Page 52 of Degradation
Lu follows me as I limp over and sit in my chair. I open the drawer and find the crumpled note, inadvertently bringing with it the birthday card I found in my mother’s closet weeks ago.
Lu looks at the note and glances at me. ‘What was the video of?’
‘Rob hitting me on repeat.’
She stares at me. ‘This is getting worse. You need to tell someone besides me. This is fucked. This person is dangerous.’
‘Who can I tell?’
‘Shade,’ she says instantly. ‘He might be an asshole, but it’s clear he cares about you. Do youreallythink it could be him?’
I sigh. ‘I don’t know. I don’t want it to be, but I don’t trust myself to see it.’
‘So, pick one of the others. Pick the one you think it’s not, or,’ she stares at the note, ‘pick the one you think it is, and see what happens.’
‘Isn’t that a little dangerous?’ I chuckle.
‘You have a phone. Tell me when it’s happening. I can be close by. I can call someone to help.’
‘Someone?’
Lu shrugs. ‘I have a ton of big, boy cousins who could be here in two minutes if I ask.’
I wrinkle my nose as I think. ‘Maybe,’ I concede.
‘What’s this?’ Lu picks up the card.
‘I found it in my mom’s room. She never sent it, but I know it was meant for me.’
Lu reads it out. ‘Daisy. Happy twenty-second birthday, my darling girl. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant for this. I was trying to prote– I never thought… I know you’ll never read this, that you don’t want to hear from me, but I hope that one day you’ll forgive me.’
She stares at it for a while.
‘I don’t get it.’
‘I don’t either. She wrote it, but it’s like she knew she’d never send it.’
Lu frowns.
‘We never had any contact. Once I was put in that place, I never heard from her again, but Shade said to me that she tried to contact me, that she sent me stuff. I think maybe John made sure we couldn’t talk to each other.’
‘Novelle? Why would he do that?’
I shrug. ‘Because he’s a controlling asshole? Because he wanted my mom to be a mom to his kids, and she gave too much of herself to her messed-up one? I have no idea. But that guy I was talking to at the party, he was at the gala that night when she went off the road. He told me she and John left together, and he was driving.’
Lu’s eyes widen. ‘But he’s not even mentioned as being in the car in the articles about it.’
I nod. ‘I know. I think he killed her and covered it up. He’s rich enough.’
Lu puts the card down. ‘I’m sorry.’
I shrug. ‘I want to find out what he did and expose him. I understand if you don’t want to help me anymore. It’s dangerous. The notes. The fact that it’s John Novelle.’
‘No way.’ Lu puts up her hand. ‘I’m your ride or die, okay? I’m there. I’ll be your Daphne, Thelma.’
I frown.
‘Okay, fine,’ she rolls her eyes. ‘I’ll be Thelma.’
