Page 99 of Ms Perfectly Fine
Autumn could hear Aiden and Elijah calling out to her, but she couldn’t find the words to speak as she stared at the woman she’d thought was her friend. Dazed, she thought to kick away the knife from Nina’s hand, just in case.
The door finally gave way, and the bang woke Autumn from her shock. Aiden came in and quickly checked Nina’s pulse. Elijah hurried towards Autumn.
“Is she…?” Autumn trembled, unable to finish the sentence.
“She’s just knocked out. Call the paramedics,” Aiden said to another officer by the door.
Elijah gently led Autumn from the room and out the stage door. The fresh air eased her anxiety, and she leant against Elijah to keep herself warm.
“It was Nina this whole time,” she said, too stunned to cry as a paramedic called them over to one of the ambulances.
“I know. Garrett called the police and tipped them off. With his testimony and Nina’s print, she won’t be released any time soon,” Elijah told her, gesturing for her to sit in the back of the ambulance.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” the paramedic asked, and Autumn shook her head.
“Just my hand. I can’t really feel it, though.”
Elijah’s brow furrowed, but she was used to far worse pain.
“That’s the shock. It’ll probably hurt more tomorrow,” the paramedic said, examining her hand. “It doesn’t need stitches; I’ll clean and dress it.”
“Did you say Garrett knew she was going to do this tonight?” Autumn asked Elijah.
He took a seat beside her, resting a hand on her thigh.
“No, he just said he suspected she was harassing you and he didn’t want to get caught up in it if she did something stupid.”
“Trust Garrett to cover his own arse,” Autumn sniffled, though she thanked him silently for plucking up the courage to tip them off, or they might not have come looking for her when they had.
Elijah wrapped his jacket around her shoulders as the shock finally set in, causing her to tremble. “You’re safe now,” he said, kissing her hair. Autumn rested her head against his chest and heard his heart pounding. He must be doing his best to seem calm.
“Can we go home?” All she wanted to do was go home and sleep. She didn’t think her body or mind could take much more.
“I’ll find out.”
Sasaki was talking to an officer nearby. Autumn couldn’t believe how the success of the night had been so totally ruined for the others because of Nina’s jealousy. Aiden came by while she watched the paramedics carry Nina out and load her into another ambulance. Seeing her friend unconscious, part of her couldn’t help but worry. The friend she cared about had clearly never existed, but it still caused her heart to ache far more than her injured hand.
“Can I take her home?” Elijah asked Aiden.
“Sure. We can take her statement tomorrow,” Aiden said.
Autumn remembered what she’d put in her pocket before striking Nina.
“I don’t think you need it. Here,” she said, showing them her phone clutched tightly in her hand. “I think I got everything, but I can’t be sure.” She handed Aiden the phone. He pressed it against his ear, listening to the recording, his eyes wide.
“You got it; it’s all here,” he marvelled after a moment.
Relief allowed her to rest against Elijah, but then she remembered. “Can you let Heather go? Nina was just using her to cover her tracks.”
“I’ll call the station and have her released immediately,” Aiden agreed. “I’m sorry you were injured. I should have had some officers escort you backstage.”
“Thank you, but there’s no reason to be hard on yourself. Nina was the last person I thought could have been behind it. Does everyone know?” she asked, hoping they didn’t blame her.
“We’ve got everyone gathered inside, taking their statements. Thankfully, the audience was already clear when Elijah notified us that he couldn’t find you. They were all very worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay. It took half a dozen officers to keep them from checking on you when we told them you were safe.”
Autumn smiled, her eyes welling with tears, grateful for their concern and assured of the fact that Nina’s venom wasn’t contagious. Despite all that had happened, hopefully the audience would remember the night positively. She didn’t want all this to affect the theatre.
“Where’s Sasaki?” she asked.
