Page 175 of No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding

“You can’t promise that.”

“Iampromising that. This has to stop. It’s going to stop.”

I’m not sure who I’m speaking to, but it feels like someone.

Instinct drives me to focus on Fred. He’s standing next to Emma with his hands by his side. Not comforting her, I notice. She has her arms wrapped around her waist, and part of me hates Fred because even if he’s not behind all of this, he should be thinking of her in this moment.

Helping her.

“This has to stop,” I say.

Fred puts his hands out in front of him, but he doesn’t say anything.

My suspicion builds in me like a head of steam.

Was he working with Shawna?

He had to be because of the texts.

The texts with all those dates and times and instructions to meet.

No, orders.

Is that what Shawna meant? That Fred was the one she was taking orders from?

Is that why she came tothisroom?

Hisroom.

But why? To warn him they were about to be discovered? To ask for his help to extricate herself? To complete the plan?

Or was she hiding on the property, hoping to escape, and then...someone got to her first and this was the first room she could get to?

Did Fred get to her first?

But that can’t be because Fred was here. Fred was here when someone was killing Shawna. So if he’s involved, he can’t be the only one.

The room is eerily silent, only the questions loud in my head.104But maybe everyone else is thinking this way, too?

I search the room until I find Oliver. A moment of eye contact unsticks him from his place.

He crosses to the room’s phone and picks up the receiver.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Calling Mr. Prentice so he can locate Officer Anderson.”

“Good idea.”

As he makes his call, I walk Harper away from the body and sit her down on the couch. I can feel Fred’s eyes on me as I do it, but I don’t get any sense of danger from him.

Still, I have to ask.

“Was he here all night?” I ask Emma. “Fred?”

“What? Yes.”

“Are you sure? You didn’t fall asleep?”

---