I flipped open the secret table lid.
“Nope,” I said. “Even the trace tag is still here.”
“Trace tag?” Oscar picked up the small chip with his gloved hand. “Who the hell was tracking you?”
“I don’t know.” In the commotion and excitement of the day, I’d half forgotten about the tag. It felt like I’d found it a hundred years ago.
“What the hell, El? Why didn’t you tell me?” Oscar demanded.
“I thought there was a possibility you put it there,” I said and shrugged.
Oscar groaned. “That’s it. You’re going to stay at the sheriff’s station.”
“I’m not going to ‘stay’ at the station,” I said. “What are you going to do? Put me in jail?”
“At least then you’ll be safe,” Oscar said.
“I’m going to stay in the jail cell next to Wes?”
Oscar seemed to have forgotten Wes was currently in lockup.
“I wish the Canceled Killer would just come at me,” I groaned. “I’m beginning to think he’s just a little coward boy. Stalking around in the shadows. Playing stupid games. Chasing me around in his dumb car.”
“Reminds me of anotherDateline…” Mom began.
“Mom!” both Oscar and I said at the same time.
“Fine, fine. Ignore the old woman who has spent hours watching true crime.” Mom fanned her face, offended.
“Maybe you should all go inside,” Oscar said.
“Yeah, you should all—” I began.
“I meant you, too,” Oscar told me sternly. “Stay out of this trailer until we can get it photographed and dusted.”
“What about my clothes?” I whined.
“Borrow some from Olivia,” Oscar growled. I glanced uneasily at Olivia’s pink crewneck argyle sweater. Olivia’s closet was almost entirely pink.
“I need to at least get my phone.” It sat on the counter near the sink, charging.
“I’llget it,” Oscar said, yanking the plug out of the wall. He handed my barely charged phone back to me.
“This doesn’t make sense,” I said. “The killer was early.”
“Early?” Oscar asked.
“I still have time before he’s due to come for me,” I said, showing Oscar the countdown clock. “After leaving skull emojis, he always strikes after seventy-two hours.”
“Except for Allen Gordon,” Jude said.
“Yeah. That,” I said. Maybe I didn’t have any time at all.
Jude glanced around. “And where is Spider-Man?”
I pulled up the Spark app, but Mateo had turned off his location. “I can’t see,” I said. “Maybe the killer took him.”
“Yeah,” Oscar said. “Or maybehedid this.”
