Chapter 18
Once Chet leaves us to clean up the mess in our room, Sabrina asks, "How did you even know Albert was Chet's dad? I didn't catch that."
Sabrina doesn't catch much—that's why I sometimes feel like I'm the brains behind this podcast. Mara helps, sure, but things tend to fly right over Sabrina's head.
"It wasn't hard to figure out. Talking to the townsfolk felt pointless at first, but it confirmed one thing: everyone acknowledged Albert except Chet. That kind of avoidance usually means there's something to hide. He was probably embarrassed. Especially after we told him about Albert's behavior."
"You're so good!" Sabrina says, and I can't help but think—maybe if she'd actually listened to me during the notorious episode that got us canceled, we wouldn't be in this mess.
That was the last time we did an episode live.
I warned her, and I'm still bitter about how it all played out.
She acted like she was Chris Hansen about to catch a murderer. .. only she was dead wrong.
"Who the hell did this?" Mara folds her clothes like she's actually planning to leave at the crack of dawn. "Phoebe, you're so good at reading people. Who do you think?"
"I really don't know. Albert makes the most sense, but what would his motive be?"
"Could be Jessica…" Sabrina tosses out like she's just casually mentioning the weather.
"Wait, why would you think that?" I stop cold, my heart skipping a beat, eyes locked on hers.
"I met her earlier today," she says, like it's nothing.
"You what?" I practically shout, very unlike me. "And you're just now telling us that you met the dispatcher from last year's emergency calls? Are you kidding me?"
"She could be in on this… whatever this is," Mara mutters, arms flying around in the chaos. Sabrina just blinks at us like a deer in headlights.
"Why are you coming at me so hard? I didn't know that she was the same person, okay?"
"Oh, you forgot you met the one person who might be able to explain some of this?" I seethe. "Seriously?"
"What did she say?" Mara cuts in.
"She's… dating Chet." Sabrina's voice is so low, almost like she's trying to soften the blow.
Mara and I let out sharp, exhausted exhales.
"Are you serious?" I'm practically hissing like a snake. "When exactly were you going to tell us that?"
"It kind of just came to me…"
"What else?" I demand, barely holding it together.
"She also pretended not to know who Albert was, which felt… off."
"Ya think?" Mara snaps. "What else?"
We're broken records at this point, worn down and suspicious, dragging the truth out of Sabrina like it's some kind of trap she's waiting for us to walk into.
"She lives here with Chet in the first cabin."
I can tell that's the last secret she's been holding onto.
"Jessica is on a leave of absence," I add, the words heavier than I expect. I'm no better. I've been hiding things too—and suddenly, I'm not sure any of us are telling the full truth.
Mara turns to me, eyes narrowing like I've just betrayed her.
"Okay, so we're all lying to each other!" I burst out. "Mara lied about accessing the files before the trip."
"And how the hell would you know that?" Sabrina glares.
"Because I went to the police station while you two were off at Trader Joe's. I asked for the files. I saw Albert walk out with something while the room was unstaffed."
"All the secrets," Sabrina mutters, suddenly looking nervous.
"Stop." I raise a hand, pulse hammering.
Right then Mara says, "I have a secret to tell, too."
Sabrina's face drains of color. For a second, none of us say anything.
Maybe this was what she was going to tell me earlier. Maybe we've all been hiding too much, for too long.
The three of us yelling, unraveling, looking at each other like maybe we're not so innocent—it's new. And it's terrifying.
Because if we can't trust each other, then who the hell can we trust?