Before I had a chance to ask what he thought, Coal volunteered his opinion. “I think you should do it.”
“Yeah, I kind of do too. But I don’t want to be gone for a month.”
“I know it seems like a long time, but think about it this way. Is a month of your time worth being rid of Pamela forever?”
“Yes, but there’s no guarantee this will work. Then what? Will I be able to resume my normal life, or will I need to stay dead indefinitely?”
“That’s something you need to ask Luke,” Coal said and got up to get a pen and some paper. “Keep talking. I’ll make a list of questions to ask him tomorrow.”
We spent the rest of the evening discussing the pros and cons as well as various possible scenarios and outcomes, resulting in a lengthy list of questions for Luke. But I knew I was going to agree to his plan, regardless of the answers he gave. Because Pamela was an evil person who had put me and the man I loved in danger. It would be selfish of me not to do everything I could to help put her behind bars for good.
15
ASPEN
It had been a little over three weeks since I died. And it felt like I was slowly losing my mind. I was bored and restless and was very much ready to go home. And I missed Coal so much it physically hurt sometimes.
On top of that, not knowing what was going on was maddening. I wasn’t given any updates unless I specifically asked, and even those were few and far between.
The first update was about my “death.” They used the truth as the first part of the story—I was found walking along the highway with a head injury and a gunshot wound. Then, after being discharged from the hospital, I died at home from a suspected blood clot. The story was featured on several news channels and websites in the surrounding areas, asking anyone with information to come forward.
It didn’t take long for Pamela to see the story and contact the insurance company.
The next update came two weeks later when the insurance money was paid out.
Four days later, they were still waiting on Pamela to access the money. And with each day that passed, I grew more and more anxious. What was she waiting for?
The sound of someone knocking on my door made my heart jump, just like it did every single time someone knocked since I’d been there. I’d grown to hate the sound as much as I anticipated it.
I opened the door, hoping it would be Tatum or Josie telling me they’d caught her and I could go home. But like all the times before, I was once again disappointed.
“Lunch is ready,” Josie said cheerfully.
“Thanks, but I’m not hungry,” I said solemnly.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to eat anything. But will you join me anyway?”
I wanted to say no and continue sulking in my room, but I couldn’t bring myself to refuse her request. She’d been so kind to me and really made an effort to keep my spirits up during my stay. I had to admit, having familiar faces around had made my stay more bearable. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like if I’d been placed in a house with complete strangers.
“You seem pretty down today,” she observed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m just frustrated. I don’t understand what is taking so long. The money is sitting there waiting for her. Why isn’t she going to get it?”
“You can’t just walk into a bank and withdraw five million dollars. A transaction of that magnitude takes time to prepare,” she explained.
“It’s been four days. It feels like I’m never going to get out of here.”
“I know,” she said. And she did. She’d told me all about the time she spent hidden away in the safe house. “But it shouldn’t be too much longer.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Do you want to help me with some book reviews for the blog? It might take your mind off things and help the time pass a little faster.”
“I can try, but I’ve been having a hard time concentrating for more than a few minutes at a time. I’m not sure if it’s related to my head injury or because I’m worried about what’s happening out there while I’m stuck in here.”
“It’s probably a little bit of both. If you feel up to it, you’re welcome to do what you can. If not, that’s okay too. But I’m not going to let you stay closed up in your room all day.”
I spent the next few hours typing up book reviews and blog posts for her. She claimed she didn’t like typing and preferred to handwrite her reviews, but I had a feeling she was only doing that so I would have something to do. And for that, I was grateful, because it did make the time go by faster.