Andrew took another step toward Jet. ‘I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you so many times—’
‘Bullshit!’ Edie shrieked. ‘You didn’t want to tell her because then she’d know the truth about you. That you’re a lying piece of shit just like the rest of them.’
Jet shook her head at her friend—her former friend. ‘Because you were blackmailing him.’
Edie blinked, realising her mistake. ‘Are you kidding me? He’s Andrew Temple. No one has the power or smarts to be able to blackmail a man like him.’
Andrew cleared his throat. His green eyes were surprisingly genuine. ‘They do if they know how much I’m still in love with my ex-wife and that I would do anything to keep her in my life.’
‘But you slept with me!’ Edie screeched. ‘I’m her best friend. Why would you fuck me if you’re still in love with her?’
That was a question Jet would need to make sense of another time. Somehow she already understood that in Andrew’s warped view of the world, his relationship with Edie had served a purpose. It meant he could stay close to Jet while ensuring she never learned of his other affairs.
‘You’re not my best friend,’ Jet said, the truth of the words leaving an empty hole somewhere deep inside. ‘You’re a lying, vicious bitch who uses people to get what you want.’
Edie stopped and stared, her mouth hanging open. Then she grinned, a triumphant, gloating grin. ‘Well, well, well. Not so polite now, are you?’ Edie’s eyes glittered with malicious intent, leaving her face to focus just past Jet’s shoulder. ‘Does your boyfriend know your true colours?’
Jet felt someone come to stand behind her. She knew without looking that Dan was there, and that he had her back. Oddly, in that moment, Jet appreciated his quiet presence more than ever. If it had been Andrew in this situation, he’d never have trusted her to stand up for herself like Dan did.
‘Did you kill Crystal?’ Jet shot back, ignoring Edie’s attempt to distract everyone.
Edie laughed and it sounded slightly hysterical.
‘Did you kill Crystal that night of the party?’ Jet repeated.
‘What? No! Of course not! Are you crazy? Andrew was the one who nearly beat Alex to a pulp that night. Why aren’t you accusing him?’
Jet glanced over at Andrew. A look of understanding passed between them and Jet allowed herself to feel pity for her ex-husband. Everything he’d done, however messed up, had been for Jet. And he might be messed up, but Jet knew he’d never kill someone. She was sad she’d ever doubted him.
Jet faced Edie again. ‘Because you wanted to make Alex pay. You wanted to ruin his reputation.’
‘Alex Benedetti ruined his reputation all on his own by sleeping with young girls.’
‘That’s a lie. He never slept with them. He was trying to protect Crystal.’
‘And look where that got him! He ruined his reputation all by himself. I wasn’t going to be associated with someone like that.’
‘So you made sure of it,’ Jet said. ‘Then you went after Andrew. It’s far better to be associated with someone like him. For your career, for your reputation, for everything.’
‘It’s a nice little conspiracy theory you’ve got going there, but what sort of woman goes after her best friend’s partner? I told you, the relationship between Andrew and I just happened. It took us by surprise.’ Edie glanced around her with a dark gleam in her eyes. ‘Obviously you’re not as over him as you say you are.’
‘Ex-husband,’ Jet corrected.
A memory flashed into Jet’s mind. This time it wasn’t a flashback, but a real memory she’d experienced first hand. A car running the red light. A flash of silver. Dark sunglasses, even though it was night. A dark baseball cap. The driver had been small. Petite. And the streetlight had caught the gloss of red nails before it caught the side of Jet’s car.
Jet swallowed back a wave of nausea. ‘You were driving the car that night. When I was involved in the hit-and-run.’
‘Wow. You’re really letting your imagination run away with you. I appreciate how hard it can be when you’re constantly in the public eye, but you’ve let the pressure get to you.’
Andrew walked over and came to stand beside Jet. His brow creased and his eyes were dark. ‘Answer the question.’
Edie crossed her arms, defiant. ‘She didn’t ask a question. She falsely accused me.’
‘You’re a lying bitch,’ Andrew spat in disgust. He turned to Jet. ‘The minute you were out of town for your own protection, she made a move on me. I’m such an idiot. And then when I didn’t know how to find you, I played right into her hands. I set up that girl so Alex would be arrested and you could come home.’ Andrew’s gaze was full of regret. ‘It was the only way I knew how to bring you home where you belonged.’
There were more gasps from the crowd. Jet reached over and quickly squeezed Andrew’s hand. He’d just admitted to committing a crime in public. Because he loved her. She may not love him any longer, but could feel sympathy for him.
‘Oh my God, the two of you are so pathetic!’ Edie looked out at the crowd. ‘Did you just hear what the great Andrew Temple has admitted to? He thinks he’s above everyone, including the police.’
Jet ignored Edie’s theatrics. ‘Did you kill Crystal?’
‘You’re insane. Look at me! I’m not capable of hurting anyone, let alone killing them!’
It was entirely possible Edie had nothing at all to do with Crystal’s death. But in honour of the dead girl’s memory, Jet had to ask. Edie’s infatuation with Alex certainly gave her a plausible motive and in this setting, Edie was caught off guard and more likely to slip up.
Andrew pulled his mobile phone from his jacket pocket. ‘I’m calling Commissioner Roberts. I should have done it a long time ago.’
Edie pointed at Andrew, but looked at Jet. ‘Do you hear this? He’s been fucking me these last few months while he’s suspected me of killing a girl? Talk about screwed up.’
Andrew raised the phone to his ear. ‘I didn’t want to believe it was possible,’ he told Jet.
‘It’s not possible!’ Edie stepped over Matt, who was now sitting wide-eyed watching everything unfold. ‘I didn’t touch her.’
‘Then you can tell the police that when they get here.’ Andrew turned away and started talking quietly into the phone.
Edie tried to push past Jet, but Dan stepped forward.
‘Save it for the police.’
Edie looked around in desperation. ‘I didn’t touch her! I swear I never touched her! You’ve got to believe me.’
I never touched her.
Blindly, Jet reached out for Dan’s hand. ‘Oh my God. I was there,’ she whispered. ‘I was there when Crystal died. And so was Edie. I remember now. I remember everything.’
Edie looked at Jet in horror while Dan held tightly to Jet’s hand.
Chapter Forty-Five
The city was too packed with New Year’s revellers for the police to conduct their questioning at police headquarters, so they took over one of the private dining rooms. Two plain-clothes police officers sat with Edie and Andrew at the back of the bar area while Jet spoke to the Commissioner and a couple of his detectives. Dan remained by her side the entire time.
‘So let’s just go over this again,’ Commissioner Roberts said. ‘Crystal was helping you to walk and wanted to take you somewhere quieter away from the party where you’d be safe?’
‘Yes. But I was having a really hard time walking because of the drugs. Crystal was trying, but she was only small and I must have been very heavy in that state. It was slow going.’
‘And you claim she was taking you to one of the bedrooms?’
‘That was the original plan. She wanted to take me upstairs to her bedroom—the bedroom Alex was letting her stay in while she was there. But I was struggling to walk so much I think she realised I’d never make it up the stairs. So we took a detour to the indoor pool. She said there was a room off the pool area they used when massage therapists cam
e to the house and that I would be safe in there.’
‘But you came across someone when you got there?’
‘Yes. Edie. She was in there going through the cupboards and drawers. She had bandages in her hands when we came in. She was obviously trying to help Alex.’ And to make it appear as though she was the caring ex-girlfriend who wasn’t about to ruin his reputation, Jet thought, but didn’t say it. That would become obvious when she told them the rest.
Jet closed her eyes. She’d never know if it was the drugs that night which had caused her to forget or simply the fact that the memory of what happened was too horrible to recall. But now she told the Commissioner everything she remembered.
‘You,’ Edie says, looking at Crystal.
Crystal avoids meeting Edie’s gaze and helps to lower Juliet onto the massage table.
‘Look at me!’
Crystal jumps at Edie’s raised voice.
Edie points at me. ‘She needs to be with Andrew. What are you doing?’
Crystal glances over at me. ‘She needs to rest. Andrew is scary.’
Edie throws her head back and laughs. ‘Oh, did the big, scary rich man hurt Alex?’
Crystal looks unsure. She looks like a child. She’s just a child.
Crystal looks away and helps Juliet lie down because she can’t do it herself. ‘You love Alex. Andrew hurt Alex. Why you not scared of him?’
Crystal’s English is broken, like it’s not her first language.
Edie steps in close to Crystal, causing her to still. ‘Andrew Temple is not scary. He’s not strong for that matter, either. He’s weak, do you hear me? He’s weak, just like Alex.’
Crystal doesn’t look up. She fusses with Juliet’s dress, making sure she’s covered. ‘If you say so.’
‘I SAY SO!’
Crystal jumps. Juliet feels Edie’s anger deep in her belly and it scares her.
Edie grabs Crystal’s shoulders and shakes the girl. ‘Do you love Alex? Do you love him? Do you?’
Somehow Juliet finds the strength to reach over to Edie, but her strength disappears before she can touch her. Juliet drops her hand. Edie doesn’t see it.
‘I don’t love Alex,’ Crystal says. ‘He not love me. He just a friend.’
Edie’s lip curls. ‘Bullshit! You have sex with men like him for money, you slut!’
Crystal backs towards the door, her eyes wide with fear. Juliet groans.
Edie glances over at Juliet. ‘Don’t worry, pathetic Juliet. You won’t remember any of this tomorrow. You won’t remember that I only became your friend because of Andrew. That you were my chance to get close to him. Why the hell else would I want to hang around with some tragic backpacker determined to work for a living? I was silly to let myself fall for Alex, and I’m glad it’s over now. Andrew is a powerful man and I can be powerful too, with him by my side. But it’s still important Alex pays.’ Edie turns back to Crystal and flashes her a lethal look, her blue eyes the same unnatural colour as the indoor pool. ‘You won’t remember that I called this sweet little girl a slut.’
Crystal is outside the door. She looks like she wants to run, but she’s too scared to.
‘Or a whore,’ Edie continues. ‘That’s what you are, aren’t you, Crystal? A rich man’s whore.’
‘No. No.’ Crystal is shaking her head. She backs up some more. Her brown eyes are rounded in fear. She looks past Edie to Juliet.
Juliet wants to tell her to run but can’t.
Edie advances on Crystal in three long strides, taking Crystal off guard.
‘Are you fucking Alex’s father too? I bet the old prick would love that.’
‘No. No,’ Crystal says again. ‘You wrong.’
‘Like father, like son, I bet.’ Edie moves closer and Crystal is almost at the edge of the pool. She looks around desperately. ‘Go on, you slut. Run back to Alex, why don’t you? Make everything better.’ She shoves a handful of bandages at Crystal.
Crystal rears back. There’s nowhere to go. Only pool water behind her. She grabs for the bandages. For Edie. For anything to hold onto.
Edie steps out of the way and laughs cruelly. The sound echoes around the indoor space.
Crystal’s eyes go wider still. Only thin air to hold onto. Her foot slips on the edge. It’s wet, like a party guest went for a swim in here earlier. Crystal slips. Falls.
There’s a sickening crack as her head strikes the edge of the pool. Her head bounces off it and her body slips into the pool like a lifeless doll.
Edie sucks in a sharp breath. Steps to the edge.
Juliet squints through the fog in her brain and can just make out a red cloud on the surface of the water.
Edie gasps. ‘Oh my God,’ I hear her whisper. ‘You stupid slut. What did you do?’
Juliet closes her eyes. Tightly shut like she doesn’t want even the slightest sliver of light to reach her eyeballs. She stops resisting the exhaustion she’s been trying so hard to fight.
‘I didn’t touch her. I didn’t even touch her!’ Edie’s voice is filled with disbelief. And still there’s hatred. So much hatred.
Juliet hears footsteps. Now she can’t open her eyes even if she tried. She’s so tired. So extremely tired.
‘Well, thank fuck you weren’t awake to see that,’ Juliet hears Edie mutter. The massage table Juliet’s lying on moves. ‘Come on. Let’s get you out of here.’
Edie grunts as she pushes Juliet. ‘You’re a clueless, lucky bitch, aren’t you? Looks like those photos of you won’t be going public after all. Alex can take the fall for his little slut. I have plans for you. You’ll be leaving town before too long, then Andrew can focus on what’s really important—me. I think you’ll be much happier somewhere else where he can’t moon over you like a sick puppy. See? I’m a good friend after all. In fact, this is just perfect. I couldn’t have planned it better myself.’
Her soft laughter is the last thing Juliet hears before she relinquishes herself to the bone deep exhaustion.
Chapter Forty-Six
Six months later
Jet closed the web browser she was reading. ‘It’s still all over the media a day later. Edie’s charge of manslaughter. The five year imprisonment term and two years non-parole. The reports are suggesting she’ll be out in two years.’
Jet couldn’t be happier to be back in the Hunter Valley with the Rhodes family after a gruelling few weeks of court proceedings. Dan hadn’t left her side the entire time.
Dan stood up from his computer and came around to Jet’s desk. ‘It’s going to take time for the news to settle down.’
Jet bit her lip. There were no tears left when it came to Edie, but it still hurt. She’d had time to come to terms with the fact that her friendship with Edie hadn’t been what she’d thought it was. That Edie wasn’t who she thought she was. That her ‘friend’ was really only being a friend so she could use Jet to get close to Andrew. And that she’d been prepared to throw Jet to the wolves by setting her up as Alex’s victim. Her original intention, before Crystal’s death, was to leak a series of photos to the media of Jet while she’d been drugged.
The police had never found any photos of that nature on Alex’s phone, of course, because he’d never really set out to hurt Jet. But after the New Year’s Eve party, the police had obtained a search warrant to inspect Edie’s apartment. They’d discovered images of Jet passed out lying in suggestive, compromising positions, on Edie’s laptop.
Jet’s stomach still twisted at the memory of them and of the memory of Edie’s words from that night.
Alex will be castrated publicly for daring to harm our dear, sweet, darling Juliet.
Jet had been so desperate to remember everything, but sometimes in sadder moments, she wished she could forget again.
It would probably take her many months to trust another woman, and many more before she let one into her inner circle again, but Jet held out hope she would be able to when the time was right.
‘Hey,’ Dan said softly and wrapped
an arm around her shoulders.
Jet leaned into his side and looked down at her hands. The simple diamond solitaire ring glittered back up at her.
It was strange how life could be filled with so much joy as well as sadness at the same time.
Dan followed her gaze. ‘Wow. Would you look at that rock? Someone’s a lucky guy.’
Jet shot him an amused look. She could always trust Dan to make her smile.
The ring had been a point of contention between them. She’d wanted something as low key as possible, while Dan had wanted to spoil her. Eventually they’d come to a compromise—Dan would buy her the ring she wanted and he would keep surprising her with gifts whenever the mood took him. The gifts came in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it was a bottle of wine that had been carefully cellared. He’d bought her a pair of diamond earrings to match the ring for her birthday. Jet suspected there would also be a matching bracelet or necklace down the track too. There were often flowers. Chocolate. Books. Really, it was whatever he felt like at the time, but he always seemed to be giving. And not just gifts. Jet hadn’t realised until now that a man could be so genuinely giving with his love, his time, with his heart.
‘This is where you’re supposed to say, “Yeah, I know that guy and he’s pretty amazing.”’
Jet smiled and stood up, slipping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. The position was so familiar it was starting to feel like there had never been a time when she hadn’t had access to Dan Rhodes’ sturdy shoulders.
‘Yeah, I do know that guy. And he is pretty amazing actually. But don’t tell him I said that or he’ll get a big head. He’s susceptible to it.’
Dan’s chest moved up and down with soft laughter. ‘I know the type.’
The door to the converted barn opened and Cynthia came bustling in. Her face lit up when she saw the two of them.
She winked. ‘Good to see you’re hard at work.’
‘We’re brainstorming,’ Dan informed her.
Cynthia let out a bark of laughter so at odds with her impeccable presentation that Jet grinned into Dan’s shoulder.
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