Where She Lies

Chapter 21: Sharing is Caring

I sit on Esmee's couch with a cup of coffee curled in my hands. I absentmindedly move my right leg up and down as I drink, but I stop when I notice Quinn giving me uneasy glances from beside me. I shoot him a lopsided smile before returning my gaze back to Trevor who's sitting across from us with Esmee.

"So," Esmee drinks her own cup of coffee, "What exactly happened?"

"I approached Listette in the bar and I was talking to her right before Wyatt came up to me and started talking. I was inwardly panicking and unsure what to do, but then Quinn came, although that wasn't a great idea on his part, I was grateful. Quinn and Wyatt started talking and Wyatt said that the only way Quinn was going to leave was if he was walking out in handcuffs while being personally escorted. That's when Trevor came out of nowhere and started defending Quinn, which ended up getting us a deal, it wasn't much though. Wyatt had proposed letting us talk to Listette and he'd get her to cooperate if Quinn would willingly go to jail. Quinn agreed and we grudgingly did too. We ended up talking to Listette and it turns out she knows who the killer is, but she didn't tell us. Right after that she said that she wasn't the only one who knew who the killer was, and the other person that knew was standing right in that room. At that point Wyatt got annoyed and started to march Quinn out, saying that out interrogation time was over. However, Trevor and I stopped Wyatt at the doorway by shouting at him, thus making him angry by our choice of words. Wyatt eventually decided that he didn't need to bother with us and went to escort Quinn out, which was when Wyatt got shot. Nobody knows who shot him. We talked to Wyatt and Wyatt asked where my mom was, which made me suspicious, and so then I asked Listette if she knew what he was talking about. Listette refused to tell me anything about that or who the killer is. She ended up running the other direction in fear, saying that she couldn't say anything or the killer would go after her and she'd be the next victim. Wyatt then talked to us some more, gave Quinn the key to the handcuffs, and then was whisked away by the ambulance. I took off Quinn's handcuffs and then we followed Quinn to your house." I explain.

"So since Listette said that someone else in your little area knew who the killer was, she was implying that the other person is Wyatt?" Esmee asks.

"Right." I nod and take another sip of my coffee.

"I wonder why Wyatt didn't just come out and say who it is." Esmee frowns.

"I know, that's been bothering me too, so has the fact that he mentioned Kimberly's mother." Quinn clenches his jaw.

Esmee's green eyes bore into mine as if she's searching my soul for some kind of answer. Her lips curl into a satisfactory smile and her eyes never leave mine as she takes another sip of her coffee. I raise an eyebrow at her in curiosity, but more of out panic. What could she possibly have figured out about me that's so important? More importantly, how could she find out just by looking at me? As if sensing my thoughts Esmee shakes her head slightly and her blonde curls bounce around. I find myself stilling and my grip on the coffee mug turns into a deadly one. Quinn eyes me from where he's sitting and his brows scrunch together in worry as he notices me clenching my coffee cup as if it's all I have left. Trevor, however, remains oblivious to all of this.

"I have a feeling that you want to visit your dad." Esmee breaks the tension ever so slightly.

"How did you-"

"The news." She cuts me off.

"Oh, I should've figured," I sigh, "Yeah, I want to see him. He's innocent and I know it. He hasn't been around for a long time and when he reached out to me I know that he had good intentions. I just don't know why he felt the need to go snooping around my college, especially after Andi died."

Trevor's eyes get a glazed over look in them after I mention Andi and it causes my heart to clench in sympathy.

"Of course," Esmee nods, "You should go see him. You can do that tomorrow morning."

"I can't." I frown.

"Why not?" Esmee inquires.

"I have classes tomorrow." I continue to frown.

"No can do." Quinn says from beside me.

"Excuse me?" I turn to face him.

"There's no way I'm allowing you to go to that college right now, especially alone. Either way, you aren't going." Quinn states.

"What," I scoff, "I can't fail the term, Quinn! I know it's risky, but I have to go to class, I have to! I've already missed classes due to Wyatt and my mom going missing! Do you honestly think I can miss any more of them?"

"I think that you're safety is more important." Quinn sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"You're parenting me right now, Quinn, and you're only one year older than I am." I narrow my eyes at him.

"Quinn's right." Trevor says in a strained tone.

"But I-"

"Kimberly." Quinn frowns and sadness flickers in his eyes.

"Why are you such a pain in the butt." I mutter and go back to drinking my coffee.

"You love me and you know it." Quinn chuckles.

My eyes can't help but widen at his choice of words and I almost, almost, choke on my coffee. I know that he's just joking like he usually does, but his words seem to have more to them than the usual tease. And it doesn't help that I'm fairly certain the bridge of my nose is about the color of my shirt right about now. My gaze lands on Esmee and she has the same knowing look on her face that she had just minutes ago. Could she really be that intuitive?

"Looks like she'll have to go out in public tomorrow though, Quinn." Esmee counters.

"To talk to her dad, yeah," Quinn sighs, "I just want us to avoid being in public as much as possible for now, but visiting her dad is something she needs to do. I'll be sure to go with her."

"I should probably stay here with Esmee, after all, like you said, the less public appearance the better." Trevor smiles weakly.

"Alright," Esmee sits down her mug, "We should all get some rest then. Tomorrow should prove to be an interesting day."

The rest of us nod and agree with her. Esmee guides us upstairs to the second story and shows us around.

"There are three bedrooms, my room and two guest rooms. Two of you will have to share. Then the bathroom is straight across the hall from my room if you need to use it. Go into my room and pull any pranks while I'm sleeping and you'll be a dead man in the morning. That means you, Trevor," Esmee shoots him a sharp look and he chuckles, "If you need me just knock. G'night."

We watch her head down the hall before we all turn to look at each other. Trevor's lips twitch into a playful smile as him and Quinn share a look.

"I'll just," Trevor slowly backs up to one of the room's doors, "Be taking this room then."

Before either of us can protest he swiftly opens the door, goes in the room, and locks the door behind him.

"Well then," I turn to Quinn, "Looks like we're sharing."

"Looks like it." Quinn smiles.