Page 86 of Please Remember

"That's quite the imagination you have, Detective."

"Now, you said you confess to putting that camera in Jax's house. You didn't do it to keep an eye on your competition. You did it to see if Allie remembered."

I roll my eyes, deciding not to engage anymore. This is ridiculous and stupid.

"You see, your IP address is what ties you to the house, Laura," Shields says. "The online application for renting that house came from your IP address. Everything was handled online, and the owner never met the renter."

"I think you saw it listed online, and you knew that if someone were to rent it, Heidi Moran's car and body would be found. You applied and rented it, and then you found out Jax was going to propose. It was the perfect scenario."

"Or," I say, inwardly kicking myself for speaking, "Natalie used my internet to apply to rent the house."

Dr. Victor leans back and sighs. "Laura, I think we need to talk about who Natalie really is."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"We talked to the bridal shop where you scheduled an appointment to try on bridesmaid dresses," Shields says. "The workers remember you, and they kept the tape from outside of the dressing rooms because they were concerned. They almost called a welfare check on you."

"What? Why?"

She opens up a laptop and turns it to me as she hits play. On the screen, I see me wearing a bridesmaid dress. I'm talking to someone who doesn't appear to be there, but I wasn't the one trying on dresses.Natalie was. The employees keep giving me strange looks, which I remember because I knew they knew about Jax and me breaking up.

"No, this isn't what happened. Jax... He works with computers. He had to alter this. He's trying to make me look insane," I say. "Natalie tried on dresses, not me."

"Laura, you are Natalie Gill," Dr. Victor says. "Natalie isn't what I would call an imaginary friend. She is an alternate personality that seems to have bridged the gap at times to make you believe she’s real and with you. I believe she was created by your psyche to do all of the bad things Laura wants done. Like killing Ms. Moran and hurting Allie. All to get you closer to Jax."

"No—"

"Danny Tomlin said that the entire time you were involved with each other, you never spoke at school. You'd meet up after, and you always demanded he call you Natalie. It wasn't until he talked to his brother that he realized it was strange, and when he tried to talk to you outside of your rendezvous, you seemed like a completely different person. When you met up that last day of your relationship, he called you Laura, and you slapped him. That was when he ended it," Shields says.

"There are no school records for Natalie Gill. No government records, no social media accounts, and no pictures. The only two things we can find in Natalie's name are the renter's agreement, which did not require a social security number, and the cell phone. All of which ties to you because you pay the phone bill, and the payment for the rent every month comes from your bank account," Dr. Victor says.

I'm paying for Natalie's phone? And the house she kept Allie in? "No, this can't be true. I'd notice if I was paying for Natalie's stuff. I don't make that much."

"Your DNA is in both vehicles, Laura. And the house. When we searched your house, we found the false back to your closet. Inside were three sets of clothes similar to the ones we took from Allie the night she escaped as well as gloves and a mask matching her description of what her captor wore when they came to bring food," Shields says.

"No... this can't be. Natalie... Natalie has to be framing me for this. I didn't do it. I would never do this! The last thing I ever want to do is hurt Jax." My eyes lock directly with Dr. Victor, and something changes. "She didn't do this."

The woman with red hair nods her head. "Hello, Natalie. I've been expecting you to join us."

Chapter Thirty-Six

Allie

The detectives called and said they'd finished processing the scene of the basement. The cellar. The way Parsons sounded on the phone, I knew he realized how wrong he'd been about everything I said. I don't know why, but I blurted out, "I need to see it."

Now, standing outside the house with Jax and our friends, I am not completely certain I want to. I know I need to, but I feel my nerves kick up.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Allie?" Shields asks.

"You said you wanted me to walk you through that night," I say, clearing my throat. "And I need to see the place I lived in for years. Two birds, one stone, right?"

"I'd like to go, too," Sage says. "I've heard... Allie's shared some things, and I... I need to see it. I need to know if what I see in my mind is what is actually down there."

The tremble in her voice tells me she's as scared as I am, and I don't think I ever really considered what it was like for them. To know butnot know. Jax clears his throat, and all three guys raise their hands to signal they'd like to go inside, too.

"Put booties on when you walk through the house. I think you should prepare yourselves, though. It's not going to be easy," Parsons says.

Hearing him, of all people, say this makes my stomach bobble. Maybe this is a bad idea.

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