frighten her.
âNo, Iâm not scared.â
âI think you are,â Jackson replied quietly.
Gretchen felt her throat clench with fear. âYouâre such a jerk, Jackson,â she snapped. âThe killer is not out there. Hiding on Fear Island makes no sense.â
A smile twitched on Jacksonâs lips. âDonât say I didnât warn you.â
Jacksonâs smile chilled Gretchen.
What is he saying? Is he threatening me? she wondered.
How twisted is he?
Chapter
5
âC ome on!â Patrick shouted. âWeâre wasting time. Letâs party!â
After locking up the minivan, Gretchen followed the others to a dock at the lake shore. Gretchen spotted the rowboat that floated beside the dock on the dark water.
Patrick climbed aboard first. Then he helped Hannah down into the boat.
Gretchen shivered, burrowing deeper into her denim jacket. She couldnât wait till they got indoors again.
The wind felt damp on her skin, and thick clouds covered the night sky.
She didnât need a weather report to know that rain would soon be falling in buckets. Gretchen hopedthey wouldnât be caught in the boat when the storm began.
She boarded the boat last. Hannah gave her a hand.
Gretchen saw only one seat left, between Jackson and Patrick. She sat down, then stared straight ahead, pressing her hands between her knees.
Across from her, Gil sat between Cindy and Hannah. Hannah pushed off from the dock, and Jackson and Patrick began rowing.
âI donât know about the rest of you, but Iâm freezing,â Cindy complained, her teeth chattering.
âWe pulled you away so fast, we forgot your coat,â Gretchen said fretfully.
âHere. You can wear this.â Gil slipped off his jacket and draped it around Cindyâs shoulders. âFeel better?â
âMmm,â Cindy sighed. âThanks.â
âIf thatâs not enough, I know an even better way to warm you up!â Gil added with an evil grin.
Gretchen rolled her eyes. Gil was such an animal. She didnât know how Hannah put up with him.
Of course, Cindy was no better. She loved to wrap guys around her finger, to get them to do whatever she wanted. Gretchen hated to watch Gilâor any guy for that matterâturn into a drooling little puppy around Cindy.
But somebody else, she realized, hated it even more. Gretchen saw that Hannah was barely keeping her anger under control. It had to be hard having your boyfriend still be friends with his ex-girlfriend.
âHey!â Patrick cried out suddenly. He stopped rowing. âWhatâs that?â
âWhat?â Gretchen demanded.
âSomething in the water!â
âHow can you see anything?â Hannah asked. âItâs pitch black out.â
âI saw a fin!â Patrick cried. âOver there.â
Jackson and Gil peered in the direction where Patrick was frantically pointing his finger.
Jackson raised an eyebrow. âA fin? In a lake? Give me a break.â
âI donât see anything,â Gil murmured.
âItâs coming closer!â Patrick shouted. The boat started rocking from side to side as he hummed the theme from Jaws . âDum-dum⦠dum-dum⦠dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum.â
Jackson rolled his eyes. âThatâs really lame!â
âYouâre such a loser, Patrick!â Gil laughed.
Gretchen groaned. It was another one of Patrickâs dumb jokes.
âGrow up,â Hannah muttered.
Patrick shrugged. âAdmit it. You fell for itâfor a moment.â
âSo is this the entire guest list for my party?â Cindy asked. âIsnât somebody missing?â
âLike who?â Hannah asked.
âGretchen knows who,â Jackson sneered.
Gretchen felt totally confused. âI do?â
âYou remember that tall guy with the long, black hair?â Cindy teased. âYour boyfriend? Marco?â
Marco . Gretchen felt
Gene Wentz, B. Abell Jurus