through so many--
"Stop!" Ivy shouted suddenly.
I jumped out of my skin. "What?"
"Go back," she said.
"God, give me a heart attack."
"Whatever, drama queen," Ivy said, rolling her eyes. "Scroll back up."
Fingers shaking, I did as I was told.
"There." Ivy pointed and squinted as she leaned so close to my shoulder that her long hair brushed
my cheek. "Does that say Dustin Carmichael?"
My eyes fell on the name, but it took a second for my brain to catch up. When it did, my breath
caught in my throat.
"Dustin Carmichael? As in..."
"Amberly's dad," we said in unison.
"Ew!" Ivy proclaimed, stepping back. Her face scrunched up with disgust. "The guy's, like, forty!"
I felt bile rise up in my throat and swallowed it back, trying to focus. I stared at the dates next to
his name. They covered the two weeks right before school had started. For two weeks, apparently,
Cheyenne had somehow conducted a fling with Amberly's father.
228
"I mean, I know he's like one of the top five wealthiest men in the world, but still," Ivy was saying.
"Do you think the two of them--"
"Ivy, shut up a second," I said, my mind racing as I turned sideways in my seat.
"Pardon me?" she replied, annoyed.
"Forget about how gross it is and focus," I said, staring up at her. "Cheyenne had an affair with
Amberly's dad. Right before school started. Like, three or four weeks before Cheyenne was killed."
Realization lit Ivy's face. "You don't think that little tartlet could have--"
"Why not? It's a motive," I said, standing up. "Maybe she found out about it and went into a rage.
Plus, as we all know, Cheyenne's death left an opening for Noelle to come back, which Amberly
definitely wanted. She always made a point of telling everyone that she and Noelle were old
friends. Maybe she figured that if Noelle came back and took over Billings, she had a shot at
getting in."