Chapter 21
“A ledger is not a book. It is a graveyard. Every name already half-buried.”—The Count of Monte Cristo
JUDE
“Iknow where the money came from…” I look away as the familiar pain comes roaring back to life.
It’s been an hour of us staring at sculptures, her watching me work and grabbing some clay of her own.
No words, just gentle touches between us followed by working, soothing.
Now, my stomach is in knots, and I’m in disbelief. I can’t form words. I can only stare.
She keeps talking. “The night your life ended. And why I did what I did. Mom took the money. She thought it was from the university, but it was from your dad. He got my dad the job here, and your mom was the last one known to be in possession of the Dean’s List.”
My jaw drops. “I’m sorry what?”
“Your mom had the list; my mom called it a ledger, but it has to be the list. She was going to unleash holy hell on your dad—then was silenced for it.” She didn’t look at me. “My guess is he wants it.”
“Good guess. He was just here, and he used you as bait. He wants me to find it.”
“So, now…” She grins. “We have Charlie dig up some fun rumors about some powerful little families and we wait for the person to reveal themselves. Easy. I got you. Because apparently we aren’t big enough bait.”
“You trust her that much?” I ask.
“With my life.” She sighs. “Charlie was literally all I had when I was here freshman year and she knows about our sordid past. If anything, she’s just as invested as we are, plus Charlie loves gossip.”
I laugh. “That she does.”
“And we need someone big enough to gain a lot of attention.” Lilah grins.
“Who would that be?” I ask. “Has to be big enough to get asked to leave.”
Her eyes light up and a sly grin stretches across her face. “My dad.”
“Well. Shit. Didn’t see that coming.”
“The dean himself.” She crosses her arms. “We’re going after him, he’ll get fired. The person behind the Dean’s List will have to show themselves.”
“So we go to war, expose the person, get the list, then what?”
“Take your dad down once and for all.”
My stomach sinks. “Stop giving me hope.”
“We can do it, Jude. Just believe. Your mom would have wanted you to. Finish what she started.” A sad smile curls her lips. “Just don’t get killed in the process.”
I bark out a laugh. “Oh cool, just that? No big.”
“Easy.”
“I prefer sex versus talking.”
“The sex gets to keep happening because of the talking.” She walks past me and grabs my hand at the last minute. “And Jude?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for letting me in.”