Page 38 of Say Now
"You sued them because you thought it might be connected?"Claire asked.
"I mentioned it to my lawyer, and he said something about negligence.If Artie was sure people were after him, he should have been taken off the streets, but when the investigation happened, he hadn't told anyone what he told me.I don't think the case would have gone anywhere, but then I got the phone call."
"And you thought that whoever was after Arturo might be coming after you?"
"I don't know what I thought.I wasn’t thinking straight with anything back then, but I remember feeling scared.Whoever it was, they meant it, and if they were the same person who threatened Artie, then he would have known they meant it, too."
"Someone from the police?"Claire asked.
"It has to be if they wanted the investigation dropped," Alison said."The only question is what he knew."
"How does that connect to what Tommy’s doing now?"Claire asked.
Alison shook her head."I don't know.Maybe it doesn’t connect.Maybe we’re looking at two separate things here.We don't know if Tommy knows about any of this.Arturo would have gone to visit him, but would he have admitted fearing for his life to him?
"I don't know," Lizzy said."I never spoke to Tommy about it.I never spoke to anyone about it until now."
"Maybe Tommy was threatened, too," Claire suggested."Someone threatens him, and he changes his behavior.Then, when he gets out, he goes after the person who threatened him?That’s what all of this is?Does that even make sense?"
"No, it doesn’t," Alison admitted."We have two puzzles that don't fit together, and I think the only person who knows if they fit or not is currently on the run."
"I know he’s going to prison for the rest of his life, but I don't want his life taken from him," Lizzy said."You promised me that you wouldn’t let anything happen to him.I know he has to go to prison, but please don't let him die."
"I promise that we will do all we can to protect him," Alison said.
It felt weird for her to be promising the protection of a serial killer.
Lizzy reached out and took Alison’s hand."Thank you.And bless you."
"Thank you for talking to us," Alison said."If you hear from Tommy at all, call me or Special Agent Martinez.We will bring him safely, okay."
"Okay."There were tears in Lizzy’s eyes.
"We can show ourselves out," Alison said.
They left the house, glancing down the street at the cop still sitting there.
"What now?"Claire asked.
"Now, we wait," Alison said.
***
Alison lay on the motel bed, looking up at the cracks in the ceiling.They were the perfect metaphor for the case.One spot with all the branching cracks that led to nothing.Her phone lay on the bed beside her as she spoke to Derek.Their nightly calls helped to ground her and reset her thoughts.
"I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, and I don't even know if it is bad news, but Morris Bridges was moved to solitary confinement today after a fight with another inmate," Derek said.
"And the other guy?"Alison asked.
"A hospital bed," Derek said."From what I heard, the move to solitary is more for his protection than anyone else’s.There’s a worry about retaliation.I’m in contact with the prison, and I’m trying to have them keep Morris away from everyone else, but I can't guarantee I can make that happen."
"As soon as we have Tommy in custody, I can fly back there," Alison said."I only hope they catch him quickly.If it takes too long, I can fly back to speak with Morris and then fly back here to wrap things up.I just think there are some complications, and I don't know if they’ll come to light."
"What complications?"Derek asked.
Alison didn't know what the complications were yet, and she knew that Derek would safeguard them.However, if law enforcement was negatively involved in the case and it came out, she didn't want to say anything that might affect a future court case—the fewer people who knew about the intricacies of the case, the better.
For now.
