They Just Don't Know You

Chapter 33

Perrie's POV

Thursday, October 10

Turns out I didn't need to leave the house. Leigh left instead.

Her Aunt swooped in two days after Ellie's body was found. She wanted to take Leigh to New York, but the Echo Ridge police asked her not to leave the state while the investigation is pending. So they're at some 5 star hotel a few towns over instead. Which pisses me off every time I think about it. Of all the possible scenarios I thought might happen once I turned over that video of Leigh, her taking a spa vacation wasn't one of them.

"So much for keeping the key witnesses nearby," Jonnie snorts when I tell him. "We were all told we had to stay in Echo Ridge after Caitlin died. Money talks, I guess."

I'm at his apartment, having dinner with him and Sairah. It's weird for a few reasons. One, I've never seen my brother cook before. Two, he's surprisingly good at it. And three, I can't get used to seeing him with Sairah. My brain keeps wanting to replace her with Caitlin, and it's kind of unnerving. 

He doesn't know about the car repair receipt, or the video I took of Leigh. I'm keeping my promise to Officer Elliott to stay quiet. It's not hard with Jonnie. We might be getting along better than usual, but he still talks a lot more than he listens. 

"John didn't want her to go," I say, shifting in my chair and wincing at the pain in my ribs. Turns out they're only bruised, not cracked, but they still hurt like hell. "Leigh's Aunt insisted."

"Getting away isn't a bad idea though," Sairah says. She and Jonnie are washing dishes while I sit at the kitchen table, and she keeps brushing against him even though there's plenty of room for two in front of the double sink. "It's so horrible, those first few days after. All you can think about is what you could have done differently. At least a new environment is a distraction." She sighs and flips the towel she's holding over her shoulder, leaning into Jonnie. "I feel for Leigh-Anne, honestly. This brings back such awful memories of Caitlin."

Jonnie kisses the top of her head, and the next thing I know they're whispering, nuzzling, and about ten seconds away from a full on make out session. It's uncomfortable, not to mention shit timing after what we've just been talking about. I realise they've been suppressing their big forbidden love for years, but I could've used another half hour. Minimum.

When the doorbell rings, I'm relieved at the interruption. "I'll get it," I volunteer, springing up as fast as my bruised ribs will let me.

Too fast, as it turns out. Even though Jonnie's front door is only steps away from the kitchen, I'm still wincing when I open it. Officer Jed Elliott is standing on Jonnie's doorstep, wearing his full police uniform. He blinks in surprise when he sees me. "Oh, hey Perrie. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Um, same." I say. "Are you..." I try to think of a reason why he might be here, and can't come up with one. "What's up?"

"Is your brother around?"

"Yeah, come on in," I say, and he steps through the door.

Jonnie and Sairah have managed to separate by the time we enter the kitchen. "Hey, Jonnie," Officer Elliott says, folding his arms in front of him like a shield. I know that stance; it's the one I get around Alex. I don't remember much about Jed from when he was in high school, since he and Jonnie didn't hang out, but I do know this: if you weren't part of Jonnie's crew, chances are he would've treated you like shit at some point. Not slamming you into lockers necessarily, but acting like your existence annoyed him. Or pretending you didn't exist at all.

"And...Sairah," Officer Elliott adds.

Shit. I swallow nervously and look at Jonnie. I forgot nobody's supposed to know those two are together. My brother doesn't acknowledge me, but I can see the muscles in his jaw tighten as he steps slightly in front of Sairah.