Chapter 3

When I got back from the management office, the sky was still gray.

I opened the door and found Derek stretched out on the couch, playing a video game. He didn't even look up. "So? Is it over?"

I didn't answer. I kicked off my shoes, went to the kitchen, and poured myself a glass of water.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Is it over or not?"

"The security footage proved I wasn't home last night." I leaned against the kitchen doorway. "But the camera in the third-floor hallway had been covered. They can't tell who did it."

Derek's fingers paused on the controller. "Well, that's good, isn't it?" he said. "It has nothing to do with you anymore."

"Yeah," I said. "Now she's blaming you. Mrs. Patterson changed her story. Since it wasn't me, she says you must've been the one making all the noise."

Derek's head snapped up. On-screen, his character was killed by the boss. "Why is she pinning this on me?! You know what time I went to bed!"

"I know," I said. "But building management and the neighbors don't."

He threw the controller onto the couch, jumped to his feet, and paced across the living room. "Maybe we should just move."

The glass stopped halfway to my lips. "Move?"

"Yeah. It's a rental anyway. Forget the deposit. We'll find somewhere else."

"Have you thought about talking to her?" I asked. "Tell her you were asleep all night and weren't making any noise. That would settle everything."

Derek's expression froze for a split second before he looked away. "What's the point? She won't believe me."

"You haven't even tried. How do you know she won't listen?"

"You just don't get it..." He waved a hand helplessly.

I stepped forward and blocked his path. "Derek, what are you hiding?"

He said nothing. His eyes fixed on the floor.

"You know Mrs. Patterson, don't you?"

His shoulders tensed for just a moment.

"Who is she?"

"My mom's coworker." The words came out in a mumble, like he had to force them out.

"Your mom's coworker?" I stared at him. "You knew who she was all along?"

"I didn't recognize her until yesterday." He finally looked up, guilt written all over his face. "I'd met her once at my mom's office. I didn't think much of it at the time, but after we got home, it suddenly clicked."

I stood there, feeling my blood run cold.

"Then why did you volunteer to come with me yesterday morning to meet the neighbors?"

Something flickered in his eyes.

"I... I just wanted to be there with you..."

"No." I cut him off. "You wanted to find out if she was the woman you remembered."

He said nothing.

His silence told me everything.

"So you knew yesterday. You knew she was someone you recognized. You knew why she was targeting me. But you kept your mouth shut. And you still made me apologize."

"I wasn't..." Panic crept into his voice. "I was just trying to keep things from getting worse! She works with my mom. They see each other every day. If I didn't give her a way out, how was my mom supposed to face her at work?"

"So you threw me under the bus instead?" I asked quietly. "You let me take the blame so your mom wouldn't be embarrassed?"

"Why do you have to be so unreasonable? I was doing this for both of us!"

I looked at his red face and suddenly felt like I was staring at a stranger.

His "easygoing" nature only made life easier for everyone else. And when he said it's no big deal, what he really meant was that my dignity didn't matter.

I took a deep breath, turned, and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

His voice came through the door. "Are you mad again? What did I even say? Can't you just be reasonable?"

I leaned against the door and closed my eyes.

Be reasonable? Fine. Let's see who's really the unreasonable one.