Page 34 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“How about tomorrow? I will drop by.”

“Okay.”

“Chloe, is everything okay? Please don’t lie to me,” he asked like he could see through me from the phone.

I stayed silent, playing with the ribbon someone had tied on the railing leading to the steps outside. “No,” I admitted, almost breaking down. “I feel like I’m dying every second. I’m so scared.”

“Can I come by now?”

“No. I’m working.”

“When do you get off?”

“Ten.”

“I will meet you at your place. I will be leaving the office late. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“What do you want me to get you? You have varieties of comfort food. Which one do you need?”

I laughed through the tears. I was lucky to have him in my life.

“Chipotle will do.”

“Gotcha. I will see you in a few hours. Remember that horrendous twerk video I found on your laptop three years ago?”

“Don’t you dare, Adrian,” I groaned.

“Replay the video in your head when you feel like crying,” he said, and I burst out laughing.

“Thank you,” I whispered with a smile.

We exchanged good-byes and hung up. I was feeling so down. I tried my best to maintain a nice smile at the customers as I walked back into the diner.

At eight-thirty p.m., I got off work since there weren’t many customers in the diner. I decided to visit Mrs. Porter. It was time to bring my baby home. Kayden wasn’t a secret anymore. I just had to figure out how to take care of my job and be there for him. I could ask my manager if it would be okay to bring him to the diner, but I wasn’t sure that would work. Kayden never stayed in one place, and he was very loud.

I took the bus. The guy who sat next to me tried flirting with me, but I ignored him like he was invisible. I stopped at a store and got Kayden his favorite candy bar. I could hear a police siren as I walked into the neighborhood.

My heart thumped against my chest when I saw three police cars and an ambulance parked in front of Mrs. Porter’s house. A few of the neighbors were outside. I walked faster toward them with my heart racing and body trembling.

“She is the one.” The lady speaking to a cop pointed at me.

I stopped in my tracks, confused and scared. Two officers approached me.

“What happened? Where is Mrs. Porter?” I asked as they got closer.

“You are sure she is the one?” the officer asked the lady who had just pointed at me, and she nodded.

“Yes, she’s the only one who visits her,” another lady said with tears falling down her chubby cheeks.

“She was the last person I saw entering her house. You just couldn’t wait for her to kick the bucket, huh? You knew she’d will everything to you,” an old lady said. I didn’t miss the distaste in her voice.

“I’m sorry. What is going on?” I asked as one of the cops grabbed my arm.

“You need to come with us to the station for questioning on the murder of Mrs. Brie Porter,” he said politely.

“Murder? Mrs. Porter is dead?” I asked, staring at the neighbors. “What happened to Mrs. Porter?” I inquired, trying to go into the house but the huge officer held me back.

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