“Then I am too. Congratulations.” My anti-climactic response perturbs her even more.

“Are you ok?” She looks around the room. “Is everything ok?”

I bite my lip. This lie will make or break me. If she doesn’t fall for it, I have to tell her the truth. Tell her about Will. I don’t want to tell anyone until I talk to Nick. I have to give him a chance to explain. I need him to tell me he will make it better. I need him to tell me Matt was wrong.

“I’m fine, really.” My voice raises an octave higher than normal. The forced grin hurts so bad I have to fight back tears. “I’m so happy for you, for both of you. You guys are going to be awesome parents.” I hold the smile for a second longer, then pretend to scratch my back. I make a dramatic effort and reach around my back, dropping my smile like a ton of bricks.

She pulls me into her arms. It takes everything I have not to cry. “Your parents loved you so much, Dani.” She pulls a small square photo from under my leg and hands it to me. “You know it’s ok to miss them. You don’t have to hide it.”

I must have missed the picture in my mad dash to clean up. It was taken when I was around three years old. I’m standing on a table with my parents on each side of me, kissing my cheeks. I can’t tell where it was taken and I don’t remember the day, but I look like the happiest kid in the world. I look into their eyes, the eyes of a family I had forgotten. I know what I have to do.

I stand on the porch, gasping for air as I ring the bell. I look at the black Audi parked in the driveway and pray his mother doesn’t answer the door. I’m about to ring again when a brand new black Mustang rumbles to a stop next to the Audi.

“Dani!” I hear Ashley’s voice from inside the car.

The passenger door opens, and a man in a black suit steps out. Matt’s father is tall and slender, with short dark hair and blue eyes. He’s very handsome for his age. He holds the seat forward, and Ashely and her mother get out of the car behind him. Ashely runs over to say hi.

“Hi Ashley, how are you?” Her skin is pale, and a thin veil of sweat dots her forehead.

“Been better.” She smiles her infectious smile. “What do you think of Matt’s new car?”

I look towards the driveway and notice Matt is still sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Nice.”

Matt’s parents are standing behind Ashley, waiting to be introduced, and I wonder if they find it odd that Matt isn’t getting out to make the introductions.

“This is Matt’s friend, Dani,” Ashley says with a sly smile like there’s more to it than that. I wonder what she knows. What has Matt told her?

“Nice to meet you.” Matt’s mother pats my shoulder as she walks past me into the house.

Mr. Augustine stands on the porch with me, and we stare back at the car, waiting to see what Matt is going to do. At least I know he hasn’t called the police, or even Nick. He hasn’t had time. He must have come home and found the car waiting for him. The only thing that could have distracted him from our discovery today is a brand new muscle car.

“Nice car,” I finally say.

“Yeah, it’s an early graduation present. Matt has some good news.” Mr. Augustine stops speaking when Matt honks the horn. “I’ll let him tell you.” He winks at me and takes Ashely in the house.

I get in Matt’s new car and he pulls out of the driveway. Neither of us speak until we’re two blocks away.

“What are you going to do?” he says impatiently.

“I’m going to the police, but I need to talk to Nick first.” I can’t go to the cops behind his back. I owe him more than that. I also owe my parents. They deserve justice, and if there is even a remote chance Will Walker had something to do with their murder, then I have to make sure he pays. To do that I need Nick on my side.

Matt says he will tell the police everything Will told him. Which is hearsay, but everything helps I guess. If they think Walker had something to do with the shooting, then they must have some evidence, just not enough to arrest or convict him. I’m sure Nick knows more than Matt. I hope I can convince him to help us.

“Do you know where Nick is?”

“I texted him right after I left you. He’s at home.”

He’s home? His message said he had something to do with his uncle. I don’t have time to care. “Take me there,” I tell Matt. “Take me to Nick’s house.”

“Are you sure?” Matt gets in the left lane to make a U-turn. “Nick is very loyal to Will.”

Matt’s feelings for me jade his perception of Nick. “He would never hurt me.” If anything, I’m about to hurt him.

We drive along the winding private road until it leads us to a large metal gate adorned with the Marino family crest. This is the closet I’ve ever been to Nick’s real life, and I feel like an intruder.

Matt pulls to a stop in front of a gray box and presses the button. When the screen pops on, a man in a gray uniform recognizes him immediately.

“What’s up, Matt. Does Nick know you’re coming? He didn’t call it in.” He looks down and I hear papers rustling.

“No, I want to surprise him. I got a new car, man.” We watch the camera swivel around.

“Oh shit! You’re going to give that boy a run for his money.” The security guard laughs. “Pull around back. He’s in the cottage.”

The driveway leads us through a tree-lined courtyard, past a water fountain that looks like it belongs in a piazza in Italy. Water trickles from a stone olive oil barrel held by a beautiful goddess. The fountain is so beautiful, I almost miss the house. To call it a house would be an insult to architecture. This is a modern-day castle, with wide columns and towers. The white exterior and brown accents give it the look of an old California mission.

Matt drives around the side of the house and parks in an even larger courtyard. Nick’s car is parked in between two silver Mercedes. A man in a white oxford shirt is hosing down the SUV on the right. I realize this is why Nick’s car always looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.

Matt honks to get the man’s attention. When he turns around, I recognize his face, although I know we have never met. The man looks like an older version of K.

“What up, T.” Matt parks sideways, blocking the three cars. He jumps out and shakes hands with the oversized K. “You think I’ll take Nick’s trailer queen over there?”

“Ah man, I don’t know. What you got?” He walks around the car. “GT, hell yeah!”

“V8, 305 horsepower. I think I have a chance,” Matt brags. We’re here to crush Nick, and he’s bragging about his engine size.

“Dude, I don’t know, but I want to be there when you guys go.” T slaps Matt’s hand the way guys do that is part high five and part handshake. “Ah man, sorry for being rude.” He rushes over to me and takes my hand in both of his. “I’m T, nice to meet you.”

I force a smile. “Hi, I’m Dani.”

Matt sort of skips over to us to clear the air. “Uh, T, this is Nick’s girl,” he clarifies.

T’s demeanor changes instantly. The casual introduction becomes something formal and uncomfortable. “Oh sorry. It is very nice to meet you,” he says, shaking my hand again.

“You look so familiar.”

“He’s K’s cousin,” Matt says.

“You know my little cousin?”

There is nothing little about K, but compared to T, I get it. “He’s a great guy, makes me laugh.” I smile at the thought of K and his big toothy grin.

“Yeah, he’s a character.” He smiles a big K smile and excuses himself.

“If you aren’t too busy, you can do mine too,” Matt teases.

“HAH!” T scoffs and disappears into the garage.

The smile drops from Matt’s face as soon as we’re alone. “This way.”

He leads me onto a dark tree-covered path. There is little sunlight on this side of the house because of the giant redwoods that fill the yard. The pungent smell of wet soil and pine fill the air. I stay close as we pass an enormous Roman pool surrounded by a beautiful garden. When we approach a green fenced area that I assume are tennis courts, he stops.