Prime Suspect: A Psychological Thriller With A Twist You Won’t See Coming

by Cole Baxter

  "No," I said. "Not the fire at my former home and not his eventual murder. Devon obviously faked his own death with the fire. And I witnessed Ellis’s confession to murdering Devon. The only thing I am guilty of is helping Blake to clear my name."

  "And Blake accepted your help?" Sam asked.

  "He did," I replied. "I suspect in the beginning, it was under the premise of getting closer to me in hopes that I would admit what he thought I had done. But it turned out that we were pretty aligned in finding out the truth."

  "Yeah," Anna said as she wrote her own notes. "And you had nothing to do with anything Ellis Whitman was planning?"

  "No, I did not," I said. "Once we found out about Devon's murder, we came here to urge you both to arrest Ellis Whitman, but when we found out you didn't have enough evidence, we decided to—"

  "You agreed to set up a sting on Ellis," Anna interrupted, her voice steady and sure. "And that will be noted in my report. Is there anything else you need to tell us?"

  "No, I think you know everything else after that point," I said. "Can I go now?"

  "Not quite yet," Anna said and turned to Sam. "I think that's all we have for questioning right now, isn't it?"

  Sam shrugged. "We should wait until we hear what Mr. Whitman says," he replied.

  "Yes," Anna replied. "I think that is a good idea. So, Laurie, you can't leave just yet, but we can move you to a more comfortable room to wait."

  “Okay," I said. I was a little nervous now, but Anna reached across the table and patted my hand.

  "It's fine," she said. "I'm not officially allowed to tell you that. But . . . it's okay. Come on, we'll get you into the conference room."

  "Thanks," I said, standing up and following her out of the room. She led me to the room where they'd first brought me when all this started. I sat down and settled back into the chair. "I guess I'll just . . . get comfortable."

  Anna smiled at me. "For the time being," she said. "I promise it won't be long."

  “Okay," I replied. "Can I have a cup of coffee while I wait?"

  The old me would never have asked for something like that, but the new me knew she was doing them a favor, so she wasn't afraid to ask.

  "Of course." Anna got me a cup of coffee and then promised to be back soon.

  They hadn't taken my phone, so I was able to text Blake.

  Hey, I texted. How's it going?

  Are you all right? he asked me.

  I'm fine, I assured him. Just been shooting the shit with Sam and Anna.

  Oh, yeah, he said. Totally a thing that you do every day. They're going to examine Ellis now. I'm certain they will get another confession out of him. Just sit tight, baby.

  Maybe we could finish that movie? I asked. When we get home?

  That'd be great, he responded.

  I waited a little while longer, and then I got up to stretch my legs. I remembered that there were cameras in these rooms, so I tried not to act too weird. I knew this wasn't exactly the time to break out into tap dancing, but I had an overwhelming urge to just move around.

  Luckily for me, Sam and Anna came in after just a short period.

  "All right, Laurie, we've got everything we need," Sam said. "You're free to go."

  Even though I had been expecting and hoping for that, I was sure that my eyes nearly fell out of my head.

  "Really?" I said in disbelief.

  "Yep," Anna said. "You're officially clear."

  "Of everything?" I asked.

  "Of everything," Anna assured me.

  I couldn't help but grin. I went to her and gave her a tight hug. "Thank you," I said. "For everything."

  "Of course," she said.

  I turned to Sam and held out my hand. To my surprise, he gave me a tight hug as well.

  "Thank you," I said to him.

  "Please take care of Blake," he said to me. "I'm sure I'll see him around . . . but he seems like he's going to be better because you're in his life."

  “I'll do my best," I replied. "But I'm sure he'll be better because you two are in his life too. We can't heal until we face our fears."

  "And good luck with your next book," Sam said.

  I grinned as I left. I knew that I shouldn't be thinking this, but I couldn't wait to write all of this in my new book.

  "Hey," Blake said as I came out of the conference room. I had been thinking so much about my next book that I hadn't even noticed him. He gave me a hug and I felt so comfortable in his arms.

  "Hey," I said to him. "How's it going?"

  "Pretty good," he said. "But I'm not the one who just got interrogated. How are you, really?"

  "I'm all right," I said. "To be honest, I wasn't thinking about the trauma of any of this. I was thinking of how good this next book will be."

  He snorted and shook his head. "Of course, you were," he said. "Of course, you were. I'm so proud of you, Laurie. Did I ever tell you that?"

  "What?" I asked. "Of course, you did."

  "No, I don't think I have," he said and looked into my eyes. "At least, I don't think I have said it and really meant it as much as I do now. You are amazing."

  "Mmm." I snuggled my head into his shoulder. We stayed that way for a while, and he squeezed me tightly.

  "I didn't think I'd ever feel all right in this office again," he said. "But you're changing everything."

  "We can go," I said. "I think you need to make new memories."

  "You know what?" he said. "I want to take you to meet Lola."

  I knew what this meant, and I looked up at him. "Really?" I asked.

  He nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "Is that all right?"

  "Of course, it's all right," I said. "I can't wait to meet her."

  "Great," he said and took my hand.

  I knew that this must be hard for him, but I tried to keep things upbeat as he led me to his car. "Where is she?" I asked.

  "Moonlit Paths," he said. "She always thought it was the most beautiful place. I always told her that was weird . . . but now, I get it. When I visit her at night, I understand why she saw it as beautiful. Maybe she knew she would end up there one day."

  "What about you?" I asked quietly as we drove. "Where do you want to end up if something happens?"

  "I don't know," he said. "I mean . . . I wanted to be with her for the longest time . . . but to be honest, that was before I met you."

  "I think that we'll all be together in the afterlife," I admitted. "So, I don't think you have to worry about much. And . . . I don't want to be buried, anyway."

  "No?" he asked. "You want to be cremated?"

  "Yeah," I said. "And I want my ashes scattered in the wind. I don't want to be in one place the rest of my existence. I want to be free."

  "That makes sense," he said as we drove. Traffic was remarkably light, and we were there in almost no time at all. "But you're free now, Laurie."

  "Yeah," I said. "I still haven't wrapped my head around the fact that Devon isn't coming after me anymore."

  "Would it help if we visited his grave?" Blake asked. "Whenever he gets put in the ground?"

  "Only if I can stomp on it," I said. "I don't need even one memory of him in my life anymore."

  "Atta girl," he said as we pulled up to the cemetery.

  It was a huge cemetery and I had never been inside. It was certifiably beautiful, in an eerie sort of way. There were so many trees, and the paths went every which way. Blake sat there with the engine off for a little while, and I didn't want to rush him.

  After a long moment, though, I put my hand in his.

  "Are you all right?" I asked.

  "Yeah," he said and gave me a half smile.

  "Look, we don't have to do this if you don't want to," I said. "Seriously, if you're not comfortable, we can—"

  "No," he said and took a deep breath. "We have to do this."

  "Sure," I said. "As long as you're comfortable."

  "To be honest," he said and gave me a lopsided grin, "I never thought that I'd be introducing my new
girlfriend to my old one."

  "Is that what I am?" I asked him.

  "My girlfriend?" he asked and took my hand. "Yes, if you want to be?"

  "Yes," I said. "Yes, I think I want to be."

  "Well, then," he said. "That's what I'll say to Lola."

  Hand in hand, we got out of the car and headed up the treeline. The graveyard was old, and I could see some of the graves were crumbling. It made me sad because there were so many forgotten stories here. I wondered if that could be my next project after I finished this book, finding out the history of some of these crumbling graves and telling their stories. It could be interesting. Maybe, once my second book was really out there, I could start on this. Maybe I could be a real author, not just someone sharing her life story. Maybe this was something that was really possible now that I was free.

  The old me never would have dreamed like this. The new me, though, saw endless possibilities.

  When we got to a well-cared-for grave, Blake paused and put his hand on it.

  Lola McDonald. Beloved Daughter, Sister, and Partner.

  "Hey, Lola," he said softly. "This is awkward, but you always loved awkward situations, didn't you? You were the queen of embracing that. So, this is Laurie . . . and I . . . well, she's very special to me."

  "Hi, Lola," I said as we both sat on the ground. "I've heard so many good things about you. I wanted you to know that I'm going to take good care of Blake while we're both on this side of the curtain."

  I wasn't sure how long we sat there. We made conversation with Lola and with each other. I supposed that someone else would have found it really weird, but I didn't find it weird at all. I found it charming, and I thought it was really nice that Blake brought me here. It meant that he thought I would be in his life for a long time.

  I hoped that I would be in his life for a long time. I hoped that we could visit Lola's grave in ten years, and twenty and fifty. It was such an odd dream, but it seemed to be something that could tie us together.

  Eventually, Blake got up from his spot on the ground and helped me up as well.

  "Thank you for doing this," he said to me as we said our goodbyes to Lola.

  "Of course," I said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. I hope you don't mind, now that you've shown me where she is, if I come on my own sometimes."

  "That's really nice of you," he said. "I don't mind. But what would you do?"

  "Get the dirt on you, of course," I said. "Sometimes, girls just need to talk."

  "Oh, no," he groaned as we walked down the path again. "This was a mistake."

  I chuckled and leaned on his shoulder as we walked.

  "It's okay," I said. "I'm sure she only has good things to say."

  "Depends what kind of mood she's in." He chuckled as we got back in the car. "Now, where would you like to go?"

  "Well," I said. "If I remember correctly, you did say that we'd finish that movie."

  "That's true," he said. "We could maybe get a pizza?"

  "Yes," I said as he started the engine. "I think that sounds like a perfect evening."

  "And tomorrow?" I asked him. "We start a new life?"

  "I'll have to help wrap up the case," he said. "But I think that after that, we can do whatever we want."

  "Well, that's exciting," I said with a grin. "What are we going to do?"

  "I don't know," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "And that's the best part."

  "Yeah," I said and leaned against the seat as we drove. "Yeah. It is."

  The sun was setting, and I could already tell that it would be a beautiful night. I didn't know what the future would bring, but as long as Blake was with me, I felt like anything was possible.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Blake

  I had to go to headquarters today, but I felt a lot better about the whole situation driving there. Normally, when I would visit headquarters, I felt a knot in my stomach. I felt like I would throw up. Today, however, I felt free. Laurie was free and it seemed that I was too.

  I parked in the parking lot and I actually whistled as I walked up the stairs. I normally took the elevator, but I didn't even care today. I wanted to get some exercise. I wanted a clear head and I wanted to feel like I had a future, not just a past.

  When I walked into the office, it looked like always. There was noise, and phones ringing, and people talking. Some of the officers were in uniform and some of them weren't. Some of them were happy and some of them were angry. It looked like a normal workday.

  After Lola had died, that was what got me the most. I couldn't see how anyone could just carry on. I couldn't understand how the world could just keep spinning when she was gone. I couldn't understand how anyone could even consider being alive when she was six feet under.

  Now, I understood exactly how it happened. The world kept turning and the sun rose, no matter what. The world went on because it had to. The world was mine to conquer now, and I had to do it in her memory.

  But I also had to do it for myself. I had a new purpose now, and a new reason to smile.

  "Hey," Sam said when I got to his desk. "You're scaring me. I honestly didn't expect you to come in today."

  "Why not?" I asked. "I mean, we have to wrap everything up, don't we?"

  "We do," he said as he shut down his computer. "But normally, you're—"

  "A drunken mess?" I asked him, arching a brow.

  He shrugged with a smile. "You said it, not me."

  "Yeah, yeah," I said. "I'm all right, though. Really. I just want to get things wrapped up and head back home."

  "Laurie waiting for you?" he teased.

  I smiled. "Maybe."

  "Don't get me wrong, Blake," Sam said. "I think it's a good thing, your being with Laurie."

  "That's good," I said. "Because I think it's a pretty damn good thing too."

  "Good," he said and picked up the case file he needed.

  "How's, uh . . . things?" I asked as we headed to the conference room.

  He gave me a funny look. "What?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

  "Are you and Anna . . . ?"

  He looked like he wanted to throw up. "No," he said. "Anna and I are not a thing."

  Anna appeared then as if she had heard us.

  "Blake thinks we're a thing?" she asked and looked equally green.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I said as I held up my hands. "I just thought—"

  "Ew, you thought so wrong," Anna said as she handed Sam a bunch of papers. "Besides, I don't swing that way."

  "You, uh . . . don't?" I asked.

  Sam shook his head and grinned at me.

  "Jesus," I said. "I mean, I don't care, but you know that you two have kept me guessing. You could have told me earlier and just put me out of my misery wondering—wait, didn't you say you'd had a boyfriend?"

  "I did," Anna said. "And I discovered that wasn't for me."

  "Oh, my God," I said. "I seriously wondered every night."

  "Good, it kept you busy," Sam said with a smile. "And kept you from drinking."

  "It made me drink," I commented, and they both laughed. "Just give me the paperwork. I want to be done with it."

  "All right, all right." Sam chuckled.

  Anna couldn't stop laughing.

  I was glad that they found it hilarious because I certainly didn't. I signed the papers that I needed and then finished up some notes.

  "Did you want, uh . . . some more work?" Sam asked.

  I paused for a moment. I had once told myself that I wouldn't take any more work from the police, but things felt different now. "Maybe," I said. "What have you got?"

  "I don't have anything right now," Sam said. "But I just thought I'd ask. In case you wanted to be written off forever."

  "I don't think so," I said. "Maybe one day, but not now."

  "Good," Sam said. "I'm sure we'll have something for you soon."

  I signed the last piece of paper and then slid it across to him. He looked it over and then put it in the file.

>   "File it away," Anna said. "It's case closed."

  "Oh, I'm taking orders from you now?" he asked with a grin. "I see."

  "How are you doing, Blake?" Anna asked. "Are you all right these days?"

  "Do you mean, am I a hot drunken mess?" I asked. "Sam already asked me that. And I would say I'm getting better. I haven't stopped cold turkey . . . but it's getting better."

  "Baby steps," Anna said.

  I met her eyes. "Thank you," I said. "For everything that you did."

  "Of course," she said with a shrug. "It was the least I could do."

  "No," I said. "You didn't owe me anything, and I treated you like garbage. You were the good person in this scenario."

  "Just doing my job," Anna said with a shrug. "Besides, it was kind of exciting. It was like watching my own personal movie. Everyone was running around the office and I was sitting here like la-la-la, watching a movie. And then, oh shit, back up."

  I laughed out loud at that. I supposed I had been such a jerk to her that I hadn't realized she was hilarious. Anna decided to go file the paperwork away, no doubt to be editorialized, and it left Sam and me alone in the room.

  "So?" he asked. "Until we call you, do you have anything lined up?"

  "Not yet," I said. "Laurie and I are thinking about getting away for a while."

  "Hey," he said. "That's good. Where to?"

  "I don't know," I said. "Somewhere warm and quiet."

  "Do it," he said. "I'm sure that the real world will call you both back soon."

  "Oh, yeah," I said and stood up to shake his hand. "Thank you, Sam."

  "Thank you," he said.

  I quirked my eyebrow. "For what?" I asked. "I mean, I was pretty much a mess who broke all the rules and pushed you to your limits."

  "I know," he said. "But . . . if you hadn't done any of that, where would we be? We'd be a hot mess and probably still trying to crack the case."

  "Well, that's good," I said. "Maybe we make a good team."

  "We kind of do," he said. "Anyway, take care of yourself, Blake. Until next time."

  "Until next time," I said and then turned to him. "Oh, hey, whatever happened to Mrs.—"

  Before I could finish her name, Shannon Whitman herself walked into the office. I turned to Sam as I caught sight of her through the glass.