Chapter 8
636words
I even testified about being forced to kneel, the physical assault on Wanda's hand, and the way Ella egged the crowd on to assault us. I concluded with their final act of tying us to the roof of the ambulance, leaving no single detail out.
I was in the middle of giving my statement when a knock came at the interrogation room door, and a police officer leaned in and said, "Joseph and Ella are requesting to see you, Ms. Sommer."
I looked up, a flicker of confusion crossing my eyes.
I looked at Joseph and Ella standing behind the cold iron bars, looking utterly pathetic. Joseph, in his crumpled uniform and with his bruised face, had a look of murderous resentment. Ella, on the other hand, looked utterly disheveled with her hair all over the place and her expression completely lifeless.
Joseph scrambled toward the bars the moment he spotted me. "You have to tell them that it wasn't my idea, Yvonne! I didn't mean for this to happen!
"Ella tricked me! She's the one who put me up to it! She's the one who had it out for Wanda. I only intended for her to suffer a little bit—I never intended for her to die!"
Ella looked up with a hollow expression, glancing at Joseph before turning her gaze to me with a distorted grin on her face. "You're still trying to throw me under the bus, huh, Joseph? You were the one who said that with Wanda dead, there would be no one left to testify.
"You even said that Yvonne was a nosy bitch and that it was easier to just kill them both and be done with it."
"You'd better shut your mouth, bitch!" Joseph barked, his eyes wide with a murderous, bloodshot glare.
Ella let out a cackle. "You want me to shut up, huh? Have you forgotten what you told me, Joseph? You said Yvonne was stupid and dull, and the only reason you hadn't dumped her was because she was submissive and easy to control.
"You planned to make her family pay to pull strings for your career after graduation—to get you a spot at the military academy or a good position somewhere. You said she was just a stepping stone for your climb to the top. Have you forgotten all of that, Joseph?"
"You're full of it!" Joseph lost it completely, screaming at the top of his lungs.
I stared at the two of them behind the bars, snapping at one another like a pair of rabid dogs. I didn't let a single emotion show on my face, though I thought the scene was nothing short of ridiculous.
Joseph whipped his head toward me, his bloodshot eyes locked onto mine. "You have to believe me, Yvonne! You can't believe anything that crazy woman says! I swear I really love you! I just lost my head for a second! You know how I used to be, right? Haven't I been good to you all this time?
"I was the one who took care of you during the outdoor orientation boot camp! I even carried you to the infirmary when you had heatstroke! Have you really forgotten that, Yvonne?
"You have to help me, Yvonne! You have to tell Mr. Lawson that it was all just a misunderstanding—a lovers' spat that got out of hand—and that what happened to Wanda was an accident! I swear I'll make it up to you if you help me this one time. I'll marry you right away and do anything you say—"
I cut him off with a calm, steady voice, one that possessed a soul-piercing strength, "You said you love me, huh, Joseph?"
