She Was the Quiet One Read online

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  At one forty-five that night, the alarm on Rose’s phone went off. She got out of bed, pulled a hoodie over her nightgown, pulled on her UGGs and tiptoed down the stairs to the Moreland laundry room. Rose had been down in the basement several times, but never at night, and it was scarier than she’d imagined. Shadows leaped at her. Strange noises made her jump. She nearly lost her nerve, but decided instead to put in the bare minimum amount of time so she could honestly tell Zach she’d tried. She’d stay till 2:05, and when they didn’t show, she’d run back upstairs to the comfort of her bed.

  On the off chance that someone actually showed up, Rose needed a hiding place. There was a closet in the corner of the laundry room, used to store baskets, detergent and such. She slipped inside it, leaving the door ajar so she could see what happened without being seen, setting her phone to silent so she wouldn’t make noise inadvertently. A large pipe inside the closet gave off the sound of rushing water, which made her nervous. Rose flicked her phone light on to examine the pipe, and could’ve sworn she saw something scurry in the sudden burst of light. Eek. The pipe wasn’t leaking, but it was dusty and covered with cobwebs. She moved to get away from it, and felt something brush up against the back of her neck. Cobwebs, spiders. Rose yelped, then heard a noise, and held her breath.

  Someone was coming. She heard footsteps, and saw a flashlight beam sweep across the floor. She was in a freaking closet, and someone was out there with a flashlight. Heart skittering, Rose peeked out the crack in the door. It was her sister. Okay, Bel was actually here, in this basement, at two a.m. Zach might really be right. Then Mr. Donovan walked in, and Rose saw the awful truth.

  He switched on the light, and walked up to Bel. Rose couldn’t make out their words over the sound of rushing water from the pipe. As she watched, that man put his hands on her sister, lifted her onto the counter and started ripping off her clothes. And Bel let him. Bel was too young. Donovan was too old. He was her teacher, and he was married—to the nicest person Rose had ever met. Carefully, she opened the closet door and stepped out, thinking she really ought to do something to stop this travesty. But the second she left her hiding place, she lost her nerve, and shrank back against the wall. What could she do, after all? Yell, scream, attack them? She didn’t want to watch this. She needed time to think. She had to get out of here.

  Heart pounding, she tiptoed toward the stairs. Bel and Donovan were too wrapped up in each other to notice her. At the last minute, Rose turned and snapped a picture with her phone. For a terrified instant, she worried that the flash would go off, but thank God it didn’t. She had no idea why she took the picture, since she couldn’t imagine showing it to anyone, ever. Zach had somehow planted the idea in her mind. Then she hurried out, and ran up to her room, where she barely slept for the rest of the night.

  29

  Transcript of Witness Interview (continued) conducted by Lieutenant Robert Kriscunas, State Police—Major Crime Unit, and Detective Melissa Howard, Odell NH, PD, with Miss Emma Kim.

  Kriscunas: Miss Kim, we’ve heard from another witness that the sisters may have had a conflict over a boy. A Zach Cuddy. Can you shed any light on that?

  Kim: Over Cuddy? Who told you that?

  Kriscunas: I’m afraid we can’t reveal our sources.

  Kim: Was it Skyler Stone? I know you talked to her because she posted about the interview on Facebook.

  Kriscunas: Did she? We request witnesses not to talk about what’s said in here. I hope you won’t.

  Kim: I won’t, but Skyler did. She’s not super trustworthy. I’d take anything she says with a grain of salt. Skyler left school at Thanksgiving break. She has no clue what happened here after that because nobody ever spoke to her again.

  Kriscunas: Are you saying that there was no conflict over Mr. Cuddy? You never heard that both sisters liked him, but he preferred Bel, and that caused problems?

  Kim: I mean—yes, that’s true. Look, this interview is very uncomfortable for me. I don’t like to rat on my friends.

  Kriscunas: We understand it may be uncomfortable to give information that may implicate friends or classmates. But this a very serious situation. A young girl is dead.

  Kim: I know. I want to help. But—

  Kriscunas: Just tell us the facts, that’s all we ask. It’s up to us to see where that information leads.

  Kim: Okay. Yes, Zach and Rose were pretty friendly. After Thanksgiving, they started hanging out a lot, working on some sort of project together, I think. I won’t lie. Rose was super into him. She had a crush that wouldn’t quit. Zach wasn’t that into her. To be honest, he was obsessed with Bel. Everybody knew it. And sure, you should follow up on that. It was borderline creepy.

  Kriscunas: Mr. Cuddy’s obsession with Bel was creepy.

  Kim: Yes.

  Kriscunas: Would you say he stalked her?

  Kim: At times. But Zach’s not the only—it’s not the only—he’s really not—

  [PAUSE]

  Kriscunas: What is it? Is there something else you want to tell us?

  Kim: I don’t feel comfortable. This is, like, big.

  Kriscunas: If you’re concerned about repeating gossip, again, let me assure you that we would never act on any information without corroborating it first.

  Kim: It’s not that. Some topics are just very sensitive.

  Kriscunas: That sounds like something we need to hear. This conversation is confidential, if that’s your concern.

  Kim: You promise, nobody will know this came from me?

  Kriscunas: Absolutely not. Scout’s honor.

  Kim: Okay, there’s a rumor. Well, more than a rumor. I know there’s something to it, because Rose and Bel had a big fight one night in front of me, and it wasn’t over Zach.

  Kriscunas: Over another boy?

  Kim: Not a boy. It was over Mr. Donovan.

  Kriscunas: Mr. Donovan? The headmaster?

  Kim: Yes.

  Kriscunas: Why would they fight over Mr. Donovan?

  Kim: Ugh, I’m sorry. I’m uncomfortable talking about this. I need to call my mom, and get some advice. Can I have a break?

  Kriscunas: Certainly. Take the time you need. We’ll wait.

  [TAPE STOPPED]

  30

  January

  The sadness of her first Christmas without her mother weighed Bel down. At Spring Hill over break, the lawsuit hung in the air, and Grandma seemed to want to be rid of her. Whenever they crossed paths in the big house, she’d shoo Bel outside to go skating or snowshoeing. But Bel hated the cold. She holed up in her overheated room, headachy and lethargic, watching old Seinfeld episodes on her laptop and reading a musty copy of Tess of the d’Urbervilles that she’d found on a shelf in the parlor. Grandma didn’t believe in making a fuss, so there were few signs of the season to lighten the mood. Each twin received a gift of a hundred dollars, deposited directly to her bank account. Grandma told them not to bother getting her anything, since she was fond of her own taste, and didn’t want them wasting their spending money on something she would never wear. She hadn’t put up a Christmas tree since Grandpa John died years ago, and didn’t plan to start now. A red runner on the dining-room table and a ham for dinner on Christmas Eve, courtesy of the prepared-foods counter at the grocery store, were the sole concessions to the holiday.

  Bel heard from Heath only once over break. He sent a text on Christmas morning that read, “I think of you.” Nothing more. It was a reference to the Shakespeare sonnet he’d read aloud in class, the one she loved so much, where the man twined flowers in his lover’s hair: “I think of you as the day wanes, and as the sun sinks deep into the ocean, and as the stars turn round above.” Heath knew she loved that poem, and he knew he could use it to get to her. As much as Bel wanted to hate him, his text made her heart race every time she looked at it. He’d taken advantage of her innocence. She was just a girl. She was afraid of what might happen next with him. But Heath saw her. He was the only person in her life who did. Bel
knew she ought to stay away from him, but she also knew she couldn’t.

  She had just zipped her suitcase, and set her alarm to wake up for the bus the next morning, when Rose knocked on the door unexpectedly. The twins’ rooms at Spring Hill were situated side by side at the end of a long hallway, and shared a bathroom, yet Bel had managed to spend the ten days of break living next door to her sister without speaking to her, except at the dinner table, where they made the bare minimum small talk for Grandma’s sake. The distance between them wasn’t Bel’s choice. Rose was still angry over that slipper nonsense, and shut down every attempt. Which was sad, because Bel was in over her head with Heath and knew it. She would have welcomed her sister’s advice.

  “Hey, come on in,” she said.

  Was it possible that Rose was ready to make up? Bel thought it was rich that Rose had stayed mad so long, since she had things to atone for, too. Like, ratting out your own sister to the Disciplinary Committee. But Rose had taken so much grief for that from other people that Bel was more than ready to forgive.

  Rose sat down in the overstuffed chair beside Bel’s bed, like she planned to stay awhile. The room was impeccably decorated in the style of thirty years before. Matching chintz drapes and bedspread and gilded moldings. Cushions everywhere with fringe on them. Precious pictures of dogs and horses in gold frames. The room was claustrophobic in the best of times. Given the tension between them, it felt all the more so.

  “What’s up?” Bel said, feeling nervous and antsy. She wanted to make up with Rose, but she didn’t want to have to go through some big emotional conversation to do it.

  “I’m here to give you a heads-up,” Rose said.

  “Okay. About what?”

  “I know you messed around with Mr. Donovan before the break. I’m telling you not do it again, or else I’ll have to take action.”

  The room felt hot all of a sudden, and Bel couldn’t breathe. She’d had this fantasy that she could confide in Rose, and get support or advice. But she should have known her own sister better than that. Rose’s specialty was judgment and condescension. And apparently also threats. Yeah, what the hell are you gonna do about it? Bel was tempted to say. But it would be a mistake to acknowledge that Rose was right about Bel and Heath. Bel had to deny it. Lie. Then Rose would fold her bluff and go away.

  “That’s just gossip. If you believe it, you’re stupider than you look,” Bel said as calmly as she could manage.

  “Bel. I know. All right? I know it’s true. I saw you. All break, I’ve been trying to figure out how to raise it with you.”

  “You saw me what?”

  “I saw the two of you together.”

  “He’s my teacher, my coach, my advisor. We’re friends. We spend time together, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

  “Don’t lie to me. I’m trying to help, despite everything you did to me.”

  “What did I do to you? You’re the one who ratted.”

  “Ugh, you and your delinquent friends just about ruined my life with that insane attack. Darcy threatened my life on Facebook, and you expect me to feel guilty for telling?”

  “I said I was sorry. And if it makes you feel better, they threatened me, too. Tessa was on campus right before break, lurking around outside Moreland, and she told me to watch my back.”

  “Tessa was on campus? How?”

  “She lives right in town. She probably walked.”

  “Why would she threaten you?”

  “They think I cut a deal to rat them out, and that’s why I got off easy. I didn’t. I told them I didn’t.”

  “God, Bel, you’re an idiot. First those lowlifes. And now Donovan. Could you be any more screwed up?”

  “Why do you have to be so fucking condescending? If you would act normal, I might tell you stuff.”

  “I’m starting to think there’s no hope for you. Donovan’s taking advantage of you, and you let him.”

  “That’s just gossip. Next, you’re gonna tell me where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”

  “Enough with the bullshit. I know, okay? I saw you doing it in the laundry room. The man has a family. If you don’t stop, I’ll tell Grandma.”

  Bel flashed on that night in the laundry room, seeing a movement out of the corner of her eye. Wait a minute. Was that a person? Was it Rose? Was she there that night? If it was true—Jesus, Heath would freak the hell out. He’d said a million times, nobody could ever know about this. It couldn’t be true. Bel felt the crushing weight of panic in her chest.

  “You better not tell. Grandma hates you already because you’re such a tattle. She’ll kick you out this time.”

  Rose’s face went red. Bel had hit a nerve.

  “You think you’re so smart,” Rose said, near tears. “I can prove it. I have pictures.”

  “Pictures of what?”

  But Rose wouldn’t answer.

  “Pictures of what, I said?” Bel demanded.

  “Oh, now you’re worried. Tough shit, I’m not telling,” Rose taunted.

  Nobody could push her buttons like Rose. Bel moved toward her twin with fists clenched.

  “Stay away from me!”

  Rose jumped up and ran for the door. She was faster than she looked, and made it to her room before Bel could take out her frustrations. As the door slammed and the bolt shot home, Bel raised her fist to pound on the door, but stopped short. Grandma’s bedroom was directly below them. If Grandma heard a ruckus and came upstairs to investigate, Rose would spill about Bel and Heath. She might even show Grandma this supposed picture. If it existed. (It couldn’t exist, please don’t let it exist, Rose was making that up.) And then what? Would Grandma tell the school? Would Heath get in trouble? Would he blame her if he did?

  God, she could kill her sister.

  31

  Rose put her head down and huddled into the hood of her parka as she left Moreland for the library. It was a bitter evening, raw and wet, and Bel’s terrible secret was weighing on her. She was completely stuck as to what to do, and yet, she couldn’t ask for advice. Who could she talk to? What would that conversation even sound like? Hey, Emma, my sister’s sleeping with a teacher. I have a picture of them on my phone. It’s blurry but it’s also pretty graphic, and I don’t know what to do with it. How do you handle situations like that?

  Nope.

  She could try to talk to Bel again. But they hadn’t spoken since their fight at Spring Hill, and even when they did talk, Bel never listened. She could show the photo to Mrs. Donovan, but Rose loved her teacher too much to bring her the news that would ruin her life. That left the obvious move—confront Donovan with the photo, and tell him to quit it or else she’d go public. But Rose was too much of a coward to face down a teacher, especially one creepy enough to have sex with her sister, in the Moreland laundry room, no less. If Donovan could sink that low, God only knew what else he was capable of.

  Rose wished she could be more like Zach Cuddy. Zach was the person who’d told her to take the photo in the first place. He would have no hesitation to blackmail Donovan with it. But Zach didn’t know the sex picture existed. Rose had never told him about it. She’d never even told him about seeing Bel and Donovan together that night.

  It had been a relief to come back from break and see that Zach was still at Odell. Rose had refused to help him with his blackmail plan, but apparently he’d found some other way to avoid getting expelled. All the boys who’d shared the Snapchat had gotten off with no punishment. Nobody knew for sure how they’d done it. A rumor was going around that Brandon Flynn’s dad had paid for a computer expert to wipe their phones, though it seemed unlikely that Brandon Flynn would help out Zach. Zach and Brandon had been at odds ever since their confrontation on the bus at Thanksgiving break, when Brandon attacked Rose, and Zach defended her. Anyway, if Zach was brazen and sneaky enough to evade punishment, then he might just be the ally Rose needed. He’d have the guts to confront Donovan, and he’d probably be willing to do it, if only to show off for Bel. But t
hat was the problem. If Zach still had a thing for her sister, Rose didn’t want to encourage it. On the other hand, who else could help her with this bizarre predicament? She couldn’t keep the secret much longer. It was so upsetting and distracting that she could barely study. And midterms were only three weeks away.

  She stopped under the light of a lamppost, whipped out her phone and texted Zach to meet her in the library. “I have something to show you,” she said. There, that would get his attention. Rose started walking again, but she was immediately plagued with doubts about showing him the photo. Zach wasn’t someone she could control. He wouldn’t necessarily handle this the way she wanted him to. He’d have an agenda of his own. Ugh. She didn’t know what to do. She probably shouldn’t show it to him. But she’d already texted. He’d been ignoring her lately; maybe he wouldn’t show up. And if he did show, she could claim she only wanted to compare bio notes.

  It started raining harder. Rose turned off the main path to take a shortcut that ran between Anson Hall and the woods. She usually avoided the shortcut at night because it was dark and the woods were scary. But the narrow passageway was bordered by tall pines whose boughs formed a sort of tunnel, sheltering the path from the rain. Head down, hood up, lost in her thoughts, Rose didn’t hear them approaching until two large figures stepped up on either side of her.

  “See, Tessa, I told you there were rats in these woods,” Brandon Flynn said, taking Rose by one arm.

  Rose gasped. Brandon was burly and well over six feet tall. His grip was powerful enough to hurt. Rose tried to pull her arm away, but he wouldn’t let her.

  “Big, ugly rats, too,” Tessa said, taking Rose’s other arm.

  “Let go! What do you think you’re doing?” Rose struggled to break free, her voice shrill with fear.