Free Hawk Moon by Rob MacGregor Page A

Ashcroft?" Burke asked.
    Lansa was quiet for a moment. "A place that seems safe, a place the killer knows."
    Will thought about the cave in which he'd seen Myra's body. But the cave was just part of a dream with John Wayne, Myra, and Masau . Still, he wanted to talk about his dreams, about Masau . If anyone could help him understand what they meant, it was his father. He would wait until they were alone.

Chapter Fourteen
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    E n route to school the next morning, Will imagined Sheriff Kirkpatrick and several deputies were preparing to arrest him in the parking lot. The entire student body would be gathered eagerly, anticipating his arrival, and then, as he was handcuffed and escorted away, they would all applaud.
    But when he pulled into the parking lot, it looked just like any other morning. He walked to his locker, then to class, without incident. But everything seemed unreal. He was just going through the motions of attending classes while he waited. It would be horrible, of course, to get arrested and be charged with murder. But the waiting was almost as bad.
    His father had told him he was going to stay in Aspen as long as it took to clear Will's name. Will knew it was a sacrifice for him to make such a commitment. He would have to make arrangements for someone to take over his duties on the reservation. He might even have to take a leave of absence. Besides, the world of Aspen was alien to him. He didn't like the closed-in feeling he got in the mountains and all the up-and-down driving. Not only was his own life being pushed aside, but he also had to face his past. Even though his parents seemed to be getting along, Will knew that it must be a strain for both of them.
    Chemistry class began with a test about yesterday's lesson. He hadn't finished his homework, and now he was confusing the valence powers. Fortunately, his grades were good enough so it didn't matter if he did poorly today.
    The rest of the morning went smoothly until he stopped at his locker between classes and saw Claude talking with Paige in front of her open locker across the hail. She was moving her hands and shaking her head, as if she didn't agree with what Claude was telling her.
    "So what do you think they're talking about?" Taylor stopped at his side.
    "Hi, Taylor. I don't know, but they've been avoiding me like the plague."
    "They know something about Myra. I'm sure of it."
    Just then Paige slammed her locker door. "What makes you think so?" Will asked, watching as Paige walked away, with Claude trailing after her.
    "Because Paige is acting, like, real strange. I feel like I don't know her anymore. Oh, great. Here comes my worst nightmare."
    Aaron Thomas walked up to them. "Hey, what's going on here? Is it a conspiracy or do you need more than two people for that? I forget."
    "Good-bye, Aaron," Taylor said. "Talk to you later, Will."
    "I don't get it," Aaron said as Taylor hurried away. "What did I ever do to her?"
    "Did you try to get her to take that drug, the Chill, at the party Friday night?"
    Aaron was caught off guard, but only for a moment. "No way. I'm naturally high, man. Gotta go. And, hey, stay out of trouble, will ya ?"
    He used to think that Aaron's cockiness was a good trait in a quarterback, that it helped the team spirit. But now Will just figured Aaron was a jerk.
    Taylor was the only one of his old friends who still accepted him. He was glad of that, but he wondered if Taylor might know something she wasn't telling him about Myra. After all, she and Myra had worked together last summer at Taylor's folks' ice cream shop, and one of the last things Myra had said to him was that she wanted to tell him something about last summer.
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    T hat afternoon, Will went to the computer room again on his study hour. He slipped into a cubicle and typed his entry code. His stomach knotted as he saw he had E-mail. He considered just ignoring the mail, but thought better of it.
    He hit the enter key. There only was one letter.
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    YOU