Page 153 of Not Quite Dead Yet

A black hole that spread from her chest, hungry, taking every last bit of her with it.

Leaving her with just Billy’s pale eyes.

That frozen, distant look in them as he’d walked away from her. The last time she’d ever see him, and he’d ever see her.

Who would have thought, this time last week, that Billy Finney would be her most important thing?

Not just poor, sweet Billy. So much more than that.

Home.

But this was where she was going to die. Here. In this holding cell. Meant to be temporary, not a tomb.

A door creaked, footsteps, lots of them, echoing down the corridor, getting closer.

Jet sniffed, stood up. She walked to her bars, peered through.

Four men. Two in uniform, two not. One with his hands cuffed behind his back, being escorted through.

‘JJ?’ Jet said, face pushed up against the bars.

‘Jet?’ His head snapped in her direction, eyes dark and panicked, brows drawing together, confused. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Don’t speak to her,’ Detective Ecker growled, tightening his grip on JJ’s elbow.

‘Doesn’t matter,’ Jet said as the tangle of men passed her cell.

‘They’re taking me to the judge.’ JJ tried to stop in front ofher, struggling against Ecker and the chief. ‘They’re charging me. It wasn’t me, Jet. I didn’t do that to you.’

‘Move!’ Ecker barked.

‘I know,’ Jet said.

‘I wanted to call you. They wouldn’t let me call you.’

JJ grunted as the chief shoved him against the wall, moving him on.

Jet pushed her face through the bars, watched them go, JJ pinned between the chief and Ecker, Jack Finney two steps behind, blocking JJ from view.

‘I wanted to tell you I was sorry,’ JJ’s voice trailed back, strained, fighting. ‘About the loan. It was for Henry, I was desperate. I’m sorry.’

‘I know,’ Jet said again, head spooling around one of those unanswered questions. Last chance to ask it. ‘Wait, JJ, did you touch me at the fair?’ she called through the bars. ‘When you were wearing the red wig, did you grab my arm? I can’t remember.’

‘Keep moving.’

‘No, I didn’t – didn’t touch you. And I didn’t do it! And I’m sorry that you –’

The door crashed shut at the far end, taking JJ away; Jet heard it, couldn’t see that far.

‘I know,’ she whispered, because she wasn’t the only one who was going to die in a cell.

JJ didn’t do it, and Jet didn’t either, but she couldn’t scream about it anymore, there was nothing left.

Well, there wassomethingleft.

One set of footsteps, coming back.

It was Billy’s dad, stopping in front of her cell, sharing a sad smile.