He closes his eyes briefly. “I saw everything. You were magnificent, Billie. So brave.”
I press my fingers to his lips, feeling like I’m this close to bursting into tears. “You were brave, too.”
“Miss, please back up. We need to get him into the ambulance,” the male EMT says.
Rising to my feet, I take a few steps back to give the paramedics the room they need. Sophia and I watch as they roll Connor onto his right side, wary of the sling on his left, and slip a board beneath his body. Another paramedic appears with a gurney. The woman counts to three, and they lift Connor up and onto it. His eyes are squeezed shut, and I hope against hope that the pain meds are starting to work.
He opens his eyes and reaches toward me with his good arm. “Don’t leave me, Billie. I need you.”
Tears rain down my face. “We’re right behind you. I promise.”
“I’ve called your parents, Mr. Wells,” Headmaster Harrington says. “They’re already en route to the hospital.” He nods to the paramedics, turns on his heel, and heads straight back to the police.
The paramedics wheel Connor to the ambulance, and my father approaches Sophia and me, his expression grim. “Come on, girls. I’ll drive you both to the hospital. Sophia, your father has to stay here and deal with … all of this.”
The three of us turn our heads toward the police vehicle where Freddie is sitting in the back seat. Headmaster Harrington is talking to one of the officers, and they wearmatching serious expressions.
Dread coats my insides. I’m going to have to talk to the police and tell them everything. But that’s a good thing. Being a live witness means I can give them every little detail. What Freddie said and did—and he said and dida lot. So much destruction, and an unnecessary death. I can never forgive him for what he did to any of us. But he won’t get away with his crimes. Hopefully, he’ll be locked up for a long time.
Looks like the Pembroke men have a lot to answer for.
We follow my dad to his car, and I pause beside the passenger door. My entire body begins to shake so hard that I can’t even reach for the handle. Sophia takes charge and encourages me into the back seat before sliding in beside me and shutting the door. She buckles my seatbelt for me like I’m a little kid, and from out of nowhere she has a thick blue blanket in her hands, which she tucks all around me. I’m immobile, overwhelmed with emotions, yet also grateful she’s taking care of me.
My body slowly relaxes against the soft leather seat, and I close my eyes when the car starts moving. My mind offers up a memory of winding roads and hairpin turns on the route from Wickham to the hospital, and some self-protective instinct tries to pull me into sleep so I can avoid experiencing it. Shivers of adrenaline periodically race through my fingers, making them twitch. My father and Sophia begin to speak.
“God, that was too close.” Dad’s voice is ragged.
“My father said the same thing,” Sophia murmurs.
“You’ve been a good friend to Billie, Sophia. Thank you for that, and thank you for telling Percy in time for him to call me. I’m glad she brought you into her confidence. She’s hadkeep too many secrets during her time here.”
“I’m glad, too. When she told me what she and Connor were planning, I took it straight to my parents.” Sophia pauses. “I hate to think what would have happened if we hadn’t gotten there in time.”
I’m half asleep thanks to the gentle rocking of the car and the warmth filling the interior, but Sophia’s words perk me up. “You finally decided to be the snitch those assholes think you are, huh?”
Sophia actually laughs, and I savor the joyful sound. “Hell yeah, I did. And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I can’t believe you and Connor thought confronting a potential killer at the scene of his crime was a good idea.”
“Um, not potential,” I whisper.
The car goes eerily quiet as they absorb what I said. What it means.
“Are you saying Freddie … confessed?” Dad asks.
I’m drifting. It’s all been too much, and I can barely think, let alone talk. “Mm-hmm.”
My father asks another question, but I can’t make out what he’s saying. The darkness is too strong, and I finally let it pull me under.
…
Once we arrive at the hospital, we’re met by Whitney, who was visiting with Isla when Dad called her to explain the situation. A nurse’s assistant escorts me to a private room, where Whitney insists on staying with me while I get checkedout. My father goes upstairs to look in on Isla, and Sophia goes with him, telling me she wants to check on her Little.
Whitney fusses over me while we wait for Dad’s doctor to appear. She gives me water and requests pain medication when another nurse comes in to check on us. I sit on the edge of the examination table in a haze, slumped over in exhaustion. I just want to lie down. Rest. My head hurts, my entire body aches, and while I don’t see many physical injuries on me, I feel beat up inside.
Thank God the worst is over, though there’s still more to come. I have to talk to the police as soon as possible—tell them what Freddie confessed, so they don’t file formal charges against Isla. As long as I have my family and Sophia and Connor standing by my side, I’ll be okay. It feels so good, that realization. I’ve been on my own for so long that bearing the weight of the world on my shoulders has practically become second nature. But now I feel like I can share the load. I can let myself get taken care of, instead of doing all the caretaking. I don’t love how this all came to pass, but that, at least, is a positive outcome.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Whitney cups my face with delicate hands, her tawny brown eyes brimming with tears. “I was so worried about you. I told Peter countless times maybe it wasn’t a good idea, having you out there, but look at you. You did it. You figured out everything.”
I lean into her palm and close my eyes so I don’t cry with her. “I had help. Isla left plenty of clues.”
