Fake Me To Church

Chapter 9.2 - The Devil Wears Nada

- STEVEN -

"Steven, what the heck!?" were Dylan's first words once we made it to my car. We'd waited for Landon to leave, then bolted from Charity's house the moment he did.

"I—I can't believe it either," I finally said, reaching over him to store Charity's journal in my vehicle's glove compartment. "But I know one thing. We can't let Landon or my dad get a hold of this journal."

Dylan crossed his arms. "Well, I have a brilliant idea, Steven. JUST PUT CHARITY'S JOURNAL BACK WHERE YOU FOUND IT!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Steven, I'm serious! Your dad obviously has some serious history with that lady, and we can't let ourselves get dragged into the middle of it."

"Dylan, that's exactly why I'm doing this. Whatever Charity's trying to pull over on my dad, I'm gonna stop her."

"And what about the two dead people having funerals this week?"

My face twisted into a puzzled look. "What about them?"

"Oh, come on, Steven. You mean to tell me you haven't thought, for even a second, that maybe all this is connected? What if Landon knows something about why they were killed? What if your dad does?"

"Dylan, what does it matter?"

"It matters because maybe one of them is next! And if we keep poking around in people's houses, maybe one of us is next."

I paused. "Well, then that's exactly why we have to keep the journal."

Dylan let out a massive groan.

"Bro, if Charity's hiding something, if somehow we find out the real reason she came to EdgeWay...it could save my dad. It could save Landon—it could save everyone."

"If you're so interested in saving your dad, why not just give him the journal?"

"Because then he'd know we were in her house." I sighed, looking down. "And he already doesn't trust me."

My best friend hesitated. "This isn't just about what Charity did to you...is it?"

I shuddered in place. "Dylan," I eventually managed, "if I tell you something, you have to swear to keep it a secret."

"Steven...bro, what is it?"

I sighed, glanced briefly out the window. "I was there, in EdgeWay, the night the police found Glenn Clather's body...in fact, I was one of the ones who found it first."

Dylan gasped. "But why? What were you—"

"Me and Grace were pulling a prank on Ahmed. Then him and Irina showed up, and...and Grace came across the body down the hall."

"Dude, that's insane..."

"But that's not all. When we found the body, someone locked us in the room with it. It was dark, and I couldn't make out a face, but I heard laughing."

"Whoa," Dylan breathed. "But how did you get out?"

"A secret key my dad'd told me about. It opened a tunnel that led to his office, and we climbed out the back window."

Dylan paused. "Wait, but I don't get it. How does that have anything to do with Charity?"

"Because she joined EdgeWay the very next week! She gave my dad a ton of money, and it just seemed like...like she was blackmailing him. Like the money was just a fake out and she had some serious dirt on him."

"Oh," Dylan said slowly. "But...you think that maybe, with this journal, you can give your dad the upper hand..."

"Yeah," I muttered. "...And maybe he'd trust me again." A heavy sigh escaped my lungs. "He can tell that I'm hiding something. He called me into his office asking about the key to the tunnel, and I...I lied about it."