Page 48 of Trapper Road

When I enter the motel room I find Vee sitting up in her unmade bed with her back against the headboard, remote control in her hand as she flicks through the TV. “Where you been?” she asks without looking my way.

“Out.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t press for details. I’m not sure I want to share about my morning with Willa.

“Mandy came by,” she says.

This gives me pause. “Did she? What did she want?”

“Just to chat, I guess.”

“And?”

“She invited me to go to Juliette’s house with her and Willa later.” She says it so nonchalantly, when she knows it’s a big deal.

My pulse picks up at the mention of Willa’s name. “Wait, what?”

She shrugs, her attention still on the TV. “Apparently it’s a tradition of theirs. Was even before Juliette’s disappearance. They’d gather at her house on Saturday afternoons and hang out.”

“Doing what?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know, girly shit.”

“And they’re still doing it? Going to Juliette’s house even though she’s missing?”

“I guess so, since I’m invited.”

“And her parents are okay with that?” None of this makes any sense to me. It just seems creepy. Their daughter is missing, and it’s like they’re pretending it didn’t happen.

“Must be since they allow it. Mandy said something about Juliette’s mom baking them cookies and stuff.”

I move to stand in front of the TV, forcing her attention on me. “Vee, doesn’t this seem strange to you?”

Eventually she drags her eyes to meet mine. She shrugs. “I don’t know. When I was their age I was sneaking out to drink in the woods with guys whose names I never knew. How the hell do I know what’s normal for hoity-toity-to-do upper middle class girls?”

She has a point. It’s not like either one of us knows what it’s like to be a normal teen. Plus, if she goes, that means she’ll see Willa. Maybe she’ll say something about me or ask Vee for my contact info. “You gonna go?”

She grins. “Hell yeah, I am.”

“You gonna tell Mom?”

She barks a laugh. “Hell no. You think she’d let me go if I did?”

She absolutely wouldn’t, and we both know it. There’s a reason, though, and it’s not just because she’s paranoid. “You can’t just go do whatever you want whenever you want.”

Vee stands and stretches. “Always have, always will.” She pushes past me on her way to the tiny bathroom, patting my head along the way as if I’m some sort of pet.

I duck out of reach and follow her. “But what if you do something to screw with the investigation? Mom would be furious.”

She turns in the doorway and raises an eyebrow. “Is that why you went off cavorting with Willa this morning?”

I glare at her. So she did know where I was after all.

“Did you learn anything interesting during your walk, or were you too busy being all mooney-eyed?” she teases.

My cheeks burn hot, and I’m automatically defensive. “I’ll have you know I got some good intel, thank you very much.”

“Really?” She sounds genuinely surprised and actually interested. “Tell me.”