Sara Shepard - Crushed

She barreled into the Four Seasons lobby and then into the ballroom. The first person she spied was Reeve Donahue, one of the girls on the decorations committee. “Have you seen Aria Montgomery?” she asked breathlessly.

Reeve looked Spencer up and down, curling her lip at Spencer’s torn hem and mussed hair. “That girl has been AWOL all night. She so didn’t deserve to be decor chairwoman.”

Spencer eked out a thank you, then did another round of the dance-floor perimeter. Naomi Zeigler was dancing with Henry Bennett. Sean Ackard and Kate Randall were whispering at a private table in the corner. Iris had her head on James Freed’s shoulder.

Spencer was about to run to Iris and ask her where Emily was when Emily herself appeared in front of her.

“Oh my God,” Emily said, grabbing Spencer’s forearms. “Where have you been ? And what happened to you?”

“It’s a long story,” Spencer said. “But I have something to tell you.”

“Ali’s boyfriend was most definitely Noel,” Emily blurted out at the same time.

Spencer backed up and looked at her. “Wait, what? Are you sure?”

Emily nodded. “Iris made the connection that Noel visited Ali nonstop at The Preserve.”

The strobe light flickered across Spencer’s arms as she canvassed the ballroom. If Noel was Ali’s boyfriend . . . then Chase wasn’t. She’d been wrong. She squirmed uncomfortably, not sure if she should feel horribly embarrassed . . . or relieved . . . or still annoyed that Chase knew about Jamaica another way.

“Where is Noel now?” she asked absently. “And Aria? And Hanna?”

“I’m here,” Hanna said behind them, rushing into the room as breathlessly as Spencer had a moment before. Her face was drawn, and her hands were shaking. “We came back as fast as we could.”

“Back from where?” Emily asked.

“The Bill Beach.” Hanna’s voice swooped up and down. “Graham woke up.”

“And you took Mike?” Spencer was horrified. She peered around the room again. “Where is he now?”

“He’s . . . somewhere.” Hanna looked around, too, then shrugged. “I didn’t tell Mike what was going on. And he stayed in the car—he didn’t see anything. But guys, Graham saw A. That’s what he wanted to tell Aria.”

“Was it Noel?” Spencer demanded.

Hanna nodded. “Well, all he said was N . . . . I’m sure he meant Noel. But then I had to get the nurse, and when I came back, he was gone.”

Emily stepped back. “Gone, as in died ?”

“Jesus,” Spencer whispered.

Emily looked at Spencer. “What did you have to tell me?”

Spencer’s stomach clenched, her mind on Chase again. “Uh, nothing.”

“Guys, we have to go to the cops with all of this,” Hanna said, peering around the room. “Noel might have a spy at the Bill Beach. He could know we’re on to him. We’ve got to go to the police now and tell them everything we know.”

“We need to go to the police for another reason,” Emily said. “Fuji knows that one of us has the painting . . . but she doesn’t know who. She thought I was hiding it—she asked if there was any reason they should search my house.”

Spencer slumped against the wall. “Which means she might want to search my house next. Or Hanna’s.”

“Or Aria’s ,” Emily whispered.

“Where is Aria?” Spencer asked worriedly.

Everyone scanned the room. Then Hanna strode toward a girl near the buffet. She wore a black tiered flapper gown and a 1920s hat, and she was holding Hanna’s prom queen scepter in her hand. A pin that read ROSEWOOD DAY ALUM was on her breast. She smiled when Hanna approached.

“Hey there, queen!” she trilled, offering the scepter back to Hanna. “I love how you made everyone else queen for a dance!”

Hanna grabbed the scepter, then frowned. “I did?”

“ So innovative—I love it!” Ryan held up her hand for Hanna to high-five. “It’s too bad the decor chairwoman didn’t get pictures, though.”

Spencer and Emily exchanged a look. Aria was the decor chairwoman. “Do you know where she is?” Spencer demanded.

Ryan cocked her head. “Actually, I thought she was with Hanna. Didn’t you see her in the graveyard for your picture? She and the king left for there about fifteen minutes ago.”

Hanna’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t at the graveyard.”

“Oh.” Ryan looked confused. “I saw you leave, so that’s what I assumed.”

Spencer stiffened. “So Aria is at a dark graveyard with Noel . . . alone ?”

Hanna swallowed hard. “Oh, God.”

Ryan’s eyes searched them. “What?”

Spencer wheeled around and ran for the lobby. The others followed. All sorts of terrible things swirled in Spencer’s mind. Aria was with Ali’s coconspirator right now, the very person who’d helped burn and ruin and kill. Ian’s lifeless body swam into her mind. That horrific fire in the woods. That twisted laugh they kept hearing high above the trees.

They spilled into the front drive of the hotel and stared out at the busy city street. Spencer turned to Hanna. “Do you know where this cemetery is?”

Hanna nodded shakily. “I-I think so. It’s about a ten-minute walk.”

“Then let’s go,” Spencer said, heading for the sidewalk. “I just hope we aren’t too late.”

Even though the Rittenhouse cemetery was off a busy section of the Ben Franklin Parkway, there was something about the way the buildings hemmed it in that made it seem like Aria and Noel were in the middle of the countryside. Twisted vines surrounded the small space. Centuries-old gravestones jutted out of the ground like crooked teeth. Mist swirled around a large stone statue of an angel. An old, rusted fence surrounded the whole place. A loud squeak sounded from the hinges when Noel and Aria opened and shut the wrought-iron gate.

Aria gazed at the names on the gravestones, then ran her fingers along a large stone cross. Her bracelet glittered in the dim light. She ran her fingers along the links again, and they tinkled together.

Noel came up behind her and snaked his arms through the crooks in her elbows, lacing them around her front. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“Well . . .” Aria touched the top of an angel’s wing. A bit of her confidence had flagged since sitting at the bar. Was this place really private? It certainly wasn’t a panic room. What if A was listening?

But then she turned around and tried to focus. This would bring them together. And they could fight A as one. “You know I love you, right?” she began.

Noel’s eyes softened. “I hope you do. You’ve been acting so strangely.”

“Of course I do,” Aria breathed. “I’ve been acting strangely because I’ve been keeping things from you, though.” She spoke into her chest, too afraid to look Noel in the eye. “Big things. For your own good. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Noel nudged Aria’s chin back up so she would look at him. “Haven’t we gone over this? You can tell me anything. No matter how bad it is. No matter if it puts me in danger.” Then he stepped away. “Are you in danger?”

“I . . .” At that very moment, her new cell phone beeped. Aria peeked into her clutch at the message that had popped up on the screen. Get away from Noel! Spencer wrote in all caps. He was Ali’s secret boyfriend! We have definite proof!

Another text popped up from Emily: Noel visited Ali in the hospital. Iris knows it for a fact.

And then from Hanna: Graham just told me that Noel was the one who was watching you on the boat!