Chapter 11 - The Lie Beneath the Lie
Nobody spoke.
Lila stared at the screen as if she were watching someone else.
Avery turned slowly.
“You moved the mat.”
Lila backed away.
“I can explain.”
“You told me someone tried to kill you.”
“I thought they did.”
“You moved it yourself.”
Lila's face crumpled.
“Because I wasn't supposed to fall there.”
Avery stared.
Lila explained.
Vale had planned for the damaged clip to fail during a low-level practice stunt.
Lila was supposed to drop only three feet.
She was supposed to land on the mat.
But moments before rehearsal, Vale changed the stunt.
He told Mercer to move Lila into the full extension sequence.
Lila panicked.
She realized the fall could be much higher.
So she tried to secretly reposition the mat for the original stunt.
Then Mercer moved the team to the opposite side of the floor.
The mat remained behind.
Avery felt the anger drain from her.
“So you weren't trying to hurt yourself.”
“I was trying to protect myself without letting Vale know I was backing out.”
Hannah paused the video.
“Who sent this?”
Nobody knew.
The memory card contained another clip.
They opened it.
This one came from the stadium tunnel.
It showed Brooke speaking to someone outside the frame.
Her voice was clear.
“I did what you asked.”
A man's voice answered.
“Then Avery takes the fall.”
Brooke looked terrified.
“And Lila?”
“That depends on whether she keeps quiet.”
The man stepped into view.
Athletic director Martin Keene.
Avery's stomach tightened.
Keene had been more involved than any of them realized.
The video continued.
Brooke whispered, “Vale thinks he's running this.”
Keene smiled.
“Vale thinks many things.”
Then he said the sentence that changed the investigation.
“When this is over, he goes down with Avery.”
The video ended.
Avery finally understood.
There were layers.
Vale had framed Avery.
Keene had allowed it.
But Keene was also preparing to frame Vale.
Everyone was betraying everyone.
Hannah looked at the note again.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE WRONG PERSON.
Avery whispered, “Vale isn't the top.”
Lila sat down.
“Keene is.”
Avery shook her head.
“No.”
“If Keene were the top, whoever sent us this wouldn't need to hide.”
May you like
Avery looked toward the dark window.
“There is still someone else.”
