Page 86 of Every Step She Takes

Justice Kane and Isabella Morales.

Holy shit.

My phone vibrates. It’s PCTracy. I’m about to tell him what I’ve learned. Then I stop myself. This was Isabella’s secret, hers and Justice’s, and neither of them deserves my betrayal.

PCTracy:Got something for you. I’ve confirmed Colt’s destination that night. New Haven, Connecticut. He landed at 10:10 p.m., which would get him to NYC around midnight.

LlamaGirl:Damn.

PCTracy:I know you aren’t ready to meet in person, so I’m NOT pestering about that. But have we reached the point where I can ask for your full story? It will really help.

LlamaGirl:You mean what happened to me 14 years ago?

PCTracy:That is up to you. If it relates to this, then tell me whatever you’re comfortable with. I mean the night of Isabella’s death, though. What really happened.

It takes a moment to realize I still haven’t shared that. Without knowing my side of the story, he’s blindfolded, feeling his way through the situation.

LlamaGirl:It will help to understand the beach party incident because it launched everything. That’s awkward for me, though.

PCTracy:No judgment here. To me, it’s data. You slept with a movie star when you were eighteen. That’s public record. What matters is that the affair led to you being in NYC to meet with Isabella, which led to her death.

LlamaGirl:The public record is wrong. I didn’t have sex with Colt. I know that doesn’t matter in the larger scheme of things, but it matters to me.

PCTracy:Did Isabella know the truth?

LlamaGirl:I told her in a letter fourteen years ago. She never read it. So she first heard it Sunday.

PCTracy:Then it IS significant. For now, just tell me whatever you’re comfortable with.

I do. When I finish my story, there’s no answer for so long that I wonder whether he’s declared me delusional and signed off.

PCTracy:So you’re saying nothing happened before that night, during which Colt Gordon got you drunk – possibly doped you – and spirited you off to a hot tub, where he planned to seduce you, whether you wanted it or not?

LlamaGirl:I’m sorry I mentioned it. Rewind. We’ll go with “I slept with a movie star.”

PCTracy:What?

PCTracy:Damn it. I just reread what I wrote. Tone. That’s what we’re missing here, and why it would be better to meet. That wasn’t skepticism, L. It was outrage. You WERE assaulted in that hot tub.

LlamaGirl:I don’t see it that way. I was an adult. I made choices. Bad ones.

PCTracy:Okay. We’re stepping into a quagmire, one I have no right to enter. Short version is that Isabella discovered the truth of that night. Did she think Colt was at fault for what happened?

LlamaGirl:Yes. She would agree with your interpretation. I told her I didn’t, and we agreed to disagree.

PCTracy:And then?

I tell him about Isabella’s plan to go public and my reaction.

PCTracy:I hate to say this, because you liked Isabella, but it could have been a ploy to get back in the spotlight. Her career suffered because of the scandal, and I wouldn’t otherwise begrudge her the chance to get it back. Not at your expense, though.

LlamaGirl:I don’t think she was actively planning that, but yes, it would have given her attention.

PCTracy:It could also have been about revenge. Getting back at Colt.

LlamaGirl:I don’t think so. She wanted to remove him from our story. But yes, Colt would have taken it personally. Everything revolves around him. It’s possible he flew in to talk her out of it. They argued. She died.

PCTracy:Yep. So what happened after you agreed to lunch?