Page 118 of False Evidence
“Is that the spot?” Tricia asked.
Her throat was too dry to speak, so she just nodded, knowing Tricia couldn’t see her response from the driver’s seat.
“Want me to stop?”
“Yes.” She had to force the word out as she wondered if she really wanted to do this.
They were the lead car. The other two pulled up behind them on the shoulder. They were about fifty feet from the driveway with the camera that made it possible for her to be here with these women today.
She looked at the lonely mailbox across the road. The reason for the camera.
“I should buy the homeowners a present,” she said softly. “But I have no idea what.”
“The night you went on the run, JT anonymously put out a reward for information,” Tricia said. “It was paid through Raptor. If they haven’t received it already, they will tomorrow when the deposit goes through.”
Alexandra opened the door. She was practically in a daze as she approached the spot on the road where Officer Williams had been shot.
Tricia didn’t say a word as she walked beside her. Alexandra understood that Tricia didn’t want her walking in the open like this, and she was thankful that she didn’t try to stop her.
The other women climbed from the other vehicles, but only Erica approached.
Dear Erica, who’d been the friend she needed during the rough times.
She stared at the pavement. Rain had washed away the blood, but red bits of taillight remained.
Erica wrapped an arm around her as she studied the ground where Williams smashed her cell phone. She spotted tiny flecks of glass embedded in the pavement.
She leaned against Erica. “I’ve never been so terrified in my life.”
“I know.”
“It helped, knowing Gemma was with you. I knew she was safe.”
“I’m glad I could do that for you.”
“Promise me, if anything happens to me, or JT?—”
“Of course. And I ask the same of you.”
Alexandra nodded. “Thank you for agreeing to be my matron of honor. With everything—with Kendall… It’s important to me to not be alone for the ceremony.”
“I’m honored to be asked.” She squeezed Alexandra’s shoulder. “Remember the night we met?”
“Of course. I lied to you about Lee and later lectured you on how you were a fool not to forgive him, when I had no idea what he and JT had put you through. I was a smug brat.”
“In your defense, I would have been a fool not to give him another chance. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Lee has always been one of my very favorite people. The brother I wish I’d had.”
“He and JT came to blows, you know, after what JT did. They fought in the dojo one night—but they definitely weren’t sparring. I only know about it because I saw Lee’s bruises. He wouldn’t talk about it, but I suspect it was one of those things where JT wanted someone to kick his ass, and Lee was happy to oblige.”
“I’m so sorry I came between them like that.”
“Someonehad to knock sense into JT. It was then that he realized he could lose Lee too. He finally started seeing a therapist.”
“So that’s what did it.”
“I’m pretty sure Lee wishes he’d kicked his ass two, maybe three years earlier.” She paused. “But that’s not why I brought up the night we met. I wanted to share something. When we were in the limo, there was a moment when JT looked at you and…I realized how deeply in love with you he was. It was the first time I could relate to him. He was so intimidating—intentionally so, when it came to me—but when he was with you, he was different.