Sara Shepard - Killer

Spencer looked around the room, assessing its contents. All the furniture, from her four-poster bed to her antique writing desk to the mahogany armoire and Chippendale vanity table, was hers. She’d inherited it from her great-aunt Millicent—apparently she didn’t have the same animosity toward adopted children. Of course she’d have to take her clothes, shoes, bags, and collection of books, too. It would probably fit in a U-Haul. She could even drive the thing herself if she had to.

Her phone buzzed, and Spencer flinched. She eagerly reached for it, hoping Andrew was calling to make up, but when she saw it was a text from Caller Unknown , her heart plummeted to the floor.

Dear Little Miss Spencer-Whatever-Your-Name-Is,

Shouldn’t you know by now what happens if you don’t listen to me? I’ll use small words this time, so even you’ll understand. Either give Long-Lost Mommy a rest and keep searching for what really happened…or pay my price. How does disappearing forever sound?

—A

Later that night, after swimming practice ended, Emily slid into her favorite booth at Applebee’s, the one with the old-fashioned tandem bicycle suspended from the ceiling and the colorful license plates on the walls. Her sister Carolyn, Gemma Curran, and Lanie Iler—two other Rosewood Day swimmers—piled in beside her. The dining room smelled like salty french fries and burgers, and an old Beatles song was playing loudly on the stereo. When Emily opened the menu, she was pleased to see that mozzarella sticks and hot wings were still featured appetizers. The southwest chicken salad still came with spicy ranch dressing. If Emily closed her eyes, she could almost pretend it was last year at this time, when she used to come to Applebee’s every Thursday night—back when nothing bad had happened yet.

“Coach Lauren had to be smoking crack when she wrote that set of five hundreds,” Gemma whined, flipping through the laminated menu.

“Seriously,” Carolyn echoed, shrugging out of her Rosewood Day Swim Team jacket. “I can barely lift my arms!”

Emily laughed with the others, then saw a flash of blond hair out of the corner of her eyes. She stiffened and glanced toward the bar, which was packed with people watching an Eagles game on the flat-screen TVs. There was a blond guy at the very end of the bar, talking animatedly to his date. Emily’s heart slowed down. For a second, she’d thought he was Jason DiLaurentis.

Emily couldn’t get Jason off her mind. She hated that Aria had brushed off her warnings about him in the courtyard on Tuesday, making excuses for his anger. And she really didn’t know what to make of the strange photo A had sent her yesterday, the one of Ali, Naomi, and Jenna all together, presumably friends. If Jenna was Ali’s friend, Ali might’ve opened up to her truthfully, right? She might’ve told Jenna a deep, dark secret about her brother, having no idea that Jenna was going to reveal something similar.

A few months ago, before the cops arrested Ian for Ali’s murder, Emily had seen an interview with Jason DiLaurentis on TV. Well, it was sort of an interview—a reporter had tracked him down at Yale, asking him what he thought of the investigation into his sister’s murder, and he’d waved them away, saying he didn’t want to talk about it. He stayed away from his family as much as possible, he said—they were too messed up. But what if Jason was the one who was messed up? The summer between sixth and seventh grade, Emily had been over at Ali’s house when the DiLaurentises were packing up to go to their mountain house in the Poconos. While the whole family industriously carried suitcases to the car, Jason slumped on the recliner in the den, flipping through the TV channels. When Emily asked Ali why Jason wasn’t helping, Ali just shrugged. “He’s in one of his Elliott Smith moods.” She rolled her eyes. “They should put him in the mental ward, where he belongs.”

A shiver traveled down Emily’s back. “Jason needs to be in a mental ward?”

Ali rolled her eyes again. “It was a joke ,” she groaned. “You’re so literal!”

But as she turned to carry another suitcase to the car, Ali’s mouth flickered slightly. It seemed like something was going on deep beneath Ali’s cool exterior, something she wouldn’t admit.

Emily had forwarded A’s picture to each of her old friends. Both Spencer and Hanna had responded, saying they had no idea what it could mean, but Aria hadn’t acknowledged it at all. What if they should be worrying about Jason? There was a lot about him they didn’t know.

A blond waitress in a green Applebee’s button-down and an Eagles baseball cap took their orders. Then the swimmers started talking about the party at the Radley. “Topher managed to snag an invite, and he wants me to go,” Carolyn was saying. “But what do you wear to something like that?”

Emily sipped her vanilla Coke. Topher was Carolyn’s boyfriend, but usually the two of them preferred Heroes marathons to fancy parties. “What about the pink dress I wore to the Rosewood Day benefit?” she suggested. Then she drummed her fingers on the table. “You don’t have to worry about me borrowing from your closet yet again. I already got a dress.”

Carolyn’s eyes lit up. “You’re going?”

“Someone asked me,” Emily blurted out. Lanie and Gemma leaned forward, intrigued.

Carolyn squeezed Emily’s arm. “Let me guess,” she whispered. “Renee Jeffries from Tate? You guys were so cute when you were talking before the two hundred fly last month. And someone told me she’s…you know.” Carolyn trailed off.

Emily fiddled with the red straw in her vanilla Coke. She hadn’t told her family or swimming friends about Isaac yet.

She took a deep breath and looked at the others. “Actually…it’s a guy.”

Carolyn blinked hard. Lanie and Gemma smiled, puzzled. On TV, the Eagles scored a touchdown. The whole room cheered, but none of them turned.

“I met him at church,” Emily went on. “He goes to Holy Trinity Academy. His name’s Isaac. We’re sort of…dating.”

Carolyn placed her palms flat on the table. “Isaac Colbert ? The hot guy in that band, Carpe Diem?”

Emily nodded, pleased color rising to her cheeks.

“I know him,” Gemma said, swooning. “We worked on the same Habitat for Humanity project last year. He’s gorgeous.”

“Is it serious ?” Carolyn’s eyes popped wider and wider.

Emily nodded again, gazing at her sister. “I plan to tell Mom and Dad. Don’t break the news to them first. I just needed to make sure it was…for real.”

Carolyn picked up a piece of garlic bread that had just arrived. “Go you.” Gemma gave Emily a high five, and Lanie patted her on the back.

Emily breathed out, relieved. She’d worried about how that would go. And she’d especially fretted that Carolyn would make a face and ask her why she’d put the family through the lesbian stuff if she was going to eventually date guys again.

But now that her thoughts had turned to Isaac, she couldn’t help but think about what had happened at dinner last night. All those awful, jabbing digs. All those bitter looks. And that photo in the drawer, the one of Emily beheaded. Would Emily and Isaac be able to go to the Radley party together, if Mrs. Colbert knew what they’d done?

She’d left Isaac’s house soon after seeing the photo in the drawer, not telling Isaac a word about it. But she had to say something. They were a couple. They were in love. Surely he would understand. She could say, Are you sure your mom likes me? Does your mom like to haze your new girlfriends? Did you know your mom is a psychopath and beheaded me in a photo?