Later that evening, Allan sat on the lonely bench that also served as his cot. He stared at the filthy sleeves of his orange jumpsuit, wanting nothing more than to shower and change into a fresh set of his own clothes. Outside the small window of his cell, he could see the gold and pink hues of the clouds as the sun began to set.
Over and over he replayed the day’s events, and he still couldn’t make sense of any of it. By all logic, he should be either dead or mortally wounded from his encounter with Timur. Instead, he was a murder suspect.
This is crazy.
He heard a door open, and the guard approached.
“You have a visitor.”
He stood in anticipation as the guard fumbled with his keys.
Thank goodness. I was beginning to worry she hadn’t gotten my message.
The guard slid the jail bars open and escorted him to the visitation chamber. There were four desks with partitions between each one and bulletproof glass that separated the visitors from the inmates. Only one visitor was present, but it was a blonde-haired woman he didn’t recognize.
His face fell as he realized it wasn’t Lily. The guard escorted him to the seat across from her, and he picked up the phone hanging from the partition.
“I’m sorry, but who are you?” he asked, confused. “Did I get a state-assigned attorney?”
“No, no. Mr. Young,” she corrected. “I’m not an attorney. My name is Officer Brittany Parker, and I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me.”
Allan shook his head. “Not without my attorney present.”
She raised her hand in a plea to stop him from hanging up the phone. “My questions have nothing to do with the case. I was just hoping you could clarify something for me.”
Intrigued, he nodded. “Depending on what you ask, I might be able to give you an answer.”
She held up a cut-out picture of Lily. “Do you recognize this woman?”
“Of course I do! She’s my girlfriend.” His eyes widened. “Is she in trouble?”
Instead of answering his question, she asked another one of her own. “What is her name?”
“Lily.” He paused, worry etched into his face. “What’s this all about?”
A broad smile fell across her lips. “Lily, as in Lillian Thatcher perhaps?”
“Yes...” His eyebrows furrowed. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Has she ever been known by another name? Jamie, perhaps?”
“This is ridiculous,” Allan said. “Get to the point. What are you getting at?”
“I think she may have been leading a double life, and was about to leave you.”
“What?!” he spluttered, “What do you mean by a double life?”
She stared at him for a long minute. The confusion and concern on his face was telling.
“You really don’t know, do you?” she concluded.
“Know what?” He shook his head. “I feel like we’re talking in circles.”
What is she not telling me?!
“I hate to be the one to tell you this...” She reached into her pocket, retrieving the note. “But here’s a letter she left for you.”
She unfolded the letter and pressed it up against the glass partition. As he read it to himself, his face betrayed multiple emotions that fluctuated from alarm, to confusion, to denial, to pain, to shock, and then back to confusion.
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My dearest Allan,
I want you to know that I love you immensely, but I can’t marry you. I’m sorry I can’t be the woman you want me to be. I know this will be difficult for you to understand, but I must leave now. I hope someday you will find a woman worthy of your love.
Love always, Lily
“What?!” Tears formed in his eyes. “Where did you get this?”
“Lily left this for you,” she admitted, “I found it on the floor of your living room.”
“What were you doing in my house?”
“I was one of the officers responding to… to an incident.”
“What kind of incident?”
She hesitated, leaning back in her chair. “I’ve said too much already.”
He sighed as a tear escaped down his cheek. “Where’s Lily? I need to talk some sense into her.”
“That’s actually the reason I came to see you,” she said. “I was hopeful that you might be able to shed some light on that mystery.”
Allan wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “What do you mean?”
She paused, gathering her thoughts. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Two nights ago.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Would you say you parted on good terms?”
“Considering she avoided my marriage proposal, I’d have to say no.” He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “What are you trying to accomplish, exactly? If you’re trying to extract some type of motive, don’t bother.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes lit up in anticipation.
“I know what you’re doing, but it won’t work.” He made a move to hang up the phone. “Please, just stop.”
She waived her hand frantically, stopping him.
He let out a sigh and pulled the receiver back to his ear. “WHAT?!”
“Please, Mister Young. I’m almost done,” she said quickly. “You mentioned something about a motive just now. I’m confused. A motive for what, exactly?”
“You guys clearly think I killed Jason.” Agitation laced his tone. “I didn’t.”
This lady is getting on my nerves.
“No, no Mister Young. I told you I wasn’t here about that.” Understanding dawned. “Are you sure you haven’t seen Lily since that night?”
”No, I haven’t.” His eyes betrayed concern. “Why? What are you not telling me?”
She stared at him for a long minute before determining that he was being honest.
“There’s no easy way to say this...” She fidgeted in her chair. “When I went to search your home, it was in shambles. Books had been thrown off the shelves, there was a lot of broken glass. The place was an absolute mess.”
Utter confusion registered on Allan’s face. “But why would Lily do that?”
“I don’t think she did. I think someone else may have been in your home.”
His eyes widened. “Are you saying there was a burglary? Does Lily know?”
“There was… how should I say this?” she hesitated. “There was evidence of a violent encounter, but more importantly there was an unidentified puddle of blood in the living room.”
“WHAT?!” he shrieked.
The guard on duty tapped Allan on the shoulder. “Wrap it up. Visiting hours are over.”
Officer Parker continued quickly, “After running a DNA analysis, I was able to confirm the blood belonged to your girlfriend.”
Allan stared at her in shock. He had no words to express.
“Which leads me to why I’m here.” She held up the first page of the profile she had printed off earlier. “After I confirmed Lily’s DNA match, I ran the test again and got this match instead. It seems that all traces of a Lillian Thatcher have been erased. Do you have any idea why someone would do that?”
The guard tapped Allan on the shoulder again. “Time’s up buddy. Let’s go.”
He turned to face her, regret etched into his face. “I... I have to go.”
“Please, I just need one more minute of your time...” Her voice trailed off as the guard yanked him to his feet and the receiver hit the desk with a thud.
“I said your time is up!” the guard bellowed, shoving him forward.
Allan’s mind raced as they passed through the door and down a hallway.
Where’s Lily? Is she okay?!
The guard ushered him back into his cell and pointed to a folded orange jumpsuit on the bunk. “You missed your bathing time slot, so I’ll request a new one for you. It probably won’t be for a few hours, but you are welcome to change your clothes.”
The cell door slammed shut, and Allan was left alone. Panic and rage built up inside him. He felt utterly helpless. Lily was in trouble, and he had no way to help her.
“Let me out of here!” he shrieked at the top of his lungs as he shook the bars of the cell door. “I’m innocent!”
He envisioned Timur in his home, tearing it apart. The memory of the pistol and the spinning bullets returned full force, causing him to hyperventilate. He feared that after he escaped from the makeshift dungeon, Timur must have retaliated against Lily.
He slumped onto his hammock, cradling his head in his hands. His panic and anxiety reaching a peak, the silver light began to escape from his eyelids again. As his mind processed the possibility that Lily could be dead, his eyes flew open in rage. In a flash of brilliant light, a loud explosion echoed as the walls around him crumbled into ash.
Allan wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, but he had no time to think about it. An alarm sounded as the dust began to settle. Allan realized there was a large opening in the far wall facing the street. He could hear shouts from the guards coming in his direction, and he made a split-second decision. He leapt through the opening just as the prongs from a Taser barely missed him. He took off at a sprint, unsure of his direction.
I have to find her.
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