The Sixes

“Who spotted it?” Stockton said.

“Michelson was being cagey, but it sounded like the police actually came across the body. You know that antique place, the Big Red Barn on Route 1? If you cross the road to the bike path, there’s a picnic area right in front of the river. The body was found nearby in some fairly dense vegetation. The police were apparently searching the area for some reason.”

“Perhaps they’re still trying to figure out where Lily went into the water,” Phoebe said.

“But why—” Val started to say, but Stockton interrupted her.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” he said. “There is some maniac out there preying on our students. We’ve got a total nightmare on our hands.”

Here we go, Phoebe thought.

“But how big a nightmare it becomes depends on our actions,” Glenda said. “We have to keep cool and use our heads. We can’t have a single regret later about how we handled this.”

“So what’s the plan?” Stockton asked. “Have you talked to the parents?”

“I’ve left a message for them, but I’d like you to follow up,” Glenda said. “I’ve got the PR team coming to my house in a few minutes to devise a strategy on that end.”

“I should join you,” Stockton said.

“No, Tom, I need you here,” Glenda said. “Our first priority is the students. I want you to draft an e-mail alerting them to the news. Tell them I’ve already arranged for the campus police to beef up security, but they also need to watch out for each other. And draft an e-mail to the parents, too. Full disclosure. I also want you to brainstorm with Craig about any additional safety recommendations we should be making. We don’t want to set off a panic, but we may want to tell kids to travel in pairs.” She paused. “And finally, I want to know if we have any rights in controlling student behavior off campus.”

“What do you mean?” Stockton asked, wrinkling his brow.

“That bar Cat Tails keeps turning up in every story,” Glenda said. “Can we restrict students from going to the river bars? I know that’s extreme, but if we’re going to prevent another death, we may need to practice tough love.”

Glenda checked her watch and then turned to Phoebe. “Have you got your car? I walked today, and I’d love a lift home.”

“Of course,” Phoebe said, relieved at the request. She was anxious to talk to Glenda alone.

“What can I do, President Johns?” Val asked. “I want to be of assistance.”

“I appreciate the offer, Val,” Glenda said, “and I’ll let you know if something comes to mind. Right now all I ask is that everyone be discreet.”

Phoebe followed Glenda from the room. The building was eerily quiet now. Though the hall lights were on, most of the staff had left for the day, so offices were dark. They passed no one in the building, but outside, as they hurried to the parking lot, groups of students dashed by them, chatting and laughing. They won’t be laughing so hard tomorrow, Phoebe thought, once they’ve learned the news about Trevor.

As Phoebe pulled the car out of the parking lot a few minutes later, Glenda threw her head back on the seat of the car.

“Three deaths in two years,” Glenda said. “I can’t believe it.”

“Actually, four incidents,” Phoebe said. She relayed what she’d learned from Wesley.

Glenda shook her head and blew out a breath. “Well, at least the police seem to be giving it their full attention now. It was like an overturned beehive down there tonight.”

“I just wonder if they’re equipped to handle something this big,” Phoebe said.

“I could ask myself the same question,” Glenda said. “You know, I’ve worked at four different colleges and been trained to deal with just about everything—budget cuts, student protests, faculty caught sleeping with students. But no one ever took me aside and said, ‘Here’s what you need to do if a Ted Bundy type shows up on your campus.’ ”

“What if there really is a serial killer,” Phoebe asked quietly, “but not some Ted Bundy type? What if it’s someone we know?”

“What do you mean?” Glenda said. Even with her eyes on the road, Phoebe could sense her friend’s shock at the comment.

“What if the Sixes did it?” Phoebe quickly spelled out what she’d learned from Alexis about the circles and how Blair loved to exact revenge.

“My God, this is worse than I thought. We’ve got to nail these girls. But you don’t really believe they’re cold- blooded killers, do you, Fee? I can entertain the idea that they might have accidentally killed Lily as part of some prank gone wrong, but three murders? It seems unfathomable.”

“It’s just something worth mulling over.” Phoebe knew she needed to learn what the fifth and sixth circles entailed. “We should finally mention the Sixes to the cops now, don’t you think?”

“Let’s continue to let Craig investigate the Sixes for a bit longer. I don’t want to open a Pandora’s box unnecessarily.”

Phoebe felt a pang of doubt but kept her mouth shut. She had to take Glenda’s lead on this one.

“Why didn’t you want Tom to come to your house, by the way?” Phoebe asked.

Out of the corner of her eye Phoebe saw Glenda cock her head, deliberating.

“I do need him on campus right now, taking care of business there, but I’ve also picked up a weird vibe from him lately, like he’s saying one thing and thinking another. Or maybe this whole mess has made me paranoid.”

“There’s a vibe I pick up from him,” Phoebe said. “That he seems to really like the serial killer theory. As if he’s dying for it to be true.”

“And why would that be, do you think?”

“Well, would he be a candidate for your job if this whole thing exploded in your face?”

Glenda nodded slowly. “So you mean he’s pushing it in order to throw the campus into even bigger turmoil?” she asked. “And give the board a reason to boot me out?”

“Maybe,” Phoebe said. “He just seems awfully slick to me, and worth keeping an eye on.” Glenda was silent.

“So you think there’ll be a full-scale panic tomorrow?” Phoebe asked.

“Not so much from the kids,” Glenda said. “But the parents are going to go nuts. Trust me—some will be showing up with U-Hauls to whisk their kids away.”

When they reached Glenda’s house, Phoebe put the car in park and leaned over to hug her friend.

“Hang in there, okay?” Phoebe said. “There’s nothing you can’t handle.”

Alone in the car, Phoebe headed home. As she drove down the dark, empty streets of Lyle, she could feel her unease rising. About Trevor Harris being found, about everything. Plus, she hadn’t had time to go home earlier to turn the lights on, and she couldn’t bear the idea of walking into a pitch-black house.

As she pulled into the driveway, her eyes raced quickly over the front of the house. The glowing porch light, controlled by a sensor, seemed to accentuate how absolutely dark the inside of the house was. Phoebe stepped out of the car, locked it, and scanned all around her. There wasn’t a soul anywhere.

Phoebe unlocked the front door, pushed it open a few inches, and listened. The only sound was the low purr of the furnace. Patting her fingers along the living room wall, she located the switch for the overhead light, which she rarely used. When she flicked it on, the room exploded with light. At first glance, everything looked exactly as she’d left it.

After locking the door behind her, Phoebe made her way to the kitchen and quickly flipped on the light. Her eyes roamed the room—the back door, the windows, the fridge. Everything seemed okay.

As she shrugged off her coat, Phoebe felt her stomach growl from hunger. She hadn’t eaten a thing since the morning. She dumped a can of New England clam chowder into a pan. While the soup heated, she dug her phone from her purse to check e-mails. There was one from Duncan, sent a short while ago.

“Looking forward to tomorrow night,” he’d written.

“Me, too,” she typed back, smiling. “What time? And where?”

She almost jumped when another e-mail appeared from Duncan almost instantly. So he was online right now.