Page 102 of Hide And Seek

“Why?” His eyes were skating between the two of us now, a mix of confusion and concern flickering in them. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

Jasmine took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry to tell you this, but… Knox is dead.”

Rhys blinked. “No, he’s not.”

“I’m sorry, but he is,” Jasmine said gently. “Chris lost him in the woods yesterday afternoon, and when he finally found him again, he was definitely… gone. He also found Brad and Olivia. They’re dead too.”

“No.” Rhys was slowly shaking his head now. “Chris is lying.”

“I know it’s a huge shock, but—”

“No, you don’t get it,” Rhys cut in, lifting a palm. “Knox was here last night. So he couldn’t have been killed in the woodsyesterday afternoon, or whatever the hell Chris is claiming. It’s bullshit.”

“Wait, what?” My brows shot up. “Knox washere?”

He nodded and gestured to the bed. “I fell asleep for a while in the afternoon,” he said. “I kind of half-woke up at some point a few hours later, because I thought I heard someone at the door, but I felt totally fucked, so I just went back to sleep. When I woke up again later, I checked, and there was a burger sitting outside. How the hell could Knox have dropped that off for me if he was already dead in the woods?”

“Rhys…” Jasmine shook her head. “That was us. Knox still hadn’t come back by dinnertime, so…”

She trailed off, and Rhys stared at her for a full minute, unblinking. Then his whole body seemed to sag, and he stumbled over to the sofa. “Oh, fuck,” he muttered, scrubbing a hand over his face as he dropped onto the closest cushion. “Fuck.”

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

He looked up. “How did he—wait, no, don’t tell me,” he said quickly, pressing his fingers to his temple. “I don’t want to picture it.”

“It sounded like it happened pretty fast, if that’s any consolation,” Jasmine said. As she spoke, her eyes skimmed the room, subtle but deliberate. “So I don’t think he suffered.”

Rhys inhaled slowly, like he was trying to steady himself. Then he straightened a little. “You said Brad and Olivia are dead too?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Chris found them on the camp road. Someone shot them.”

“So this guy has a gun,” he muttered. “That changes things.”

“No, they were shot with a bow and arrow,” Jasmine said, flashing me a brief look.

I could tell exactly what she was thinking. Had Rhys genuinely assumed that my ‘shot’ statement referred to a gun? Or had he known all along that arrows were used and was pretending otherwise in order to make himself seem innocent?

“Fucking Christ.” He rubbed his jaw. “There goes my theory about them, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jasmine hesitated, then cleared her throat. “So, uh… what happens now? With your plan, I mean. Do you think you’ll finally come out and tell everyone you’re still alive?”

Rhys was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head. “I think it’s better if I keep at it.”

“Why? What’s the point?”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“I mean, what exactly are you doing?” Jasmine asked, gesturing around the room. “How is sitting around in this cabin for days on end helping to find the killer?”

Rhys rose to his feet, head slowly shaking. “You think I’m doingnothingall day? Just sitting on my ass?” he said, eyes narrowing. “I’ve been going out at night to scout the camp and the woods, because nighttime seems to be when the killer’s most active. So I figured I might catch him stalking around somewhere. And it’s pretty safe for me, because he’s not exactly out there looking for a dead guy, is he?”

Jasmine looked chastened. “I didn’t know you were doing that.”

He threw his hands up. “Why do you think I fell asleep in the afternoon yesterday?” he asked. “Because I’m just fucking lazy? Lying around here all the time while everyone else is getting hunted down?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

He exhaled deeply. Then he shook his head. “No, I’m sorry for snapping,” he muttered. “It’s just… this is all so fucking shit. And now Knox…”