"Well, you must be happy to see me here", says my mother as she sits across from me, dressed in khaki brown overalls. Her skin is pale and her lips are chapped. Her hair is un-neatly tied back into a low ponytail. It's safe to say, prison isn't treating her well.

"You actually think I enjoy seeing you in here?", I ask, "you may be a monster but you're still my mother. I wouldn't be in this world without you. I actually acknowledge that"

"You have every right to be mad at me but you have no right to lie. The police told my lawyer that someone anonymously handed in evidence working against me", she continues, "the evidence that I kept safely. Or should I say, the evidence that you stole from me and handed in to the police"

As bizarre as it may seem, I genuinely did not hand in the evidence to the police. As far as I know, the minute I got back from Echo Creek, watching my mom drive off into the unknown seated in the back of a police car with her wrists en-cuffed, I searched everywhere I could to find that little brown box and I couldn't. I simply could not. Believe it or not, I didn't hand in that evidence and I don't know who did.

"I know you didn't kill her, despite everything, I know that if you killed her, you being in here would feel right but for some reason, it doesn't.", I tell her, "I'm going to do everything I can to get you out of here but you need to be honest with me mom"

She seems hesitant.

"Why did you forge the autopsy?", I ask. Hoping desperately for the truth to finally be revealed

"I cant tell you", she sighs

"Then how am I supposed to trust you?"

"I'm not asking you to trust me. I did not kill Kylie. There's some things that are just better left unspoken"

I'm not sure I've ever been so frustrated in my entire life. Solving a murder is draining.

"I'm going to school.", I sling my bag over my shoulder then walk out of the building. When I walk into the parking lot, Trip is leaning against the front door of his car with his hands in his pockets, waiting to give me a ride to school.

He gives me a gentle kiss on my cheek before running over to the other side of the car and opening the door for me slide in and buckle up.

"How's she holding up?", he asks me as he starts the engine

"...she thinks I gave the cops the evidence. I'd never do that to her."

"Any idea who did? Maybe you left it with someone before you left over the weekend?"

I stayed quiet. I have nothing to say. Not right now.

"Do you think it could have been Ryder"

My eyes almost pop out of their sockets after I hear him say that. Is he actually accusing my own best friend of putting my mom in jail?

"Don't say that. She would never", I defend

"I'm not saying she killed Kylie or anything, well...I might be implying it.", he continues, "She wanted to hand in the evidence to begin with and besides, we're the only three people, excluding your mom, who knew about it"

He has a point. But no, she wouldn't steal something this crucial from me would she? My own best friend wouldn't steal something this crucial from me to try and put my mother in jail, WOULD SHE?

At this point, who's to say? Anything is possible in the game of life and death.

Trip and I walked along the school corridor hand in hand but for some reason, there wasn't much emotion coursing through me. At least not as usual. People stared and whispered, louder and louder they got, completely filling up my eardrums.

"Are you okay?", Trip asks me

Here we go again.

"Everyone keeps asking me that", I groan

"We just...care. I care"

"I'll see you later Trip", I avoid. I know if I talk to him any longer, I'll end up saying something I regret. I don't have time for regrets. Not right now.

All through classes, I'm half dead. Thinking about my next move. I don't agree with Trip's theory. I don't think ever in a million years that Ryder would do something like that. Not to me.

"Boo", I hear a familiar voice say from behind me.

"Speaking of the devil", I smile sheepishly

"Ouuuu. Was someone thinking about me?", she playfully teases and sits beside me at the bus stop bench, "what's up? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've been avoiding me today"

"do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you know better?"

She furrows her eyebrows at me. I can tell that my attitude caught her off guard.

"Okay, what did I do?"

"Nothing. It's just, my mom is in jail for the murder of my sister all because somebody got the evidence working against her and handed it in"

"Why're you saying it like that? Like you're trying to imply something"

"I'm not implying anything Ryder", I say seriously, "I'm just saying...you wanted to hand her in anyway and you're the aside from me and Trip that even knew the evidence existed."

"First of all, you need to drop it right now. Before I get mad and go all psych black bitch on you and second of all, to answer your damn suspicions, NO, I did not steal evidence from you to put your mother in jail. That isn't me"

"Then who is it? I'm having a hard time figuring it out"

"The fact that you think I would do something like that proves you do not know me. And that's actually really sad Kelsie.", I watch her stand up and put her bag on her back, "You know, I don't blame Kylie for keeping things from you the way that she did. You're just so easily manipulated by everyone around you?!!Just for once, I beg you, try and think with your head Kelsie. Maybe if you did, you would have solved this damn murder by now!"

***

The police station is much different at night, the walls seem thicker, the officers look angrier. Senses of guilt, secrets and tension ooze down the walls like freshly wet paint.

After my brief meeting with my mom's lawyer, it's safe to say that if she doesn't come clean about why she kept all of this a secret from the police, she's going to spend the rest of her dear miserable in one of those cells.

I'm torn out of my thoughts by the sound of a familiar voice, talking in the phone beside me. I look to my side and see that it's Sophia. What is she doing here?

I walk over to her and she cuts her call short to address me.

"Kelsie Burklin", she says

"Hey Sophia. I didn't expect to see you here"

"Oh. My mom came to talk to the officer in charge of my dad's case"

"Why's he in here?"

"Apparently, Kylie's case was re-opened, she didn't just fall and drown, she was murdered. And they think he was an accessory", she explains, "the entire thing is just so crazy, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my dad could've helped kill my best friend"

Try wrapping your head around the fact that your mother or long time best friend could've killed your sister.

"Who would've thought that a murder could happen in good old Yellow Oak"

"Please, this town is full of liars. I knew should've said something", she whispers to herself. I heard it though

"What?"

She sighs. "You need to know the truth about what happened the night Kylie died."

Sophia sits down and I do the same right next to her.

"Mason...lied. He didn't go upstairs when the power went out. He wasn't even gonna drop Kylie home"

"What're you saying?"

"Kylie always gave Mason her phone whenever we went for parties. It was just sort of, their thing. So, after Kylie came and asked me to give her a ride, and I said no, I escorted her to ask Mason. When we got to him, he was...pissed. He said something about reading a text from Noah to Kylie on her phone and, he was just done with being lied to all the time. I let them talk it out, so I moved away a-bit and asked everyone to go inside. I did too. I was the last one to enter the house but, before I entered, I heard Mason tell Kylie that if she ever spoke to him again, he would kill her.", she said.

"I didn't really think it was a big deal cause he was mad and people say stupid things when they're mad, so I just got in the house, the party went on for a while....and that's when the lights went out. A bunch of us went outside to see if Mason and Kylie were okay but, they both just disappeared so we just went back in. Some of the guys thought maybe they snuck in through the front door or something. I stayed back out though and walked over to like the third house calling out for Kylie. I thought she decided to walk home or something. That's when the power went back on, I rushed back to the house and found Kylie in the pool. I scram so loud and everyone rushed out. Nobody got her out or anything, we were all too scared and in shock. Mason asked one of the cheerleaders to call the police. I asked him what had happened and he came up with that story. I just sort of, rolled with it cause I didn't want to believe that he would do something like that"

Shocked is an understatement.

"Sophia", I stutter. Still trying to process it all, "do you think Mason could've killed Kylie?"

She paused for a second. "Let's just say, he's always been the dangerously jealous type"

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