big. Oh, and she had my fucking face and had slept with my husband. She was clearly an idiot.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay? You can have your money back. It’s all here. In the basement. Just over there.” She gestured with her head behind her.
Wow. This bitch seriously thought I was going to willingly go in her basement while she tried to free herself? I’d already found my money underneath her bed. And her sorry didn’t cut it. She wasn’t sorry. She fucking stole my face. That wasn’t something you do on a drunken whim and later regret. It was a huge choice. Sleeping with my husband. Robbing me blind? She wasn’t sorry. “Last chance to tell me something I don’t know already. Or I’m going to gag you.” I lifted a piece of fabric. I didn’t necessarily need the answers from her. I still had another way of getting them.
She started shaking her head back and forth. “You’re going to regret this, Ensley. Boy are you going to regret this. Noah’s going to be here any second and…”
“Noah’s dead.”
Her jaw dropped. “No.” She shook her head. “He can’t be. How?”
“Dead is such a gross understatement. He was murdered actually.”
“What? You’re lying. He said you were a liar.”
I laughed. “I’m sure he said a lot of things about me. But I’m not lying. Noah’s been murdered. Haven’t you seen the news?”
“I don’t watch the news.”
Of course you don’t. What had Noah seen in this woman? Oh right, he saw me. Because she had my freaking face.
“Who did it?” Sophia asked.
Dumb question. “It’ll all be clear soon. I need to make a quick phone call. Do you mind being quiet?”
“Who killed him?” she said, her eyes staring daggers at me. They were one of the only things about her face that didn’t match mine. And they looked stupid with my face.
I shoved a piece of fabric into her mouth and tied it around the back of her head. She’d given me nothing. But I’d still get my answers.
I picked up Sophia’s phone from her purse and dialed Detective Torres’ cell number. I wasn’t sure if he’d have it back. Maybe it would be in evidence. Or maybe in the trash with his thumb. Who knew? But I wanted to talk to him. Dialing 9-1-1 didn’t seem personal enough. I stepped away from Sophia as she screamed against the gag. I doubted he’d be able to hear her. But better safe than sorry.
“Hello?” said a groggy voice.
Thank God. “Merry Christmas, Detective Torres.”
“Ensley? Is that you? Are you okay?”
I should have been the one asking him that. Wow, he really was a bad detective. He was worried about me. Me. “No.” My voice trembled. It was easy to fake it when I was looking at my doppelgänger tied up to a chair.
“We got your husband’s murderer. It’s safe to come back now. You’re safe.”
“No.” I kept my voice uneven and sobbed. “You have the wrong guy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Aiden’s innocent.” I pretended to sob again. “I framed him. It was me. I killed my husband. Because he hurt me, Detective Torres. And you didn’t help.” No one had helped. No one had cared. Until Aiden. I glanced over at Sophia. She was straining against the ropes, trying to get free. For the first time since I’d tied her up, she looked truly horrified. “It was me.”
All I heard was his breathing for a few seconds.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“It’s…it’s too late.” I kicked the fake tremble of my voice up a notch. “And I don’t regret killing him. But I’m so sorry that I hurt you. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Ensley, where are you?” His voice sounded more icy than concerned. Probably because I’d cut off his finger.
“It doesn’t matter,” I croaked. “It’s too late. I can’t live like this.” I pulled the gun out of the back of my leggings and stared down at it. “I can’t. I can’t.”
“Take a deep breath. I need you to tell me where you are right now. We can have a nice long talk about all of this when I get there.”
I shook my head, my eyes still on the gun. “I have your gun. I thought it would be good to call you. Have this recorded so that no one thought you were the one that killed me.” I turned the gun toward myself. Just one click away. Would it hurt less through my forehead or heart?
“Ensley, put the gun down,” he said.
I sniffled. “Will you answer