One of Us is Lying

Bronwyn meets with her lawyer, Robin Stafford, before school on Monday. Robin suspects the police do not believe Addy, Bronwyn, Cooper, and Nate conspired to murder Simon but hoped to intimidate one of the students into sharing useful information. She asks about Bronwyn’s relationship with Nate, and Bronwyn says that prior to Simon’s death, they had not spoken in years. Robin advises Bronwyn not to answer any questions from police or administrators, keep her distance from Cooper, Nate, and Addy, and go about “[b]usiness as usual” (110).

At school, Bronwyn seeks out Nate in order to ask him why he stopped by her house. He says he wanted to apologize for stealing Jesus from the Nativity set back in fourth grade. They laugh, and he asks if she has a lawyer. She admits that she does but still wants to talk with him. He gives her a cheap flip phone, saying it’s an extra that he has. She wonders what her lawyer would say about him having a supply of the same kind of phones that were planted in her, Cooper, Simon, and Addy’s backpacks, but takes it anyway.

After Cooper’s interview with the police, his father rails against the school and the police department, but Cooper notices he never asks if Simon’s gossip was true.