Page 76 of The Five Year Lie

Because Drew is not buried in that cemetery in North Carolina. And I feel a hundred different ways about it. I’m so confused. But I also feel weirdly elated, like a death row prisoner who just got a temporary stay of execution.

What if he never died?I haven’t really allowed myself to consider that possibility before now. Not really.

I stumble through a polite dismount from that phone call. And then I stand there by the back door, clutching my phone, feeling shaky.

After a moment, a shiny BMW pulls into the driveway. It’s Ray’s car. And whether I’m ready or not, he climbs out, his tie loose at the neck, his jacket slung over his arm. He looks tired. But when he sees me, he straightens up and smiles. “Hey, Ariel! How’d moving day go?”

It takes me a long beat to process the question. “Fine,” I say, shoving my phone in my pocket and straightening my spine. “Everything is done. Your phone line is transferred to your new desk. I tested it. And they moved your computer and plugged it in, but I didn’t try to boot it up.”

“Excellent work, as always. Let me change out of this suit, and I’ll fire up the grill.”

I watch him go and then sag against the house. Pulling my phone out, I hit Zain’s number and wait until he picks up.

“Hey,” he says. “I’m heading over to the server farm now. Is there a problem?”

“No,” I say hoarsely. “Well, not about that. I, uh, just got a call from the cemetery in North Carolina.”

“And?”

I swallow hard. “He’s not there.”

For a second I think the call has dropped, because he doesn’t say anything. Then, “Holy shit.”

That’s pretty much how I feel about it, too.

“Iknewthere was something weird about that obituary. Okay, I didn’tknow. It was more of a hunch.”

“Good hunch,” I mutter. “What other hunches do you have for me? Because I’m spiraling right now.”

“God, Ariel. What if they printed the wrong cemetery name?”

“That’s the first thing I’ll check,” I tell him. “But what if he’s...” My voice cracks before I finish that sentence.

“Alive?”

I make a noise of disbelief. Zain just said it. Out loud. The thing I haven’t been willing to contemplate until now.

“Then I’d assume he’s been hiding,” Zain says. “But not from you.”

Of course from me.Because I never mattered.

“Ariel? You still there?”

“Yeah,” I grind out.

“What if he found something dangerous? Maybe leaving wasn’t enough distance. Maybe he had to fake his own death.”

“Who does that?” I whisper.

“Someone who has no other choice.”

“Or maybe they just put the wrong cemetery in the obit.” I rub my temple with my free hand. “Now I have to go have dinner with Ray and my mother and Buzz and pretend that everything is fine.”

“Good luck with that,” Zain says. “I’ll call my friend and ask him to get on that search for Jay Marker.”

“Thanks,” I say, even though I’m shaking.

“Hang in there. We’ll know more soon.”