and Ms. Smith came to the hospital with me since we’d taken one car. I hoped my mom would forgive me for not being there to see her lower into the dirt, but then again, my mom was dead, so what would she care?
Shit. I shouldn’t think like that. I shouldn’t let Brittany rile me up like this, but that girl should be dead. How the hell was she still alive? The police had tried to arrest Jaz for her murder.
We sat in a waiting room. Or, more accurately, the others sat; I had to pace back and forth, my mind racing, my heart hammering in my chest. Maybe it was selfish, but things between Jaz and I had been good, in amongst the shit life threw at me. This… could we survive this?
Brittany’s parents arrived soon after; I recognized them, and I tried to stay away from them. Brittany must’ve woken up, because while the doctors did tests on her, they went in to see her, to talk to her. I’d give any money that she wanted to talk to me, but I bet her parents wouldn’t let her. Not yet.
The police showed up after that; Detective Wilde taking the time to speak with Brittany in her room. I was sure that man had a lot of apologizing to do to Jaz and Oliver, by extension. I bet, considering everything that had happened to his family, he’d wanted to nab the perp, something he’d failed to do three years ago when his family had paid the price.
Brittany’s parents left her room, which gave her privacy with Detective Wilde. I stood near Jaz’s chair, my whole body tense. Not a single one of us said anything, though there were a lot of shared, tense looks. Even Oliver was speechless, and I bet that man was never speechless.
It was a tense half hour before Detective Wilde appeared. Everyone who was sitting stood at his approach, and Oliver asked, “What is going on, Wilde?”
Detective Wilde ran a hand through his short brown hair, heaving a sigh as he shook his head. “I… I really don’t know. She said she doesn’t remember what happened, where she was, or who took her. She only remembers walking.”
Oliver suddenly looked uncomfortable then. “Just like Celeste.”
“Yes, well, unlike Celeste, Brittany’s missing a finger and very underweight. Whoever took her obviously didn’t want her getting out.” Detective Wilde shook his head, frowning as he turned his hazel eyes to Jaz. “I do owe you an apology, I think, Jaz.”
All Jaz did was shrug.
“Someone obviously tried to frame my daughter,” Ms. Smith spoke, sounding harsh, a momma bear trying desperately to protect her only cub. “I hope you’ll keep on her, Detective. Surely she’ll remember something.”
“We can hope,” he said. And then that stare turned to me. “She does want to talk to you, though.”
Damn it.
Heaving a sigh, I started walking, not saying a single thing. Jaz started to go with me, but the detective clarified: “Alone.”
Right. Of course she wanted to talk to me alone. She hated Jaz’s guts. If she didn’t remember anything, she obviously thought she and I were still together, and I’d be joyous about her return, and that things would go back to the way they were before.
My footsteps sounded loud as I headed down the hall, pausing before her room. Her door was ajar, and inside the room I could see her form beneath a hospital blanket. To say I didn’t want to go in would be the year’s biggest understatement. I’d literally rather do anything than go into that room and speak with her alone.
But… if that was true, I supposed I would’ve finished out my mom’s funeral, first. No, I came here to figure out the truth, and though Detective Wilde might believe what she said, I knew better. This girl was a liar.
I mentally prepared myself as best as I could before walking in. Brittany reclined back in the bed, tubes hooked up to her wrist to pump her body full of fluids. Her normally pretty face was a bit shrunken in, her hair greasy and stringy. She looked all bones, and for just the quickest, most fleeting of moments, I felt sorry for her.
And then I remembered everything she did to me, the blackmail, and that sympathy vanished.
When those dark eyes spotted me, she smiled. “Archer.” She tried to lift her arms, but they trembled too much, so she dropped them.