“You should stand trial for what you did to my father,” I argue. “You should show your son what a real mother does. She takes responsibility for her mistakes. She doesn’t run because it’s easier.”
“You think this is easier?” She lets out a short laugh. “You think leaving everything behind is the easy path?”
“You assaulted an officer with a spork,” I remind her.
“It was plastic,” she scoffs. “Let’s not be theatrical.”
“Don’t do this,” I practically beg. “Even if you’re behind bars, Cash needs you.”
“He hasn’t needed me for a long time,” she sighs. “Not since he met you.”
I don’t know what to do with that.
“I’d like to say goodbye to my son now,” she says gently.
My gaze lands on Cash. He’s hugging Britta. Awkwardly.
He doesn’t want anything to do with Fanny. He hasn’t visited her in jail. Rarely even talks about her.
“No,” I say into the phone.
Speaker!Wilder mouths.
“There will come a day,” Fanny exhales, “when he asks you why you didn’t let him say goodbye. I hope you have a good reason, Ingrid.”
Then, the line goes dead.
I pull the phone away from my ear.
“What the fuck was that?” Wilder whispers, his eyes glancing between Cash and me. “She called you?”
My head throbs. “I don’t know. She wanted to get ahold of Cash.”
“So, she called you?” Wilder raises an eyebrow. “That’s convenient.”
“What do you mean?”
Wilder shakes his head. “She’s putting it on you. Again. Fanny always does this. She could have called Cash. Or Archibald. Or even me. But she chose you.”
I slap a hand to my forehead.
There will come a day when he asks you why you didn’t let him say goodbye. I hope you have a good reason, Ingrid.
I can’t believe I fell for it.
Fanny is on the run. She’s not coming back. She doesn’t want to go to jail. And instead of being the one to tell Cash, she let it fall to me. Ihave to be the one to tell him that she’s leaving. That she chose herself. Again.
“Fanny Allred is Satan incarnate,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Is she?” I hear Cash say behind me.
I close my eyes before turning around to face him.
Swallowing hard, I clear my throat. “You ready to get on the road?”
Cash clicks his tongue. “Nope.”
“Just tell him, Blondie,” Wilder grumbles.
