Alanis.
She’s in the background of the photo getting out of a rental car. The photo was snapped when she didn’t have the disguise on fully. The dumb bitch. She planned everything else down to the detail, but she drove without the hat and the scarf in place.
I glance up at Amanda. “Can I please send these to myself?”
She nods, clearly shaken. “I’m so sorry I didn’t know I had those on there.”
I quickly send the photos to my email and then hand her phone back. “You’re going to have to make a statement to the police. Please tell me you’ll do this.”
“Yes. When?”
“What time do you finish work?”
She checks the time. “In half an hour.”
“Right, I’ll stay here and then we can go to the police station, okay?”
We agree to do this together and then I head outside to wait in my car for her. My mind is bombarded with thoughts and my emotions race through me. After all this time, Jolene may be able to go home to her son. She may be able to start piecing her life back together.
And Luke?
I grip the steering wheel. In all the thinking I’ve done over this, I haven’t actually stopped to think about all the repercussions of Jolene being released from prison.
I haven’t considered Luke’s reaction in any of this. I was so focused on Jolene.
Oh, God.
My thinking has been so narrow right from the beginning. All I could think about was getting to the truth. I never reflected on what the truth would actually mean.
39
Callie
I take a deep breath as I knock on the front door of a house I know well but haven’t visited in nearly two months. Waiting for the door to open is nerve-wracking. What if my information isn’t wanted or listened to?
The door swings open and laughter filters into the warm night air as I stare into friendly eyes.
“Callie!” Estelle greets me with enthusiasm at the same time as her arms fold me close to her in a hug. “Come in, my darling!” She ushers me in and leads me to her lounge room.
Luke’s mother always makes me feel welcome. It’s hard for me to reconcile this woman with the one Jolene knows.
George and Tyler stare at me in surprise when we reach the lounge room. Tyler stands and makes his way to me. “Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he says, hugging me also.
This is way harder than I imagined. All the memories of my time with Luke and his family flood my mind, hurting just as much as they did seven weeks ago.
Will this heartache ever go away?
I smile up at him. “I’ve missed you, too, Tyler.”
George nods at me. We haven’t spent a great deal of time getting to know each other, but I think he’s good for Estelle—he seems to calm her. She drinks far less than she used to and I attribute that to George.
“Would you like a vodka?” Estelle asks.
I smile. One of the things I adore about her is that she took the time to get to know me. We lunched every couple of weeks while I was with Luke and became friends—we weren’t just connected by our relationships with him. After we broke up, she checked in with me regularly, but I put some distance between us, unable to face the regular reminder of what I gave up. “No, thank you. I need to talk to you about something and alcohol would not be good for the conversation.”
Lines crinkle her forehead as she frowns. “This sounds serious. Do we need to have this conversation in private?”
I consider that for a moment. “Actually, that would be good, I think.”
She nods and puts her arm around my shoulders. “We can talk in my office.” Turning to George, she says, “Darling, can you please make me a drink? By the look on Callie’s face, I feel I may need it for this.”
After he agrees, we exit the room and make our way to her study. It’s one of my favourite rooms in her house. White reigns in here with splashes of pink throughout. Estelle has stamped her personal space with luxury and feminine touches that make you want to spend hours in the room. It’s uncluttered but the few items she chose to include are perfect—plump cushions on her chaise, candles, art and fresh flowers daily are all items I would choose, too.
She faces me. “What’s going on? You look like you’re wrestling a monster inside that head of yours.”
“I need you to hear me out, okay? Please keep an open mind and know that what I’m about to tell you is the honest truth.”
“Goodness, I think I need to sit for this.” She fumbles her way to the chaise and takes a seat.