I open my mouth to speak, then close it. I have no idea why Kenneth would try to poison Gul. Now that I think about it, the knot that formed in my stomach when I confronted Kenneth hasn’t loosened. Kenneth is behind bars, unable to hurt anyone else. So why do I still feel so uneasy? “I honestly don’t know. Maybe he wanted to frame me for it? I don’t know—”
Gul’s hair falls forward over her shoulders as she pulls at a string at the hem of her blouse.
The sympathy in her gaze convinces me that she understands. The pressures we’re under as the daughters of high-profile politicians. Hell, she lies to her mom every time they talk for that very reason. It never occurred to me before, but Gul might be a kindred spirit. Like Genevieve. Adrienne. Ricardo.
A knife twists in my stomach.
I punt the welling hurt away and focus on my new friend. “I don’t know why he did it, but you don’t have to worry about him anymore. Between the information I gave the police about Kenneth today and everything they’d already gathered, he won’t be bothering anyone for a long time. Let’s put it behind us, okay?”
Her smile widens. “I can do that.” She stands and wanders toward my door before looking back at me. “Want to play another game of truth or dare? I bet I could round up some people to make it interesting.”
My fingers tap on my knees. “Tempting, but I need some alone time. Rain check?”
With a nod, she leaves me alone.
As soon as my door latches, I fling myself on my bed to go over today. And maybe to mope, just a little bit.
My boyfriend said he loves me, and I pushed him away. Essentially broke up with him. More than anything I wish I could have answered Ricardo. Told him how I feel in return. Even though I’ve never said those words to a boy before.
And with my track record, it makes sense.
My one serious ex-boyfriend is a murderer.
Gul’s questions churn in my thoughts. Why did Kenneth attack her? The idea that he was trying to frame me isn’t sitting right. He has no motive, really, because at that point there wasn’t any heat on him. The spotlight came later.
There’s something niggling at my consciousness, something I’m missing, but I can’t grasp it. Every time I think I get close, it dissolves into thin air.
The decor around my room is only a distraction. Framed photos of my family and friends smile at me from my desk and dresser. Make my thoughts jump ad nauseam from Kenneth to Ricardo to Daddy’s dinner tonight.
I can’t focus here. I need a change of scenery.
Maybe then the sheer weight of the knots in my stomach will lighten.
33
The view from the roof is unobscured. Violet streaks slash over the darkening expanse as the sun retreats behind the horizon. Frigid air rakes over me, cutting through the flimsy fabric of my blouse, making me wish I’d brought my jacket. Bracing my arms around my torso, I step out onto the roof and move briskly toward the darkened greenhouse. Soon the day’s light will give way to a milky purple over the academy.
It was sheer luck that someone called Bodyguard Steve a minute ago, distracting him so I could slip away. I need a few minutes alone.
Relieved that the glass structure is unoccupied, I step inside. My chaotic mind craves the quiet of the greenhouse. The earthy scent of moist potting soil. Greenery brushing against my arms. Turning on the interior lights reveals the metal frame in stark angles.
Warm, humid air wraps around me, cutting off the chill that moments ago caressed my skin. Despite the warmth, my arms are pebbled with goosebumps. The unsettled feeling in my belly simply won’t go away. I thought leaving the confines of my room would help, but it hasn’t.
Walking slowly down the rows of plants, I stop to study the various growing projects in progress. Botany never really interested me, but I need something to occupy my mind, or I’ll spend all night beating myself up for not realizing Kenneth was a psycho.
If he did any poking around the student files in the health center, he would know about Gul’s allergy to peanuts. It would be easy to get ahold of a small amount of peanut oil and put it in her food. He stood next to her in the buffet line at my birthday party, and she was busy whispering with Grady as they got their food. Probably about what a loser I was for inviting my ex-boyfriend to my party.
It was stupid. It almost resulted in another death. When will my actions stop causing hurt to everyone around me?
Moving to the next project, I study the glass cloches covering each of the small plants. Each one is surrounded by a ring of a different substance. Fertilizers. Coffee grounds. Ice.
“Didn’t think I’d find you here.” Grady’s voice makes me jump and spin around to face him. A hint of amusement lifts his lips. He picks his way toward me, careful not to upset any of the plants whose leaves hang over the edges of the long, weathered wood benches.
I take an uneven breath, trying to present a calm demeanor. “I needed a change of scenery. You know?”
Grady’s head bobs. “How’re you doing? With Kenneth being arrested?”
“It’s hard to believe, actually, but I’ll be okay.”
“You always seem to have everything under control.” His eyes dart up to mine before moving away.
Surprised, a loud laugh bursts from my throat. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m barely hanging on. My Daddy is disappointed with me, Ricardo is leaving for Haiti, and Adrienne and Genevieve are busy with their boyfriends. I’m afraid all you see is a carefully constructed mask. Underneath, I’m just a girl.”
“You are definitely not just a girl.” The faint snarl on the last word catches my ear. My eyes turn to his. They’re dark. Inscrutable.
The hairs on my arms stand up, but when he speaks again, his voice is even, calm. I must have imagined the flash of anger I heard in his words.
Grady’s attention shifts to the covered plants in front of us. “Looking at my project?”
Rolling my shoulders back to soothe myself, I put a hand on the nearest cloche. “This one’s yours? What are the coffee grounds for?”
“Studying the effects different substances have on plant growth. Pretty basic, but still interesting.” He runs his fingers over the glass domes, eyes locked on his plants. Then he looks at me.
I avoid his gaze, unsure what to do with the knot of unease tightening in my chest. “What’s the ice for? Watering as it melts?”
“Does it look like regular ice to you?” He points.
Now that he’s pointed it out, the ice doesn’t look normal. White vapor rises from it, swirling in the cloche. It almost looks like…
A balled up plastic bag pokes up from behind the bench. Leaning forward, I try to read the label. It’s dry ice.
Wait.
My mind flashes back to Ricardo unconscious on the floor. Eyes shut. Lips turning blue. Bodyguard Steve found a bag of dry ice in the AC vent that night. Bile rises in my throat.
Grady leans a hand on the edge of the wood bench, effectively barring me from the exit.
A chill slides down my spine. Did he do that on purpose? “Grady…”
“Yeah?” He leans forward, crowding his lithe frame into my personal space.
I take a step back.
He doesn’t move.
“When you said I wasn’t just a girl, what did you—?” My throat dries at the black look in his eyes. I never knew blue eyes could be so cold. Cruel. Shut off.