Killer. (Book Six)

Three: Fly Me To The Moon.

Sunday evening, Emily Fields curled her legs underneath her in a cozy booth at Penelope's, a homey diner not far from her house. Her new boyfriend, Isaac, sat across the booth, the two slices of peanut butter-laden bread he'd ordered in front of him. He was demonstrating how to make his world-famous, life-changing peanut butter sandwich.

"The trick," Isaac said, "is to use honey instead of jelly." He picked up a bear-shaped bottle from the middle of the table. The bear made a farting noise as Isaac squeezed honey onto one of the slices. "I promise this will take all of your stress away." He handed her the sandwich. Emily took a big bite, chewed, and smiled.

"Gooh," she said, her mouth full. Isaac squeezed her hand, and Emily swooned. Isaac had soft, expressive blue eyes, and there was something about his mouth that made him look like he was smiling even when he wasn't. If Emily didn't know him, she'd assume he was too good-looking to be going out with someone like her.

Isaac pointed at the television over the diner counter. "Hey, isn't that your friend's house?"

Emily turned in time to see Mrs. Clellan, Spencer's neighbor from down the street, paused in front of the Hastings estate, her white standard poodle on a retractable leash. "I haven't been able to sleep since Saturday," she was saying. "The idea that there's a dead body lying there in the woods behind my house is too much to bear. I just hope they find it fast."

Emily slid down in her seat, acid rising to her throat. She was happy the police were searching for Ian, but she didn't want to hear about it right now.

A cop from the Rosewood police force appeared next. "The Rosewood PD has produced all the necessary warrants, and they've started their search of the woods today." Flashbulbs popped in the cop's face. "We are taking this matter seriously and moving as fast as we can."

The reporters began bombarding the cop with questions. "Why did the officer on the scene delay the search?" "Is there something the cops are covering up?" "Is it true that Ian broke house arrest earlier in the week and met with one of the girls who found his body?"

Emily bit her pinkie nail, surprised that the press had found out that Ian had staked out Spencer on her back patio. Who told them? Wilden? One of the other cops? A?

The cop raised his hand, silencing them. "Like I just explained, Officer Wilden did not delay the search. We had to obtain the proper permits to get access to those woods—they're private property. As for Mr. Thomas breaking house arrest that's not something I'm prepared to comment on right now."

The waitress made a tsk sound and flipped channels to another newscast, Rosewood Reacts, said the big yellow caption. There was a girl on the screen. Emily immediately recognized her raven black hair and wraparound Gucci sunglasses. Jenna Cavanaugh.

Emily's stomach flipped. Jenna Cavanaugh. The girl Emily and her friends had accidentally blinded in sixth grade. The girl who'd told Aria, just over two months ago, that Ali had troubling "siblings" problems with her brother, Jason, problems Emily didn't even want to think about.

She jumped up from the table. "Let's go," she blurted out, averting her eyes from the TV.

Isaac stood too, looking concerned. "I'll have them turn the TV off."

Emily shook her head. "I want to leave."

"Okay, okay," Isaac said gently, pulling out a few limp bills and setting them on his coffee cup. Emily staggered for the front door. When she reached the little area by the hostess stand, she felt Isaac's hand close over hers.

"I'm sorry," she said guiltily, her eyes filling with tears. "You didn't even get to ear your sandwich."

Isaac touched her arm. "Don't worry about it. I can't imagine what you're going through."