Callibet: Book 2 of The Bet Series

by Sienna Grant

  “Will do. Can you send Callie in, please?”

  “Of course.”

  Leaving Louisa’s room, I popped my head around Callie’s door and passed on the message. She stood and greeted me at the door, tipping her head back, showing me her soft green eyes. If I spent too much time looking into those, I knew I’d get lost in them. Dragging a knuckle down the side of her face, I turned away quickly and left the flat, pulled the door closed behind me, and made sure it was shut properly before leaving.

  Once Chris left, I sat with Lou. We ate chocolate and had some of my leftover Chinese food while binge watching Gilmore Girls.

  We didn’t speak about Finley, nor did she say what she thought, but I just wanted to be there for her.

  As the hours passed, I was secretly texting Chris, but he wasn’t replying, and I wondered if he was sick of me or just asleep.

  Louisa went to bed at half ten, and I snuggled down on the sofa, quickly falling asleep but woke up when I’d rolled off the couch and landed on the floor with a thump at stupid o’clock in the morning.

  My ass hurt, but other than that, I was okay. I groaned as I crawled along the floor and then got up, jumping back in fright when I saw that Lou was standing watching me.

  “I heard a noise.”

  “It was just my clumsy ass falling off the sofa. It’s okay. You can go back to bed.”

  She nodded at me and shifted from foot to foot, nervously twirling her wrists as she did.

  “Can… uh… can you… come sleep in… uh, my bed?”

  Her stuttered words and embarrassed tone softened me, and I nodded.

  “Sure thing. Let me just grab my mobile.”

  I checked and saw it was a little after three a.m. She led the way to her room and crawled into her bed, letting me in beside her.

  After a few minutes, her breathing evened out, and I began to drift off, waking after a few hours when I heard her whimper in her sleep. I had to fight with my eyes to open, and when they did, I struggled to keep them open and my drowsy gaze saw a figure in the corner of the room. When I sat up and rubbed my eyes, there wasn’t anyone there.

  “Lou, you okay?”

  My voice was low, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I rolled over and my fingers touched a wet patch on the bed. It was sticky, and when I pulled my hand from the bed to look at it, I saw it was covered in dark red blood. Horrified, I shot back, tugging the covers with me, and I saw that not only was the bed covered in blood; I was too.

  It was in my hair, my clothes, and splattered on my face. My hands shook as I leaned closer and checked Lou’s pulse. My first aid training kicked in, and I quickly dialled 999 as I put pressure on the wounds on her abdomen since they were bleeding profusely.

  My body shook with horror and adrenaline, but my voice was eerily calm as I asked for the police and an ambulance.

  It felt like an eternity passed, but it wasn’t more than ten minutes until help arrived. I heard the crack of my door as it was broken down, and then the paramedics were there, taking over as a plain-clothed police officer led me into the living room.

  He spoke softly to me at first, but as they investigated and Lou was taken away in an ambulance, he became more and more short-tempered with me.

  “I’ll need you to come to the station and give a full statement.”

  “Okay. Let me go get dressed.”

  “Amy will go with you. We need your clothes as evidence. She’ll need to take a few pictures.”

  I gave a brief nod to show I’d heard and followed Amy through the flat and into the bathroom. She took a picture from each angle and then stood as I stripped and wrapped myself in a towel.

  “Can I wash?”

  My voice shook as the adrenaline left me and horror began to overtake me at what had happened. I wish I’d heard something or woken up.

  “No. You need to come to the station now. Bring a change of clothes with you and you can shower after your, uh… interview.”

  The slight pause between her saying interview made my head jerk towards her, but she wasn’t looking at me. She was sealing the bag with my pjs and checking to make sure it was signed and dated.

  I moved into my bedroom, grabbing a hair tie from my dresser and putting my hair up in a messy bun. I picked out my joggers, sports bra, gym t-shirt, and sports socks. My hands shook and my eyes watered as I quickly dressed with the ever-present Amy at my side.

  She didn’t look at me as we walked into the living room and ignored me completely as she walked over to Detective Summers. He stood, nodded at her, and we all left my flat.

  “Can you give me a key? Forensics want to come and have a look through your flat for clues.”

  “Of course. I only have this one though.” I held out my key and he glanced down at it then back up. “Is there any way I can get it back when you’re done?”

  His eyes glittered as he met my gaze, and he nodded once before he and Amy led me to a squad car. Amy opened the door, and I hopped into the back without thinking.

  It was my first time in the back of a police car, but as I buckled myself in, I hoped it would be my last.

  The ride to the station was quiet, and they led me into a room where a lady stood with large cotton swabs. She told me she had to take some evidence from me and that it wouldn’t take long, and then she needed to take some more pictures, but I could shower after that.

  “I forgot to bring more clothes.”

  I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten, but she smiled at me for a second and then glanced down at my outfit.

  “You can wear that again.”

  It took a while, and she swabbed both my hands, my nails, my neck, my hairline, and my chest. She even swabbed inside my ears and my mouth. When she was done, she allowed me to go clean up, but she told me not to shower as Detective Summers had some questions for me.

  I washed my hands and my face, my right arm, and my neck and. Although I looked better, it didn’t take much of the blood off.

  I went outside and Amy was back. She led me to another room, and for the next few hours, I sat explaining over and over that I was sleeping beside Lou and woke up when I heard her whimper in the dark.

  I didn’t know what happened to her, but I had a rough idea.

  “The flat was locked. Who else had a key?”

  “I have one and Lou has one. That’s it.”

  “Why would someone want to hurt your roommate?”

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her ex who assaulted her yesterday to get answers?”

  “We will, but right now, I’m asking you!”

  “I don’t know who’d want to hurt her. She’s a nice girl, and she’s my friend, but obviously she was keeping things hidden from me. I didn’t know he was abusing her until last night, so clearly I didn’t know her as well as I thought I did.”

  “You're her roommate. If you didn’t know her well, who does?”

  “Maybe her other friends. We’re work colleagues, flatmates, but since I broke up with… uh… someone close to her, we haven’t been on the best of terms.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to mention that Chris and I were a couple. I was worried that it’d make me look more guilty or that he wouldn’t be allowed to help me. I knew he’d believe in me. He’d know I wasn’t capable of a crime so awful because he still cared about me.

  “So, you let someone move in that you weren’t on great terms with?”

  “That’s not what… stop twisting my words. She’s still my friend. We just haven’t been as close as before. That can happen, can’t it?”

  I was starting to get emotional. If Lou died and we never patched things up, then this would be something I’d live to regret. God, I hoped she was okay. I had to shut down my emotions because I could feel my eyes starting to burn and a lump formed in my throat at how awful she’d looked. I did my best to save her, but if I didn’t then I’d… No. Stop. I needed my energy to focus on what was in front of me. I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath f
or a second, thinking about Lou and then Chris. Fuck, he would be about to wake up to find out his ex was accused of the attempted murder of his cousin.

  Part of me wondered where Chris was, if he was awake yet, and if he would believe me. He should, but what if he didn’t?

  My mind started to spiral, and I stared at my hands for a beat, just trying to clamp down my negative thoughts. Chris would know I didn’t do that. He knew me. He loved me before. I had to have faith in that. I just hoped he’d be in soon. I needed a friend, a hug, and someone who loved me enough to believe in me. I was about to ask about him when Summers changed tack on the questioning after a pause where he stared at the paperwork on the desk.

  “Can you explain why there was no blood on you? If you were sleeping then there should be more blood spatter on your front, but there wasn’t.”

  “No. I don’t know how I wasn’t covered in it. I was sleeping.”

  “Can we get a copy of your fingerprints?”

  “Of course. I’ll do anything to help.”

  Amy led me from the room and waited as my fingerprints were covered in black ink and pressed to a card. Ten minutes later, we were back in the interrogation room and I was sitting on my own.

  After a few more minutes, the door opened, and Detective Summers and Amy reappeared in the room. He stepped towards me and glowered down at me.

  “Calindra Beckett, we’re holding you on suspicion of the attempted murder of Louisa Farmer...”

  The rest of his words turned to buzzing noises in my ears as he continued to speak, and I sat numbly, frozen, waiting for the punchline.

  “Do you understand?”

  His voice was firm, and I nodded, but I didn't understand a single thing.

  “Your fingerprints were found on the victim and on the bedroom door. Can you explain that?”

  “Yes, I tried to save her. I put pressure on her wound and then opened the bedroom door when the paramedics arrived.”

  “So, the door was closed?”

  I nodded at him and wondered where he was going with that line of questioning.

  “But you never closed it?”

  “No. Wait. I don’t know. I think I closed it when we went to sleep, but I can’t remember.”

  My heart rate was through the roof, my hands shook, and my head felt as though someone was bouncing up and down on it. He continued to question me and didn’t stop asking me to explain over and over again what had happened.

  “Can you explain how someone was getting stabbed beside you, but you didn’t wake up?”

  “No.”

  My eyes stung as I processed what they were accusing me of, and I wrapped my arms around my waist as he stared at me with an odd expression on his face. My body was shaking hard and nausea rolled around my stomach as I watched them watch me. They thought I did this. They wouldn’t listen to me and my fear was starting to sound loudly in my head that if they believed it was me, would they even try to look for someone else?

  “Can you explain how someone got into your flat without your knowledge?”

  “No. I don’t know. I didn’t do this. You have to believe me.”

  My panic was starting to overwhelm me, and I glanced around, wishing Chris would magically appear and wrap me in his arms. My friend was stabbed, right beside me, and the cops were wasting their time questioning me when they should have been out there searching for the guy who put her in hospital the day before.

  “Shouldn’t you be looking for Finley Brown? He assaulted her twice yesterday. Does he not make a better suspect than me? Why would I stab Lou and then lie there, then call the cops?”

  “To frame someone else. Were you perhaps working with Brown? Or were you jealous of them?”

  I wanted to punch him as I hissed a breath out through my teeth.

  “Are you trying to tell us how to do our job, Ms. Beckett?”

  His hard eyes stared at me, and I shrugged because maybe I was. Maybe I was so over the fact that they wouldn’t listen to me, the fact they didn’t believe me and were accusing me of working with someone I couldn’t stand.

  “Okay, so you can’t provide us with information, or a proper eyewitness account, and you want us to go on just your say so that we should follow someone who was in his home during the attack?”

  My eyes widened as he leaned forwards and I stared at him, wondering what he knew. I knew it wasn’t me, but when he leaned back, my eyes darted to the clock on the wall. I’d been at the station since four thirty and it was just going on seven.

  My head hurt, my heart hurt, and I was panicking that they’d try to pin this all on me, while worried about Lou and aching all over. I wanted to call Beth and Chris and have them come save me, but I didn’t even have my mobile with me. Detective Summers started again with the questions, and I sat there trying not to blow up at him.

  “Were you in a relationship with Finley Brown?”

  “No. I wasn’t. I never liked him. He always made me feel uncomfortable around him.”

  He asked another question, but before I could answer, the door opened, and Chris came into the room.

  He didn’t look at me. Not once. He quickly spoke into the detective’s ear before he turned and left.

  My heart shattered into a million pieces and I couldn’t help the tears that threatened when he closed the door with a snap.

  “Is Louisa okay?”

  My voice was small. I could barely breathe, but Summers just turned away from me and gestured outside to Amy.

  They both left, and I sat picking at bits of dried blood from my fingernails as I waited on them to get back.

  While they were away, I remembered I’d installed a hidden camera by my door because some parcels had been going missing. I’d only just activated it the day before the wedding, and I hadn’t told Lou about it because she’d been out and then working.

  As they came back inside, Chris was there, but his expression was stoic. He wouldn’t meet my eyes as he slid into the seat across from me.

  I got to work earlier than normal the next morning. I slept like absolute shit though. I thought I may as well be at the station as lie awake in bed.

  Once I was up and dressed, I noticed a text from Callie. In fact, as I scrolled up, I saw three.

  I made a call to my mother to update her on Louisa as soon as I got in from the police station, then took a shower and got into bed. I thought after the day I’d had I would have dozed off as soon as my head had hit the pillow, but no. I lay awake worrying about Lou, and not only that, I had Callie on my mind.

  Pulling up Callie’s messages, I opened them one by one.

  Hi… are you ok? It must’ve been hard seeing Lou like that. C xx

  Just to let you know she’s asleep. C xx

  Speak tomorrow. Sweet dreams. Xx

  Fuck!

  Quickly flying my fingers across the keypad, I sent her a simple message back:

  Morning gorgeous. Thanks for keeping me informed. I appreciate it. Xx

  Closing up my phone, I slid it into my pocket while grabbing a quick cup of coffee and got my work bag together. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw it was just past 5:15. I swilled down the rest of my morning beverage and headed out.

  Once I’d parked up, I grabbed my protective gear from my locker and shoved my bag in there, then I clocked in and made my way downstairs to the cells.

  I got into custody and it was like a circus had stopped in. Detective Summers and Reynolds were speaking quietly in the corner with their heads together. I walked around the desk and made my way out to the back just as Summers looked up. His face was sullen, and he couldn’t meet my eyes. What the hell had gone on?

  I frowned as Reynolds walked away and Summers made his way to me. Something was weighing on him, but I needed to speak with the custody sergeant before I could do anything.

  I saw Dave disappear around the corner, and Summers stepped in front of me and blocked my path. “Chris. I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  “It's going
to have to wait a second. I need to talk to Dave.” I tried to sidestep him, but he caught my arm, halting me.

  “No, Chris. Now.”

  My frown turned to a full-on scowl as he ordered me to wait. I rested my hands on my hips and waited impatiently for him to tell me what was so important. “Go on then. I have shit to do.”

  He sucked in a breath and looked at me with that same stoic look on his face I always saw him with. His eyes had dark rings around them - a tell-tale sign that he was working a case and had been at it all night. I needed to talk to Dave about Finley Brown and standing there was getting me nowhere.

  “Ant, talk. I have somewhere I need to be. I need to know what cell Finley Brown is being held in.” He looked around him and waited for the area to clear. His forehead furrowed, pulling his eyebrows together to meet in the middle and shook his head before he spoke again.

  “Brown? I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is about Louisa Farmer.”

  “Look, if you’re talking about the domestic abuse, that was filed last night, I want to interview him.”

  “Chris. Brown was released in the early hours of this morning. This is about Louisa.”

  “Louisa. I don’t understand.” With his breathing ragged as he said my cousin's name, I knew it was bad news. “What about Lou?” I slipped my hands into my pockets to cover the shaking.

  “Chris, she was stabbed while she slept in her bed. We have someone in custody.”

  The room spun as I tried to take in his words. I placed my hands behind me on the wall and tried to steady myself. A sharp pain shot across my gut. I bent over at the waist and rested my hands on my knees. Sweat dotted my brow because I didn’t want to hear what he said next. I couldn’t.

  “Is…” My eyes closed, and I steadied my breaths before going on. “Is she alive?”