GREY

It wasn't until the next day that Jacquarious was discharged from the hospital. It'd taken everything in me, but I'd managed to listen to Dash and keep from visiting. The way he saw it, I should let the Whelan family—and only the Whelan family—have the time with their son in peace; we'd all get to see him once he got back to school anyway.

Brayden, Cody, and I had just made it to Dash's house after practice when I got a text from TaKylar, letting us all know Jacquarious was back home.

I gulped, turning to Dash as I showed him the message. "Do you think we should—"

"No, Grey."

"Dude, come on! I waited until he got out of the hospital, just like you asked. And TaKylar just said—"

"I know what she said. But that doesn't mean we should go banging down his door. Just because he's out of the hospital doesn't mean he's magically all better. He probably still needs rest."

Cody's phone blipped behind me, followed by Brayden's. Dash's blipped next, and his eyes grew wide as he glanced down.

"Whoa," Dash breathed.

"Huh? What's—"

My phone was the last to beep, multiple bolts in succession.

"It's...my parents." I squinted both eyes. "What the—?"

Blip! Blip!

I opened the messages, each new text shorter than the last...and angrier.

Brayden sighed. "Looks like the moment Jacquarious got home, his mom's first order of business was calling all our parents."

"Yeah," Cody gulped. "And telling them about last night."

I twisted back to Dash. "Still think visiting's a bad idea?"

"Yes! Grey, are you out of your mind?"

"Dash..."

"I'm serious, Grey. This is ridiculous! Why are you so freaking set on visiting his—"

"'Cause I found evidence, okay!?"

Dash stepped back, Brayden and Cody moving closer. "W-what?" Brayden mused.

I winced—I really hadn't meant to admit that. "The...room we were in, where we found him...there was something else there."

"And you're just telling us about this now?"

"I wasn't even sure about it until practice ended. I tried texting Officer Longchamp earlier." My eyes fell. "No response."

"Makes sense," Cody said. "After what Mrs. Afryka said, guy's probably looking for the best lawyer Goldengate P.D. can afford."

"So what was it, Grey?" Dash pressed. "What's this evidence you conveniently forgot to tell us about?"

"Hey, come on—it wasn't like that. I already told you, it was just a hunch at first." I shrugged. "Just...when we found Jac last night, I remembered there was this...boot print. Or part of one anyway. Left in blood on the floor." I finally met Dash's eyes. "I thought it was Jacquarious's, but the size was wrong. I checked the spares he'd left in his locker—"

"You broke into his locker?" Brayden asked.

"No, man." I held up both hands in defense. "He never locked it yesterday; he ran off as soon as we heard Coach talking to that Parker guy, remember?"

"So what then?" Brayden stepped closer. "You thinking you got a picture of the killer's shoes?"

"Well, part of them at least. But...I still don't know for sure. Maybe Jacquarious doesn't wear the same size in boots that he does for basketball shoes." I fidgeted with my car keys. "If we can get over there, if we can prove it without a doubt...maybe we can help Officer Longchamp. Maybe we can catch whoever did this."

Cody bumped Dash's shoulder. "It's not a bad idea, man."

"Yeah," Brayden added, sighing. "And it's not like we're gonna have our cars for much longer. My mom's last text said she's literally at the hardware store buying a chain."

Dash let out a heavy exhale. "Fine. We'll go."

I grinned, patting him once on the shoulder as I raced for the front door.

****

My hands were jittering.

Dash pulled up to 919 Villafranca Court, and I gripped the edges of the leather seat beneath me. It was strange; barely twenty-four hours before, I'd been at this very same house—I'd even gone inside. Maybe it was because the day was fading, but it felt different now...more hostile.

The Whelan home, cast in a whispering twilight far more imposing than I'd noticed yesterday, almost looked like something out of an old photograph. Muted. Distant. Wrapped in crumbly sepia tones. Its twin stories rose in sharp contrast to the sky, angles clean and lines deliberate, curtailing what otherwise might have been the more rounded edges of its stone façade.

I shivered as I climbed from the car alongside Dash, Cody, and Brayden, starting up the porch but feeling too nervous to stare straight ahead. My eyes fell on the windows accented with panels stripped in gold, then to the iron gate fencing off the backyard, its tangled flaxen filigree sparkling with defiance.

Cody's arm lurched around my shoulder. "Eyes on the prize, Grey," he tried his best to chuckle. But his playful push didn't fool me; neither did the way his arm tightened at my neck—holding onto me for every bit of support he was trying to pretend he didn't need. Dash and Brayden swayed closer too, all four of us tightening together.

The doorbell jangled out before I even realized I'd pressed it.

Slippered feet pattered from the other side of the woodframe barrier that sealed us out, that sealed Jacquarious in.

The knob twisted.

The husky wood slid open.