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That was one smokin’ cruise, Aria--I’m sure your BFF Grahah! --A
5
Let the Questioning Begin
On Wednesday afternoon, Spencer stood in front of the full-length ent Fuji was co to interview all of them in a few onized over her outfit so much
Was a pin-striped blazer too corporate? She frowned and pulled it off and tried on a pink blouse, but that just uirl next door Soaze drifted to the shi in plastic in her closet The tag was still on, but she didn’t have the heart to return it Two days later, Reefer’s rejection still stung Spencer had sent hi for another conversation Maybe she’d misinterpreted what he’d meant when he said they shouldn’t be tied down Maybe he’d had a change of heart But Reefer hadn’t written back, and she’d begun to feel foolish and desperate What she needed, she decided, was a proible boys had been clai her old boyfriend, Andrew Caraduated early and was now at Cornell, but they hadn’t spoken since last spring
The doorbell rang, and she shed the blouse, changed again, and padded downstairs in a blue oxford shirt and skinny khakis Aria, E like a trio of shaken-up soda bottles They rushed inside
"We’ve got to do so ot a note on an unlisted phone," Aria blurted out
"Hold up" Spencer stopped at the border of the hall and the living rooirl explained that they’d all gotten A notes in the past forty-eight hours All of the the cops on theent Fuji by na--A had cracked her unlisted number in a matter of hours
"Does A have an in with Verizon or so to fra Graham As if I set off that explosion"
"A could try to do that with Gayle, too," Emily said "We were in her drivehen she was shot I’ up his or her sleeve about all of that"
"Don’t forget A’s threat to kill us," Hanna added
"This is getting ridiculous It’s like A’s everywhere" Spencer thought about how A had texted her almost the minute Reefer left But how had A known? Spencer had been inside her house It was like A had bugged the place or so
She blinked Was it possible? She peered into the corners of the rooh sills A rearing horse in the garish Civil War painting Mr Pennythistle had hung in the hall leered at her
Suddenly, she hit on an idea "Co toward the backyard
Everyone followed her out the sliding door It et and gray outside, and the air srass and the swa blue tarp covered the fa over the trees where the Hastingses’ refurbished barn had once stood--before Ali burned it down To the left was the DiLaurentises’ old house, though the only re boulder in theup--the new fa their old deck, and there was no longer an Ali shrine on the front curb
Spencer marched to the shed Mr Pennythistle had installed a feeeks ago, unlocked the door, and looked around An orange leaf blower leaned against the left wall She grabbed it, dragged it to the middle of the yard, and pulled the starter chain Her three friends stared at her like she was crazy, but there was a method to her madness Everyone’s hair flew about until Spencer pointed the nozzle at the ground The air filled with the noxious scent of gasoline The best andirls over it
Spencer gestured for the girls to rily "If A knohere we are at all ti to pin all these criht just succeed"
"What do we do?" Hanna yelled over the leaf blower
"I say we go rogue," Spencer declared "We get rid of our current phones and phone nuencies, we can get a burner cell, but we can’t tell one another anything critical on calls or voicemails We should use a code phrase"
"What about not it?" Emily piped up
"That’s perfect," Spencer said "And we can’t give the number out to anyone else except for our parents"
Aria shifted her weight "What about boyfriends?"
Spencer shook her head "It’s too risky"
Aria frowned "Noel won’t tell anyone"
"He h And you’ll have to explain to hi to explain why I’ a phone at all?" Aria asked, hands on her hips
Spencer stared at her, exasperated "I don’t know! Say you’re doing it for a school project about living for a ithout technology"
"What about e-mail?" Hanna asked