Help Me

Chapter 6

“Suzie Blake, I have a proposition for you,” Nathan said, smiling at her as he sat down across from her. Jack and Andy took a seat on either side of her.

“Okay,” she said uneasily, “What do you want?”

“We need your help with something,” Nathan’s smile widened.

“Technically, we don’t need her. You just want her as a dist- Ow, Jack,” Andy exclaimed as Jack smacked the back of his head.

“We need her, Andy. It’s not like we can put you in a dress and pigtails,” Jack snapped. 

“Hang on a sec, I don’t do dresses and pigtails,” Suzie said, eyeing Nathan. 

“Why don’t you guys let me finish first,” Nathan shot a look at Jack and Andy, “Hear me out, Suze. Last night, two cops showed up at my house. They said that a dead body was found in our woods but they don’t know who it is.”

“What does that have to do with me?” she asked.

“They think I killed her, but only because they think it’s one of the girls from around here.”

“Did you kill her?”

“Of course he didn’t,” Andy said. 

“Then why do the cops think he did?”

“I might have been the last person to see her,” Nathan said slowly. 

“Let me guess, she has a history of being crazy and you three have a history of tormenting her, right? It’s that Thomas girl,” Suzie said with an edge to her voice. 

“They think it’s her, but we think it’s someone else. That’s why we need your help.”

Suzie was silent, meeting each boy’s stare with her own. Eleanor had told her that these boys were troublemakers to the core. Looking into their eyes, she could see what her best friend meant. There was a tiny glimmer in their expressions that drew her to them like a flame in the darkness, promising adventure and excitement. A minuscule part of her was screaming at her to say no and leave, but that wasn’t who she was. 

“Okay,” she said, surprised by the confidence in her voice, “What do you need me to do?”

Nathan’s smile brightened, “We need to break into the morgue. It’s at the back of the  police station the next town over. The problem is, we can’t sneak in the back if there are police officers patrolling the corridor outside the morgue. We need you to distract every officer in that building so we can sneak in the back door and get a good look at the body.”

“What does this have to do with dresses and pigtails?”

“Well, you don’t exactly look sweet and innocent, Suzie,” Jack muttered.

“My hair isn’t long enough for pigtails.”

“Then Andy can borrow one of his sister’s hair bows or something,” Nathan said, his gaze flickering to Andy.

“I just want you to know that I hate all of you,” she said, leaning back in her chair, “But I guess I have to do it, right? How else will you three idiots get in to that morgue?” 

“Insulting or not, we’ll take it,” Nathan said.

“Of course you will. However,” she lowered her voice and leaned across the table, “I also require a favor in return.”

“Oh, great,” Andy muttered.

“Don’t sound so annoyed, Andy. You won’t be doing the favor.”