“Amira,” Lizzie said with a welcoming smile. “I was just working out. This is an unexpected surprise.”
“Yeah, there seem to be a lot of those lately.” This entire day felt entirely surreal. Maybe that was why I felt strangely calm. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” She stepped aside, opening the door wider. “I’m glad you stopped by. I’ve been worried about you.”
“What exactly were you worried about?” I walked into the sitting room area and then turned to face her. “Me finding out the truth?”
She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“I just came from visiting your mother.”
“What?” She closed the door. “That’s not possible. Mother can’t have visitors.”
“Don’t you mean to say that I am the only person who can’t visit her? The Meadows said they were specifically instructed not to allow me in to see your mother.”
“Can you blame us?” she asked in a reasonable tone. “Youdidupset Mother the last time you saw her.”
I marveled at her cool restraint, the ease with which she lied. “Was it me who upset her?” I asked. “Or was it the fact that Ali died on the same day she told him the truth?”
“Control the weights up and down,”the instructor trilled in the background.“Focus on taking your time.”
“Mother is not herself.” Lizzie smiled, but the way it didn’t reach her eyes sent an icy arrow down my spine. “She can be very confused and muddled in her thinking.”
“She was very cogent with me. And very clear about what happened the night your father died.”
Lizzie’s gaze narrowed. “What did she tell you?”
“That you killed your father.”
“Me?” Lizzie gave an abrupt laugh. “Surely you realize how ridiculous that sounds.”
“Itishard to fathom, but I think Ali believed your mother. That’s the real reason he confronted you at the Parkview, isn’t it?”
Her expression hardened. “I already told you that we met because the secret was eating away at Ali and he insisted that you had to know the truth.”
“I don’t believe you.” I held her gaze. “I knew there was something off about the way Ali looked on the surveillance tape. The way he reacted ... something extraordinarily awful had to have happened for him to be that upset.”
“You can believe what you want—”
“Oh, I will,” I interrupted. “I think Ali was so upset, more distraught than I’d ever seen him, because he realized that you let him take the blame for a murder that you committed.”
Lizzie’s composure slipped. “It was a horrible lie.” Her bottom lip quivered. “Mother is confused. Nothing happened beyond what I’ve told you.”
“Halfway there,”the instructor said in a singsong voice.“Keep going! Stay strong!”
“This is all ancient history.” The volume of her voice hiked. “Why are you here? Do you intend to report me to the police for the murder of my father? Do you think they’ll believe you?”
“Not necessarily. But they might believe me about the Xanax.”
“Make sure your arms stay close to your body as you bend your elbows.”
Keeping her eyes glued to me, Lizzie slowly reached for the remote and aimed it at the TV. The training video clicked off, bathing the room in silence.
“What about the Xanax?” she asked.
“I saw it on your bathroom counter when I was here before.”
The muffled sounds of closing doors and retreating footsteps echoed down the corridor.
