CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The sun had already set that night when Gabby and Justin were buzzed through the massive wrought-iron gates of Z’s house. Sabrina and Andrew had called an emergency meeting.

“Do you think they found something with one of the teachers?” Gabby wondered as they wound up the long, curved drive to Z’s mansion. The suspect field had been narrowed down to three, which made her more nervous about going to school. With each passing day, the chance increased that whichever teacher they were after would lash out at one or all of the Lost Causes.

“We know we’ve got Schroeder and Manzetti out of the equation now,” Justin said. Soft-spoken Mr. Schroeder had been cleared once Z discovered he’d been at an AA meeting (and officially eliminated after Nash had confirmed the time and place of it). Nash had also eliminated Manzetti after checking out his home security camera feeds.

Of the three that were left — Greenly, Wincott and Dr. Fields — Gabby knew Greenly was the top suspect in Andrew’s mind. He’d sent them all an email about Greenly’s connection to Robert Carpenter earlier that afternoon. Gabby couldn’t help agreeing that that pushed him to the top of the list, especially given his temperament. Anyone who could be as cruel as he’d been to Andrew had a major character flaw. “Maybe Andrew found out more about Greenly and that’s why he called us here.”

“Maybe. But I still think Dr. Fields is the one we should be looking into,” Justin said. He’d had a bad feeling about him ever since Fields pulled up in his flashy new car that morning. “He’s the one who has the actual connection with Lily, anyway. They could have met at that science conference Patricia said Lily went to years ago. Greenly only knows Robert, and he may or may not have even talked to him in the last twenty years. They could just be two dudes who once lived in the same dorm.”

“What about Wincott?” Gabby asked as Justin parked in front of the five-car garage. Sabrina had gotten a weird vibe from Wincott earlier and so far nothing had come up to clear him, so he remained a suspect as far as she knew. After hearing about Sabrina’s run-in with him, Gabby was relieved that she had a different English teacher this year.

“Wincott’s a dark horse,” Justin said. “He’s pervy with all the girls at school. His dad’s a Chinese spy —”

“Alleged Chinese spy,” Gabby interrupted.

Justin looked at her, amused. “You really do give everyone the benefit of the doubt, don’t you?”

He gave her a quick kiss before they exited the car.

“Hey, this way.” Z opened the gigantic front door and motioned for them to come in. “You’re the last ones.”

*    *    *

Inside Z’s room, Gabby and Justin perched on the large bed, while Z settled herself on the ottoman next to Sabrina. Andrew was across from them in an ornate antique desk chair that was way too small for a guy as tall as he was.

“So, what’s going on?” Z asked.

Sabrina and Andrew exchanged a look.

“I know this is going to sound crazy …” Sabrina started.

“But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” Andrew interjected.

Sabrina nodded. “Because we do have proof —”

“Just tell us!” Justin interrupted.

Andrew took a breath. “We don’t think we’re the first group of Lost Causes. There may have been another group just like us.”

“And they’re all dead,” Sabrina added.

It was the absolute last thing Gabby had expected them to say.

Z and Justin looked up, equally in shock.

A group of teens like them who were now all dead? There were so many questions swirling in Gabby’s mind that it took a second before she could formulate one and get it out of her mouth. “How did you find this out?”

“You know that ghost I keep seeing?” Sabrina said. “The teenage girl who warned me not to trust Nash and Patricia?” Everyone nodded. “I finally got her full name this afternoon. Amy Hanson. Andrew and I looked her up and we found this.”

She pulled up the article on Z’s iPad and passed it to the group.

Gabby read through the article slowly, certain phrases jumping out at her. “Tragic accident … all five of these kids were troubled … clinical depression, social anxiety … lost control of her car.”

Justin was the first to speak. “This is all you got? I think you guys are reaching. It sounds like those kids were just a bunch of losers who all became friends.”

Z raised an eyebrow at him. “Sounds familiar.”

Gabby wasn’t surprised that Z had instantly latched on to this second Lost Causes theory. But Gabby wasn’t convinced. “You mean you think this group was recruited by Patricia ten years ago?” she asked carefully.

“Right,” said Sabrina. “Just like us … given the serum, maybe to solve a case.”

“It’s about a thousand times more likely that they were just a group of random friends,” Justin said. “That Amy chick didn’t know how to drive in the rain and they went off the bridge. Accidents happen. End of story.”

Sabrina shook her head. “Think about it. Why does Amy keep coming to me? More than any other ghost. Three times already. There’s something she wants me to know.”

“And look at where they lived,” Andrew added. “North Valley is in Albuquerque. Where Patricia and Lily are from. Patricia said they developed the serum at the FBI field office there.”

“Is it possible these are all coincidences, though?” Gabby asked. Only Justin nodded.

“It’s a lot of coincidences,” Sabrina said. “Patricia said she developed the serum ten years ago. That’s when these teens were killed.”

“But Patricia and Nash also said they never used it on anyone before,” Gabby pointed out.

Z gave her a pitying look. “Exactly. That’s the point. They lied to us! If these five kids were Lost Causes, that means that ten years ago, Patricia — and probably Lily — gave them the serum and then somehow they all wound up dead.”

“In a car accident,” Justin said. “It’s not like they were poisoned or something. Even if in some fantasy world, you’re right about them being another group of Lost Causes, the way they died had nothing to do with the serum.”

“That we know of,” Z responded quickly.

“And why did Amy Hanson tell me not to trust them?” Sabrina asked. “If they were Lost Causes and everything was great until they all accidentally died in a rainstorm, why is Amy warning me about Patricia and Nash? Doesn’t that mean there has to be some kind of connection?”

Gabby didn’t have an answer for that.

Sabrina continued. “Here’s the most important question: Are we putting ourselves in more danger than we think by helping Patricia and Nash with this case?”

“We knew from the start that this was dangerous,” Justin said, growing exasperated. “I don’t think we should stop investigating Greenly, Wincott and Fields just because there’s a tiny chance Patricia and Nash may have lied to us about something unrelated.”

Andrew nodded quickly. “Agreed. Regardless of this, the threat of the serum is too big to be put on the back burner. We should for sure keep investigating the teachers. We can’t just let this person off the hook. Especially if they’re on to us somehow.”

Even though Gabby had been the most scared that morning — the one who thought they should take a step back from the case — she agreed with Andrew. The danger of the serum getting out was too high. And they were all way too invested to walk away now. At least she thought they were. Sabrina and Z still looked conflicted.

Andrew spoke again. “If Nash and Patricia can’t be trusted, that’s even more reason for us to stay on this case. To stay a step ahead of them.”

Sabrina’s and Z’s eyes met, and Gabby knew Andrew had just found their common ground.

“That’s true,” Sabrina agreed. “But we should be careful how much we tell Patricia and Nash from here on. At least until we can find out more about Amy Hanson and the other kids in that car.”

“How are we going to do that?” Justin asked.

“I think we should go to New Mexico,” Sabrina said firmly. “Talk to Amy’s family.”

“I’m down to go,” Z said. “Maybe we could ditch and do it during school tomorrow. It’s only a three-hour drive.”

Justin shook his head. “What are you going to do? Ask these dead kids’ parents if they were ever tricked by the FBI into getting psychic powers?”

Something suddenly occurred to Gabby. “And if they really were Lost Causes like us, then their parents won’t know anything anyway.” For a moment, she felt a flash of kinship to Amy and the others. If they were actual Lost Causes, she knew their lives hadn’t been easy.

“Look, I admit this whole idea about another group of Lost Causes could be a total delusional road we’ve gone down. I actually hope it is,” Sabrina said, sounding sincere. “But what if we’re right? The only way to protect ourselves is to find out the truth. We’ll know more if we ask some questions. We need to get a sense of who these kids were, at least. And if their death really was an accident.”

Andrew suddenly straightened up. “If they were Lost Causes, then Patricia and Lily probably gave them the serum to help solve a case, right?”

“Probably,” Z agreed.

“So what if they were on the trail of someone, just like we are right now … and what if the person they were after is the one who killed them all?”

It struck a chord with Gabby. Hadn’t she been worried for her own safety?

Sabrina said exactly what Gabby had been thinking. “If someone killed them for being Lost Causes, what’s to say the same thing won’t happen to us?”

“What if this is even bigger than we thought?” Z ventured, the room eerily silent around her. “What if the person that they were after is the same person we’re after?”