โCan you tell me that again?โ
โSeriously? Am I just talking to myself here?โย Bel pulled her eyes up, a reverse blink at Ash, swishing along the sidewalk in hisย ๏ฌared tartan pants and a backward cap.ย โYou are the shittiest sidekick.โ
Ash shook his head, hiding a crooked smile from her.ย โItโs not for me, itโs for the camera. Ramsey said if weโre going to hang out like this, talk about Rachel, investigate her, is it OK if I keep recording it?โย He raised his handheld camera, popping his lips twice.ย โIf thatโs not too exploitative.โย He tripped awkwardly over the word and over his own tongue.
โThe entire documentary is exploitative.โย Bel shrugged, taking them down a side road.ย โBut you canโt exploit me if Iโm exploiting you back.โ
โOKโฆ,โย he said, blinking, unsure.ย โJust trying to do a good job for Ramsey. Heโs relying on me, since Iโm the one you trust.โ
โI donโt trust you,โย Bel sneered.ย โI reckon you do a little bit.โ โNo.โ
โA sliver?โ โNo.โ
โA smidge?โ โNope.โ
โWell, youโre the one that came toย ๏ฌnd me today,โย he said, aย ๏ฌush in his cheeks, a curl of hair poking out over the strap of his baseball cap.
โOnly because Iย wantย this recorded, could be evidence.โย Bel matched his smile, sweeter, deadlier.ย โI donโt trust you, and I donโt like you, and I de๏ฌnitely donโt need you.โย Ashย ๏ฌinched; right on target.ย โBut I could use your help, and you and Ramsey want to make a greatย ๏ฌlm, right?โ
โRightโฆโ
โGood, glad we settled that.โย She sni๏ฌed.ย โYou can press record.โ
Ashโs lips stretched into a half smile. Seriously? Still smiling after that, what was wrong with him?
He pointed the camera at her andย ๏ฌipped out the view๏ฌnder, a beep as he pressed record.
โWhat do you want me to say, then?โย Bel asked, picking up her pace.ย โCatch us up on whatโs happened, what youโre feeling. What your goals
are now?โย Ash said, a poor imitation of Ramsey.
โWe are looking into Rachelโs disappearance. Sheโs not telling the truth about what happened to her; I think she planned them both, her disappearance and her reappearance. At the family dinner last nightโwhich went super well, not awkward at allโmy aunt Sherry let slip that Rachel might have been in some kind of relationship before she went missing.โ
The trees shivered above her on the house-lined street, whispering unknown things, giving up their secrets to the wind.
โNo one ever knew about this,โย Bel continued, close to breathless, walking and talking.ย โI went to see Sherry this morning and she told me she was talking about Julian Tripp, a teacher at my school, and also the man who found me in that car sixteen years ago. He and Rachel were colleagues, friends, but it might have been more: Sherry saw him and Rachel lookingย โcozyโย getting into Mr. Trippโs car a couple of days before Rachel disappeared. So we are on our way to his house to ask him about it.โ
Ash nodded, like she should keep going.
โAnd my goal?โย Bel said.ย โMy goal is toย ๏ฌnd the fucking truth and get that liar out of my house. Enough?โ
Ash swallowed, looking up from the Bel on the camera screen to the one in real life,ย ๏ฌnding her eyes and latching on.ย โThat was de๏ฌnitely enough, yeah.โ
Bel raised her hands in victory, tapping the invisible trophy to each of her shoulders.
โBut Mr. Tripp didnโt disappear too, obviously,โย Ash said.ย โSo itโs not like they ran away together or something.โ
โGee, thanks, Sherlock.โย Belโs trophy vanished and she clapped her hands.ย โBut maybe heโs the reason she left, or he helped her. Heโll know something, he has to. Itโs that house, on the end.โย Bel gestured with her eyes.
Ash panned the camera there and back.ย โHow do you know where your teacher lives, anyway?โ
โHe did a yard sale a few years ago. I was with my friend, Sam.โย Bel had stolen something from the yard sale; she couldnโt remember what now. Just like she couldnโt remember how Sam used to make her laugh.
They approached the path up to Mr. Trippโs house, the front yard overgrown and unkempt. Mailbox sad and rusted.
Ash lowered the camera, following her to the door.
โWhat are you doing?โย Bel clicked at him.ย โKeep recording.โ
โI canโt,โย Ash said, torn between the two of them, Bel and the camera.ย โHe has to agree to itย ๏ฌrst. Sign a release formโโ
โHeโs already done one interview. Iโm sure heโll be delighted to do another. Keep rolling.โ
โKeep rolling,โย Ash parroted her, raising the camera again, capturing her in it.ย โFor the record, Ramsey,โย he whispered into theย ๏ฌu๏ฌy microphone,ย โIโm being made to do this against my will, if this goes terribly and someone sues us. But this was your idea, soโฆโ
Belย ๏ฌashed her eyes at him, then knotted herย ๏ฌngers into aย ๏ฌst, knocked it against the door. Six knocks, hard and urgent.
Ash grabbed her hand before she made it seven.ย โStop,โย he hissed.ย โWhy canโt you do anything nicely?โ
A mu๏ฌed cough behind the door, the scrape of a chain. It pulled open, just a crack, Mr. Trippโs gray face. Eyes downcast, the sun re๏ฌecting against his glasses.
โI donโt have it yeโโย he began, cutting o๏ฌย when he glanced up and saw the two of them standing there.ย โOh.โย His face cracked into a cautious smile, opening the door the whole way, shoulders reconnecting to his neck. He wore a grubby yellow T-shirt and gray sweats, hiding his hands in the pockets.ย โWhat are you doing here, Bel?โย he said, the hard rock of his Adamโs appleย ๏ฌitting up and down.ย โIs there a problem? Is Rachel OK?โ
โJust peachy.โย Belย ๏ฌashed her teeth as her eyes strayed from Mr. Tripp to the hallway behind him. A dark stain on the carpet, under his bare feet. A tower of cardboard boxes almost as tall as him, stu๏ฌed with empty cans of beer. Ghostlyย ๏ฌnger dents in the metal.
He saw Bel looking, gripped the door again, blocking their view.
“We were hoping to conduct another interview with you for the documentary,” she said. “Now that Rachel has returned, we’re revisiting everyone. Isn’t that right, Ash?”
“Y-yes,” Ash confirmed, his elbow fabric brushing against hers.
“I’m not sure I have time at the moment,” Mr. Tripp replied. A stale alcohol scent lingered around him. The dark circles under his eyes and his grayish complexion now made more sense. Bel had never paid attention to these signs before.
“It’ll only take a few minutes,” Bel insisted.
Mr. Tripp wiped his glasses with a finger. “I was about to leave.”
“You don’t look ready to go out,” Bel observed, tilting her head. “Besides, it might seem odd if you were willing to talk when everyone thought Rachel was dead, but not now that she’s alive. As if you preferred her dead, or something.” She chuckled.
Mr. Tripp blinked, his eyes magnified by his lenses. “That’s notโ”
“So, how did you feel when you first heard Rachel Price had returned from the dead?” Bel asked, mimicking Ramsey’s finger-steepling gesture.
Mr. Tripp glanced at the camera, blinking repeatedly. He smoothed his hair. “Well, I was stunned, like everyone else. I thought there must be some mistake, that it had to be another woman. Then, when I saw Rachel at school a few days later, I felt… elated. Extremely happy that she’s alive. I never thought it possible. But it just shows that sometimes, even after tragedy, good things can happen to good people.”
Good people didnโt orchestrate their own disappearance, put their families through hell.
โHow close were you with Rachel before she went missing?โย Bel said, aware of Ashโs presence just behind her.ย โDid you spend time together outside of work?โ
Mr. Trippโs glasses slipped down his nose.ย โNot really. She was a coworker, and Iโd like to think a friend, but we didnโt see each other outside of work.โ
โReally? Not evenย rightย outside work?โ โWhat do you mean?โ
โDid you ever give Rachel rides home from work? Spend time in the car together?โ
He chewed his back teeth.ย โNo,โย he said.ย โSheโs never been in my car.โย Liar.
โWeird.โย Bel pu๏ฌed out her cheeks.ย โMy aunt Sherry saw Rachel get into your car just a couple of days before she went missing.โ
โShe must be mistaken.โ
โOr you must be lying,โย Bel said, a toothless smile.ย โSuspicious, isnโt it? When you were also theย ๏ฌrst person on the scene when Rachel disappeared, the one who found me. Your prints all over the car. Is that because you helped Rachel disappear? Do you know where she was all this time? Are you still in love with her?โ
Ash tensed.
There was a shift in Mr. Trippโs face: jaw jutting forward, brows furrowing, eclipsing his eyes.
Bel waited, ready for theย ๏ฌght. Didnโt he know, sheโd spent her whole lifeย ๏ฌghting?
โIโll see you Monday morning, Annabel,โย he said, low, through gritted teeth. Said like a threat.
Mr. Tripp stepped back, one last look at the camera before he slammed the door in their faces, a thunderclap without a storm.
