Page 5 of What They'll Say About Us

As soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, I felt better. I walked quickly at first, eager to get away from the convention, but once the initial anxious rush had passed, I slowed my steps, taking my first real look around at the city.

We'd flown into Chicago last night, and this was the first chance I'd gotten outside since we'd arrived. It was a Monday afternoon in the middle of August, and it was hot outside. I slipped off the lightweight sweater I'd worn over my dress while in the air-conditioned hotel and slung it over one arm as I walked, my heels clicking on the pavement, my blonde hair blowing in the warm breeze.

As a stairway came up from the river, I headed down the cement steps, ending up in a garden patio next to a coffee and juice bar, which had shaded umbrellas over the patio tables. Grabbing a large, iced coffee and a banana from the café, I took a seat at one of the tables and let out a breath. Watching the water flow by was relaxing and gave me a chance to think about everything that had happened.

While I'd stayed away from Chicago since graduation, it hadn't been solely because of Paige's death, or the confusing investigation and rumors that followed. It hadn't even been about Liam, who'd been my boyfriend for most of that year. I had also stayed away because my father tended to show up in Chicago for holidays with my aunt, which was a whole other story.

But the real reason I hadn't come back was about me, about not wanting to be that girl anymore. After graduation, I'd headed to New York City, where no one knew me, and I'd closed the book on my past. That book was open now, and I was still shocked by Alina's appearance at the keynote address. She'd never reached out before, and it wasn't like she couldn't have done so through social media or our podcast. No, she'd waited for me to show up in person. We'd only decided to come to Chicago a few weeks earlier, but she'd been ready for me. She'd jumped on the opportunity to confront me in public, to make it impossible for me to say no.

Now, I had no choice. I had to look into what had happened to Paige, and that was going to get complicated fast as I wasn't an impartial observer. How could I investigate Paige's death without talking about myself, without revealing too much of my own life, my own relationships? Maybe just by focusing on the actual details of her death and not spending too much time on her. There was only one way out of this for me: I had to find Paige's killer. I had to prove it was murder and get justice for her family. Then I'd become the heroine of the story, the one who stood up for Paige, even if it was nine years too late.

My phone buzzed with a text from Cassidy, asking if I was all right.

Taking a walk, I texted back. I'm going to skip the afternoon sessions and start looking into Paige's death.

Morgan and I will check out the two o'clock session and then we'll meet you in the room.

I gave her text a thumbs-up and then got to my feet, feeling as if I'd found the direction I needed to go. I didn't know where that road would take me, but I was getting on it, and I hoped I'd be able to find the answers I needed. I also hoped that those answers weren't going to implicate someone I'd known, someone I'd trusted or cared about.

When I returned to the hotel, it was after two, and as I moved toward the elevator bank, I heard my name called. Forcing a smile on my face, I turned around to see a woman approaching. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face, and she wore a navy-blue blazer with the hotel insignia over her navy-blue skirt.

"Tessa Conway," she said again, drawing closer.

"Rachel Bentley," I said with surprise. "Do you work here?"

"I'm one of the concierges," Rachel replied. "I saw your photo on the convention poster, and I couldn't believe you were back in town."

Rachel had lived down the hall from me in the dorm our sophomore year. We'd spent a lot of time together then, but we'd both moved into apartments for our last two years and hadn't spent as much time together after that.

"It sounds like you're super successful, which I knew you would be. You were always a girl who was going places," Rachel said with a smile.

Her warmth felt good coming after the cold sting of Alina's gaze. "It sounds like you also have a fun job."

"I like hospitality," Rachel said. "And as you know, I love to talk. Anyway, when I heard you were coming, I listened to your podcast. It was entertaining and also a little terrifying. It's one thing to talk about crime, but you and your friends actually went to the scene and found a murderer. And you got hurt, didn't you?"

"I did, but I'm recovered now. It felt good to get justice for the missing women."

"You were very heroic. How long are you in town?"

"Until Wednesday."

"If there is anything I can do to make your stay special, please let me know. I can get you into the best restaurant in town. Just say the word."

"Thanks. I feel like we're pretty booked up, but I appreciate the offer."

"No problem. I don't suppose you have any time for a drink."

"I wish I did. The schedule is pretty packed. Maybe I can see," I added, noting the disappointed gleam in her eyes.

"It would be fun to get Kerry and Ella to meet up with us, too."

"Kerry and Ella Marlin?" I asked with surprise. "They're here?"

"Yes. Didn't you see them on the program?"

I hadn't studied the program that closely, leaving it to Morgan to tell me which sessions to go to. "I guess I missed that."

"They have a podcast about being identical twins."