"He said he fixed them before. I don't know if he got them fixed last night. I went to bed and in the morning all the stuff with Kristen was happening."
"So you haven't talked to him since last night?"
"No. He sent me some texts this morning saying to call him but I didn't see them until later." My palms are getting sweaty just talking about this, and my throat is dry. I wish Brock had brought me a water too.
"What else do you know?" Roman asks.
"About what happened? Nothing. Like I said, I went to bed and when I woke up I went to the kitchen and Braden said something about Jackson being in trouble. I thought he meant about Andrea. I didn't know about Kristen until I ran down to his house."
"You know about Andrea," he says, folding his arms over his chest.
"Yes, and I think it's wrong they're going after Jackson for that. Or for what happened to Kristen. Jackson would never hurt anyone. He was trying to help Kristen. Andrea too. He said he went to the party that night because Andrea called him, asking for a ride."
Roman nods. "He told me that too. What was he doing for Kristen? How was he helping her?"
"She had problems at home. She went to Jackson's house to get away."
His brows draw together. "What kind of problems?"
"I can't say. Maybe he'd tell you if you asked. Have you talked to him?"
"Only long enough for him to tell me he was in jail."
"Can you get him out? Like post bail or something?" I ask, sounding desperate. The thought of Jackson in jail is killing me. He doesn't belong there. He didn't do anything.
"Bail isn't an option right now. In murder cases the suspect needs to appear before a judge, who will then determine bail."
"How long before that happens?"
"It could be up to a week but I'm trying to speed it up. I know one of the judges in town. We went to college together. He might be able to see Jackson later today."
"He might get out of jail?" I ask, getting excited. "Today?"
"It's possible. The bail money won't be a problem. It's getting him in front of a judge that could be an issue."
"You said your friend could help."
"It's more complicated than that." He sets his water on the coffee table. "How involved are you with Jackson?"
From his tone, it sounds like he doesn't trust me. Like he thinks I'm the reason Jackson is in jail. Maybe I'm reading him wrong but I don't like how he's making me feel right now.
Chapter Four
"Jackson and I are friends," I say to his dad.
"It was my understanding you're more than that."
"We are. We've been dating since school started, or around that time."
"While he was still dating Kristen?"
"No. That ended. He told her he had someone else. She didn't take it well and told me to leave him alone."
"Is that why you hit her?"
"Yeah," I say, looking down. "Who did you hear that from?"
"I heard it on the news on my way over."
