Let Me Put You In The Picture: Version 1

Chapter 161

                  

"I can't do it today." I said as we sat in the living room of the hotel room. "I'm going to visit Matt."

            "We need to go over your statement-"

            "No we don't. I've already gone over it with the police-"

            "But you haven't gone over it with a solicitor." She reminded me.

            I rolled my eyes.

            "Look, Jules. This is for your own good."

            "Did you forget about all the frickin' times I've done this before?!" I exclaimed.

            "No but-"

            "You're nosey as shit, Fiona. Don't try to play me for a fool."

            She sighed. "I'm not." She assured me. "But we should really go and discuss this with Raoul-"

            "Raoul isn't even a part of this anymore!" I said. "They let Liam go, remember?"

            "Yes but he still has to testify. And so do you."

            Fiona and I went to Raoul's office leaving Noel and Liam behind at the hotel. Raoul and Fiona both thought it best not to let Liam listen in when I was questioned. They worried it might look bad. I think they and possibly the police were trying to keep Liam on his toes. He'd been let off because people really did believe he was innocent but his mind definitely wasn't free.

            "The defense will accuse you of having an affair, you know that." Raoul informed me after Fiona and I sat down in his office.

            "Yeah. I know." I replied.

            "And they'll probably bring up what happened with that boy in England. That Tom. He's the same age as Matt, you know."

            "No kidding! In all my years of searching crap on Wikipedia, I never put two and two together."

            He pursed his lips in distaste at my sarcasm.

            "What you want me to say, Raoul?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "You want me to tell Steve I'm pregnant? Get him to call me a slut so he'll say he had a good reason for doing what he did? Maybe he'll take it a step further and say he hit the wrong person. That he should've saved that gun for me-"

            "Come on, Jules!" He said. "Let's not be dramatic."

            "I'm not being dramatic. You all are the ones that want the drama. I just want this to be over and for Matt to be okay." Tears started to cloud my eyes. "There was no reason for this."

            "I know." Fiona said softly as she grabbed my hand.

            I recounted that fateful night with both Fiona and Raoul listening intently. Part of me believed they really were trying to help. The other part believed they just wanted to get the scuttle.

            "No that's okay." I told Fiona when we were getting ready to leave Raoul's office. "Liam and Noel are coming to pick me up."

            And when the clock struck the scheduled time, a taxi pulled up to the curb...missing a passenger.

            "Where's Liam?" I asked curiously.

            "Said he was gonna wait for ya at the hotel and told me to go and get ya myself." Noel replied. He shook his head as he thought about it.