
His face falls. “Ididwant to report it the next day. But Lance said he would ruin my life. He’s got a lot on me. He was so sure we’d never be caught. I’m on thin ice with my parents. I’d get kicked out of school.And he said everyone would be fine.” He looks up at me. “But Jay’s not fine, is he?”
“Lance was blackmailing you. I thought you were friends.”
Jack snorts. “Known Lanceforever. Wouldn’t trust him with my pet hamster. There are no friends. Not really.” He looks down at his now-empty beer bottle. “So much for nursing this drink. I want another.”
“You should quit drinking.”
He glares at me. “Yeah, I am well aware of what Ishoulddo.”
I exhale. This is a lot to take in, and so much of it doesn’t add up. “Do you think it was an accident?” I ask. “Or did Lanceintentionallythrow Jay overboard?”
He shrugs, but he doesn’t defend Lance.
“Jack, do you know if Lance was behind that whole Birdwatcher stuff?”
He shrugs again. “I honestly have no idea who that was.”
Could it have been Lance? I wonder who else knows that Lance was with Jay on a boat that night. Bailey Cressman? His sister, Taylor?
Or maybe even Lance’s own girlfriend, my oldest friend in the world, Mia?
“So what now?” Jack asks. He points to my necklace. “You recorded that whole conversation. You going to report me to the police now?”
