Chapter 31
IMOGEN
“Disappear?” asked Marta.
Imogen closed her eyes and sighed. Why does she have to be like this?
On the one hand, she loved Marta for her innate goodness—keeping her close throughout the years had made Imogen feel like a better version of herself—but on the other hand, she could be a real pain in the ass.
Then again, maybe Marta was playing dumb.
This weekend had made Imogen realize she didn’t know her friends as well as she thought she did.
“Disappear,” Bernie repeated solemnly.
Marta turned her back on both of them, staring out the window at the smears of foam on the dark water.
Imogen had felt one thing when Bernie suggested not involving the authorities: full-body relief.
Could it be this easy? Her blood was replaced with tiny bubbles and she felt as though she might float away.
This giddy feeling lasted only a moment.
If they couldn’t convince Marta that this was the best way forward, Imogen’s life could truly be destroyed.
But she was fairly confident that, with enough pressure, Marta would crumble.
“Did you do it?” asked Imogen, staring at Marta’s back. “I know you never liked her, Marty.”
“What?” Marta whipped around. “No, of course not. Just because we weren’t close doesn’t mean I wanted her dead. And it doesn’t mean I want to deny her justice.”
“But what does justice mean here?” asked Bernie. “Does justice look like ruining two innocent lives? I should have to pay for someone else’s sins?”
“It’s not that I think you . . . look, society has rules, and . . .” Marta was flailing, out of her depth. “I just cannot believe that we are seriously having this conversation. I can’t help get rid of a body, not . . . It’s so horrible—I don’t want anything to do with this.”
Imogen pounced. “You think you won’t have anything to do with this when the authorities start asking questions?
Think about how this goes for you, with Derrick missing.
And now you have a murdered friend? It’s a bad look.
Maybe they’ll want to tie it all up nice and tidy and put everything on you.
” Derrick’s disappearance had occupied a lot of Imogen’s mental space for the past couple of weeks, as she still wasn’t exactly sure what she’d done to him.
If the crack to his head had killed him (as she’d initially feared, after Marta announced that Derrick hadn’t come home), then where was his body and why hadn’t it been found?
And if it hadn’t killed him, then where the fuck was he?
Imogen didn’t know a lot of things, but she did know that she was not above using his disappearance as a weapon to club her best friend into compliance.
Imogen and Bernie were both standing now and facing Marta, who had her back pressed up against the windows. Imogen had the feeling of being a pack hunter, cornering her prey.
Bernie went in for the metaphorical kill.
“Are you prepared to be interrogated for hours? To have every aspect of your life under the microscope, to be featured on national and international news? Think about what you’d be getting yourself into.
” Marta tried to protest, but Bernie bulldozed ahead.
“I don’t know if this is some kind of reverse psychology trick you’re trying to pull, but for all I know, you’re the one who killed Celeste.
What if Imogen and I were both to come to that same conclusion?
I think we’d have remarkably consistent stories .
. . not to mention the forensic evidence. ”
“There is no evidence!” Marta shouted. “How could there be? I didn’t do it!”
Imogen gasped when she realized what Bernie was referring to.
“The rope. Did you plan it that way—to ‘find’ it under my bed? So that you’d have a reason for your prints being on it?
And what do you think the police would make of those photos you’ve got hidden away in your bag?
Sure looks like you were the one following Derrick and me around—that’s pretty fucking creepy! ”
“No! I . . . no.” Marta looked defeated, betrayed.
She slid down into a seated position with her head in her hands.
Imogen felt a small flare of pity, but it was quickly extinguished by the rush of adrenalin that shot through her when Marta looked up at them and nodded.
“Fine. I can’t fight both of you. I’ll do it. ”