Page 38 of My Girl

“Exactly!” I grab her hands, clutching them in excitement. “We could set up the decorations like the murders. It would add authenticity and bring people in?—”

“And the murderer would want to act it out!”

“What ifweact it out?” I shout. “We can show the way we think it happened. Whoever it is, they’ll be too proud to sit back and let us dictate their victory. They’dhaveto step in.”

“I can interview more people!”

“I can too,” I say. “I’m not that good at it, but I always get these feelings about people. And if I get an instinct, you can interview them too?—”

“And the killer will have some sort of signal, right? A hint that leads us to the truth.”

“Exactly!”

Penny spirals into ideas for the party, and I take mental notes of the things we need to do: clean, decorate, invite.

And make sure Ned is on board.

A sliver of wonder throbs inside of me, burrowing into my waist like a tick. If Crave shows up without his mask—if we taunt him, and he’s the killer—will he expose himself?

Crave could be my father’s killer,orCrave can help us figure out the truth. If Penny and I dress up like victims of the murders, we could get Crave to get dressed up too. He could even come in his mask. No one would suspect him. He could use his expertise to help me find the killer.

An arm wraps around my shoulders. I startle.

“Hey, beautiful,” Ned says. He nods to his niece. “Hey, Penny.”

“I’m beautiful too, thanks,” she says.

“Of course you are.” He gives her a quick hug. “What are you two scheming up now?”

“It’s not a scheme. It’s a plan, actually,” Penny corrects. Then she tells him our idea, leaving out the location of the party. Ned smiles patiently. He must already know what we’re going to ask him. My body goes rigid as old doubts about Ned come rushing back.

What if Ned’s patience is an act? A way to trick people into thinking he’s innocent?

What if Ned is my father’s killer?

What if NedisCrave?

Crave and Ned are around the same height, but they smell different. They have similar body shapes, sure, but Ned wouldn’t do those things. He’s the kind of person who sets up rodent repellents instead of lethal traps.

But Ned has never let me near his cock. He always claims it’s about my pleasure. Could he be hiding piercings down there?

“Well…” Penny elbows me. “Ask him.”

“Ask me what?” Ned asks.

I scan Ned’s face. His expression is well kept, like he knows he belongs here. As if he owns this mall, this town, and everyone in it.

A killer would be that confident too.

A ball of tension forms at the base of my spine, and I spit out the words before I can reason with myself. “Can we host the party at the Galloway House? We’ll clean it. Decorate it. Make sure it’s safe. But we still need your approval.”

His nostrils flare slightly, letting out some air. “That place is a wreck.”

“Come on,” Penny says. “We’ll clean it.”

“We’ll take care of everything,” I add. “We just need the key to the padlock and your trust in us.”

Ned inspects me, his blue eyes full of trepidation and longing. He rubs the back of his neck like he wants to help us, even if he knows he shouldn’t.