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“Yeah. I don’t know if Richard called them before he died or if the staff and the others witnessed that you were the last person who saw him alive.”
My fists clench on either side of me. “I didn’t kill him, Larry. I didn’t do it.”
His brows draw over his wrinkled eyes as he sighs. He has thick skin with some blotches, probably due to staying out in the sun for so many years. “I know.”
“Really?”
“Really, Winter. You’re a crazy little thing, but you’re no murderer.”
I smile a little at that. “Who are you calling crazy, old man?”
“I’m no old man, you little shit.”
“You act like one, Larry.”
He headlocks me, then swiftly pushes me away. Larry has always kept distance between us, as if he’s afraid to touch me, and I’m thankful for that. Not because his touch is bad, but because I dislike being touched. That’s why I prefer invisibility.
“Anyway, you need to leave before they find you.”
“No. I did nothing wrong, and if I hide, that means I’m admitting to a crime I didn’t commit.”
“So what do you plan, woman? Are you thinking of barging into the midst of those policemen? What are you going to say? Like, ‘umm, hey there, officers, I’m the one you think killed Richard, but I actually didn’t, so let’s just shake hands’?”
“I’ll simply tell them what happened.”
“No one will believe you, Winter. Your fingerprints are all over his office and you were the last one who saw him alive before you disappeared. You’re guilty in their eyes. And if you go in there, they’ll lock you up for twenty years. You won’t get a good lawyer either, because state-appointed ones are shit.”
His words penetrate my brain, slowly making sense, but I want to dismiss them as fast as possible. I want them to be untrue. Because I can’t accept that option.
“So what do you suggest I do, Larry? Run away?”
The older man snaps his fingers. “Exactly. Lie low for a while and then we’ll figure some way to get you out of this city.”
It’s the most logical thing to do under the circumstances. It is. But I’ve always been attached to this merciless city with super glue. Besides, it’s where I have memories with my baby girl, and if I leave, it’ll be like I’m abandoning a piece of me.
“But…Larry…”
He sighs, jamming both of his hands in his orange coat. “You don’t want to leave?”
I shake my head.
“But you might get locked up. You have to.”
“I know. Are you…coming with me?”
“Absolutely, woman. We ride together and die together.”
“That sounds like some motorcycle club’s slogan.”
“I stole it. Roll with it.” He peeks his head around the corner, his hazel eyes shining with concentration before he focuses on me. “Now, go. Don’t stay in open places and avoid cameras. I’ve got your back.”
I wrap my arms around him in a brief hug. “How will we meet again?”
“I have my homeless intel. I’ll find you. Just lay low.”
After I reluctantly release him, I carefully make my way through the back of the alley.
I glance behind me to cast one last glimpse at Larry, but he’s already gone.
