Hanna ran her tongue over her teeth. It certainly seemed safer than facing Ali directly. And a video of Ali would be enough to prove to the police she was still alive.

“Let’s do it,” Emily said. “Let’s go now.”

She shone the flashlight on the door leading to the yard, and as it creaked open, Hanna braced herself again. She blinked in the silent, empty yard. The tree branches waved softly. The sun glittered high in the sky. The shadows Hanna thought she’d seen in the woods weren’t there anymore.

Maybe they’d never been there. Maybe Ali really didn’t know they were here.

And maybe, this time, they were really going to catch her.

18

THE STING OPERATION

Everyone spent the next few minutes pacing around the old pool house and deciding where to place the surveillance cameras once they bought them. The idea was that they’d come back here later with all the equipment and a ladder and mount everything, carefully concealing it with tree branches. Hopefully, by that night, they’d have a whole surveillance operation up and running.

But halfway through the strategizing, Aria padded back to the car and climbed inside. Moments later, Hanna joined her. The two of them silently passed a bottle of water back and forth, the only sounds the water sloshing in its container and the two of them noisily swallowing.

“Are we really doing this?” Hanna whispered.

Aria gulped. Hanna seemed as freaked as she was. “I guess so.”

“Do you actually think Ali’s staying there?”

Aria shut her eyes. “I don’t know. I want to believe it, for Em’s sake. And there was that smell of vanilla, I guess. . . .”

“I’m worried about her,” Hanna blurted.

Aria opened her eyes. Hanna looked like she was about to cry. “I can’t imagine what it must feel like to have the person you love most in the world die,” Hanna said haltingly.

“I know,” Aria said, tearing up just thinking about it.

“But, I mean, I’m afraid Emily’s going to do something . . . destructive. And I’m scared we won’t be able to help her this time.”

Aria swallowed hard. She had a feeling Hanna was talking about Emily’s suicide attempt. Aria would never be able to forget that day, seeing Emily on the edge of that bridge. The expression on her face had been haunting: It was like she’d just . . . given up, standing there, ready to plunge into the water. Thankfully, they’d been able to talk her down, and Emily promised she’d never do something like that again.

But that was three weeks ago, and now Emily seemed unhinged again. Except instead of throwing in the towel, she was acting kind of . . . crazy.

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” she said, touching Hanna’s hand. “And hopefully this will be over soon.”

She was about to say more, but then Spencer and Emily appeared around the side yard and climbed back into the car. Spencer looked frazzled, but Emily’s expression was still focused, charged, and alert. “Okay,” Emily said as she swung into the driver’s seat. “Off to Best Buy.”

Emily started down the long, hilly driveway toward the street. Aria glanced over her shoulder, back at the house, feeling a strange pull in her stomach. What if Ali really did use this property as her secret hideout? Had Ali killed Jordan? Was Ali coming after them next?

She slid her cell phone from the pocket and checked the screen. Her new agent, a woman named Patricia, had sent a text about the success of last night’s show. Four buyers interested in pieces, she’d written. She’d received a note from Harrison, too. I’ve gotten a ton of site traffic because of my exclusive with you!

Her stomach did an excited flip at all this news—especially that Harrison had signed off with a dozen Xs and Os. But she didn’t feel as excited as she should. They really, really needed to get Ali before she ruined everything in their lives.

Suddenly, Emily slammed on the brakes, sending Aria flying against her seat belt. The bottle of water she and Hanna had been sharing rolled to the floor, the cap popping off and liquid pouring everywhere.

“What the hell?” Spencer called out.

“Look.” Emily pointed at a woman strolling down the path that paralleled the road. She had dark hair and wore denim shorts and a faded blue T-shirt. A golden retriever with a bandanna around its neck walked beside her, its tail wagging. “I bet she lives here,” Emily added.

“So?” Hanna hissed. “That’s no reason to give us whiplash!”

Emily pulled to the side of the road, killed the engine, and got out of the car. Spencer gave Aria a nervous look. What’s she doing? she mouthed. Aria pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and climbed out of the car.

Emily jogged up to the woman. “Excuse me, miss?”

The woman turned and squinted at them. She was older than Aria had first thought, her face lined and weathered, with ropy tendons sticking out on her neck. She pulled on the leash for the dog to stop. “Can I help you?”

Emily jutted a finger at the Maxwells’ red mailbox. “Have you seen anyone coming in and out of there? A girl, maybe?”

The woman stared at the mailbox for a long time. A gust of wind blew up the ends of her hair. The fingers of her left hand kneaded into the dog’s fur on his back. “I don’t think so.”

“Think,” Emily insisted. “It’s really important.”

Aria touched her friend’s arm warningly. Emily sounded kind of pushy . . . and they didn’t know this woman at all.

A light went on in the woman’s eyes. “Yes. I saw a girl, actually. A blonde, I think.”




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