She smiles. “Yeah, it did.” Then Bea glances at the empty space on the bed beside her. “Aren’t you coming back to bed?”
“Soon. First, I’m going to make you some breakfast. And bring it to you in bed.”
Alarm flashes in Bea’s eyes. “You’re going to make breakfast?”
“Hey. Are you insinuating I can’t cook?”
“No. Of course not. It’s just…” She pauses, and I can just tell she’s trying to come up with something other than,No, you’re a terrible cook, and I’d rather not risk food poisoning today.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” she finishes weakly. “We’re supposed to meet the Richards at noon. And with the drive… I’m not sure we have time for a full breakfast from scratch.”
A beat later, Bea frowns. Her teeth dig into her lower lip.
“Hey.” I sit on the edge of the bed and run my hand down her back. “There’s nothing to worry about. Okay?”
“I know.” But she doesn’t sound convinced.
“Bea. We don’t have to go if you’re not comfortable with it.”
“But I do.” Her brows pinch into a worried V. “Jenna’s mom invited me over. She said she wants to see me. How can I not go?”
What I want to say is that I don’t care about Jenna’s parents. I don’t care that they called last night to invite her for a visit, once the news came out that Bea wasn’t a killer but an innocent victim instead.
I care about Bea. How she’s holding up amid all the craziness. I care about her feelings, and if something upsets her, I don’t want her doing it.
It’s been a tough couple of days for Bea, though she’s been a real trooper about it. With Manny in jail and more evidence against him piling up by the hour, as a team we decided it was time for her officialdiscovery.
It took a lot of work to pull it all together, but thanks to Tyler’s skills, the story was airtight.
And the story we created?
When Bea survived the attack in the locker room, afraid she’d ruin his story, Manny kidnapped her and held her hostage in a rundown rental just outside Scranton. While he was off hunting the next name on his hit list, Bea was locked up and left with barely enough food to survive. But after his capture, thanks to an anonymous tip, she was located safely.
In reality, Webb flew us by chartered plane to a private airstrip in Pennsylvania, where we hid out for a few days while getting all our proverbial ducks in order. I stayed with Bea, making sure she stayed hidden and safe, while Ace and Webb went to the rental house outside Scranton to stage everything. And just before the police received the anonymous tip, I drove Bea to the house and left her there.
Although, I didn’treallyleave her there. I was in the woods nearby, close enough to get to her if anything went wrong. Still, it sucked not being there for her when I knew she was so scared of things going wrong.
“What if I mess up the story?” she kept asking me. “What if I say something that doesn’t match up, and I get you guys in trouble?”
“You won’t,” I reassured her. “You’re going to do just fine. And they’re going to expect you to be nervous. As far as thepolice know, you were held hostage for weeks. They’re going to be gentle with you. I’m sure of it.”
And they were. From the moment Bea was found, the police were nothing but kind to her. And they believed every bit of her story, from waking up the first night with a blinding headache to the stretch of days when she was all alone in the house, just like I knew they would.
I was worried Bea might feel bad about lying, and I still feel guilty about putting her in that position. But when I brought it up, she was insistent I shouldn’t. “You saved me, Indy,” she told me firmly. “You caught Jenna’s killer. And you stopped a murderer from killing any more innocent people. So if I need to lie to make sure you can help more people, I’ll do it gladly.”
Then she hugged me and added, “You always protect me, Indy. This time, I get to be the one protecting you.”
Still. I wish she hadn’t had to do it.
If I could go back in time, would I have done it any other way? No.
But that’s the last time Bea will have to protect me. From now on,I’llbe the only one doing the protecting.
“I have to go,” Bea continues. “I have to face them. And if they still blame me?—”
“Bea.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her against me. “They do not blame you. They wouldn’t have asked you over if they did. And there’s nothing to blame you for. You were a victim, just like Jenna. The only difference?—”
My throat closes.
