Because she’s right.
She didn’t act alone.
Questions remain.
We still don’t know who helped her. Or who pushed her.
The door of the police car slams shut. Blue and red flash across her face. The car pulls away.
Richard stands frozen in the middle of the pathway, Stella clinging to him, concerned for her father. Slowly, he lifts his head, meeting my gaze with something like defeat.
“I’m so sorry,” he says. To me. To our daughter. To no one and everyone.
I nod once. There are no words for this.
Behind me, Noah steps out onto the stoop, close enough that I feel his presence before he touches me. He rests a hand at the small of my back, grounding me, anchoring me.
I let myself lean into him. Because the truth is no longer hiding in shadows or whispered threats or confused motives.
The truth is lit up across my yard, in the eyes of my daughter, in the shattered expression of my ex-husband, in the squad car carrying Jessica away?—
The truth is unmistakable.
Her mask is gone.
Yet I feel heavy. I also did this—with an affair I had years ago. And maybe with a case I accepted last month. Christ, possibly with how I handled my divorce. I’m not responsible for Jessica, but I’m not innocent.
Chapter
Forty-Two
Noah
An hour after Jessica was driven away, I’m at the precinct in a waiting room. Alicia is in a private room with her lawyers and the detective on her case. Somewhere in the building Jessica is being interrogated by police officers, as is Danny, her cousin. Richard’s also being interrogated—but from what I can tell, he’s not a suspect.
Jake and his girlfriend, Daisy, are back at Alicia’s with Stella. They offered to stay as late as needed.
Alicia needed to answer questions, and her lawyers jumped on the chance to do it at the precinct. I understand the strategy. They’re aiming for all charges against her to be dropped in light of new evidence that has surfaced.
Gabriel and I have been on the phone with Hudson and Quinn.
A detective approaches. “Noah Bennett? Gabriel Martin?”
We both push up from the chairs.
“Please come back with me.”
He turns, and we both fall in line.
The frustrating thing about police involvement is that the case is out of our hands. We can’t ask the questions we need answers to. We’re trusting law enforcement officers to get as much information as possible before defense lawyers show up.
The officer leads us into a windowless room with a long table and multiple chairs. Alicia’s seated between two of her lawyers.
When we enter the room, her lawyer is the first to speak. “Charges are dropped.” Alicia looks relieved, but also emotionally spent. “We have some updates. If you want to join us.”
The lawyer to Alicia’s left rises, vacating a seat for me. I take it and hold out my hand for Alicia. She readily places her hand in mine.
Gabriel takes a seat across from us.