“What about Steffani’s phone?” I ask, remembering how he snatched it from her when she arrived.
“Gone. She must’ve taken it when she left.”
“Is there a landline?”
Again, he shakes his head.
“So, we’re stranded out here with no way of contacting anyone.”
“Not unless someone volunteers to walk into town.”
Outside, the pines appear much thicker and darker than yesterday. “How far is it?”
“About thirty miles. Most of which is through the woods.”
Thirty miles—that’s about a ten-hour walk, probably longer sinceit’s not on flat road. And you’re leaving yourself exposed out there.Don’t go into the forest. Isn’t that the golden rule of horror films? The moment you leave the safety of the cabin or the lodge or whatever, that’s when you’re marked for death. Greer must notice the look on my face because she says, “It’s a long walk, Nic. And even if there weren’t a possible murderer on the loose, it’d be dangerous. The trails aren’t well marked. If you wandered off them by accident…”
Getting lost in the woods would be as good a death sentence as a hatchet to the back.
“We’re safe here,” he says. “There are locks on all the doors and windows. We’ll make an announcement tomorrow, tell everyone to stay inside and travel in twos.”
Travel in twos.
“But if it wasn’t an outsider…” I begin, then hesitate; I don’t know how to phrase this tactfully. “If it wasn’t an outsider, then it must’ve been someone staying at the lodge. You don’t think it could’ve been one of us?”
He leans back in his chair. “We’ve been going on these retreats for years, and no one’s ever turned up dead. The only change to our membership roster this year was—” Connor pretends to think about it before pointing his finger at my chest, like a loaded gun. “You.”
My back straightens. “What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t mean anything.”
Greer shoots a glare in his direction, and he immediately backs off. “Make sure the windows are locked in your rooms.” He stands and heads toward the staircase. “I’ll double-check all the common areas.”
“What about Zach?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
“We can’t bury him if he was murdered. We need to preserve any evidence until the police arrive.”
Connor glances out into the backyard, at the mound of freshly tilled dirt next to the open grave. “I’ll bring him to the storage room. We can leave him there for now.”
“Do you need any help?” Greer asks.
“No, you two get some sleep. I’ll figure it out.”
I wait until his footsteps have faded before turning back to her. “What Connor said about the membership roster, he doesn’t think that I could’ve—”
“No, nothing like that. He just gets overprotective when it comes to our members. None of us had any reason to kill Zach. We all liked him.”
Overprotective. That’s one word for it. He and Greer obviously have a close relationship. What does she see in him? Is it the way he tackles any problems she doesn’t want to deal with? The way he makes sure that she and all the others are safe? Claire once gave me that love languages quiz. Hers was words of affirmation; mine was acts of service. I understand how enticing someone taking care of you can be.
Greer stands and stretches, arching her back. “We should probably get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
Through the windows, the woods wait, like a bottomless black sea, ebbing and flowing with the wind. With the tablet’s security system out of commission, anyone could be out there, watching us. I hurry after her.
When we reach our respective doors, my stomach sinks at the thought of separating. I know Connor said he was double-checking the locks, but what if someone manages to break in anyway? If they walk upstairs, my room is right off the landing; mine would be the first door they reach.
“Hey,” I call before she can disappear into her room. “Do you think maybe we should stay together tonight?”
