“Lulu isn’t exactly a guard dog, and Pongo goes with you most of the time.”
“What are you not telling me right now?”
Mills runs a hand through his hair before he sits in the chair next to me and faces me. “On the day Cassie died, Devin’s skates weren’t in his bag. Where were they?”
“I…don’t remember.”
“Would either of you leave skates without guards on concrete?” He pulls out one last picture. It’s my garage, Devin’s skates leaning against the back wall.
“Hell no. It can damage and dull the blades. I don’t… Mills?”
“She put them there, Coop. She made sure Devin would come back to the house so someone would find the body.”
“I want to talk to her.”
“What?!” the detective shouts. “No way, no way, man.”
“Please? I have to know.”
Mills pulls the detectives aside and they eventually agree to it. They put her in the room next to ours so they can watch through the two-way mirror. They explain this might be inadmissible in court, and I explain I don’t give a fuck. My heart and mind race when they escort her into the room and I finally see what I couldn’t see last night. She cut and colored her hair to match Cassie’s. I can see the polish on her nails and I recognize it as Cassie’s favorite. She’s even had plastic surgery to look like her.
She wanted to replace her—become her.
“I knew you’d come for me. I told them you pushed me through the window to save me. They don’t believe me. They don’t understand us.” She’s smiling again and I try not to shiver. It’s even creepier with the patch over her eye and the cuts on her face.
“Jul—”
“Cassie.”
“What?”
“I’m Cassie. The real Cassie.”
I take a deep breath and stretch my shaking hands across the table and take hers. “Sweetheart, I need to ask you something, and it’s important that you tell me the truth. Okay? We shouldn’t keep secrets from each other, right?” She nods, squeezing my hand. “What happened to the other Cassie? The one they found?”
“Oh, they’re trying to trick me.”
“The truth.”
“Oh fine, Teddy Bear. What do you want to know?”
“T-the phone call. When you tried to call me?” My mind flashes back, seeing her name on the screen and tucking the phone away, so sure I’d just call her back later. “Why did you call me?”
“To tell you that we could finally be together.” Her smile grows, and I want to pull my hand back. I want to throw up. “I waited for your brother to leave, and I went to your bathroom and cleaned myself up. I knew Devin would be back, so I had to hurry. When I finished, I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer. I wanted to surprise you, but the stupid cops came to check the house and ruined it. I hid in your crawl space.”
“Why did you want to hurt Cassie?”
“She stole from me, Chase. She stole my boyfriend in high school, and when we were roommates in college, she did it again. She said she didn’t remember, but she did. I loved you first, and she even stole you!”
I close my eyes, trying to focus and hold on.
“I went to your house that morning and brought her a coffee. I snuck into Devin’s room while he showered and put his skates in the gym so he’d find her, not you. The drugs took too long, so I helped her to the bathroom and slit her wrists.”
I pull my hand away, and the room turns red as the air becomes too heavy to breathe. I stand up, but my legs turn to jelly as time stands still. The door bursts open, and Mills pulls me out of the room as the detectives rush in.
I have one thought on my mind before I black out. Julie just confessed to murdering Cassie.
CHAPTER42
