Burning Fury

XVI

Over the next few days, I continued with my plan. I stayed at Ryder's house next and still found nothing. There was nothing at Callum or Niko's houses either. Finally, swallowing my pride and the trauma from everything Emily had done to me, I asked to stay the night at her place. When I got there, my aunt answered the door and seemed so excited to have me over. Emily was in the basement, a movie and face masks waiting for me.

"We're going to have fun tonight. I've got a bunch of facemasks and we can watch a romantic comedy."

"Sure, sounds like fun. I brought some popcorn and soda, too."

When she went upstairs to make the popcorn, I slipped into her room and tore it apart while making sure to put everything back the way it was. I was in the process of looking through her closet when she startled me.

"Clover? What are you doing?"

I turned around and was convinced she could hear my pounding heart. "I was looking for a tampon. I think I got my period."

"Oh, yeah. I have some in my nightstand there."

"Thank you."

She handed me a tampon and I went into the bathroom, opening the tampon and throwing all the evidence in the garbage. I picked up some Kleenexes to hide the unused tampon, and a piece of crumpled paper caught my eye. Pulling it out of the garbage, I smoothed it down to see it was a receipt. It was just for some muscle relaxers that had been purchased before my brother's grad party. I threw it back in the trash, flushed the toilet and washed my hands.

"All good?" Emily asked when I walked out of the bathroom.

"Yeah. Thank you, you're a life saver."

"Let's start the movie."

With my failed experiment, I decided to let it go. Obviously none of my friends were murderers and I felt bad for even entertaining the thought. My dad and brother came back a few days later with news that my grandpa had passed. He had been comfortable in his last hours and everyone was there with him. The funeral was creeping up fast, until it was the day of the funeral. Thankfully, it would be taking place in the county so I could attend. The day of, I dressed in a short black dress, thinking that this was my life. An endless stream of funerals.

The funeral was beautiful, the church packed full of people that knew my grandpa or family. Later, when we stood by his grave, watching them lower him into the ground, I promised him that I would clear my name. I'd finish college and I'd lead a life as good as his. I'd help people in some way. Silent tears streamed down my face as his coffin hit the ground and they started pushing dirt in. The crowd slowly dispersed, going back to the church for lunch. I stayed back with my dad, watching as the grave slowly filled up.

We went back to the church where my friends were waiting to give Emily and I hugs. I cried hard then. My body shaking as Niko held me. Slowly, they all circled around Emily and I and we cried together. I didn't realize everything was going to crumble around me even more when the police walked through the door. None of us realized what it would entail.

"Clover Solace,"

I untangled myself from my friends and looked up at the sheriff and somehow knew what was coming.

"You're under arrest for the murders of Gavin Adair and Houston Collymore."

He pulled my arms behind my back and slapped handcuffs on me. I was vaguely aware of the cop reciting the Miranda rights, but I was looking at my dad. The man who had just lost his dad and was now losing his daughter. There was no way.