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you signed up for when you offered to help.” It’s one thing to help me find out if my mother committed suicide or not. A possible murder is something else altogether. “I’ll understand if you say no.”
    “It’s not me I’m worried about. Are you sure you want to look into this?”
    “I’ve never been more sure. What if someone killed my mother?” I stare at my untouched salad. “Is it weird that part of me wants it to be true?”
    “I don’t think so. It’s natural to want someone to blame for her death.”
    “That’s it exactly.” I hate the part of me that blames her for leaving. The part that blames me. I need someone to hate. Someone to punish.
    “Where do we start?”
    He’s really going to do this? Now that he says it so easily, I hesitate. “You don’t have to do this. It’s stupid.”
    “It’s not. If it were my mom, I’d want to know.” Drew watches me. “I get it. You need to do this on your own. And I’m just some guy you met in the library. It’s okay. I’ll back off. But if you need a sounding board, or whatever, you know where to find me.”
    Hearing my concern out loud makes it sound silly and immature. He is just some guy I met, but I’ve already told him more about my mother than I’ve told anyone, even Mary Chris. I take a breath. “We need to know what she was doing before she died. I saw a letter asking her to work on a project for Moss Enterprises. I’m sure it’s tied to the letter Mr. Moss has.”
    Drew nods, taking it all in. “Can you get us into the Moss house?”
    “Wow. It sounds so sleazy when you put it that way. Mary Chris is my best friend. I’m there almost every day.”
    “So that’s a yes.” He tosses a crust of bread to the ground, creating an instant riot as every seagull within fifteen feet converges. “Invite me next time.”
    “Like tonight?”
    “Okay.” He grins. “Third date at Mary Chris’s house.”
    I toss a potato chip at his face, but he deflects it with a well-timed wrist block.
    “Nice move.”
    “Oh, there’s more where that came from.”
    “Good to know. Potato chip defense is a dying art.”
    “It’s a work in progress. Got taken out by a pretzel last week.”
    I laugh, grateful to Drew for distracting me, even if it is just for a few seconds. “You’re sure you want to come tonight? Mare will probably have a few people over. You might have to actually meet some people.”
    Drew’s face gets serious. “As long as I don’t have to talk to them or, you know, be nice.”
    I throw another chip at him. This one hits him right between the eyes.

Chapter 13
    J ason corners me at my locker as soon as we get back from lunch. “You had lunch with Drew Mattingly? I can’t believe you didn’t tweet live updates. Tell me everything.”
    “Drew is helping me with something. We’re friends. That’s it.”
    Jason throws his hands up in a move that looks like a cross between jazz hands and some kind of seizure. “Ahhh! Friends don’t stare at friends’ backs as they walk away. Not unless they’re helping you pick out an outfit.”
    “I didn’t stare at him.”
    Jason shakes his head. “Duh, I wasn’t talking about you.”
    “Drew was not staring at me either.”
    “Totally was. What’s he helping you with anyway?”
    I stare at the inside of my locker, letting my eyes settle on the triangle of dirt in the back corner. I can’t keep the truth from Jason forever. He’ll drag it out of me sooner or later anyway. “You promise not to say anything? Not even to Mary Chris?”
    “Him? You’re going out with Drew Mattingly?”
    “No! Is that all you ever think about? I told you, we’re just friends.”
    “Friends who check each other out as they walk away.”
    “Stop.”
    Jason finally settles down, holding his hand over his heart. “Okay. I won’t say anything. I promise.”
    “Drew’s going to help me find out if my mom was murdered.”
    “What?” Jason looks as thrown as I feel. “Your mom might’ve