Page 73 of Brutal Prince

Addy looks away, grabs the steering wheel, and straightens her arms. “I didn’t?”

“Tiffany said you two had a huge fight.”

“Tiffany exaggerates about everything.”

“So you didn’t fight?”

Addy licks her lips. “I’ve never seen her that drunk before.” She glances at me and then stares straight ahead again. “But she didn’t want to leave.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

“So your fight had nothing to do with the fact that you both had a thing for Briar?”

Addy’s hands fall into her lap as she lets out a rough laugh. When she turns to me, her eyebrows are arched. “What did you say?”

“You. Briar.” I use the joint to gesture from one side to the other, trailing smoke. “Nothing going on there?”

“Pfft. As if. He’s a fucking prick.”

Which isn’t a no. Not even close.

But I’m also not getting any jelly vibes from her.

“Sure there’s nothing else I need to know?” I lean to the side a little, trying to catch Addy’s eye. “I mean, we are about to go after this guy for rape and murder. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”

Addy grabs the wheel again, and chews on her lip. Then she snatches the last bit of the joint from me and finishes it. When she grinds it out in her ashtray, her long manicured nails come back dusted with gray.

“I…after the cops dropped the case, I went…I kinda went a bit nuts.”

“How nuts?”

Addy shrugs, and then clicks her fingers at the cubby hole. I open it and take out a packet of wet wipes. She plucks one out and cleans her fingers, eyes downcast. “Briar almost got a restraining order against me.”

“Wh-what?” I say through a laugh. “You’re shitting me!”

“I know he did it, Indi. I fucking know it.” Addy’s throat moves as she swallows. “Turns out I was the only one.” When she looks at me, there’s moisture welling on her bottom lids.

“Can you prove it?” I murmur.

Addy’s silent for the longest time.

“Addy?”

“Proof,” she says. “Everyone always wants fucking proof. We don’t live in a perfect world. If we did, people wouldn’t get away with shit like this.”

She blinks fast, and then turns away to stare out the window.

“I hear you,” I murmur.

My mom’s murder case is still open, but before I left Lakeview, the police told me they had no suspects. Despite the mess the thief had made, he hadn’t left much useful evidence behind besides a partial fingerprint, and it wasn’t in the system.

Either it was his first crime, or it was the first time he was careless enough to leave a clue.

I don’t know if Mom’s murderer will ever be found, and even if he is, who knows if he’ll get the justice he deserves? I hear about cases being thrown out on technicalities all the time.

Cases like Jessica’s.

---