Forget Me (20 page)

E
van drove, one hand on the wheel, one hand holding mine.

I watched the town go by through the window. We passed the police station, with three media vans parked out front, and kept going toward our destination.

Several days had passed since Doyle Murphy went over the falls. This time, they found his body. We told the police everything Doyle had admitted at the falls. That, combined with some interesting bank deposit records, led to the arrest of Officer Reck. A media frenzy descended on the town. The story of the not-so-dead CEO was appearing on national nightly news programs. Word around town was that they were even writing a made-for-TV movie. River's End would be famous.

Evan and I had pulled together the information he'd gotten in New Hampshire with what we learned from his uncle, and now we knew the whole truth. Everything I'd wanted to know about Flynn.

James/Flynn was born to a single mother. Doyle was his biological father, but he paid his one-night stand off in one lump sum. James and his mother lived a happy life in small-town New Hampshire until she died from cancer and he ended up in foster care at seventeen. Lonely and unhappy, he researched his father's identity and learned that he, too, was dead. But Flynn came to River's End anyway, in search of other relatives, maybe some real family. Instead he found his father, alive.

Doyle Murphy faked his death to avoid paying for his crime and spent most of his time hiding in the Caribbean, coming home now and then posing as his brother to relax in his abandoned mansion on the hill. Everything was working fine. Until Flynn found him and his secret was threatened. Doyle tried to keep Flynn pacified with money and promises. But all Flynn really wanted was the one thing Doyle was unwilling to be—a father.

When Flynn started to suspect that he might be in danger, he wrote the note to me in his notebook and mailed the photo to Evan. He didn't want us to meet, to look into Flynn's background, to risk
our
lives. He just wanted us to forget him.

But we couldn't. And now I could grieve the real boy behind Flynn's mask: the boy who only wanted a place to belong.

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. A text from Mom.

Will you be home for dinner? I'm making lasagna.

I typed back:

sounds good. i'll be there.

A moment later, another text came through.

Evan is welcome to come, too.

I smiled. Now that I knew the secret my parents had been hiding, things had changed at home. We were working on our communication and being more open with one another.

I didn't blame my dad for his role as Employee X. It actually made me respect him more. Doing the right thing took a crazy amount of courage. What I
was
pissed about, though, was that they'd never told me, even after they'd started receiving threats. I know they only wanted to protect me, and that's something that will never go away, even when I'm their age, blah blah blah. But still.

And they were, of course, furious that I'd never let them in on the whole Evan/Flynn thing. So there was a lot of trust rebuilding going on. Starting with them trusting my judgment, letting me date Evan, and judging him on his own merits and not his family history.

My parents still didn't want people in town to know Dad was the whistleblower. Others might not be as understanding. Somehow, owning this secret together made us feel closer. Like we were a team.

Evan pulled the car into a parking spot. “I don't want to let you go,” he said, squeezing my hand to prove his point.

We'd been inseparable since the day at the falls, seeing each other whenever we could and texting or talking on the phone when we were apart. I'd fallen hard and fast, Toni-style. The irony was not lost on me.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips against Evan's cheek, softly, then down his jawline, and finally on his mouth, which was eagerly awaiting mine. Then I pulled away and reached for the door handle.

He hesitated. “Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?”

“I'm sure,” I said. There was more than one thing I had to do. “See you soon.”

I left the warmth of Evan's car for the sterility of the hospital. I nodded at the woman covering the nurse's desk—I knew them all by name now—and approached Toni's room. My footsteps echoed off the waxed floors as my pulse increased in speed. It didn't feel real. It had all turned so fast.

Her mother's cries carried out from the room. I peeked in the doorway. Toni's body was obscured by her mother's trembling, hunched-over frame. Her father stood one step away, a strong hand on his wife's shoulder.

“It'll be different now,” Mrs. Klane said between choked sobs. “I promise. No more fighting. No more drinking. We're turning things around. Moving forward.”

“It's about time,” I heard Toni's voice say.

A huge smile broke out across my face. It was nice to see that she'd woken from her coma with her personality intact.

“Oh, good. Someone called you.” Cooper appeared at my side, and we stepped away from her door.

“Yeah, your dad called,” I said. “So she's okay?”

“The doctors thought it was safe to bring her out of the coma. The brain swelling's gone down. She still can't come home for a while. But they think she's going to be fine, yeah.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Great.”

Cooper's face turned serious. “I've been wanting to thank you. For making Reece and I keep watch. For getting the guy who did this.”

“You know I'd do anything for her,” I said.

“Yeah, I know. But . . . I owe you. If there's anything I can do to repay you, name it.”

I hesitated, casting a nervous glance at Toni's doorway. The hall was empty. As much as I'd dreaded this conversation, I wanted to have it now, and quickly, before anyone interrupted us.

“Actually there is,” I said. “You can stop sending threats to my parents.”

“I don't . . . What do you mean?” he said, but his pale face and slack jaw were dead giveaways. Giving up, he asked, “How did you know it was me?”

The truth was I didn't know for sure until that moment. I'd been thinking about it for days. Hardly anyone knew my father was Employee X. Doyle Murphy knew, but he'd confessed to everything at the falls and seemed legitimately confused when I brought up the notes. Flynn knew. But ghosts don't send notes. It had to have been someone who'd only recently found out. People don't start holding a grudge five years later. So I thought about Cooper and his Stell research. And the timing of my parents' weird behavior. And his parents' resentment. His anger over college and money.

I'd been hoping my instinct was wrong. Cooper was the last person I wanted it to be. But here it was. Disappointment dragged on my heart like an anchor.

“It doesn't matter how I know,” I said. “I just want to know
why.
How could you do that to my parents?”

Red-faced with shame, he grabbed both my hands. “I'm so sorry, Morgan. I was just so angry. And it's not your dad's fault. I realize that. I'd let my parents' bitterness poison me. And Diana was mad that I couldn't be with her at school. And I . . .”

He let go of my hands and looked at the floor. “I needed someone to take it out on, I guess. I never would have really blackmailed them or anything.” He gazed up at me, his eyes pleading. “Please don't tell Toni.”

I didn't want to tell Toni. She'd been through enough. And she leaned on Cooper so much. I didn't want to be the one to tarnish him in her eyes. But was it enough to figure out who the anonymous person was and give my parents peace of mind? Did I also need him to be punished?

After a long moment, I said, “Fine. I won't say anything. But not for you. For her.”

Mrs. Klane poked her head out of the doorway to Toni's room. “Oh, Morgan! She'd love to see you!”

I left Cooper alone with his regrets and crossed the threshold into Toni's room. I tugged the baseball hat I was wearing down tightly on my head. The room was overflowing with flowers, balloons, stuffed animals, and cards. The head of the bed was raised, and Toni sat with her hands clasped on her lap. The bandages were off, and she looked almost like herself. Especially when she smiled at me.

“Get in here,” she ordered.

I swooped over and wrapped my arms around her as much as I could, remembering to be gentle. Then I pulled back and sat in the chair, wiping happy tears from my cheeks.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Like I fell from a second-story window,” she joked.

Toni had already spoken to the police and corroborated what I'd heard at the falls. Doyle Murphy pushed her out the second-floor window of his hidey-mansion. Then he called Reck to clean up his mess and stage the scene on Crescent Road. She was lucky to be alive.

“I heard you killed the guy,” she said in a low voice. “Evan's uncle.”

I shrugged. “It was me or him, and it sure wasn't gonna be me.”

She cracked a smile. “Look at you, being all badass-y.”

“Look at you, being all alive-y,” I said back.

She smiled, but her eyes got this faraway look, like they were reliving that dark moment. “I don't want to talk about me anymore,” she said. “Tell me something about you. Something good. What have I missed?”

“I applied to the summer program.”

Her face brightened. “You got off your lazy butt and submitted your portfolio? Go, you! Now please make my day and tell me you and Evan are an official thing.”

I couldn't help smiling. “Yes, we are. You were right about him.”

She cupped her hand over her ear. “Say that again. Just the last part.”

I laughed. “You were right.”

She leaned her head back on the pillow. “Man, that feels good. I might have the doctor give you instructions to tell me that every day.”

“You are such a pain in my—”

She made a tent with her fingers and narrowed her eyes at me. “Have you given him the All-Access Pass to Morganland?”

I looked up at the ceiling and shook my head. “I think it's time for your pain pills.”

She mock slammed a fist on the bed. “Come on! I need details!”

“You'll get nothing!” I stood up, pretending to go, but Toni reached out and grabbed my hand.

“You're so lucky I didn't die. You'd never find another best friend as awesome as me.”

“Truth,” I said, blinking back more tears.

She reached up and touched the shaved side of her head. “I am one hot mess.”

“Just hot,” I corrected.

She rolled her eyes. “Don't patronize me. My head is half-bald, Morgan.”

“It's edgy! Five bucks says within a week, girls at school start copying you.”

“Yeah, right,” she snorted. “Who'd be insane enough to do that?”

I slowly reached up and took my baseball hat off. That morning, I'd cut my long black hair into a short bob and shaved the left side above the ear.

Toni's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. “No. You. Didn't.”

“Reece did it, too,” I said.

Her hand flew up to her mouth. “Are you serious?”

“Yep. He'll be here any minute. I'm so glad you're better. He's been keeping the whole town awake with his incessant crying every night.”

She burst into laughter and then winced and grabbed her side. “Ouch. Don't make me laugh.”

I shrugged lightly, my shoulders barely lifting. “I'm your best friend. That's my job.”

H
igh-fives and hugs to:

Everyone at Putnam, especially my editor Shauna Rossano.

My agent, Scott Miller.

Barbara and Dan Harrington, my biggest cheerleaders (also known as Mom and Dad).

My family and friends who make me laugh and fill my days with funny texts and e-mails, and who still come to my signings even though you're probably getting sick of them, but you know that I need you there. Love you guys.

Book lovers everywhere—readers, bloggers, librarians, teachers, booksellers. Thank you.

Mike and Ryan, the best things that ever happened to me, the two suns in my sky.