Wanted. (Book Eight)

Five: Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Crazier.

The murmurs rose to a roar and flashbulbs flickered furiously. A bunch of people started frantically texting. "A twin?" Spencer said weakly. Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Oh my God," Aria murmured, clapping her hand to her forehead. Emily blinked furiously at the girl, as if she didn't believe she was real. Hanna latched onto Emily's arm.

A portion of the crowd spun around and stared at Aria, Emily, Spencer, and Hanna. "Did they know?" someone whispered.

Spencer's heart fluttered hummingbird-fast. She hadn't known. Ali had kept lots of secrets from her—the clandestine relationship with Ian, her secret friendship with Jenna, the mystery of why she'd dumped Naomi and Riley for Spencer and the others in sixth grade—but a secret sister trumped all of those things.

She stared at the girl on the porch. Ali's twin sister was tall, her hair a little darker and her face a little narrower than Ali's, but otherwise she was identical to their old best friend. She wore black leggings, black flats, an oversize blue oxford shirt, and a cropped white jacket. A striped scarf was looped around her neck, and her blond hair was punched into a bun. With her cupid's bow lips and sapphire blue eyes, she looked just like a French model.

Out of the corner of her eye, Spencer noticed her sister, Melissa, weaving through the crowd. Angling past the police barricades, she walked right up to Jason DiLaurentis and whispered something in his ear. Jason paled, turned toward Melissa, and said something back.

An uneasy feeling bolted through Spencer's stomach. Why was Melissa here? And what was she doing? She hadn't seen Melissa and Jason talk since high school.

Then Melissa craned her neck and stared at Courtney. Courtney noticed and flinched. Her smile drooped.

What the hell?

"What do you think about William Ford saying he's innocent?" A voice called out from the crowd, breaking Spencer's focus. The question came from a tall blond reporter in the front row.

Mrs. DiLaurentis pursed her lips. "I think it's reprehensible. The evidence against him is staggering."

Spencer turned back to Courtney. Dizziness overcame her. It was so bizarre. Courtney met her gaze, then shifted from Spencer to the other girls. Once she had everyone's attention, she signaled to the side door of the house.

Emily stiffened. "Does she want us to...?"

"She couldn't," Spencer said."She doesn't even know us."

Courtney leaned over and whispered something into her mom's ear. "Mrs. DiLaurentis nodded, then smiled at the crowd. "My daughter is a little overwhelmed. She's going to go back inside for a while to rest."

Courtney turned for the door. Before she disappeared into the house, she looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"Should we go?" Hanna said uneasily.

"No!" Aria gasped at the same time Emily said, "Yes!"

Spencer chewed on her pinkie. "We should see what she wants." She grabbed Aria's arm. "C'mon."

They sneaked around the side of the house, ducked past an overgrown holly bush, and darted through the red-painted side door.

The huge kitchen smelled of cloves, olive oil, and Febreze. One of the chairs was cocked at an odd angle to the table, as if someone had been sitting there moments before. Spencer recognized the old Delft pottery flour and sugar jars by the microwave from the DiLaurentises' old kitchen. Someone had started a grocery list and pinned it to the refrigerator. Jelly. Pickles. French bread.