Page 136 of Demo
Now I nod. “Please answer me honestly. I will never ask you for anything else. Believe me, I don’t want to be here talking to you, but it’s important.”
Looking at her feet, a moment passes, then, “Ask me anything, Lizzie.”
I swallow, square my shoulders and look at Jenny’s face for the first time. She looks older. Tired, perhaps. “Did you have drugs on you the night of the crash?” I ask.
She hesitates for just a second before she answers, “Yes.”
I let out a breath. “Did Knox?”
“No.” This time her answer is immediate. “And he didn’t know I had the drugs on me.”
Now I cross my arms over my chest. I run my tongue along my top teeth while I look at the floor in thought. “Do you know a guy named Sanders? He’s an EMT. Friends with Bram.”
Jenny tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, actually. But I’ve only ever met him in passing. He does poker nights with some of the guys.”
I nod. “Do you have any idea why he would want to hide drugs in our apartment? Or, on the other hand, why he would steal drugs from crime scenes?”
Jenny shakes her head. “No. I have no idea. Do you know if it was just him?”
“No. Actually, there was another guy with him. The cops have a photo from video surveillance. The guy has short, spiky black hair and a lip ring.”
Jenny stills, and the color leaves her face. “Was he tall, and kinda broad-shouldered.”
“Yeah, he looked like a pretty big guy.”
Jenny swallows and curses under her breath. “Did you tell Knox about him? The other guy in the photo?”
I suck in a breath at hearing Knox’s name come out of her mouth. When I simply stare at her, she continues. “His name is Marcus, and he’s dangerous. He still hangs out at the pub we used to go to. He’s a dealer. Last I knew he was pretty low-level, but if I had to guess, he’s the one making Sanders steal drugs for him. As for leaving anything at your apartment, well I’d say that’s personal. He’s trying to get Knox into trouble.”
Hearing her use Knox’s name so carefree is giving me blurry vision.
“Why is it personal?” I manage to squeeze out.
Jenny looks away, and I suspect it’s because she doesn’t want to answer me. Then she draws in a breath. “The night of the accident, I got into trouble with Marcus, and Knox had to bail me out, so to speak.”
I shake my head. “I thought you guys went out with a bunch of coworkers that night?”
Jenny has the decency to look ashamed as I realize the lie I had been fed. I click my tongue and grit my teeth as a weight settles over us. I let out a huff. “Wow, so I’ve really been in the dark much longer than I thought, huh? You must think I’m really stupid.”
“No, Lizzie, it’s not—”
And before I know it, she is stumbling back and catching herself against the wall, holding the side of her face, as my hand swings across my body and I have to take a step to steady myself, as well.
I shake my hand out as she rights herself, rubbing her jaw and poking her tongue out the side of her lip, where a little blood has surfaced. “I deserved that,” is all she says. “Like I said, I’ve been waiting for it. And I don’t blame you. In fact, you want access to the other side? It might actually make me feel better to take a beating.”
I take a step back toward the outer door. “Do you remember the night you called me after that party years ago, and told me that Knox was on a bender, and I had to find him strung out and near death? Do you remember what I told you then?”
Jenny is nodding. Of course, she remembers.
“I meant it. You and I were never friends, and I should have never second-guessed my assessment of you.”
I push the outside door open, but I hear Jenny following behind me. “Lizzie, wait! You need to know what happened the night of the accident.”
“Actually, I don’t,” I say as I continue walking toward my car.
“It was all my fault!” she says behind me, and I stop. “It was all my fault, and if I could take away his guilt, I would do it. If I could turn back time, I would.”
I take the last few steps to my car and unlock the door, then turn and look at her one last time.
