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Sam asked, getting us back on track. “See anyone go in or out of the house?”
    He cocked his head. “Why should I tell you?”
    “Uh . . . because . . .” Crap. I hadn’t counted on him being so inquisitive. Think fast, girl. “Because . . . we’re writing a story for the school’s online newspaper. The Herbert Hoover High Homepage . And we wanted to get neighbors’ reactions to the tragic death.” Wow, that didn’t sound half bad.
    Only I wasn’t sure Chase agreed with me. He leaned back on his heels, his mouth curving into a slow smile, his eyes lighting up like he was in on some secret. A really good one.
    “What?” I asked.
    Instead of answering me, he turned to Sam. “Your friend here is a terrible liar.”
    I threw my shoulders back. “I am not!”
    “You’re not what? A liar or a terrible one?”
    “Uh . . .” I bit my lip. Okay, in reality I was probably both.
    Luckily, Sam jumped in to save me. “What makes you think she’s lying?”
    “Besides the fact that she’s fidgeting on my porch like she’s due for a crack fix?”
    I froze, forcing my feet to stop shifting.
    “I’m not fidgeting,” I lied. Again.
    “Look, I know you’re not from the school newspaper,” he went on, “because I’m the editor of the Homepage .”
    Mental forehead smack.
    “All right, fine,” I finally said. “We’re not from the paper.”
    “Shocker.”
    I ignored him. “The truth is, Josh is— was— my boyfriend.”
    “So who was the chick you found dead in his bedroom?”
    “The girl he was effing,” Sam supplied.
    Chase did a low whistle before turning to me. “Ouch.”
    “No kidding. Look, we’re just trying to find out what happened.”
    “Did your boyfriend kill her?” Chase asked.
    “No.”
    “I heard he’s missing.”
    “You did?” I hedged.
    “You know where he is?”
    “No.”
    “But you’ve talked to him?”
    “No . . .”
    That slow smile spread across his face again. “You really are a terrible liar.”
    I clenched my jaw, feeling my nostrils flare. “Look, did you see anything yesterday afternoon or not?”
    Chase looked from Sam to me, then back again as if trying to decide how much to share. Finally, he seemed to come to a conclusion. “How about I make you guys a deal?”
    I almost hated to ask. “A deal?”
    “I’ll help you with this little investigation you’re running and, in exchange, the Homepage gets the exclusive story.”
    I put my hands on my hips. “Like we need your help. We’re doing just fine on our own, thank you very much.” Another lie. And, from the look on his face, he could tell. I was seriously going to have to work on my poker face.
    “You don’t like that deal? Fine. How about this one? We all work together, and I don’t call the cops and tell them that you’re posing as members of the press and interfering with a homicide investigation by harboring the missing boyfriend.”
    “ Ex -boyfriend. And I’m not harboring anything.” Though I wasn’t entirely sure the cops wouldn’t see it Chase’s way.
    “At the very least, you’re ditching class,” he countered. “Cops don’t like that.”
    “So are you,” I quickly pointed out.
    “Out sick.” He coughed unconvincingly into his hand. Then smirked again. “It’s your call, blondie. Me or the cops.”
    I shifted my weight from foot to foot, weighing the pros and cons. I wasn’t hot on the idea of my every move being printed for all HHH society to see. On the other hand, I wasn’t so hot on the idea of visiting Josh in a jail cell either.
    And, the sad fact was, beyond canvassing the street for any nosy neighbors, I didn’t have a clue where to begin a murder investigation. Let’s face it, I could use all the help I could get.
    I turned to Sam. She cocked her head to the side and shrugged.
    “All right. Fine,” I said, shoving my hand toward Chase. “Deal.”
    He grinned, one corner of his mouth tugging upward just a little higher than the other as he