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"Naomi and Riley told hed

Spencer hugged her knees Another spark rose high in the air A terrified squirrel skittered down a nearby tree and took off across the lawn "When Ian ca out a crazy secret that would turn Rosewood upside-down He must have known that Courtney had been home that weekend"

"And Ali must have knoe’d think Jason or Wilden set that fire," Hanna wailed "Except the fire didn’t go as planned--she got hurt So she called Wilden, and he whisked her away, thinking she was following her parents’ orders to stay hidden But really, she left to uess Ali put those pictures on Billy’s laptop," Spencer continued, wincing as so else inside the house popped and crackled She checked on Melissa, who held her face in her hands, quietly sobbing "She was also the one who’d called the cops and tipped the Billy killed Jenna"

"But she killed Jenna," Aria said

Everyone fell silent Spencer shut her eyes, trying to ih and throwing her into that ditch It was too horrible to comprehend

"Remeether?" Spencer said after a moment "Jenna was the only person besides Ali’s family and Wilden who knew there were twins Maybe Jenna suspected the first switch She met Courtney the same weekend it happened" She cocked her head "But ould Ali send us that photo if she didn’t want us to knohat Jenna knew?"

"Because she could," Hanna answered "Maybe she banked on Jenna never saying anything And then when it see her face in her hands "You know"

Melissa lifted up her face with a groan It was covered with thick stripes of ash and dirt There was a gash on her shoulder and rope burns on her hands and feet She s flesh Queasiness roiled in Spencer’s gut

Spencer reached out to clean a streak of ash from her sister’s hair Her eyes filled with tears She couldn’t believe horong she’d been about Melissa Horong they’d all been "Why did Ali want to hurt you?"

Melissa propped herself up, shielding her eyes frohed, then cleared her throat "When Jason told o, he said that Ali and Courtney had no contact whatsoever--that they hated each other" She gingerly stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders "So when you told uys, I got suspicious"

There was a crack froirls instinctively turned away Part of the second floor collapsed to the ground with a groan "I talked to Wilden," Melissa said over the noise "He said they were a little worried about Courtney when she first cauys said you saw Ian’s body Jason wondered if Courtney had killed Ian in revenge for hi Ali"

"She did h not for revenge"

The big glass panes in the DiLaurentises’ sunrooirls covered their heads

"But Courtney had an alibi for that night," Melissa went on, brushing a piece of blood-soaked hair fro, and suddenly everything seemed to make sense"

Aria huddled closer to Hanna

"But when Courtney showed up," Melissa said, pulling the sleeves of her filthy cash about all the inconsistencies in Billy’s case"

The fire crackled for a fewcrashed frorabbed her hand

"I followed Courtney…Ali…a lot," Melissa admitted "It wasn’t until I went to the Preserve that I knew for sure what had happened"

Spencer’s mouth dropped open The pamphlet of the Preserve she’d seen in Melissa’s room The appointment with the therapist "So that’s why you went there?"

A stream of sparks erupted from the top of the house, into the air "I talked to Ali’s old roo--even that you were going to be her roommate, Hanna"

"Oh God," Hannalimp

Spencer placed her palms on the top of her head They’d missed so ht into it She looked at her sister "Why didn’t you tell me this stuff about the Preserve earlier?"

"I only went there this etting colder out by the second "I was on my way to the police station afterward, but so lot When I woke up, I was in the trunk I recognized Ali’s voice"

Spencer stared blankly as the old teak swing set behind the house caught fire Ali rabbed Melissa after she caet ready for the dance She never should have told Ali that Melissa had warned Spencer to keep her distance…

Then another thought struck her "Did you say Ali threw you into the trunk of her car?"

Melissa nodded, loosening a dry, charred leaf from her matted blond hair