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And Emma didn’t want to step into it either She sniffed loudly and Laurel turned "What?" The corners of her ainst the note Sutton’s dead Laurel deserved to see this, didn’t she? Sutton’s very own sister should know she was dead, right? Yet, Euring it was just another attempt to skip school? And what if the second part of the threat was true? Keep playing along, or you’re next If E terrible could happen

"Nothing," she finally answered

Laurel shrugged and rolled down the neighborhood street, turning right at a big park with a dog run, a huge playground, and three outdoor tennis courts When she h-end nail salons, and funky boutiques flanked one side, and a UPS store, a stucco police station, and the stone entrance for Hollier High School were on the other Cars ja to enter the school lot Blond girls in Ray-Bans lazed in convertibles The bass throbbed inside a big Escalade with a HOLLIER VARSITY FOOTBALL bureen Vespa wove through the waiting cars, sometimes with just a few inches to spare

Emma stared at the police station as they made the turn into the school Six squad cars sat in the parking lot A cop in a uniforarette on the front walk

Laurel gunned the car up a sn that said JUNIOR PARKING LOT She glanced at Emma out of the corner of her eye "You can’t lie to Mom forever about where your car is And I don’t really want to be your chauffeur for the rest of the year"

Just then, so occurred to Emma She turned to Sutton’s sister "Why didn’t you just drive your car to Nisha’s party last night?"

Laurel blew air out of her cheeks "Duh Because Dad took it into the shop You knew that"

They drove past the line of parked cars The a Jamba Juice sht of the lot Three pretty girls wearing sherbet-colored Havaiana flip-flops watched a slide show of vacation photos on a laptop propped up inside a Mini hatchback

Sutton’s dead, E over her like a series of crashing waves She had to do soer No matter what the note said Emma’s heart started to pound

Laurel pulled into a space near a large trash can already filled to the brim ater bottles and Starbucks cups As soon as she cut the engine, Emma yanked at the door handle, leapt out of the car, and took off through the field toward the police station

"Hey!" Laurel screamed behind her "Sutton? What the hell?"

Emma didn’t answer She picked her way across the hardscrabble vegetation that separated the school fro lot Braed on a narrow strip of lawn and burst through the station doors

It was cool and dark inside The big rooed into a series of cubicles and desks, s, walkie-talkies buzzed, and a sports radio droned in the background The Venetian blinds had dust on the slats, and there was a cruarette butts on the floor near the door On the far as a big bulletin board tacked with IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING posters and Most Wanted lists A black-and-white photo of a young guy with dark hair and faht Emma’s eye MISSING SINCE JUNE 17 THAYER VEGA It was the same eerie poster Emma had seen on Sutton’s Facebook

A wild-haired older man in a trench coat took up most of the only bench There were handcuffs around his wrists When he saw Euy-who-shows-irls smile

"Can I help you?"

E cop hite-blond buzz-cut hair eyed her fro fan on his desk blew stale air into her face The screen saver on his -eyed children in baseball and gymnastic uniforun in his holster She licked her lips and took a few steps toward hi person Possibly a murder"

Blondie’s pale, al?"

"My twin sister" And then, everything that had happened spewed out of her, spurting like blood froht it was just a miscommunication, and Sutton was fine," she finished "But this ot this" She unfolded the note and smoothed it out on the cop’s desk SUTTON’S DEAD TELL NO ONE KEEP PLAYING ALONGOR YOU’RE NEXT It looked so real and scary under the harsh fluorescent lights

Blondie’s lips moved silently as he read it "Sutton," he whispered eht bulb had illuminated over his head He picked up the receiver on his phone and pressed a button "Quinlan? You free?"

He hung up the phone and patted the orange chair next to his desk "Stay here," he told Erabbed the note, strode to the back of the station, and disappeared into a small office marked DETECTIVE QUINLAN Eainst the large, bright backHis hands moved quickly as he spoke