postal any second. She knew me so well.
“I took it myself,” Andi answered.
“Where? How?” I wished someone would fix that disconnect. Why did I keep asking questions I clearly did not want to hear the answers to?
The baby wiggled and Andi shifted on her feet again. “Last Friday. I was at the football game, delivering some Very Cherry lip gloss to the cheer squad, when I saw Courtney and Josh head into the band room. I knew neither of them would touch a band geek with a ten-foot pole, so I figured I’d see what they were up to. That’s when I caught them swapping bodily fluids behind the woodwind rack. Pretty sick, really.”
Yep, I was totally going to throw up. “And you recorded it?”
Andi nodded. “I pulled out my phone and caught every filthy second.”
“Let me see it.” God, what was wrong with me?!
Andi bit her lip. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Let. Me. See. It.”
Andi turned to Sam. “You promise to hold her back if she freaks?”
Sam nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Okay,” Andi agreed, pulling a pink phone from her back pocket. “But just remember—I’m only the videographer. So, like, don’t shoot the messenger, right?”
I didn’t answer, and instead focused on the tiny screen as the three of us crowded in to watch Andi scroll through thumbnails until she found one of the band room. She hit Play and leaned back, letting Sam and I squint at her phone.
The quality was suckish, grainy and really jerky as if Andi couldn’t hold still, and the sound was tinny. But there was no mistaking what was going on. I caught a naked leg, the flash of an iridescent purple Color Guard skirt sliding up a thigh, followed by the back of my boyfriend’s head as he moved in for the kill. A few seconds later we heard moaning and panting.
I closed my eyes, shoving the phone away.
“I’ve seen enough.” It was one thing to know your boyfriend had cheated, but entirely another to actually see it.
God, I felt so stupid.
“You okay?” Sam gently asked.
No. “Yeah.”
“It’s pretty clear what was going on,” Andi said, pointing to the video.
“Crystal.”
“Anyway, after all the crap that Courtney put me through, I couldn’t wait to expose her for the hypocrite she was.”
“But you didn’t expose her,” Sam pointed out.
Andi shook her head. “No. When I got home and saw the footage, I had a better idea. As you can imagine, I’m a little short on cash these days. Do you have any idea how much a baby costs?” she asked.
Sam and I both shook our heads.
“A million dollars.”
I blinked. Then looked down at the seemingly innocent little pink bundle in her pouch.
“I know, right?” Andi said. “But analysts say that a baby born this year will cost its parents more than a million dollars over the course of their lifetime. I don’t have that kind of money. So, I had a better idea than calling Courtney out.”
“You decided to blackmail her.”
She nodded. “I sent her a few choice moments of the footage I shot and told her that if she didn’t buy me diapers for a year, it would end up all over YouTube.”
My stomach roiled again at the thought of proof of my boyfriend’s cheating plastered all over the internet.
“What did she say?” Sam asked.
“She said she’d pay. Only she died before we could discuss specific terms.” Andi did a wistful sigh, looking down at her baby. “Too bad.”
“Where were you when she was killed?” Sam asked.
Andi’s eyes shot up. “What do you mean?”
“Do you have an alibi?”
I rolled my eyes at the term. Diane Dancy was right. We did sound Nancy Drew. But I had to admit I was curious, too.
“Wait—you don’t think I had anything to do with her death, do you?”
Sam shrugged. “Did you?”
“No! God, no. Why would I want her dead?”
“You weren’t exactly her biggest fan,” I pointed out.
“Neither were you.”
Good point.
“You didn’t answer the question,” Sam pressed.
Andi put her
“I took it myself,” Andi answered.
“Where? How?” I wished someone would fix that disconnect. Why did I keep asking questions I clearly did not want to hear the answers to?
The baby wiggled and Andi shifted on her feet again. “Last Friday. I was at the football game, delivering some Very Cherry lip gloss to the cheer squad, when I saw Courtney and Josh head into the band room. I knew neither of them would touch a band geek with a ten-foot pole, so I figured I’d see what they were up to. That’s when I caught them swapping bodily fluids behind the woodwind rack. Pretty sick, really.”
Yep, I was totally going to throw up. “And you recorded it?”
Andi nodded. “I pulled out my phone and caught every filthy second.”
“Let me see it.” God, what was wrong with me?!
Andi bit her lip. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“Let. Me. See. It.”
Andi turned to Sam. “You promise to hold her back if she freaks?”
Sam nodded. “I’ll try.”
“Okay,” Andi agreed, pulling a pink phone from her back pocket. “But just remember—I’m only the videographer. So, like, don’t shoot the messenger, right?”
I didn’t answer, and instead focused on the tiny screen as the three of us crowded in to watch Andi scroll through thumbnails until she found one of the band room. She hit Play and leaned back, letting Sam and I squint at her phone.
The quality was suckish, grainy and really jerky as if Andi couldn’t hold still, and the sound was tinny. But there was no mistaking what was going on. I caught a naked leg, the flash of an iridescent purple Color Guard skirt sliding up a thigh, followed by the back of my boyfriend’s head as he moved in for the kill. A few seconds later we heard moaning and panting.
I closed my eyes, shoving the phone away.
“I’ve seen enough.” It was one thing to know your boyfriend had cheated, but entirely another to actually see it.
God, I felt so stupid.
“You okay?” Sam gently asked.
No. “Yeah.”
“It’s pretty clear what was going on,” Andi said, pointing to the video.
“Crystal.”
“Anyway, after all the crap that Courtney put me through, I couldn’t wait to expose her for the hypocrite she was.”
“But you didn’t expose her,” Sam pointed out.
Andi shook her head. “No. When I got home and saw the footage, I had a better idea. As you can imagine, I’m a little short on cash these days. Do you have any idea how much a baby costs?” she asked.
Sam and I both shook our heads.
“A million dollars.”
I blinked. Then looked down at the seemingly innocent little pink bundle in her pouch.
“I know, right?” Andi said. “But analysts say that a baby born this year will cost its parents more than a million dollars over the course of their lifetime. I don’t have that kind of money. So, I had a better idea than calling Courtney out.”
“You decided to blackmail her.”
She nodded. “I sent her a few choice moments of the footage I shot and told her that if she didn’t buy me diapers for a year, it would end up all over YouTube.”
My stomach roiled again at the thought of proof of my boyfriend’s cheating plastered all over the internet.
“What did she say?” Sam asked.
“She said she’d pay. Only she died before we could discuss specific terms.” Andi did a wistful sigh, looking down at her baby. “Too bad.”
“Where were you when she was killed?” Sam asked.
Andi’s eyes shot up. “What do you mean?”
“Do you have an alibi?”
I rolled my eyes at the term. Diane Dancy was right. We did sound Nancy Drew. But I had to admit I was curious, too.
“Wait—you don’t think I had anything to do with her death, do you?”
Sam shrugged. “Did you?”
“No! God, no. Why would I want her dead?”
“You weren’t exactly her biggest fan,” I pointed out.
“Neither were you.”
Good point.
“You didn’t answer the question,” Sam pressed.
Andi put her
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