Matters of the Heart

Chapter 29: The Blame Game

Chapter 29:

The Blame Game

The police station was buzzing with activity. Before they had even walked into the precinct they could see that it was crawling with reporters and special law departments from all over the state. Tanner had called in the big guns. The cop who had led them out there stood on the stairs with his eyes on them.

They stood across the street staring at the building. The structure had an eerie presence to it, like a monster waiting to ingest them. It was weird that a non-living thing could be so intimidating. Ali stopped, unable to find the courage to walk across the street with her friends.

Aria noticed she'd halted and she turned to face her. She reached out and nudged Spencer and Spencer stopped walking, too. They turned back to go get her. Hanna, Caleb, and Ezra followed.

"Ali, what's wrong?" Aria asked.

"I don't know if I want to do this." Ali's throat tightened.

All she could think about was the last time she'd been scrutinized by the police. They had underestimated A then. What if they were repeating old mistakes? She'd gone to prison for a murder she hadn't committed once. She didn't want it to happen again. She hadn't been there for very long, but she still had nightmares about what had happened to her behind bars. The heckling. The beatings. The constant fear that every corner she turned might be her last.

"Hey, we're here for you," Aria assured her.

"Yeah, and if it's any consolation, we'll probably end up sharing a cell with you, so you won't be alone." Hanna shrugged.

"Do me a favor. Never give inspirational speeches to children." Spencer looked at Hanna with a scowl.

"I'm not a killer. I would have never hurt Charlotte. And Sara...I'm not sorry that she's dead, and honestly, I wish I had gotten in a few punches, but...I didn't kill her."

"We know." Aria touched her hand.

"God knows I wanted to. After what she did to Emily..." She was fuming just thinking about it. Sara could have killed her coming after her in the hospital. "It's one thing that she was following her around like a perverted Peeping Thomasina, but to go after her when she was unconscious and vulnerable, it just...it freaks me out to think about it."

"What are you talking about?" Hanna's brow scrunched in confusion.

"She showed up in the hospital when Emily was recovering," Ali replied.

"Sara went after Emily in the hospital?" Spencer's fingers curled into her palm. Her fists tightened.

"She didn't tell you?" Ali asked.

"I guess we've all been a little preoccupied with the whole dollhouse thing with Alexander Drake." Aria nervously played with her fingers.

"I can't believe that bitch messed with Emily like that. If she wasn't dead, I would so kill her right now." Hanna snapped.

"Maybe you should refrain from talking about murdering a girl who was actually murdered," Ezra suggested. "We are fifty feet away from a police station after all."

"I was being hypotheatrical." Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Hypothetical, Hanna." Spencer corrected her. "The word is hypothetical. And you're not even using it correctly."

"Your brain really never does shut off, does it?" Hanna stared back at her.

"It's a good thing it doesn't. I'm about to have to go in there and turn my law knowledge up to critical mass." Spencer pinched her eyebrows together and rubbed her forehead with her fingers. "God, when my mother's competition gets wind of this her entire campaign is going to go down in flames."