“You don’t sound okay.”
“What do you want me to say, Tyler? That I’m dying inside? That I can barely look at him because it hurts too much?” I put my hand down onto the windowsill. I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I couldn’t do this.
“I’m coming back to New York.”
“Don’t do that.”
“I want to be there for you.”
“Come back when you’re ready to come back. Not like this. Not right now.”
“I’m sorry,” he said.
I cringed at the words.
“The police want me to come in for questioning anyway. I have to come back.”
“No. You don’t.” I couldn’t imagine Tyler coming to the hospital. I knew James wouldn’t want him to be here. My grip tightened on the windowsill.
“Of course I do. I have to do what the cops want.”
“Just ignore their calls. Stop picking up the phone.”
“I can’t do that. It makes me look guilty.” His words hung in the air. “I’m not, Penny. I would never do something to hurt you.”
“I know. And James has people looking into it. Just… don’t come back. Don’t answer their phone calls. I’m taking care of it.” I’m going to take care of it. After I sit with James for a few more minutes. I just felt so tired. All I wanted to do was wait for him to open his eyes. And I needed to be here when that happened.
“He’s going to wake up, Penny.”
I nodded but didn’t actually say anything into the phone.
“Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“I will.” I swallowed hard. “How… how are you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
He wasn’t okay. I could hear it in his voice. But I wasn’t going to question him like he had me. Because I couldn’t handle anything else right now. I felt guilty enough as it was. “Call me when you find the sunnier place you’ve been searching for.”
“Yeah. As soon as I find it.”
“Bye, Tyler.”
“Tell James he’d better wake up. Tell him to fight.”
Before I could say anything, Tyler hung up the phone. I turned away from the window. James was my sunny place. And I knew I couldn’t exist in the dark.
Thursday
“She has an alibi.”
I looked up. I hadn’t even noticed Mason come in. No one but immediate family had been allowed to visit him yet. I wasn’t sure if he had sneaked in or if they had let him back. I was supposed to be taking care of everything like I had told Tyler, but I hadn’t left James’ side. It felt like I was frozen in time. I couldn’t do anything. It was like time was standing still until he came back to me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I mean, someone vouched for Isabella being in another state on the night of your wedding.”
“That’s impossible. I know it was her.”
“I have some guys looking into it.”
I didn’t need to ask any questions about that. I knew Mason would hire the best of the best. “Who vouched for her?”
“Her boyfriend I think.”
I took a deep breath. Austin? Was Austin her boyfriend? I shook away the thought. I couldn’t put any more blame on myself. I was already drowning. “Why would they believe someone close to her?” Austin and I hadn’t ended on good terms but that was on him. Why was he trying to ruin my life? Why would he do this?
“We’ll get her. In the meantime, you need to go talk to the police.”
“I’m not talking to them.”
“You have to.”
I squeezed James’ hand. “They already had a chance to listen to us. They chose not to.”
“Penny, they just arrested Melissa.”
“What?” I immediately stood up. “For what?” I imagined her yelling and screaming in the halls of the hospital demanding answers. I had been held up in here for days. I should have been out there keeping everyone updated.
“Conspiracy to commit murder.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They’re saying it was her. Because of the speech she gave. Because of her relationship with Tyler.”
Fuck. “Stay with him.” I walked past Mason.
“Hey,” Mason said and caught my arm. “We both know it was Isabella. I’m going to prove it.” He handed me an envelope that was already opened. It was a manila envelope. The same kind Isabella had been sending me. It was addressed to me.
My hand shook as I pulled out the note inside. It was written in the same font as all the rest.
“I was aiming for you.”
I couldn’t seem to stop shaking. “Where did this come from?”
“Melissa went to pick up your mail. This was in with everything else. That was the last evidence the police needed. They think she put it in with the rest of your mail. I opened it because James had told me about everything that was going on. I thought you needed to see it.”
“She’s trying to kill me.”
“And I’m not going to let that happen. Go talk to the police. And then I’ll work on getting Melissa out of jail. Penny, you have my word. I’m going to take care of this.” He put his hand reassuringly on my shoulder.
“Don’t leave him.”
“I’m not going to leave his side until you’re back.”
I glanced once more at James and then ran out the door. Isabella had been trying to kill me. The guilt I had already felt weighed even heavier. My best friend was not going to go down for this. Tyler wasn’t going to go down for this. Isabella was going to pay. Even if I had to kill her myself.
I recognized the detective that had tried to talk to me a few days ago in the hospital waiting room. And standing right next to him was Officer Daugherty, the detective that wouldn’t take us seriously at the precinct. They were both talking to James’ father.
“Penny.” James’ dad put his hand on my shoulder when I reached them. “Penny, we’re taking care of this. Go back to him.”
No. Everyone was “taking care of this.” Yet, Isabella was still out there. And my best friend was in jail.
“You said you had a few questions for me,” I said to the detective that had tried to question me before.
He glanced nervously at James’ father and then nodded his head. “Yes. We wanted to talk to you about your friend, Melissa Monroe.”
I dug my nails into the palm of my hand to distract me from my anger. I was going to lose it. I tried to take a deep breath, but it just made me even more upset. “You mean the fact that you’re here to apologize for arresting the wrong person?”
“Besides for Tyler Stevens, she’s our lead suspect in the threats and shooting…”