Then You Came Along

Chapter 18

I quickly stuff the phone I found into my trousers and start making my way out of the water, back up to where the shout had come from. I don't know why I feel the need to hide the phone. I can just present it to the cops as a found item, but my heart won't let me.

I walk back up to the cliff and near the trees, and a bunch of us are already gathered around the boy who found the jacket. I try to stand on my tiptoes to look, but I can't see anything, and I begin squeezing in through the bodies muttering, "excuse me," "sorry, she's my friend," "excuse me, sorry." After saying this a lot and squeezing through, I finally make it to the center at the same time a cop does, and my eyes land on the jacket that's lying on the floor like art that has grabbed everyone's attention.

Fear grips my body like an electric shock when I recognize the jacket instantly as the same jacket Lana had come to the treehouse with when I asked her to meet. It is the same cute jacket that adorned her body that evening.

Oh my--

My eyes stay fixed on the jacket as the cop raises it with his gloves-covered hand and turns it around, inspecting it. He asks all of us present if anyone has seen Lana with that jacket in school, and everyone says no. I stay quiet.

Then he turns on his bright flashlight, even though the sun is yet to set, causing a lot of students to wince as they turn away their eyes, and he shines the light on the black jacket. I think we spot it at the same time—because I don't move my eyes from the jacket, even with the bright light—red stains. It definitely doesn't come with the jacket and looks like blood.

The cop is obviously surprised, too, and his eyes move up and meet my shocked ones. He quickly turns off the light, clears his throat, and folds the jacket, hiding the blood stains. He is too late, though, I have already seen.

"Alright, that's it, guys; return to your homes. It's getting late. Thank you for participating in the search. Because of you all, progress was made, and you'd be informed about everything tomorrow at school." The cop yells, shooing us away. "Go straight home. No detours!"

The students start moving, and only the little shoves and pushes get me to move a bit from my petrified spot. I keep seeing the blood on the jacket and imagining what could have happened to her. Did a wild animal attack her? Did she run and get away safely? Did she—

"Anne?" I hear my name followed by a tap on my shoulder and shriek out of my imagination and back to reality. Maddy has her eyes wide and mouth gaping as she looks at me, taking some steps back. "Anne!"

I exhale, getting back to my senses and my environment. "Sorry, Maddy."

"You just scared ten years out of my life. What are you so absorbed in?" She asks, coming closer again.

"Nothing. I was just distracted."

Maddy looks me over as if trying to find out the truth from how I looked, and then she gives up with a shrug. "Do you want to come to join us for drinks? Shawn said to invite you, but you look so out of it. I don't think you would be able to make it." She concludes for me, and I'm too distracted to think anything of it.

"Yes. I think I'd just head home as the cop advised. You guys should do the same?"

"Rules are meant to be broken, Anne," Maddy winks at me.

I smile, nod, and walk away, heading straight home to dwell on what I've done, what I've discovered, and what could have happened to Lana. I am officially a criminal now.

Hiding evidence is a crime.

I honestly forget about the phone and only remember it when I take off my clothes to shower.