Free The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry Page A

works at Sagebrush? Or Nowell, the man who wants to kill me?
    The last one was sent about the time I was jumping into Brenner’s car. My scalp prickles. “Things” must mean me. From the looks on their faces, James and Ty know it, too.
    James pushes his chair back and grabs a silver laptop from the coffee table in the living room. He sits back down next to me. “Let’s see who this Michael Brenner is.” Ty gets up and stands behind us. James opens the computer, and Yahoo.com loads onto the screen. He starts to type in “Michael Brenner” into the search bar, then turns to me. “Was that B–R–E or B–R–U?”
    â€œWait,” Ty says. “Where did you say that security guy was?”
    â€œNewberry Ranch. It’s like a resort.”
    He points, his finger shaking. “Look at that.”
    It’s the part of the screen that shows national and local headlines. Halfway down, one reads, “Newberry Ranch Security Guard Found Shot to Death in Patrol Car.”

 
    CHAPTER 17
    DAY 2, 7:50 A.M.
    Â 
    As I stare at the headline, I can’t breathe. James clicks. The page opens, and we all lean in closer to read it.
    Â 
    NEWBERRY RANCH SECURITY GUARD FOUND SHOT TO DEATH IN PATROL CAR
    Newberry Ranch, Ore. (AP)—A security officer was found dead in his official vehicle at the Newberry Ranch and Resort near Bend, Oregon, late last night. Police are investigating the death as a homicide.
    Authorities say that the body of Newberry Ranch security guard Lloyd Dillow was found in his patrol car around 11 p.m. last night. The body was discovered by a person staying at the resort. Dillow, 44, had been shot in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
    His body was taken to the medical examiner’s office in Bend for an autopsy, but the death is being considered a homicide. Authorities questioned nearby residents who reported hearing no signs of a struggle.
    A source familiar with the case says that authorities are investigating the possibility of a link between the homicide and a teenage girl who may have been the last person to see him alive. The girl is described as having blond hair and wearing jeans, a red sweater, and a man’s brown canvas coat.
    Dillow, who had been employed by Newberry Ranch for five years, worked the evening shift alone. “It’s just a big loss,” said Mel Clark, the head of the Newberry Ranch Residents’ Association. “Lloyd was extremely dedicated to his job.”
    The police are still investigating. Anyone with information related to the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 541-555-8588.
    Two pairs of eyes swivel to me. It’s hard to speak. The air feels trapped in my lungs. “Officer Dillow can’t be dead.” My voice sounds strangled. “I left him locked up in the back seat of his car. He was perfectly fine.” I think of how his face paled when I told him about my missing fingernails, how he promised to listen to me even when I was pointing a gun at him. As terrible as it is to think of Brenner’s death, I can sort of deal with it because it was an accident and I didn’t have a choice. He was going to kill me. But Officer Dillow—all he wanted to do was help me. He just wanted to do what was right.
    â€œYou said your memory’s gone,” James says calmly. “What if you just don’t remember what you did to him?”
    â€œNo! I remember everything after I woke up on the floor of that cabin. It’s before the cabin that I don’t remember. Not after.”
    But how do I know that’s true? Maybe my memory still has holes in it. Maybe the reason I don’t remember things is because they’re bad things. I mean, I don’t remember having my fingernails pulled out, and that would obviously be a terrible memory. Maybe I don’t remember shooting Officer Dillow because that would be a terrible memory, too.
    But with Officer