I bit the skin around my thumb as we looked at a picture of the note that was found next to Ian. He was officially dead and it looked like a suicide. Note, gun and body. Emily had a picture of it on her tablet

"Is this a suicide note or a confession?" Aria wondered

"It's both." Spencer stated

"Emily how do you have this?" I ask my friend, in confusion

"I sent it to her. I took a picture with my phone before we called the cops." Hanna explained. She both scared me and made me think she was a genius.

"It's weird, why would Ian have this if he was about to skip town with Melissa?" Emily wondered

"Maybe he realised he was going to get caught, he couldn't hide forever. Even with Melissa and Wren's help." Spencer replied

"He was probably desperate." Aria added

"Who cares. The important thing is Ali's killer is dead and we're no longer people of interest" Han retorted

"Why am i not feeling relieved right now." Em sighed

"Em, come on. For months, We've been as welcome in this town as a verruca. At least now people know we've been telling the truth. Bonus, Ian is out of our lives for good." I say

"Yeah, but A isn't." Emily retorted. i groaned looking up.

"Can we please just slay one dragon at a time." spencer backed me up which was unsettling. She switched the screen off.

"Hey." I turned. Garrett was there

"Hey." he nodded

"What are you doing here?" Spencer wondered

"I just came to return some evidence we took from the field hockey office." he explained "look, i just wanted to say I'm sorry you all had to be the one's who found him."

"Melissa's the one who found him." Spencer corrected

"Ah, I'm Sorry. Then again could have been worse." I scowled, how the hell could it have been worse, that part alluded me.

"Meaning?" Aria wondered

"Bodies decay. he's been dead for at least a week. Give my best to your family." he nodded then left.

"No, that's impossible. He was texting Melissa." Han denied

"No it's not. I'm betting it was A." Em breathed putting it together

"Why would A pretend to be Ian and then lead us to his body."  Aria wondered

"does it matter? The guy was scum and now he's dead sum. Who cares if A found him first." Spencer retorted

"But if that's the case what could A want? Bitch always wants something." I mutter

"You know what I want. I want to enjoy my life again before A finds another way to ruin it." Hanna huffs

"Preach." I breathe stating up "Let's go." three of us leave

"Erica, wait up." I groan but stop hearing Spencer's voice

"Yes, Spencer. How can i help? Oh I know shall i offer up my boyfriend or my best friend to be apart of  your latest conspiracy theory."

"Just five minutes, please." she begs

"Fine." She pulls me into and empty class room.

"I wanted to apologise, for my behaviour with Jason." sh told me. I put my hand on my hip

"Okay, is that it?"

"No, look, I hate us fighting like this not when we should be together. Be friends, it's just that I get a weird vibe from him." I roll my eyes at her lame excuse.

"Many people do, your point."

"He's keeping secrets from you and I don't like it. Like there was someone in Ali's room the other day and when I went to see  Toby, he brought a trash bag out that had bloody gauzes. He never let's anyone except you into the house and..."

"It sounds an awful like bashing again, Spencer." i comment

"Sorry it's just there are a lot of things that don't make sense with him."

"If you want to know something with Jason you have to be direct and firm. If he lies call him out on it. You spend way to much time tip toeing around him acting like Nancy Drew. He has secrets. Duh we all do, we both know I don't tell him stuff. But that doesn't mean you have the right to accuse him of making the moon pink or something. Look what happened the last time you made accusations of someone who was innocent. Well now he's your boyfriend and he is actually innocent."

"Can we be friends again?"

"Why should I trust you?"

"Erica..."

"I'm serious Spencer, you have the constant need to be right and for the most part it's entertaining and funny but you get way out of control and I'm not gonna put up with it."

"What if I say I will leave you to handle anything Jason related. I will chill on the conspiracy with him."

"It's a starting point, but you're not gonna fix us overnight. Yet it's a starting point." she smiled

"great." the bell rang

"I have to get to class." i left

------

After school I went to Jason's I had been trying to get a hold of him all day but he wasn't answering. I knocked on his door but there was no answer, so I called again

"Hey, me again. I just wanted To check in with everything going on. I stopped by but clearly you're not here. Just call me back when you get the chance okay. love you." I hung u and made my way back home.

I was in the middle of doing my homework when my phone rang, it was Jase.

"Hey, you got my message."

"Yeah i did, sorry I've been busy. But there is another reason why I'm calling."

"Okay."

"Your brother just tried to break into my house."

"He did what?!" i yell. Aria came running into my room

"Babe, calm down, please. I'm brining him back now. we're five minutes away."

"Okay." I hung up "Mike just tried to break into Jason's house." I told her

"Seriously?" I nod

"They're on their way back now." I jogged downstairs and began pacing till i heard a knock I yanked open the door. Jason was stood there. I glanced behind him as Mike came into sight.

"Hey, what were you thinking...Mike!" he walked in and straight past us. I groaned then faced my boyfriend.

"He broke into your house?" I ask incredulously

"Well he never actually got in. I caught him at the window. The house was dark. I'm guess he thought no one was at home." I nod sighing.

"Will you go check on him please?" i asked my twin she nodded and left

"We're really sorry, he's never done anything like this before. I... Thanks for not calling the police."

"Don't worry about it. Besides he's your brother and never actually got in." I held my hand to my head

"i don't know what to do. If I tell my parents they'll flip out and If I don't..."

"Don't. He knows he's been busted and if you want my opinion he looked pretty scared when I called you instead of the police." I shook my head

"Why didn't you call the police, most would've."

"I've seen enough cops at my house for one year. And he's your brother so...." He leaned in and kissed my head

"Go, Go take care of your brother."

"Thank you, again." He nodded and began to leave as I shut the door. Aria came back down.

"He's locked himself in his room. What do we do?"

"We handle it, but not tonight. This needs a level head and I don't know about you but I'm fuming."

"What about Mom and Dad."

"We, will handle it. They will make him worse." I stated then go into the kitchen to grab some food.

--------

The next day Mike left early again to avoid us. Aria took us to school and we were now in our first period, when Emily came rushing in.

"Ian didn't commit suicide. That entire suicide letter is made up of A texts." She informed us

"What?" Spencer and I blurted out

"How do you know that?" Aria wondered

"When i read it again a couple of words stuck out to me. On a hunch I checked out my old text messages. Come here." We went to the back of the class, Em handed Aria a piece of paper

"I killed Alison. I lost my temper because she knew to much." Aria read. The messaged was separated so it stood out more. "But there is only so much you can bury. It won't be that easy. I know i can't run from the law. Come and find me. Ian"

"So these parts are from the text." Hanna confirmed

"There are only six of us who know about the texts. Us and A. it means that A wrote the suicide note." she told us

"How did you figure this out?" I asked

"Please I've been watching wheel of fortune with my mom since i was three."

"If A wrote this, this means Ian never actually confessed." It was then I remembered something

"'What happened that night, didn't end with Ian. You're getting closer, slowly'" I mumbled

"What?" Aria asked I shook my head clearing it

"Nothing."

"Anyway it gets worse. Logan Reed, the guy who dropped off the money for Ian the night of the sting ? I know where he works, we need more answers. I'll go during lunch." She told us

------

At Lunch Aria and I found Mike and hauled him to somewhere we could talk. Which was an empty music classroom, he gave us a glare, but that failed to get anything out of me.

"Why are you avoiding us?" i question

"I'm not avoiding you." he retorts

"Every time  we try to talk to you, you run the other way." Aria folds her arms.

"It was stupid. I was bored, okay." he snipped

"Let me get this straight, you decided to commit a felony because they ditched wrestling on Tuesday nights." I snark

"sure, let's go with that." he went to leave but I pulled him back

"We're trying to help you here, why did you break into that house, what were you looking for?" I question

"If it's a big deal,I'll put Emily's camping gear back just drop it." my jaw dropped

"Wait you were the one that broke into Emily's garage? Did you break into Spencer's house and body check Rica too?" Aria asked

" That wasn't on purpose. I felt bad."

"Oh i could tell. You running off into the night after you knocked me out was especially touching." I snap at him

"I panicked okay."

"Not okay. Are you insane! B and E is not okay, assaulting your own sister is not okay! Scaring my friends is not okay, Michael. This is out of control." my voice broke as everything finally got to me, his actions had gotten to me.

"Ri, calm down it's not gonna help you." Aria rubbed my arms

"Do you have something against my friends. Couldn't you have broken into some strangers house."

"I have." he replied

"Oh my god. Oh my god. This is not happening." I covered my face

"I promise it won't happen again. Just please don't tell." He begged us

"if." i start "If you ever, ever do this again. I swear to God I will let the police have their crack at you. I'm so disappointed in you, Michael" I saw he was upset as i walked away.

-------

Ding Dong the creep is dead. The bells rang out as we entered the church for Ian's funeral.

"Who's ringing it this time?" Hanna questioned sarcastically

"Ding dong the creep is dead." I reply.

"Hey." We turned to face Spencer "Thanks for being here."

"Hows your family doing?" Aria asks. Spencer turned to look back at Melissa.

"What are the cops doing here?" Emily wonders before Spencer can reply

"Oh, my parents wanted them here incase any uninvited visitors showed up." Spence informed us.

"I thought my no party crashers policy was strict." Hanna commented

"I think Spencer is referring to 'angry mob with torches' type of people." I say

"i better get back to my family" Spencer leaves, Emily follows.

"How is it possible i'm tired already." I groan taking a seat and pulling out my phone playing angry birds. I vaguely  heard my parents talking with someone when Aria flopped down next to me.

"You okay?" I ask

"Just when I think I take a step forward with Ezra, he makes us take three steps back." she tells me. i put my phone away and give her my full attention.

"Explain?" she shuffled closer to whisper

"So you remember the point I made after he stopped teaching at Rosewood and taught at Hollis?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I suggested that for people to slowly get used to us you know for endgame is that we become friends. He introduces me as a friend instead of a former student." I nod for her to continue "he's here. He's here and my parents asked him why? instead of saying for me he lumped me in with the former students again." I turn back. Ezra was sitting with my parents i caught his eye

'What the fuck dude' i mime to him. He shrugs awkwardly and goes into a conversation with my parents.

"Dump him, he's pissing me off." I say

"Erica."

"I'm joking, Just tell him he's being a dick and if he continues to do so once I get this cast of i'll show him not to mess with you."

"You're so weird." I smile at her and lean my head on her shoulder

"But you love me."  There service began and a while later we stood by the grave side watching him being lowered to the ground. We each threw dirt in and clear the dirt away. One enemy was gone but many still remained. During the burial I saw Jason sitting in the distance, looking deep in thought, once it ended I decided to go over

"I'll be back in a sec, okay." i told Aria.

"Okay." I walked over

"mind if i sit?" he looked up at me and shook his head so I sat next to him.

"You look deep in thought. It's a nice look." I smile

"Thanks."

"So my sister has being begging me to ask you, why you're so willing to give our brother a free pass? She's under the impression there is more than he's my brother."

"Maybe it's because Ali used to threaten to turn me in all the time." I crossed my legs

"Did she ever?"

"Ali was to smart for that. She was fearless when she needed to be. I was always jealous of that, of her. i guess that's why my parents can't even look at me anymore. They know they lost the wrong kid." I take his hand

"Don't say that. Never ever say that." I tell him "Look, maybe coming here, was a mistake."

"Just the opposite actually. you don't know how good it feels to know it wasn't me." he says. I furrow my eyebrows.

"I don't remember a thing from the night Ali died. When we had that fight, I drank, more than i ever did before because I thought I lost you. The rest of the day, the night after you left is black. I woke up the next morning with a wicked hangover and this..." he pulled out a piece of paper handing it to me.

I know what you did.

" Who gave you this? What does this mean?"

"I don't know, but it almost destroyed me." he admitted

"You thought you killed Ali?"

"Like I said I was Jealous, and when I got loaded I got angry. You kept me in line, what happened to you, that night. It was a wake up call on how bad things could get if i let drink and drugs rule me. Then we started dating and I slowed down but when you left, I broke and went back to square one. But Ian's confession changed everything. Ian killed Ali, not me."

This cannot be happening

My boyfriend could not have killed his sister

---------

We got a text later that day, Emily asked us to meet her in the graveyard. The four of us snuck out of our houses to meet up with each other.

"Okay if we get caught, we're in so much trouble." Aria whispers

"Please, like we're the first teenagers to sneak into a graveyard." Hanna retorts

"It's like chapter 1 of every Stephen king book."

"Or a Scooby Doo show, oh can I be Daphne" I question raising my hand a little. I had always wanted to be Daphne, though at one point it did go through a Velma phase.

"Guys not helping?" Spencer scolds us and we're quiet for a moment

"Okay I think we're close." Emily tell us

"Wait stop. I'm not going any further till you tell me why we're here?" Aria stops us

"I told you, I think A set us up." emily answers

"I do too." Spencer agreed "Emily is right, i thought this was over. I thought I'd feel differently once we buried Ian, but I don't. And it's because A is still alive and calling the shots."

"So what does that mean?" I wonder

"I think A took the body and made it look like a suicide." Emily answers

"Why would A do that?" Hanna questions

"So that the confession in the suicide note makes Ali's murder look like an open and shut case." Spencer replied

"but that means A was helping us. This whole time we've been trying to convince the police that Ian killed Ali." Aria stated

"Exactly and why would A help us? We know A ultimately wants to hurt us." Spencer responded

"Ugh. I'm confused and I'm stepping on something mushy." Hanna groaned

"What Spence means is how can we be sure that Ian is Ali's killer?" Emily continues

"What do you even mean. We saw the kissing rock Video..." I say

"And the missing tree..." Hanna adds

"A gave us those things. A is the one who handed us Ali's killer on a platter." Emily argues

"and whatever A gives, the bitch takes back." Spencer concludes

"Guys look." Emily states, holding the torch over something on the ground. She lifts it up and it's Ali's grave. i heard laughing. A mausoleum   across from us has the kissing rock playing on it's side. Ali's smile as she talks to Ian, then takes the camera.

"Where's that coming from?" Spencer asks. I watch as the camera falls to the ground and Ali struggles. but then it gets weirder. Ali starts moving again and giggling. She picks up the camera.

"She was still alive." I breathe. Ali shows Ian putting on his jacket then go over to kiss Ali again then leaves. Leaving us all in shock

-----

"I defiantly think the projectors over here." Spencer says as we go to try and find it.

"i don't know it had to be closer." Aria suggests

"Are you sure it wasn't further away?" Hanna questions

"Wasn't it on the ground?" Emily continues

Maybe it was on the ground and closer." i add

"No it was defiantly up in a tree" Spencer retorts as we contuse searching.