CHAPTER 6: Wanted: Dead or Alive
(Betty's POV)
"Yes," he says. "I am."
The words hang in the air between us.
A killer.
I am standing in my kitchen with a killer.
My back is against the wall. My hands are shaking. My heart is pounding so hard I feel it in my throat.
He does not move toward me. He just stands there. Bleeding. Watching.
"You should go," I say.
"Where?"
"I do not care. Just leave."
"If I leave, they find me. And then they find you."
"I will take that risk."
He shakes his head.
"You do not understand."
"Then explain it to me."
He opens his mouth.
A knock cuts him off.
Loud. Heavy. Official.
My blood turns to ice.
Adrain's eyes snap to the door. His body goes rigid. His hand moves toward his waist. Reaching for something that is not there.
"Do not," I whisper.
He looks at me.
"If that is them," he says quietly, "you open the door. You act normal. You know nothing."
"I cannot lie to the police."
"You already did."
My stomach drops.
Another knock. Harder.
"Miss Cooper! NYPD!"
They know my name. They know where I live.
I look at Adrain.
He looks at me.
"Go," he says.
I do not move.
"Betty. Go."
I walk to the door. My legs feel like they belong to someone else. My hand hovers over the handle.
Behind me, I hear movement.
I turn around.
He is gone.
The bathroom door is closed.
He moved so fast. So quiet. Like he has done this before.
I take a breath. Then another.
I open the door.
Two officers stand there. Uniforms. Badges. Guns.
"Miss Betty Cooper?" the taller one asks.
"Yes."
"We are looking for a suspect," he says. His eyes scan past me, into my apartment. "We have reason to believe he was spotted in this area."
My throat is dry. My tongue feels thick.
"What kind of suspect?"
"Adrain Blake."
The name hangs in the air. Heavy. Dangerous.
I grip the door tighter.
"I have not seen anyone," I say.
The officer looks at me. Long. Hard. Like he is trying to read my soul.
"You mind if we take a look inside?"
Everything in me screams.
Say no. Say no and they will break the door down. Say yes and they find him.
I step aside.
"Of course."
The officers walk in. Their boots are heavy on my floor. Too loud. Too real.
I watch them move through my home. The living room. The kitchen. The bedroom.
The bathroom door is still closed.
One of them reaches for the handle.
My lungs stop working.
He opens the door.
Looks inside.
Closet. Shower. Window.
"Clear," he says.
I almost collapsed.
The officer turns to me.
"Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am. Sorry for the disturbance."
"It is fine," I say.
My voice is steady.
I do not know how.
They walk out.
The door closes.
The lock clicks.
I stand there. Frozen.
The bathroom door opens.
Adrain steps out.
He is pale. Sweating. His hand pressed against his side.
The bandage is red again.
"They are gone," I whisper.
"I know."
"You hid in the bathroom."
"Small space. Easy exit."
I stare at him.
"I just lied to the police," I say.
"Yes."
"For you."
"Yes."
"I could lose my medical license."
"I know."
"They could arrest me."
"I know."
I take a step toward him. My hands are shaking. My whole body is shaking.
"Why did you not just turn yourself in?"
He looks at me. Those dark eyes. So tired. So heavy.
"Because if I go to jail," he says quietly, "the man who framed me wins. And I cannot let that happen."
I shake my head.
"I do not even know who you are."
He takes a step closer.
"You know enough."
"I know nothing."
"You know I did not run when you opened that door. You know I trusted you to lie for me. And you know you did it anyway."
I open my mouth. Close it.
He is right.
"You just became an accomplice, Betty," he says quietly. "There is no going back now."