“I’ll be fine… I’ll be right here. And Lil, tell my girl I love her. No matter what…”
Sheriff Rogers led Lily out and through a throng of police and investigators, all of them collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses. Sheriff Rogers shielded Lily from prying eyes as he led her toward the holding cells, briefing her as they went.
“I can’t give you long, Lily. We need to transport Abby to the jail for booking. But please don’t discuss what happened. Anything said in here can and will be used against her.”
Lily followed him to a row of cells. A deputy stood nearby, hand on his gun. Lily saw Abby through the bars, sitting on the bunk, staring down at her bloodstained hands, which were resting on her lap. She was still wearing her gray pants and a black sweater. Lily stared at the sweater. The black sweater, she realized for the first time. Abby had kept it all these years. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed. Just one more thing she hadn’t noticed. One more thing that had led them both here.
Abby’s face bore the brunt of her struggle with the cops, bruises from where they’d slammed her down onto the ground. But there was calmness about her now, a peace Lily hadn’t seen before. She moved closer to the cell. The guard stepped forward, blocking her path.
“It’s okay, Jon,” Sheriff Rogers said. “She’s okay.”
Sheriff Rogers opened the door as the guard stepped back, but remained alert. Abby stood up from the bunk. Lily moved into the tiny cell and wrapped her arms around her sister, clutching her tightly. Lily should have been furious. Abby had David and Wes to think about. But she wasn’t angry. All this time, she kept thinking that if she worked hard enough in therapy, if she raised Sky well, if she were able to live a good life, then what Rick did to her and her family would cease to define her. But until she saw blood pooling from Rick’s chest, until she heard Sheriff Rogers say he was dead, Lily hadn’t realized how wrong she’d been. This wasn’t what she’d wanted. It was what she needed, and Abby had been the one to do it.
She stared at her sister, her other half, the person she’d loved more than anyone. To an outsider, they were now almost identical. Especially if they stood side by side, with their matching haircuts… but there were so many differences. Life had forced them to become different people. From here on out, the world would always see those differences. Lily would forever be the victim. Abby would be the murderer. But it didn’t matter what the world thought, Lily realized. She knew what her sister had done and why. She knew that this was the ultimate sacrifice. Abby’s freedom in exchange for Lily’s.
Sheriff Rogers cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Lily, but we have to go.”
Lily pulled Abby in for another hug, holding on to her. It was impossible to talk, with the police listening to them, but Lily knew this time Abby would understand exactly what she was thinking. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
ABBY
There were endless questions.
Why did you do it? When did you plan it? How did you plan it? Were you thinking clearly? What triggered such a violent outburst? Do you think about hurting yourself? Do you think about hurting others?
Endless fucking questions. Abby answered them the way she knew was expected. But she couldn’t control what they decided, and it really didn’t matter to her. Not anymore. Lily had forgiven her. That was enough.
So now Abby was inmate J70621, a resident of the county jail, currently housed in the psychiatric unit. Her lawyer, the same one Wes had hired, told her they were working on a “not guilty by reason of insanity” plea but for now, Abby would remain locked up.
She missed home. She missed Mom and Lily and of course Wes and David, but Sheriff Rogers looked after her, checking in at least once a day. The other guards and even the inmates treated her with respect. She was getting by.
What worried her most was Wes and his anger over what had happened. He’d come to visit the day after the murder. He’d sat across from her, unshaven, anger radiating from every pore in his body…
“That night you came over was like a fever dream. When you showed up at the house, I kept thinking, holy shit, maybe this is the start of something new. But it wasn’t, was it? You were saying good-bye, weren’t you?”
Abby didn’t answer. Their visits were recorded, and the lawyer warned her that she needed to be mindful of that.
“I meant what I said that night, Wes. Every word. I’ll always love you and David. And I’m so sorry I fucked up…”
He’d lost it then, slamming his hand on the table. The guard moved over to restrain him.