Free Traceless by Debra Webb Page B

higher math.

    "You look great." The words came out a little stilted.

    "So do you," Justine said, giving Emily a thorough onceover. "Where have you been keeping yourself? I've asked your parents about you from time to time. Megan, Cathy, Violet, and I were talking about you at the beauty shop just the other day."

    "I've been really busy," Emily lied. She cleared her throat in an effort to force it open as she tried to think of something else to say. She should ask how the others were doing. She had cheered all through high school with those girls... until Heather's murder.

    "So, you finally decided to take a vacation and leave the big city?"

    Emily nodded. More lies. She needed a swift subject change. "How's your squad this year?"

    Justine glanced toward the girls performing on the field. "They're not as good as you guys were. But they'll do." She studied Emily a moment with a critical eye. "In case I never told you, we missed you that last year."

    Emily couldn't respond to that. She couldn't possibly have cheered her senior year without Heather.

    Justine reached out, took hold of Emily's arm, and squeezed. "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you." She shook her head. "His parole should have been denied."

    The punch of emotions held Emily mute for several more seconds... long enough for Justine to keep going with things that Emily didn't want to hear.

    "I shouldn't have allowed hazing week." Justine looked away a moment. "We haven't done it since that summer."

    Emily braced one hand against the car in an effort to remain steady and vertical. If she'd stayed home that night... if Heather hadn't been in her bed. "It wasn't your fault."

    "You wouldn't have sneaked out of your room and left the window unlocked. God." Justine hugged her arms around herself. "I should've put a stop to that tradition before someone got hurt."

    It had been Emily's turn. The rising seniors were supposed to head up hazing week. It was tradition, like Justine said. The upcoming freshmen expected it. No one ever got hurt. Just silly pranks like rolling the assistant principal's yard.

    No harm done. Until that night...

    Her parents had ordered her to stay home with her brother. It was Ed and Carol's anniversary; they had plans. They would be home by midnight, but that would have been too late. Midnight was Justine Mallory's strictly imposed curfew. Heather had volunteered to stay at Emily's house just in case her brother woke up and needed something or her parents returned early. If they peeked in Emily's room they would see someone sleeping in her bed. All bases had been covered.

    Except it hadn't been enough... Emily hadn't seen disaster coming. There hadn't been any signs... other than that one ugly episode with Austin at the bowling alley. But that had been a whole week before. Clint Austin had waited for her outside the bowling alley. He'd teased and flirted the way he'd always done, but that time had been different. She'd still been stinging from the way he'd kissed her a few days before and then just walked away. She'd let him have it. Called him a thug and a few other choice words. He'd lashed out at her, and everyone in the parking lot had witnessed the scene.

    She shouldn't have antagonized him.

    She shouldn't have left her bedroom window unlocked.

    She shouldn't have let Heather stay in her place.

    She should have been the one to die.

    "You can't blame yourself, Emily." Justine reached out, gave her hand a quick squeeze, looked at her as if she feared Emily might be about to fly to pieces. "It wasn't your fault he went crazy. God only knows what set him off. They talked about drugs. He may not have even known what planet he was on."

    But Emily did know what set him off. And they hadn't been able to prove the drug theory.

    "Hey, Ms. Mallory!"

    Justine turned to greet the football team jogging by in a haphazard formation. "Morning, boys."

    A couple of the guys grabbed their chests dramatically at the idea that she'd