I frowned. “I’m not worried about that idiot or his dumb threats,” I said slowly. “But I can’t believe he didn’t serve more time.” Guilt flashed across my brain. Michael would want me to avenge him, I realized as I stared at the muted television screen.
“Well, you’re fine then,” Heather chirped. She stirred the marinara sauce on the stove. “Feel like dinner?”
I grabbed my phone and shook my head. “I gotta call someone,” I said. “And then I’m gonna go lie down. Thanks, though.”
Heather pouted as I left the kitchen. I wanted to tell her what I was feeling, but part of me didn’t think she’d understand. After all, now that Michael was gone, her favorite thing to say was, “the two of you weren’t perfect for each other.”
What would she say about my urge to avenge his untimely death?
Alone in the privacy of my small bedroom, I called the New York police.
“Hello,” I said. “May I please speak with Detective Aberson?”
There was a long pause. “What for?”
“It’s about Alessio Amoruso,” I said.
There was a click. Five seconds later, a familiar and kindly voice sounded in my ear.
“Hello, Beth,” Detective Aberson said. “I had a feeling I might be hearing from you today. How are you?”
I bit my lip. “I didn’t know he was out,” I said softly. “How the hell did he manage to get out so fast?”
Detective Aberson sighed. “I don’t know, Beth,” he said. “I know this is the guy responsible for some heinous shit around the city.”
“I want to testify,” I said. “I want to testify that he threatened me to stay silent for the murder of Michael Bennett.”
“Are you sure?” Detective Aberson coughed wetly into the receiver. “That’s a lot of stress to go through, Beth. That might be very hard on you. Are you sure you’re ready for something as difficult as that?”
“Yes,” I said. My voice quavered and shook. “I don’t have a choice,” I added. “Michael would want me to do this.”
“I understand, Beth,” Detective Aberson said. “I’m proud of you. I’ll call you soon. Try not to leave the city for a few days, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“And can you come down tomorrow? Maybe in the evening?”
“I’ll be there at six-thirty.”
13
Beth
The next day, my manager called and told me not to come into work. I was disappointed – rent was coming up, and I had nowhere near my half of the apartment to hand over to Heather. Still, it was nice to have a day off. After I got off the phone with my manager, I went back to sleep and stayed in bed until after eleven-thirty in the morning.
By the time I finally got up, I was feeling pretty rested and calm. I took a long bath with my favorite lavender shower gel and read the first three chapters of Wuthering Heights. At first, when Michael had died, I’d never felt like reading fiction again. Whenever I read a love scene, his face popped into my mind. But now I was really feeling like a new person…almost like Michael hadn’t existed at all.
The only thing keeping me from really enjoying my day was knowing that I had to go downtown and speak to Detective Aberson. I wondered what kind of questions he’d ask. I also couldn’t help worrying about Alessio’s thugs – would they come after me again? I’d told the detective that I wasn’t afraid, but the truth was that I was pretty frightened. After all, it wasn’t like I had the Bennett security or money to fend off attackers anymore. Douglas had given me a measly check of five hundred dollars. He’d informed me that had I actually married his son, I’d have been entitled to half of Michael’s fortune in the event of his death.
Part of me almost wished that we had married before the accident, if only to stick it to Douglas’s greedy self.
Heather was out. She was still a little miffed from the night before. After I’d gotten off the phone with the detective, I hadn’t come out for dinner. I knew that I’d hurt her feelings, but I was still trying to decide how the hell I was going to tell her about everything going on. I wanted her support, obviously, but I also didn’t want her jumping to conclusions when she didn’t know very much.
To be honest, I was also afraid of Alessio finding her…and hurting her, as a way to get to me.
I decided to hop over to my favor
ite coffee place and get a drink before I was expected downtown. Who knows, I thought as I breezed down the street. Maybe caffeine will help me calm down.