A twig snapped under Yvonne's sneaker. Up ahead, Alex and Debbie were watching a bunny rabbit. At the sound of the snap, the bunny rabbit zipped away. Alex spun around, looking in the direction of the noise.
Panicked, Yvonne ducked behind a nearby tree. She pressed herself against it, feeling the rough bark beneath her thin shirt. She heard Debbie say something, and Alex's response, but she couldn't hear what. After a few minutes of hushed discussion, they continued. Yvonne heard their footsteps growing distant the further they moved away.
She held her breath and counted to fifty. Then, she released it, and shuddered. Her motions disturbed the tree, and leaves scattered over her. One caught in her curly hair, and she plucked it out, holding it like it was a golden star. The edges were curled up like an eagle's claw, and it was beginning to dry out. She rubbed it between her hands and started crunching it up.
Yvonne knew that what she was doing was wrong. She had no reason to suspect that Debbie had any ill intentions, other than a simple gut reaction. She couldn't get it out of her head that she was connected to everything that was happening. Brief flashes of the past flew through Yvonne's mind, creating shaky connections.
She thought again of Ethan, and his corpse lying in the garage. This whole thing had wrong written all over it in bright red ink. She thought of everybody who Alex had ever come up against, and one name stuck out above them all: Riley.
Letting the desiccated remains of the leaf fall to the ground, she berated herself. She was letting Lous get to her head with his conspiracy nonsense. Conspiracies relied on having just enough evidence that it seemed plausible, but not enough that it could be proven.
Yvonne looked around the tree trunk. Debbie had led Alex a little further away, but Yvonne could still see them. Hugging the edge of the forest, she followed them, trying to remain in the shadows and out of sight. She followed them this way while they hiked, taking breaks when they did, and moving when they did.
Where are they going? She thought, perplexed.
Eventually, she got her answer. The forest broke up ahead, and Debbie led Alex into a clearing. Yvonne found a bush to hide in. It stank of chlorophyll and animal deposits, but it was a good vantage point, so she stuck to her guns.
Alex walked up to the edge of the cliff, and Yvonne's little heart couldn't help but flutter. She was scared he would fall off the edge, but the way the sun hit him from behind only accentuated how gorgeous he was. She would have swooned if he had been there to catch her.
Alex turned back and he and Debbie started setting up for a picnic. They were talking, and Yvonne was growing impatient. She moved in the bush to get a better look. The bush rustled loudly. And, unfortunately, Alex noticed. He looked in her direction, directly at her, but didn't seem to see her. Panicking, Debbie grabbed a nearby rock and threw it several feet to her left.
She watched as Alex shot to his feet and started talking fast to Debbie, possibly telling her to stay put. Seconds later, he followed the direction of the rock, leaving Debbie alone.
Seizing her chance, Yvonne kicked apart the bush and strode out, her eyes locked on Debbie. Debbie was holding a pocket knife in front of her, brandishing it like a sword. Yvonne locked eyes with her, and she kept her posture strong.
It took Debbie a moment to recognise her. When she did, she lowered the pocket knife a few inches and sputtered, trying to think of something to say.
"Yvonne?" she finally asked. "What are you doing here? Alex-"
Yvonne stopped a few feet away from her. She stood with her shoulders back, chest out, and gaze level.
"I threw a rock to distract him," Yvonne explained, waving a dismissive hand. "He'll find a bunny or something to chase while we talk. Now tell me: what's your game?"
Debbie blinked in surprise.
"What's your game?" Yvonne asked again, this time in her most intimidating voice.
This confused Debbie. She held the pocket knife aloft, but didn't change its position.
"Game?" she squeaked. "What game?"
"What are you going to do to Alex?" Yvonne demanded. "Bringing him up here. A cliff in the middle of a forest. Pretty high up, too. A remote location. If anything were to happen to him out here, why, there are plenty of things that could have stopped him. Wouldn't you agree?"
Debbie lowered the pocket knife.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I still don't get it."
Yvonne pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily. She turned her gaze back to Debbie, who was looking at her with big, childlike eyes.
"I'm going to come right out and say it," Yvonne said, exasperated. "It's too much of a coincidence that you appeared the night Ethan attacked us. Actually, it's too much of a coincidence that you show up after the attack. You're up to something."
Finally understanding, Debbie let the packet knife fall to the ground, and she lowered her gaze at Yvonne.
"You think I came out here to kill him," she said in a quiet voice. "You think I would come all this way to kill the man I love."
You aren't the only one who loves him, Yvonne thought. She kept it to herself, but she wanted to scream it so badly that her chest felt like it would burst open, the way Ethan's corpse did during the autopsy.
"What else could I possibly think?" Yvonne asked, starting to pace around the clearing. "I never even heard your name until last night."
This seemed to surprise Debbie.
"Last night?" Debbie asked, sounding disappointed. "Was… Why did… Was I a secret?"
Yvonne wasn't sure how to answer that. It had never been a secret that Alex had a girlfriend. If anything, Yvonne had hoped that something would happen between the two of them while staying at Alex's house. She had wanted him to see her for the loving, passionate woman she was. Her dreams of being wrapped in his warm embrace had been shattered by the appearance of Debbie.
"You weren't," Yvonne said. "Remember how Alex had to introduce you to Louis and Christopher? That's because none of us knew if we could trust you. We still don't! And yet, here you are. Adding suspicion to your name."
Yvonne spread her hands, gesturing the clearing on top of the cliff. A flock of birds flew by up above, loudly cawing.
"I don't know what you mean," Debbie said sternly. "You're accusing me of trying to hurt the love of my life, and that really stings. What did I ever do to you?"
You had his heart first, Yvonne thought bitterly.
She said nothing. She just stared Debbie down.
"Is that why you don't like me?" Debbie asked. "You think I'm a spy? Or an assassin?"
Yvonne didn't want to word it like that.
"You're the one saying it," Yvonne said. "Only you can prove that you aren't. Just walk away, Debbie. Walk away, and I won't-"
"Pretty big ego, you've got there," Debbie snapped, her voice filled with bile. "And a massive head to boot. If we're accusing each other of treachery, well, then, you're too innocent, are you? Accusing me of spying when you're the one who followed us up here! Talk about hypocrisy."
Yvonne bit her tongue. She had to admit, Debbie had a point.
But Yvonne's spying was different! She wanted to make sure that Alex was safe. Debbie being a spy meant that his life was in danger. Potentially in danger. Definitely in danger. In danger, regardless. If Yvonne wanted to cause him harm, she would recruit someone close to him. Someone he loved dearly, who apparently loved him just enough to keep him close, but was prepared to get him out of the way when the time was right.
Before she could say anything, she was interrupted by a voice calling in the distance.
"Debbie?" Alex's voice called.
The hairs on the back of Yvonne's neck stood on end. Frustrated, she turned to Yvonne.
"I was never here!" she hissed, then disappeared back into the forest, leaving Debbie standing alone in the clearing.
********
Debbie was quiet and sad on the way back to Alex's house. She had retrieved her pocket knife, and had helped Alex pack everything up before they set off. Yvonne's accusations stuck with her.
What had Debbie done to provoke such harsh treatment?
Alex noticed her mood and put an arm around her, pulling her close. He was warm and soft against the cold harshness of the world. With him around, Yvonne's words didn't sting nearly so badly.
All Debbie had ever wanted to do was surprise her boyfriend. Being stuck at home, managing the finances for Alex's real estate business, was absolutely no fun at all. He had only been gone for a couple of weeks. While she had enjoyed the time to herself, she had found herself missing him terribly. Once the most important parts of the finances were done, she had packed a bag and set off for him out in the woods. She had hoped for a warm welcome.
Not a dead body. Or an autopsy. Or to be accused of wanting to kill her boyfriend of all people. Louis and Christopher had accepted her pretty quickly. They seemed like nice guys, if a little on edge. Then again, they had just put down a super soldier. That would shake anybody up. Once Louis had started calming down, he had become a lot more serious. Christopher? Well, he might take a little more warming up, but he seemed nice.
"Are you sure nothing happened while I was away?" Alex asked for the hundredth time.
"Yes," Debbie said, pulling away from him as they approached the house. The sun was setting, and the sky was turning pink as dawn shifted to twilight. "Nothing happened."
Alex had pursued a strange noise, which had turned out to be Yvonne throwing a rock. As Yvonne had predicted, he had found something to chase. Not a bunny rabbit, but a wild hare. Debbie had to admit that the image of Alex chasing a hare through the forest was quite entertaining. She had laughed hard when he told her of his discovery. Alex took it in good humor, and they had enjoyed a last half hour on the clifftop before heading back to the house.
They stopped at the top of the path, looking toward the house. It looked so darling in the middle of the forest, hit ever so nicely by the setting sun. It was like a scene on a greeting card.
"Okay, if you say so," Alex replied, taking her hand. "You coming in?" He gestured toward the house.
"I think I'll hang back for a little bit," she said. Her voice caught in her throat. "Come back and watch the sunset with me?"
A wide grin broke out across his face.
"Give me five minutes," he promised. He shot off down the path that led to the house, and Debbie watched him go. He gently opened the door and slipped inside, disappearing into the house.
Debbie turned in a slow circle, admiring the scenery around her. It was just so lovely. She imagined coming here with Alex in the future, when they were married, and they had children, and the door was fixed, and the forest wasn't teeming with super soldiers. It would be so incredibly lovely that she wanted it right now.
Five minutes passed, then ten, and then fifteen. That didn't worry her. Alex was a busy man. If he said five minutes, it was more likely to be twenty. If he said twenty, then you needed to get comfy because you might be there a while. Fortunately, the sunset was still an hour away, giving Debbie plenty of time to process the accusations Yvonne had hurled at her.
The gall of it all! Yvonne had the nerve to accuse her of spying, and of plotting to kill Alex, when she was the one spying on the two of them! It was just plain childish, and Debbie wanted no part of whatever game Yvonne was trying to play. Yvonne had to be up to something. Yvonne was the one who wanted Debbie out of the picture, for whatever reason. Yvonne-
Debbie froze where she stood when she noticed movement. The house sat in a small clearing, surrounded by forest on all sides. The movement came from the other side of the clearing, and Debbie found herself backing away slightly.
A figure, dressed entirely in black, and silhouetted against the scattered light of the trees, moved like a shadow across the grounds. It headed toward the front door, then stopped. It turned to look at her, and Debbie found cover behind a nearby tree, feeling the weight of the shadow's gaze on her.
She peeked out from behind as the mysterious figure moved again, more urgently this time, and pushed on the weakened door. The door gave way, and the figure disappeared inside.