Chapter 21 #2
Briggs nods. “When he’s drunk, he doesn’t like calling his dad.”
“And there was another boy.” She taps her lip. “What’s his name?”
Briggs keeps quiet.
“Parker,” she says. “Parker Sterling. He’s the other name he’s asked us to call. I assume you’re all friends?”
“We should go,” I say, getting up. “Briggs and I were just heading out to get something to eat.”
“I could make you something,” Susan says.
“We already planned to go out. And this way you can get your work done.” I smile at her. “See you later.”
She watches as Briggs and I leave. We get in my truck, not saying anything until I’m driving down the road.
“What the fuck was that about?” Briggs asks.
“Remember that day she was asking me about Finn’s Range Rover? Maybe she thought you’d tell her more than I did since you’re friends with him.”
“Or she thinks I’m a suspect in the hit-and run.” He shakes his head. “Fuck.”
“She was just asking you questions. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“She was gathering evidence. Why else would she be asking me about Finn and Parker? And did you see the way she kept looking at me?”
“Yeah,” I say with a sigh. “You’re right.”
“About what?”
“She knows something she’s not telling us, or she suspects something. She wasn’t asking you stuff like she wanted to get to know you. She was asking like she was interrogating you.”
“Exactly, so what the fuck that does mean? That she knows it’s us?”
“If she did, she’d arrest us, not ask us questions.”
“What else has she said to you?”
“About the case? Nothing. I mean, nothing I haven’t already told you.” I pull over to the parking lot where I met Briggs that night we made out in the back of the truck.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I didn’t know where to go.” I shut off the truck and turn to Briggs. “What if she knows?”
“If she does, she can’t prove it.”
I lean back in the seat, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. “What if this is it? What if today is the day they arrest us?”
“Then it’ll finally be over.”
I open my eyes and look at him. “You’re acting like you want this to happen.”
He shrugs. “I don’t, but I’m tired of this. Waiting for a text from some asshole who thinks it’s funny to play with our lives like this? Thinking the cops are going to show up at my door? I don’t want to keep living this way. If it’s going to happen, I just want to get it over with.”
“I don’t. I want it to go away. I want to stop it.”
“We can’t. That guy’s got a video. He has proof we were there.”
I tip my head back on the seat. “This is really going to happen, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so.”
We sit in silence for several minutes, and all I can think about is how these might be my last minutes of freedom. What if Susan already has the evidence she needs and is waiting to make the arrest? What if she does it when we get home?
“Maybe she doesn’t know,” Briggs says. “Maybe your dad put her up to this. Maybe he asked her to find out more about me because he’s not sure he can trust me to stay at your house.”
“And he’s using Susan to see if he can,” I say, feeling a little better as I realize he might be right. “My dad’s super protective of me. I could totally see him sending Susan over to interrogate you.”
“We should talk to Finn and Parker,” Briggs says. “Let them know she was asking about them.”
“Why? You just said Susan was only asking you that stuff because of my dad.”
Briggs looks at me. “What if I’m wrong? If this is happening soon, I need to remind Finn and Parker to keep their mouths shut and to only talk to their lawyers.”
“Go ahead,” I say. “Call them.”
Briggs notices my hand shaking as it rests on the steering wheel. He reaches over and takes my hand in his, looking me in the eye. “It’s going to be okay. I know you’re scared, but you didn’t do anything wrong. The cops will see that and let you off.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’ll tell the cops you tried to get us to stay. I’ll say I talked you out of it.”
“But you didn’t. Finn and Parker are the ones who wanted to leave and go to the party.”
“I wanted to leave too. You’re the only one who was willing to stay. I’ll tell the cops that and they’ll let you go. You won’t have to worry.”
“You really didn’t want to stay with that guy? Even when you found out he was still alive?”
“I just wanted to get out of there. I didn’t see how staying there would help him. I wanted to get to the pay phone, call for help, and be done with it.”
“You tried to help the guy. The cops shouldn’t punish you for trying to help.”
“They shouldn’t, but they might. I’m the one who made the decision to leave.
Ella, you shouldn’t be worried about this.
Out of the four of us, you’re the least guilty of doing anything wrong.
” He sits back and gets his phone out to make a call.
“Parker, where are you right now?” He listens.
“Is Finn there?” Briggs glances at me. “I’m coming over.
And I’m bringing Ella.” He listens. “No, and shut the fuck up. She’s coming, so deal with it.
” He ends the call. “I told him we’d be there in a few minutes. ”
I start up the truck and back out of the parking space. “Do they not want me there?”
“Parker still thinks you’re the enemy. He thinks you’re going to turn against him if we all get arrested. Finn thinks so too.”
“I’d tell the truth,” I say as I turn down the road that goes to Parker’s house. “Do they think telling the truth is going against them?”
“Depends on what you say. Finn doesn’t want the cops knowing he was drinking that night.”
“So he wants me to lie.”
“You can say whatever you want, but you won’t be able to prove it. It’ll be your word against his.”
“And Parker will lie and say Finn was sober.” I pull up to Parker’s house. “What are you going to say?”
“I don’t know yet. When that cop stopped us I told him I was driving Finn’s car because I wanted to, but he could come back and say I lied and that I was doing it because Finn was drunk.”
“He can’t prove it.”
“No, but if he can convince a jury I lied, it’s another point against me. Spoiled rich kid lying to protect his spoiled rich friend doesn’t usually go over well with a jury. Let’s go.” He gets out of the truck and goes up to Parker, who’s standing at the door.
“Why didn’t you drive?” Parker asks Briggs, staring at my truck with disgust. “I don’t want people seeing that piece of shit here.”
“Just shut up and get inside,” Briggs says, going past him into the house.
“Hi.” I give Parker a smug grin as I follow Briggs into the house.
Parker sneers at me and mumbles something.
“What now?” Finn asks, swigging whiskey from the bottle as the three of us join him in Parker’s game room.
“You’re done with that shit,” Briggs says, swiping the bottle from Finn.
“What the fuck!” Finn struggles to get up from the game chair he was sitting in. “Give it back!”
“You need to be sober when they arrest you,” Briggs says, going over to the bar and dumping what’s left of the whiskey down the sink.
“They’re arresting us?” Parker says, for once, sounding concerned. “Today?”
“Today. Tomorrow. Could be anytime now.” Briggs walks back to us, talking to Parker. “That cop lady, the one Ella’s dad is dating, was asking me all these questions when I was over at Ella’s house today.” He looks at Finn. “She was asking about you.”
“What about me?”
“She asked if we’re friends. She also asked about Parker. I think she’s starting to putting the pieces together.”
“What pieces?” Parker asks. “What does she know?”
“I’m not sure,” Briggs says, “but she wouldn’t be asking about you guys without having a reason.”
“You’re worrying about nothing,” Finn says, sitting back in the game chair. “You need to get laid so you can stop being so fucking uptight.”
“I’m sure Aubrey would be up for that,” Parker says, glancing at me. “Unless you’re still with Trailer Girl.”
“Don’t call her that,” Briggs shoots back.
“Why?” He laughs. “You’re the one who came up with it.”
“Just shut up and listen,” Briggs says. “There’s a good chance this is going to end any day now and I need both of you to keep your mouths shut when the cops show up.
” He looks between Finn and Parker. “And since I know you both say shit you shouldn’t when you’re drunk, both of you need to stop drinking. ”
“Fuck that,” Finn says, getting up from the chair. “If I’m being arrested, I don’t want to be sober for it.” He stumbles to the bar.
“Finn!” Briggs yells.
Finn ignores him and picks up a bottle of rum.
Briggs races over and grabs it. “You do this and I’ll tell the cops you were drunk that night.”
Finn shrugs. “Go ahead. Let them try to prove it.” He takes the bottle back.
“Give me some,” Parker says, walking over to Finn.
“You guys are fucking idiots,” Briggs says. “You deserve whatever happens to you.” He walks over to me. “We might as well leave.”
As we turn to go, the sound of a text notification stops us.
Briggs, Parker, and Finn all look at their phones.
“Shit,” Briggs mutters.
Parker sets down the bottle of rum.
“What?” I ask, my eyes bouncing between the three of them. “What’s going on?”
“Fuck it,” Finn says, taking the bottle of rum and downing what’s left of it.
“What it is?” I ask Briggs. “What happened?”
He shows me the text on his phone. It reads, Your time is up. I told the cops. They have the video. I’m sad our little game has ended, but it was fun while it lasted. Don’t feel bad, boys. At least you’re not dead.