Page 30 of Tell No Lies

“I found pictures in my room on Monday morning when I woke up. They were all taken over the weekend. Whoever is doing this was on Catalina with us.”

“That’s why you missed school …” She seemed lost in her thoughts for a minute. “Did you notify the police?”

“Yeah, the detectives that met with me after the note I found on formal night came back.”

“What did they say? Do they have any idea who it could be?”

I shook my head and sighed. “No. One of them even thought I was making this up.”

Her jaw dropped. “Why would you make this up?”

I offered a half shrug. “It would make his job easier if I was.”

“Have you gotten any other notes or pictures?”

“Yes. There was an envelope icon on my computer the night we were packing, but I forgot about it. Yesterday, when I opened my computer, the icon was still there, but it showed two messages. They freaked me out, Mac.”

“Did Brandon see them? Do the police know?”

“Carter was with me when I read them, so he called my brother and told him to come home. Brandon forwarded them to the detectives, but he had some people at his office look into them too.”

She sat back and was quiet again. After a few moments, she met my eyes, waiting for me to continue.

“Carter found the source. The sender was local. Whoever is doing this is here. It’s not Morgan.”

She quickly looked around, as if the perpetrator would magically appear. “So, this is someone new?”

I nodded in confirmation.

“Someone we probably know.” She frowned and looked at me again. “What do we do now?”

“Brandon wants me to continue my normal routine but always have someone with me. He and Carter are looking into it more today.”

“So until then, all we know is that your new stalker is here. Fantastic.”

My thoughts exactly.

We got out of my car and headed toward the courtyard. Talia and Alexis met us as we walked into campus. I gave a look to Mckayla, praying she would stay quiet. I didn’t want to tell the other girls what was happening when we didn’t know very much. Plus, Mckayla looked as if she was going to be ill. I didn’t want to do that to more people.

Mike called my name and ran up to me just before I opened the door to the math hall. “Sorry I missed you this morning. Coach called a team meeting. How’s my favorite girl?”

I wished I was immune to his thousand-watt smile. I couldn’t help but sink into him as he threw his arm around my shoulders. Was this leading him on? Maybe, but I needed my friends right now, and that was exactly what Mike was.

He must have taken my move as an invitation, since he kissed my forehead before he opened the door to our class. I smiled at him as I took my seat. Mr. Cox was standing at the front of the class, waiting for the bell to ring.

I looked around, wondering if anyone in the class was the person stalking me. Sydney? Nick? Maybe one of the guys who gave me their numbers on my first day. They might have been upset I’d never called.

I sank farther into my chair. I thought I could handle this. I thought I could act normal, but I couldn’t. At any moment, someone could be watching me.

Just when I was getting ready to stand and leave school, I felt Mike squeeze my shoulder. That was all I needed. Mike was my protector, and he would never let anything happen on his watch.

His presence was what I needed to make it through the class. When the bell rang, he walked me to the gym, where Cassie was waiting. I knew that if I surrounded myself with my friends, I could make it through the day. I would just have to take one class at a time. With a deep breath, I followed her into the locker room to change.

Dance was a daze, but I made it through with only a few concerned looks from Coach Sandra and Cassie.

I couldn’t focus, no matter how hard I tried. There was a drop of doubt in the back my mind. Did I know who my stalker was? Was he close to me now? I wanted to trust my friends, but I had made that mistake before.

So far, Mckayla was the only one who knew the truth. I trusted her not to tell anyone else yet. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want other people to start treating me differently, but maybe if they knew, they could help.