“It’s the only explanation that makes sense.” He smiles crookedly. “Unless it’s you.”
My cheeks burn. He’s joking. He’s obviously joking, but part of me thinks maybe he’s not joking. “Why would somebody do that?”
He shrugs. “Who knows? Warner is nuts. I wouldn’t put anything past him. Also…” He glances behind him. “Remember how I told him my friend Buddy was the medical director at the hospital where he works, St. Mary’s?”
“Yes…”
“And he said he knew Buddy?”
I shift between my feet. “I guess so…”
“Well, the thing is…” He rubs at his scalp. “I got it wrong. My friend Buddy works at St. Elizabeth’s. Not St. Mary’s. So there’s no way Warner would know him if he actually worked at St. Mary’s.”
My heart flutters in my chest. “What are you saying?”
“I think Warner lied to us about where he works.” Jack folds his arms across his chest. “Who knows if he’s even a doctor at all?”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” I bite my lip. “Maybe he just said he knew your friend to be nice.”
“Don’t be na?ve, Claire.” He lowers his voice another notch. “I’m going to ask Noah for my rifle back.”
“You don’t trust Noah?”
He’s quiet for a moment. “I don’t trust anyone right now.”
Ouch.
“What about Michelle?” I blurt out.
He raises his eyebrows. “What about her?”
I drop my eyes. My sneakers were almost white at the beginning of this trip and now they’re caked in dirt. You can’t even tell what color they used to be. “It’s just that you were super lovey-dovey with her. That surprised me. And when she disappeared, you were…”
“What are you saying, Claire?” He blinks at me. “Michelle is my wife. And she might be dead, for all I know. Do you really think I acted inappropriately?”
“You told me your marriage was a sham.” He said it so many times, the words are burned into my brain. “But it didn’t look like a sham.”
He frowns. “You’re acting like Michelle deserved to have something bad happen to her.”
“I never said—”
“You know,” he interrupts me, “she’s the only one who believed in me when I wanted to start my contracting business. If not for her, God knows what I’d be doing right now.”
I let out a breath. “So you were lying to me all along?”
I expected Jack to get defensive, but instead, he narrows his eyes at me. “You have some nerve, Claire.”
And that’s when I realize the truth about my affair with Jack. It was all a lie. He never really wanted to end things with Michelle. He loved Michelle. He only told me what he thought I wanted to hear.
Jack isn’t the man I thought he was. How could I have made such a terrible mistake? I can’t believe it took nearly dying to realize it.
I pull his sweatshirt over my head. It’s covered in dirt and sweat, but that’s not why I don’t want it anymore. “Here. Take this back.”
He rolls his eyes. “It’s freezing out here. Keep the sweatshirt.”
He’s right. Goosebumps are forming all over my arms. But I’d rather be cold than put the sweatshirt back on. “No, thanks.”
“Claire…”
“I said I don’t want it.”
He takes the sweatshirt back, yanking it out of my hands roughly. “Fine. Suit yourself.”
He stalks away from me, gripping the sweatshirt in his right hand. My teeth chatter as I watch him go.
Chapter 25
CLAIRE
Last night, there were five of us around the fire. Tonight, there are four.
We barely speak. Jack pokes at the fire with a stick to keep it going. The fire shoots off orange sparks, and the burnt wood smell makes me long for toasted marshmallows. Or really, anything that isn’t beef jerky or trail mix.
I can’t help but think about the broken compass in Jack’s pocket. Is he right that somebody brought a magnet to throw off the direction? It would certainly explain why we’re going around in circles.
But why would somebody do that?
Noah nudges my foot with his. “You look freezing, Claire.”
“I’m f-fine.”
Okay, my teeth might be chattering just a little bit.
He raises an eyebrow. “What happened to the sweatshirt you were wearing?”