The Inmate (23)

Our eyes make contact. At this point, it would be worse to ignore her, so I wave hesitantly. “Hi…”

The woman shoots daggers at me with her eyes. “I know you.”

I freeze, not sure how to respond. Does she mean she knows me from when I was out with Tim? Or does she recognize me from all those years ago? I hope it’s the former.

“You’re the woman who was having drinks with Tim the other night,” she says.

I let out a sigh of relief. “Uh, yeah.”

Her lips curl in disgust. “So what are you—his girlfriend?”

“No,” I say quickly. Not that I owe this woman any explanation, but I’d like to get out of this supermarket without her scratching my eyes out with those long red fingernails. “Tim and I are just old friends.”

“Didn’t look that way to me.”

“It’s true.” I look over her shoulder, trying to catch the eye of a security guard. “If you want Tim, he’s all yours. He told me you had a boyfriend though.”

Her face fills with rage. “He was talking about me to you?”

Oh God. “No. Not at all. He just mentioned you went out, but now you had a boyfriend. That’s it.”

Kelli looks completely furious. I can see why Tim wasn’t eager to go out with her again if this is how she behaved. Of course, she seemed super nice around him. I’m sure if they started dating, she would have kept this side of her from him for as long as she could.

“You know,” Kelli says, “Tim brings plenty of girls to the Shamrock. Don’t think you’re so special.”

He does? I don’t know why that revelation makes me sad. Maybe I had been hoping that the other night was more than just drinks with an old friend. “Like I said, it wasn’t a date or anything.”

Kelli narrows her eyes at me. Her lips turn down. “Do we know each other from somewhere else? You seem familiar.”

I try to make my expression blank. “No, I don’t think so. I just moved here.”

Now would be a good time to make a gracious exit, before Kelli figures out who I am. But then her eyes widen into saucers, and I realize I’m too late.

“You’re that girl!” She snaps her fingers. “You’re… Bridget Something. You’re the one who got Shane Nelson sent to prison.”

Of course she’d get my name wrong, but remember the name of the handsome star quarterback perfectly. For a moment, I consider denying the whole thing, but it’s futile. She knows it’s me. “That was a long time ago.”

“That was total bullshit.” Kelli practically spits out the words. “I knew Shane. He was a good guy. He would never have done those things.”

I don’t point out to her that the object of her flirtation, Tim Reese, was even more instrumental in getting Shane sent to prison than I was. But Tim’s transgression was more forgivable than mine because he’s hot.

Anyway, I’m not surprised she’s defending Shane. This is nothing new—plenty of people in Raker, especially people who knew Shane well, were furious at me for testifying against him. Shane was a football star, and everyone loved him. I had been his girlfriend, and people felt I was betraying him. Even if I didn’t have to leave for other reasons, I could never have stayed in Raker after what I did to him.

But I had to testify. I had to tell the truth about that night and get that monster locked away for good.

“You weren’t there that night,” I say quietly.

“I didn’t need to be,” she retorts. “You got it wrong. Shane was innocent.”

“No,” I say, “he wasn’t. Believe me.”

Before she can say anything else, I turn my shopping cart and speed walk to another aisle. After everything I’ve been through, the last thing I need is some crazy girl stalking me in addition to all my other problems. I go through the aisles as quickly as I can, gathering the items from the shopping list, mostly from memory.

It’s only when I get into the car that I realize I forgot the Lucky Charms.





Chapter 15


ELEVEN YEARS EARLIER




“You went on a date with Tracy Gifford?”

Kayla’s voice is so screechy that if it gets any higher, only dogs will be able to hear her. But I can’t blame her because I’m feeling the same way. Tim went on a date with Tracy Gifford? How did that happen? In what universe did my neighbor go on a date with a dead girl?

“Two dates.” Tim looks like he wants to disappear into the folds of the sofa. “That’s it. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Not a big deal!” Kayla bursts out. I notice her thigh is no longer touching his. “I’m sorry, but that’s a very big deal.”

Tim squirms. “It’s really not.”

Brandon’s chiseled features are twisted in amusement. I always thought he looked like the handsome rich kid in every John Hughes movie. “I underestimated you, Reese. Nice going. Did you score with her?”

“No!” Tim’s face is turning red. “I told you, it was just two dates.”

“Exactly,” Brandon says.

“Christ.” Tim rakes a hand through his short hair, which is now sticking up a bit. “I’m telling you, it was nothing. Nothing. We met at the library, we got to talking, and we went out two times. Then she stopped returning my calls.”