Chapter 18 - What Celeste Remembered
Celeste was arrested.
She did not resist.
She sat in the interview room with both hands wrapped around a paper cup.
I watched from behind the glass.
Brooks asked, “Did you hit Emily Cole’s car?”
Celeste nodded.
“Yes.”
No excuses.
No tears.
Just yes.
My anger should have felt clean.
It didn’t.
Brooks continued.
“Did you intend to kill her?”
“No.”
“What did you intend?”
“To scare her.”
“With a car?”
“I was nineteen and insane with anger.”
“Who told you Emily hurt your mother?”
“My father.”
“Victor?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly did he say?”
Celeste stared at the cup.
“That Emily found my mother’s medical records and used them to blackmail him. He said Mom killed herself because Emily threatened to expose her.”
“But Diane died when you were a child.”
“I know that now.”
“When did you learn the truth?”
“Three years ago. After the crash.”
I went into the room.
Brooks started to object.
Then let me.
Celeste looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
I wanted to hate how small those words were.
I did hate them.
But I also saw the woman who had just put herself between my son and a bullet.
“You hurt Noah.”
Her face collapsed.
“I know.”
“Why?”
“I panicked.”
“That is not an answer.”
She started crying.
“I found the letter in his room that morning. Emily’s letter. I thought Richard had planted it. I thought someone was using Noah to trap me. He spilled juice, Anna reached for the paper in my hand, and I—”
“You grabbed a four-year-old child.”
“Yes.”
“You told him his mother died because he was bad.”
Her eyes shut.
“I was angry at Emily.”
“He is not Emily.”
“I know.”
“That might be the worst part. You knew.”
She nodded.
I could not forgive her.
Not then.
Maybe not ever.
But forgiveness and truth were different things.
“Why keep dating me after learning we were related?”
She looked at me.
“I learned for certain six months ago.”
“And you stayed.”
“I needed access to the trust.”
“You could have told me.”
“I didn’t trust you.”
“I loved you.”
“I know.”
That hurt worse than shouting.
Brooks entered with new evidence.
“Victor survived surgery.”
Celeste looked up.
Brooks put a photograph on the table.
A phone recovered from Victor’s coat.
On the screen was an unsent message addressed to someone labeled R.C.
Destroy the ambulance log before Ethan finds it.
I looked at the initials.
May you like
Richard Cole.
My father.
