Chloe s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter up and threw it into her backpack, crumpling it, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you'd be here," Grey said, sitting down, glancing around the crowded coffee shop furtively.

"What do you want?" Chloe asked, unsurely. Jake was going to be mad at her, but somehow it didn't matter.

"I need to talk to you," Grey said, leaning toward her.

Chloe nodded, moving in closer to him in return, despite herself.

"I didn't kill anyone," Grey said, almost in a whisper.

Chloe looked into his eyes and felt that he was telling the truth, but her mind was still weary. If he wasn't telling the truth, she could be in a lot of danger. Still, she was in a crowded coffee shop with him. It's not like he could do anything to her at this very moment. She knew she was ignoring the fact that both Lora Kelly and Elizabeth Hill were killed in crowded places. Having a crush on a guy shouldn't be this confusing, she thought simultaneously. Why did he have to be a murder suspect?

"I know," Chloe found herself saying, despite her doubts about Grey's innocence.

"I got out of jail this morning. They're saying I killed Lora and Liz. I didn't do it. I need you to help me prove it. Is there anything you can remember about that night, before you found Lora?" Grey asked anxiously.

"Liz asked me that too. I don't know anything," Chloe said.

"Wait. Liz asked you about Lora's death?" Grey asked.

"Yes," Chloe nodded. "I saw her on Friday night. She came here to see me. It sounds like I might have been one of the last people to see her alive."

"Are you serious?" Grey said, surprised. "That's really weird."

"I know," Chloe nodded. "I'm not sure how I got involved in all of this."

Grey looked at her, "I think you could be next."

Chloe felt herself turn a shade paler, "I think I could be too."

Chloe thought for a moment and then pulled out the crumpled note from her backpack, "This was in my locker after school today."

Grey took the paper and read it quickly, looking back up at Chloe, "Wow."

"I know," Chloe said, running her hand nervously through her hair as she felt herself shudder involuntarily.

"What would make you the next one? The next one of what?" Grey asked as a waitress deposited a cappuccino on the table next to him.

"I don't know," Chloe said, sipping her latte, " I haven't been here long enough to be much a part of anything. I don't know why this person would target me."

"Let's think about this," Grey said, putting a few packets of sugar into his foamy cappuccino. "Who do you know at school?"

"Well," Chloe said, thoughtfully, "There's Jake and Kate and Emma and you and that's it. I mean, there's kids in my cla.s.ses, but you four are the only ones I've talked to more than once."

"Okay," Grey said, tapping his fingers absentmindedly against his cup. "And then you add to that finding Lora Kelly's body and talking to Elizabeth Hill the night she died."

"Wait, Liz was murdered on Friday?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Grey said. "Or early Sat.u.r.day morning."

"Wow," Chloe thought for a moment, "I thought it happened on Monday during or maybe just before school. How did they not find her sooner?"

Grey shrugged, "From what I heard, the hallway smelled and the janitor started checking lockers and found her."

Chloe stared at him. She really had been one of the last people to see Liz alive.

"Where were you the night Elizabeth Hill was murdered?" Chloe asked suddenly.

Grey looked at her for a moment before he spoke, "I was at home, alone. My dad had gone to San Francisco for the weekend with his new wife. He had some conference to attend. My mom lives in New York. There was n.o.body home. I read a book. It's not a good alibi if you're being accused of murder."

Chloe nodded and heard herself say lamely, "Oh, okay. Just curious."

Grey looked at her and then spoke as if she hadn't asked for his alibi, "Okay, so either the murderer thinks you know something about Lora Kelly's death or you, Lora, and Elizabeth are all connected."

Chloe stared thoughtfully into her latte and then looked up into Grey's eyes, "We're all sort of connected."

"What do you mean?" Grey asked.

"Well, Jake used to date Lora and I'm friends with him. You may or may not have dated Lora and you dated Emma. And Kate is dating Jake now and Elizabeth was Lora's good friend. We're all intertwined," Chloe said, "But does that mean, it's one of us? Or is it someone who hated Lora and her crowd? But then why would they try to scare me? I don't belong to that crowd even remotely."

"Well..." Grey said, thoughtfully. "Everyone does know who you are."

"Only because I found the dead body of the most popular girl in school! Oh, I don't know," Chloe was frustrated. "I have gone over and over this in my head for the last hour or so, not to mention the last week. I just don't know what to think. It's hard to believe anybody would want to kill me. I haven't done anything. I don't even know anybody."

"And, yet two girls are dead and I've been accused of murdering them," Grey said, frustration in his voice.

"Don't you have any sort of proof that you didn't do it?" Chloe asked hopefully.

"Nothing concrete," Grey shrugged, "I have no real alibis. The only hope I have is that they have no fingerprints or any other sort of evidence to prove that I actually did anything. Believe me, they're trying to find it, though. I'm scared as all h.e.l.l to think that they could plant it just to say they solved the murders."

"What do you think I should do with the note?" Chloe asked, picking up the note, Grey had refolded and put back on the table.

"You should go to the police," Grey said, definitively. "At least then they can keep an eye on you, if you're in any danger."

"It's not stupid?" Chloe asked.

"Not at all. It's safe," Grey said, suddenly grabbing her hands and holding them on the table. "Promise me you'll go."

Chloe felt the warmth of his hands on hers. b.u.t.terflies suddenly pirouetted pleasantly in her stomach. They were interrupted by an unpleasant thought.

"But now your finger prints are on it," Chloe said, horrified at the thought that she might inadvertently help the police's case against Grey.

Grey considered this for a moment, "Take it to them anyway. You can tell them you showed the note to me and that I touched it after you found it."

"But you'll still be connected to it all..." Chloe started.

"Chloe, I just want you to be safe. Promise me you'll go," Grey said again.

"I promise," Chloe whispered.

She looked into his eyes and smiled. He returned the smile. There was a long moment where everything was just the two of them. All she cared about was Grey's hand in hers and his smile and his eyes.

"Chloe! What are you doing here with him?" Jake's thunderous voice broke into the moment like a thunderclap.

Chloe looked up and immediately let go of Grey's hand, almost physically jumping away from him in surprise.

"I...I," Chloe stammered.

"I just wanted to talk to her," Grey said, standing up. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Jake walked a step closer to Grey, invading his personal s.p.a.ce and staring into his eyes threateningly, "Then stay away from her."

Grey looked back into Jake's eyes with equal malice, "I can't promise that."

Chloe was afraid that they would break into a fistfight at any moment. The air was riddled with tension and animosity, but then Grey turned and walked out of the coffee shop without a backward glance. Jake looked after him and Chloe was afraid for a moment that he would run after Grey and start a fight, but he didn't.

Jake looked down at Chloe and said gruffly, "It's time to go."

Chloe nodded silently and quickly started to pack up her books and papers, stuffing the threatening letter in her calculus book so that Jake wouldn't see it. She had told Grey she would go to the police with it and she would, tomorrow. She didn't need to give Jake more to be upset about. He might well take it out on Grey if she did.

Chapter 11: The Sleepless Girl.

For once, Chloe couldn't wait for Kate to come over to the house so that Jake would leave her alone. She had been listening to him rant about Grey and her safety for the last hour or so, ever since they got into the car after leaving the coffee shop. He kept talking to her about it all the way through arriving back to the house and he even followed her into her bedroom in order to continue yelling at her. Chloe was rapidly getting annoyed at his tirade. She kept calming herself down as he went on and on, though, by reminding herself that he was only concerned about her safety. That was really sweet, but the lecture was not.

"Chloe, I just need you to stay away from him. I've listed my reasons and you've even confirmed that they're good ones. So, why can't you just promise me that you won't hang out with him?" Jake said, running his hands through his hair, fully exasperated.

"I just can't," Chloe said flatly. "I don't think he killed Lora and Elizabeth. I don't think I'm in any danger from him. He wasn't being threatening at all at the coffee shop. We were only just talking when you chased him off."

Jake sat down on the bed next to Chloe, sighing, "I don't know what else to do. I just want you to stay safe. I'm only asking you to be careful until this blows over. How can that hurt?"

Chloe smiled and leaned toward Jake, "I get that you're scared for me, but I'll be fine. I promise. And, I promise I'll only talk to Grey in public, well lit, well-populated areas. I won't go off with him alone. That I can definitely promise you."

Jake frowned in reluctant frustration, "If that's as good as I can get out of you, I suppose that's something."

"Good," Chloe said, leaning in to hug Jake in a sign of peace.

Jake leaned in and hugged Chloe back. Chloe felt his strong, well-toned, warm arms around her, encircling her completely with ease. She leaned into the hug, taking in the smell of his freshly washed hair. Her cheek rested on his shoulder for a moment.

"Excuse me," Chloe heard a high-pitched, surprised voice say suddenly from the doorway.

Chloe pulled away from Jake and looked up to see Kate looking between the two of them, completely horrified.

"How could you?" Kate said, her voice high pitched and accusing.

"Kate," Jake said, walking toward her. "It's not what it looks like."

Kate laughed, almost maniacally. "It's not, huh? Then what is it?"

"We were just arguing and..." Jake started.

"And, your anger turned to what? s.e.x?" Kate accused.

Chloe felt herself flinch at the accusation.

Jake looked surprised, "No."

Chloe felt like she should stand up for herself, "We weren't doing anything. Nothing happened."

Kate looked at her, anger flashing in her eyes and said nothing before turning back to Jake, more calmly, "We need to talk."

Jake's shoulders slumped slightly. "Okay. Let's go to my room."

Jake walked past Kate into the hallway toward his bedroom. As he left the room, Kate took one more scathing look at Chloe before she turned to follow Jake.

Chloe walked across the room and shut her door, wanting nothing more to do with the fight that was now taking place in Jake's room. She was tired of Kate's jealousy. She was tired, period. Chloe went back to her bed and lied down on it, pulling her blanket over her, and shutting her eyes. It had been another long day. All she really wanted to do was go to sleep.

Chloe startled awake. She was suddenly cold. There was a breeze blowing across her legs. She sleepily tried to reach out and grab the nearby blanket to pull over them to regain some warmth. Her exhausted hands couldn't find the covers. She gave up and felt herself fall back into sleep, only to be woken a moment later by another cool breeze sending shivers up her spine. Chloe opened one eye lazily. The covers were on the floor. She must have kicked them off at some point during the night.

Chloe felt exhausted. Her dreams had been restless and she hadn't slept well at all. She had gone from dreams of the ocean swallowing her up to faceless killers to dreams of blood soaked victims all night. That was all she seemed to be able to dream about lately and it wasn't restful in the slightest.

Chloe reached for the blanket, trying not to move too far out of her comfortable position. Her hand grasped the covers and she pulled them up and over her legs. Warmth settled over her and Chloe felt herself drifting off into what she hoped was a pleasant slumber.

Then her mind kicked in, thinking about Lora Kelly, Grey Meyer, Elizabeth Hill, and Jake's fight with Kate. Chloe was suddenly wide awake, looking at the bright light of the clock in front of her. It was after two in the morning. Chloe still felt the sleep aching in her muscles. She had to try and go back to sleep so that she could get up for school in the morning. Chloe stretched her legs under the blanket and realized that she still had on the clothes that she had worn to school. Maybe changing into something more comfortable would help her fall back asleep.

Chloe reluctantly pulled back the blanket and got out of bed. Her feet were cold on the drafty wooden floor. Chloe snapped on the light, filling the utter darkness with a glaring brightness that temporarily made her feel blind.

Chloe blinked at the light, trying to adjust her eyes. She walked over to her dresser and noticed that she had left the window open. She shut it, cutting off the cold breeze that had awakened her in the first place.

She reached into her dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of navy blue flannel sweatpants and a comfortable, well-worn T-shirt emblazoned with her old high school's logo and put them on lethargically.

As she pulled her T-shirt over her head, Chloe was already walking back toward the peacefulness of her bed. She was almost there when she realized she had left the light on. She started walking back across the room, when she saw it. At the foot of her bed, next to her nightstand was her beloved stuffed animal, Teddy. Teddy was a gift from her grandmother when she was born and Chloe couldn't remember any time of her life without him in it.

Chloe bent down to look at Teddy in horror. He had been slit open from neck to navel, all of his stuffed insides spilling out onto the floor around him. His gla.s.s eyes had been pulled out and stuffing was sticking out of them. Chloe sat down on the floor, choking on a sob. She lifted Teddy up into her arms, holding him to her, despite the stuffing spilling out as she did so.