Layla did as instructed and was surprised to find Trena staring right back.
“Your host for tonight’s show should be familiar. After all, you recently broke into her apartment, didn’t you?”
Trena looked startled. Layla froze.
“Well, didn’t you?”
“No.” Layla shook her head.
“Aw, but I’m one hundred percent sure you did. Lying will not work in your favor, I can promise you that. So let’s try again.”
“I didn’t break in,” Layla said, unsure just how much to reveal. Considering she had no idea what this was about, she didn’t know how far she could push it. “Someone let me in.”
“Care to elaborate?”
She searched Trena’s face for a sign of what was really going on. Her gaze was pained, and she moved her shoulder in a way that hinted she might be restrained.
“Still waiting . . . ,” the voice said, exaggerating each word.
Trena gave a subtle nod, and Layla stared into the camera. “I convinced Javen to lure Trena out of her apartment so I could go through her files.” Layla made an apologetic face, but Trena was under too much duress to notice, much less care.
“And why would you do that?”
“Because I suspected her of hiding evidence.”
“And was she?”
Layla rubbed her lips together, buying a few seconds of time. “Yes,” she said, figuring that whoever was asking the questions already knew the answers anyway.
“And what did you find?”
“The name of the man who went to jail for killing Madison’s parents.”
“I like how you phrased that. Just like a journalist—facts without judgment. So tell me, do you think this man killed Madison’s parents?”
Layla sensed the answer they wanted, but she just wasn’t sure what she believed.
“Let the record show that Layla shrugged. So, is it safe to say you think Gerald Rawlins might be innocent of the crime?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Layla said. “I wasn’t there.”
“Aw, but you know who was there, don’t you?”
Layla looked at Trena, who so far hadn’t spoken a word. “Madison was there. Also Paul.”
“Do you think it’s possible that Madison did it? That Madison Brooks shot her own parents, and not Gerald Rawlins, even though he went to jail for the crime?”
The voice was disguised, but there was no doubt it was veering toward hysterical. Hoping to temper the mood, Layla took a deep breath and said, “Let’s just say that under the right circumstances, I think anyone is capable of just about anything.”
Layla locked eyes with Trena, the wall went blank, and next thing she knew, the wall had slid open a crack, allowing her access to the adjoining room.
FORTY-TWO
CARELESS WHISPER
The second Tommy saw Layla, he pulled her into his arms. “You okay?” he whispered, smoothing a hand over her hair. When she nodded, he said, “I know who’s behind this. I know who it is.”
He was about to tell her when a voice shot through the speakers and said, “Everyone loves a good love story. You two are sure to be a crowd favorite, but try to keep it G-rated, okay? People are watching.”