Can You Keep A Secret? | COMPLETE

Chapter Sixteen

"Can you keep a secret?"

Evangeline looked through the cell bars at the tall black skinned man on the other side, a scared and hopeful look in her eyes.

"Of course, Brear," the man replied, voice softer than usual. "What is it?"

The woman stayed silent, not answering his question quite yet. She folded her arms over her chest, trying to relax. She was terrified.

Finally, she spoke. "I'm not so sure I'm innocent anymore. What if I did kill these people?"

"Evangeline."

"I'm just saying!" she explained. "I don't remember anything from those nights. And Anastasia is my best friend. I just... What if?"

"Evangeline," Captain Young repeated himself. "I have full faith in you. You were dead set believing that you're innocent, and I believe you're innocent."

"But why do you believe I'm innocent?"

The man looked around carefully before waving her over. In a hushed tone, he revealed something to her.

"You know I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I will anyway. The Whitmans came in the and told us they saw Anastasia at Preacher's residence. They watched her the whole time she was there. When she left, they saw her throw something in his trash. After she came in and gave us her testimony—the one on that paper I slipped to you the other day—I sent someone out to investigate his garbage and they found drugs used in the medical field that knock out people."

Evangeline's eyes widened. So her growing hunch was becoming more and more likely?

"You may be innocent," Young continued, "but your friend is looking less so."

"Thank you, Captain."

"This is our little secret, 'kay?"

"Of course, sir."

***

"Looks cozy in there," Anastasia joked.

"Yeah..." Evangeline muttered. She looked over at the woman.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course!" Anastasia replied immediately. "Anything!"

"What were you doing at Richard Preacher's house the other night?"

Anastasia's expression fell.

"What?" she whispered.

"You heard me."

Evangeline stood up slowly, making her way to the cell door.

"What were you doing at Preacher's house?"

"I don't know what you mean." She was lying, the detective could tell. The expression on her face and higher tone of voice gave it away. She was usually better than this.

"Bullshit." The brunette shook her head. "People saw you there the night I was in the hospital. They said you were acting weird."

"Who the fuck-"

"Don't play dumb!"

Anastasia was taken aback by her friend's outburst. She had never spoken to her like this before.

Finally, the redhead sighed. "I was thanking him for loaning me something."

"What was it, exactly?"

She looked at her friend behind the bars. What was going on in that brain of hers?

"I just needed to borrow something," she said eventually. "Can't a woman borrow tools?"

"No, no." The woman shook her head. "Sorry. I'm just... I don't feel like I can trust anyone anymore."

"Ev, I get it. It's been stressful and you feel you're innocent."

"I don't know what to do anymore. I don't have anything that can help my case. I'm going to get locked up for real for sure."

"Nothing is going to happen to you." Anastasia reached through the bars to take Evangeline's hands. "We'll fix this."

"Thanks, Anya."

"Of course, sweetie."

An officer came up to inform Anastasia that her time was up. The women said their goodbyes and Evangeline went to sit back down again. Anastasia had just lied right to her face. The confession in her pocket proved it. Or... had she lied in her testimony and told Evangeline the truth? Or were neither of them the truth and there was a true truth someone else knew?

This was getting more and more tangled up the more that was revealed.