She headed toward the door, but a broad figure stepped into the opening, blocking her way. “Elizabeth.”
“Darcy.” Her voice caught.
“I was hoping to find you tonight,” he said.
Riley turned to me and mouthed, “Another one?”
I shot him a warning look and subtly shook my head.
“What for?” Lizzy asked.
“Would you like to dance?”
“Oh,” Lizzy said. “Um, okay.”
He held out his arm, and she took it, shooting me a slightly panicked look over her shoulder before he led her from the room.
I shrugged helplessly, and a second later the door swung shut.
Riley let out a low whistle. “Well, that was something.”
But talking about Lizzy’s almost-engagement with Collins and her dance with Darcy was the last thing I wanted to do with Riley.
“Let’s see if we can find Jaxon.” I pulled my hood back on and slipped out of the annex. Back in the main room, Ifound a girl who had taken an art history class with Jaxon and me last semester. I tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around and took in our Jack and Sally costumes. “Wicked.”
“Uh, thanks.” I didn’t bother letting her know who I was. “Have you seen Jaxon anywhere?”
She leaned against the wall. “I think he left a few minutes ago. If you hurry, you can probably catch him.”
“Thanks,” I called back, already turning toward the front door. I slipped outside, grateful for the magic in my costume as I breathed in the crisp October air. On the porch, I scanned the lawn for any sign of Jaxon. The same skeletons were still dancing to “Thriller”—though one had collapsed into a pile of bones—and all but two of the floating jack-o’-lanterns glided over the yard. The last two were snoring on the ground.
The magic of the night was wearing off, and it was time to come back to reality. Laughter echoed from the house behind us, but that was the last thing I felt like doing.
“Maybe I should text him.” I got out my phone and shot a quick message to Jaxon.
Are you still at the party?
Already home for the night. What’s up?
Was he telling the truth? Could he have made it home that quickly, or had the girl been mistaken in how long he’d been gone?
I really need to talk to you. Can we meet tomorrow?
Once I sent it, I headed down the street and Riley fell into step beside me. In the distance, the church bell tolled eleven times. As we passed a house with gravestones decorating their front yard, my phone buzzed again.
Tomorrow is pretty crazy.
But I have time at the Halloween Bonfire Bash. You going?
I showed Riley the messages. “This is perfect. I’ll meet him tomorrow and get some answers.”
“That’s not perfect.” Riley scowled, his words low and almost like a growl. “It could be dangerous. He clearly lied about seeing Graham on the day he died, which means hecould’ve killed him. His new time frame falls right in the poison’s window of efficacy.”
“Either way, we have to talk to him.”
Riley grimaced. “So what’s your plan then?”
