Page 34 of The Executioners Three

Freddie did not go back to school.

Oh, she walked in so Bowman would see her appearing to follow the rules, but as soon as Freddie was inside, she ducked into a bathroom and counted off a full five minutes before slinking back to the main entrance.

She didn’t make it more than ten feet into the autumn cold before a voice called, “Wait!”

Divya .

Freddie skidded around—just in time to be enveloped by Divya’s puffer jacket arms. “You must hate me—”

“I would never hate you.”

“—but I had to be honest with Bowman, Freddie, and I didn’t see the bottle.” Divya was squeezing Freddie so tightly Freddie couldn’t suck in air.

But she also loved the ferocity of this BFF hug, so oxygen could wait a little longer.

“I told her that I believed you, though,” Divya continued, voice muffled by hair and sleeves. “I told her you would never lie about something like this.”

“I’m sure you did, Divya.” Freddie wriggled free from Divya’s arms and smiled tiredly. “I appreciate the apology all the same.”

For several long seconds, Divya eyed Freddie, a frown cinching across her brow. Until at last: “So what do you think happened?” Her words huffed out in foggy gasps. “I did see you take pictures of something.”

“Yeah, and that something was a water bottle.” Freddie’s lips puckered sideways, gauging how much to tell Divya about the Executioners poem and missing articles and possible serial killers inspired by the ravings of a mad blacksmith and his descendant.

Everything was still so nebulous in her brain.

Just half-formed hunches and clues out of context.

“All I can figure,” she said eventually, “is that someone switched out the film. I don’t know how they did it, but it’s the only explanation I have.”

“You know why they did it, though.” Divya’s eyebrows notched up. “I can tell by the way you just said that. You think it was…”

“Murder,” Freddie finished. “Yeah. Someone is trying to cover their tracks.”

“Murder.” Divya winced. “I have to be honest that I wasn’t convinced that Dr. Fontana was killed, but… Well, I believe you now.”

“Thanks.” Freddie offered a weak smile.

“Okay, then here’s what we’ll do.” Divya looped her arm in Freddie’s and twirled them away from the entrance. “We’ll stop by your house on the way to grab a coat for you and proper footwear for me .” Divya frowned down at her clogs as she tried to walk forward.

But Freddie yanked her back to a stop. “On the way where?”

“Where do you think?” Divya pulled again. “You’re going to search for that bottle, aren’t you?”

“Uh.”

“Don’t even try to ‘uh’ me, Freddie Gellar.” Divya grinned sideways. “I can see it in your eyes, and as your best friend, it is my sworn duty to aid you. No one should go into those spooky woods alone.”

“But you have school!” Again, Freddie dug in her heels. “You can’t wreck your perfect attendance!”

“Oh, I already took care of that, my Honey Graham Cracker.” Divya winked brazenly.

“The power of cell phones! All it took was a phone call from the bathroom, and”—she switched to a voice that sounded very much like her mother’s—“Divya needs to be excused for a dentist appointment for the remainder of the day. We can’t ignore cavities for too long! ”

Freddie thought she might burst into tears at those words. “I don’t deserve you,” she said, voice quaking.

“No one does.” Divya hip-bumped her. “Except maybe Laina, because she’s amazing.”

Freddie couldn’t argue with that.

“Now, are you coming?” Divya towed one last time at Freddie, and this time, Freddie complied.

“I’m coming.” She kicked into a half jog. “And let’s hurry, please. I am freezing !”

Ten minutes later, the girls raced into Freddie’s house.

While Divya traded out her Birkenstocks for a pair of Freddie’s mom’s boots, Freddie pulled a first aid kit from under her bathroom sink.

After a few daubs of Neosporin and a wrap spun firmly around her left wrist, she popped two Tylenol, slotted Sabrina into her back pocket, and looped Xena around her neck.

Lastly, she slung her winter coat over the ill-fitting uniform.

The shirt and pants were already stained from her earlier tumble, so no reason to change now—and no time, either.

With Divya at her side, Freddie wheeled Steve’s old bike out of the garage. This time, they also took Freddie’s mom’s bike. It was even crappier than Steve’s, but it functioned and was decidedly more comfortable than riding on handlebars.

However, before Freddie and Divya could actually set off down the driveway, Freddie squared her body toward Divya. As soul twins and BFFs until the day they died, Freddie had to do this.

She had to, she had to, she had to.

“Before we go, I, um… I need to confess something.”

Divya squinted at her warily. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Yeah.” Freddie squeezed her bike brakes; they squealed. Say it, Gellar. SAY IT! “Erm…” Freddie swallowed. Then blurted, “Kyle tried to kiss me.”

“What?”

Freddie’s eyelids fluttered shut. That wasn’t what she’d meant to say. Like, at all .

“Did you want him to kiss you?” Divya asked.

“No.” Freddie opened one eye. Then the other. She was a terrible, terrible friend.

“Jeez Louise. No wonder you look like a dejected unicorn, Fred.”

“And I feel like one too,” Freddie mumbled. Which was true, although not for the reason Divya now believed.

“So what happened?”

“Ugh.” Freddie grimaced; her insides grimaced too—both because of the kiss and because this wasn’t the story she was supposed to be telling. “Kyle just leaned in, before I could stop him. Then I turned my head at the last second, so he ended up bumping my cheek with his lips.”

“Oof. Then what?”

“Then I bolted.”

“ Oof oof.” Divya squeaked her brakes for emphasis. “I’m a little confused, though, Freddie. I thought… I thought you liked Kyle.”

“I did .” With a moan, Freddie doubled over and draped herself across the handlebars. “But now I don’t think I do.”

Divya leaned over her own bike and peered into Freddie’s dangling face. “Does that mean you like Theo Porter?”

“NO!” Freddie practically screamed, shooting back upright. “ No. Theo Porter is the enemy.”

“Is he, though?” Divya asked with definite skepticism in her eyes. “I mean, if you like him, then you like him. Will it suck? Sure, because I really like Laina, but if you really like Theo, then… we’ll figure it out.”

“I don’t, though,” Freddie insisted, and the grimace in her belly deepened. Liar, liar, pants on fire! You’ve already made plans to see him tonight, haven’t you?

“Huh” was all Divya offered in reply.

And Freddie was certain her guilt must have been written plainly across her face.

WORST BEST FRIEND, it said. SECRET KEEPER AND VOW brEAKER.

She wanted Divya to get with Laina—she deeply, desperately wanted that.

And she didn’t want to risk that not happening by fooling around with their sworn enemy.

So it was decided, then: Freddie would cancel on Theo tonight. The kiss from that morning had just been another one-off. End of story.

As Divya flew down the driveway in an air-whizzing roll, Freddie followed.

“So, uh… what happened yesterday?” Freddie asked. “When you hung out with Laina—how was it?”

“Ooooh.” Divya flashed a wide grin before bursting into a whirlwind description of every single encounter she and Laina had shared after school yesterday.

And for a few minutes, as the neighborhood blurred past in all its fall glory, Freddie was able to forget her shame and simply revel in all the savory details of her best friend’s romantic joy.

“So, are you officially together?”

“I don’t think so.” Divya frowned, her cheeks flushed from their pedaling. “I guess we’re talking? But we haven’t, like, defined the relationship or anything.”

“But Laina does like girls?”

The frown compressed into a squee-like grin. “Definitely. She held my hand this morning before class.”

Freddie gasped. “That’s huge!”

“It was.” Divya gave a happy shiver. “We were at my locker, and she just kind of took my hand into hers.” She released one handlebar to display which hand. “And I was trying so hard not to freak out where everyone could see.”

Freddie sighed, her insides all flustered and warm. “This is better than any rom-com, I swear. But you better tell me if you do DTR, okay?”

“Uh, duh.” Divya gave a playful eye roll. “We tell each other everything, Fred.”

Ah, right. Yep, Freddie was officially the worst BFF of all time.

When at last Freddie and Divya pedaled up to the yellow police tape marking the county park trail, both girls were smiling ear to ear about all the gushy Laina details. And they were panting too because, ya know, exertion .

Their brakes squealed in earsplitting harmony as they slowed to a stop. They rolled the final steps to the tape. It rattled in the wind, very bright and very insistent that people keep out.

Freddie unzipped her jacket (all that cycling had made her hot).

Then she pinned Divya with her most serious stare.

No more giggling over Laina, no more Kyle or Theo or feelings of shame.

What they were doing here was serious, and Freddie couldn’t in good conscience let Divya walk in there without knowing all the risks.

“Div, we could get in a lot of trouble if we get caught.”

“I know.” Divya shifted her weight.

“Like, a lot of trouble,” Freddie reiterated. “Like get-arrested-and-charged-with-stuff trouble.”

“I know,” Divya repeated. She drew back her shoulders.

“But I can’t let you go in those woods alone—and I know you’ll go alone.

Because no matter how terrifying or dangerous things are, Fred, you always jump without looking.

I do love that about you, but…” Divya gave a little tremble as she scooted her bike closer to the police tape. “These woods are wiggins central.”