The lawyer reaches forward and hands me the statement.

“Not going to read this one to me?” I say. My eyes skim over the header that declares it’s the statement of a Ruby Myers. “Never heard of her before. Is it someone’s mom?” I rack my brain for the last name. “There’s a Myers who’s a junior. I think he plays lacrosse…”

“Just read it.”

I settle in, scanning the neatly typed words on the page.

I, Ruby Myers, declare under penalty of perjury, the following is a true and accurate account, to the best of my knowledge:

1. I am over the age of eighteen and competent to testify of my own volition.

2. I reside at 1501 8th Street, Apt. 5B, Bayview, North Carolina.

3. I was called in to serve food at a private catering event at 12 Lakefront Road in Bayview, North Carolina. I got a ride with a friend because my car wasn’t working. They told me it was the alternator.

That’s my address. I think back to the last time we had servers here. It would’ve been when Brooke and Dinah came over for dinner. But I can’t think of anything that was worth reporting that night. East and Ella found Gideon and Dinah screwing in the bathroom. Is that what this is about? And if so, what does it have to do with my case?

I open my mouth to ask, but the next line catches my eye.

4. After dinner, at approximately 9:05 PM, I was using the bathroom upstairs. I was curious about the house because it was really pretty and I wondered what the rest of it looked like. Dinner was over so I snuck up there, even though I wasn’t supposed to. I heard two people talking in one of the bedrooms and peeked inside. It was the second oldest boy, Reed, and the blonde lady who is now dead.

I don’t read another word. I set down the two-page affidavit and speak in a calm voice. “This is a lie. I was never upstairs with Brooke that night. The only time she was in my room in the last six months was the night Ella ran.”

The lawyer merely moves his shoulders in that maddening, useless way of his. “Ruby Myers is a nice lady who works two jobs to support her children. Her husband left her about five years ago. All of her neighbors say that there’s no better single mom in the world than Ruby Myers.”

“A woman with values and morals?” I mock, repeating the accusations Jordan Carrington made in her statement. I start to hand the papers back, but Grier won’t take them.

“Keep reading.”

Unhappily, I scan the rest of the paragraphs.

5. The blonde lady, Brooke, said she missed the boy. I took that to mean that they had been together at one point. He asked her what the hell she was doing in his room and to get out. She pouted a bit and said he never complained about it before.

“She pouted a bit? Who’s writing this shit?”

“We encourage affidavits to be written by the witnesses themselves. Makes it sound more authentic if it’s in the witness’s own voice.”

If Grier wasn’t supposed to save me, I think I would break his jaw.

6. Brooke claimed she was pregnant, and that Reed was the daddy. He said it wasn’t his and good luck with her life. She said she didn’t need luck because she had him. He kept telling the lady to get out because his girl was coming home.

“What’s the penalty for perjury?” I demand. “Because none of this happened. We had dinner with Brooke and Dinah around this date, but I never talked to any server.”

Grier shrugs again.

I keep reading.

7. The lady wanted his help to arrange a marriage with his daddy. Reed refused and said that she’d be part of this family over his dead body.

8. I heard a noise and thought I might get caught so I ran downstairs and helped put all the catering dishes and supplies away. Then I got into the van. My friend dropped me off at my house.

“This is bullshit.” I toss the lies onto the coffee table and scrub a hand down my face. “I don’t even know this Myers chick. And this conversation she’s describing happened between Brooke and me the night Ella left. Everyone else was gone. I don’t know how she knows this happened.”

“So it happened?”

“I never said that she’d be part of this family over”—I grab the paper and read the exact, lying words—“‘over his dead body.’”

“How’d she know what happened, then?”

I try to swallow, but my throat’s so dry, it hurts. “I don’t know. She must’ve known Brooke somehow. Can’t you track people’s cell phones and find out if she and Brooke ever had contact?” I know I’m reaching, but I can feel the walls closing in on me.

“In light of this…” Grier pushes the statement toward me until it’s almost falling off the table. “Take the plea deal, Reed. You’ll be out by your twenty-third birthday.” He tries to smile. “Think of it as a different type of postsecondary education. You can take college courses while you’re inside, even get your degree. We’ll do everything to make your life comfortable.”

“You can’t even get me off on a charge I’m innocent of,” I snap. “How can I trust you to do anything?”

He reaches down and grabs his briefcase, an expression of disappointment on his face. “I’m giving you the best legal advice there is. A less scrupulous lawyer would take this to trial and bill your father for a hell of a lot more money. I’m advising you to take this plea deal because your defense is not good.”

“I’m telling you the truth. I’ve never lied to you.” I clench my jaw since I can’t clench my fists.

Grier gazes at me mournfully over the top of his stupid glasses. “Sometimes innocent people go away for a long time. I do believe you, and I think the DA’s office might, too, which is why I was able to get the plea deal. Involuntary manslaughter can carry with it a twenty-year sentence. Ten years is very generous. This is the very best deal.”

“Does my father know about this?” I nod toward the Ruby Myers statement.

Grier readjusts the briefcase in his hand. “Yes. I gave it to him to read before you arrived.”

“I have to think about it,” I choke out.

“Delacorte’s deal is off the table. There’s too much evidence here,” Grier adds, as if I would even entertain the Delacorte option. He already knows I won’t let Daniel come back to hurt Ella.