Vodka Kisses

0523- The Melody Lingers On

"If my head hadn't been so jet laggy I would have remembered sooner." Spencer tells us.

The four of us are sat at her island looking at the ads Spencer and Hannah found in Ali's house at Christmas.

"The number on the Varjack receipt is the same number as the personal ads in Ali's house." Spencer tells us.

"How does this help Hannah?" Emily asks her.

"Well if Ali's not guilty, they can't charge Hannah as an accessory. You can't help someone commit a crime that they didn't commit." Spencer tells us.

"But Ali already told us that the letter and the passport are fake. Why do we think the number and the ads are real?" Aria asks her.

"I don't know. But we didn't find the number with the other things." Spencer says.

"So what if the numbers are the same, what does that mean? We call it and it just rings, no pickup, no voicemail, nothing." Emily questions.

"Yeah and meanwhile Neilan's law office is closed and locked." Aria tells us.

"But the number appearing twice, it's got to mean something we have to figure it out." Spencer says.

"What if we don't figure it out in time?" Emily asks.

"Also, isn't this exactly what A would want?" I ask and Spencer shrugs.

Before we can say anything else Mrs Hastings starts coming down the stairs, we all quickly push aside the ads.

"The four of you are going to be late to school." She announces.

"Uh no mom, teacher conference, they dropped the first two periods. I told you." Spencer tells her.

We all spin in our stools to face Mrs Hastings who's now stood in front of us.

"Then, this is my chance to talk to all of you." She says and I start to panic.

Why does she want to talk to all of us?

"I want to strongly suggest that you girls stay away from Alison's trial." She warns, looking more at me, Aria and Emily.

"This is a suggestion?" Spencer asks.

"For Emily, Aria and Grace yes. For you it's more than a suggestion." She says to Spencer.

"What is Ali going to think if we're not there?" Emily asks Mrs Hastings.

"I'm more concerned about what other people will think. Juries have eyes." She tells us.

If we don't go, everyone will think she's guilty.

"The whole town knows we're friends with her." Spencer points out.

"Yeah if we don't go it'll be like saying we think she's guilty." Aria adds.

"I can't tell you Grace and Emily what to do but consider your actions." She warns us.

"Okay so what are we going to do when Hannah goes to trial? Are we just supposed to turn our backs on her too?" Spencer asks.

"We're not talking about ethics." Mrs Hastings tells Spencer.

"That's for sure." Spencer bites.

"We should go." Emily turns to us.

All of us start grabbing are stuff and rushing out to my car, Spencer follows.

****
At the brew, us four girls meet up with Caleb as he updates us on the Varjack lead.

"Everything I've tried to trace this number back to its source just disappears into a black hole of nothing. No tagged ID. No localising signature. The phone on the other end could be on mars or on the other side of this room." Caleb tells us.