I remembered the funeral.

Sarah holding my hand.

Sarah crying beside me.

Sarah telling everyone that Liam had left her house around nine that night.

She had told me that herself.

But the photograph in my hand was dated October 14.

The day before Liam died.

I looked at the photograph again.

Then at the door.

“Sarah,” I whispered.

There was silence.

Then she answered.

“Yes?”

I swallowed.

“You told me you hadn’t seen Liam that night.”

Another silence.

Longer this time.

Finally, Sarah said:

“I lied.”

My heart sank.

 

 

 

Marcus reached for the door lock.

I grabbed his wrist.

“No.”

He looked at me.

I shook my head.

“I want to hear the truth from her.”

I unlocked the door.

Sarah stepped inside.

She looked nothing like the sister who had held me at Liam’s funeral.

Her hair was wet from the rain.

Her eyes were red.

And she was holding something tightly against her chest.

An envelope.

She looked at Marcus.

Then at me.

“Emily,” she whispered, “Liam didn’t die because he discovered the company’s secret.”

She walked toward me.

“He died because he discovered ours.”

I stared at her.

“What do you mean, ours?”

Sarah looked down at the envelope in her hands.

Then she slowly held it out to me.

“This was supposed to be destroyed.”

I took it.

There was only one thing written on the front.

FOR EMILY — OPEN ONLY IF SARAH LIES TO YOU.

PART 3

I stared at the envelope in my hands.

FOR EMILY — OPEN ONLY IF SARAH LIES TO YOU.

I couldn’t even bring myself to open it.

I looked at my sister.

“What is this?”

Sarah wiped the tears from her face.

“It belonged to Liam.”

Marcus stepped closer.

“Sarah, don’t do this.”

 

 

She turned toward him.

“You’ve lied to her long enough.”

I looked between them.

“How do you two know each other?”

Neither answered.

That silence hurt more than anything they could have said.

I looked at Sarah.

“You told me Liam was alone when he died.”

“I know.”

“You told me he left your house before nine.”

“I know.”

“You told me you never saw him again.”

Sarah lowered her eyes.

“I know.”

My voice broke.

“So why did you lie to me?”

She took a breath.

“Because Liam asked me to.”

I stared at her.

“What?”

“He knew someone was watching him.”

Marcus interrupted.

“That’s enough.”

Sarah turned toward him.

“No. It’s not enough.”

Then she looked back at me.

“Liam came to see me the night before he died.”

I felt my stomach tighten.

“What did he say?”

“He told me he had found something inside the company records.”

“The money transfers?”

Sarah nodded.

“But it wasn’t just money.”

I opened the envelope.

Inside was a single sheet of paper and a small USB drive.

My hands started shaking.

I unfolded the paper.

Liam’s handwriting filled the page.

Emily, if you’re reading this, don’t trust anyone who tells you my death was an accident.