Page 134 of High Season

“Nina would never have believed me,” Hannah says. “It had to come from you.”

“Nina.” Blake is looking straight at his sister, not listening to Josie. “Nina. Please.”

Imogen holds her phone aloft. Facing them all, her thumb hovering above the screen.

It’s then that Hannah sees the video is already loaded into a social media app. That, beneath her hand, there is one large block of text.

Post video.

“You did this to me,” Nina says. “All the years of guilt. All the attention, and the lies, and almost destroying myself wondering why I didn’t remember. Wondering if I had told the truth.”

“Oh, come on, Nina,” Blake says. “This isn’t about that.”

“Then what is it about?” Her voice is shrill. “What is it about, Blake? Is it about the fact that youdruggedour sister? That you forced people to stay quiet for you? That you let an innocent person go to prison because of it? All to save yourself.”

“Nina.” Blake’s voice is wheedling. Desperate. “Please. It’s not like that.”

“It’s too late,” Nina says.

She turns toward Imogen. Her voice is hoarse. Her eyes, when Hannah catches them, are glistening with tears.

“Do it,” she says.

Imogen is holding the phone up toward her, her thumb a half inch above the post video icon.

“You have to decide together,” she says. “If you want this. Once it’s out there, there’s no going back.”

Blake struggles against Nic again, swearing loudly, but Nic is taller than him, stronger. Hannah’s gaze flickers from Nina to Josie. When she meets Josie’s eye, they are exactly as she remembers them. They could be teenagers again. Hannah nods slowly.

“Yes,” she says. “It’s time.”

And there, with all of them watching, Imogen’s thumb jerks against the screen. A small wheel darts into motion, signaling the upload. In a moment, the video will appear on the feeds of Imogen’s millions of followers.

Blake breaks free of Nic then, lunges for her. His arms reach out. His hands clasp at the air in front of him. He is fast, but Hannah is faster. Flying toward him, knocking him forward, both of themtumbling toward the floor. Her legs on either side of him, pinning him to the ground as he flounders, winded.

Imogen lifts her phone up, wordless.

Your upload was successful.

There is a pause. Seconds. Less. And then Imogen’s phone comes alive. Vibrating against the palm of her hand, the notifications lighting up her screen. Across the world, the very first people are reacting. Liking. Commenting. Sharing.

A new truth is rising, like divers breaking the surface of the sea. Breathing for the first time.

PART FOUR

NEW VIDEO

@TRUECRIMEFANGIRL_2002

POSTED TODAY AT 18:32

Hey, true crime fans, and welcome back. Or, I suppose, I should say welcome back tome. Because, as you know, I’ve been pretty quiet on here lately. Things have been looking a little different. And I really appreciate all of your comments, and questions, and everyone who’s got in touch asking if I’m OK. The truth is that I’m fine. In fact, I’m better than ever. But there’s been a lot of changes around here. And I felt that I owed it to you guys to tell you about them.

Now, lots of you will remember my involvement in the case of Tamara Drayton last year. And if you don’t, check out the pinned video on the top of my page. But for anyone who hasn’t watched yet—I teamed up with some of the key players in the case to help get footage of Tamara Drayton’s twin, Blake Drayton, confessing to having withheld key information about the case.

But in spite of how wild the whole thing was—and again, so many videos on my page, if you want to check this out—this case got me thinking a lot about my work over the last few years. I started this page so that I could share all the juicy, filthy details of some of my favorite murder cases. And honestly, I’ve loved telling these stories to you all. But when I got mixed up in the Tamara Drayton case, I ended up getting to know a lot of Tamara’s loved ones, or people directly involved in the case. And honestly? It made me need to take a step back. It made me wonder what I’m actuallydoinghere? Like, who am I helping? And does the fact that we actually ended up helpingto get the conviction of an innocent person overturned outweigh all that? What about all of the other cases we’ve talked about where that hasn’t been the outcome? Where people have probably had to listen to me pick over all the details of a loved one’s death, not because we’re searching for the truth, not really, but because some internet freaks like me find it entertaining? Don’t they matter, too?

Guys, I don’t know the answer to all this stuff. But what I do know is that it’s time to retire truecrimefangirl_2002. It’s been fun. Life-changing, in fact. We had a good run. But now? It’s time for new things. And you’re probably going to be seeing a lot less of this face on your screens. And maybe that’s a good thing.