Chapter 54: Chapter 54

LISA

May 16th 2018

I gulp, listening to Detective Evie while my gaze is fixed on Rachel, watching her as she fusses over me.

"You look like you've just seen a ghost, baby." As she wipes the hair away from my face, she says with tenderness and I instantly believe I am not worthy of such a woman as herself.

"Detective.." I croak out, clearing my throat.

I watch with dread as she and Chad turn to face me. Chad's tense body begins to relax as he smiles at me. "Glad you found your way back to us, blondie." He flicks me a playful wink and a faint smile graces my face.

"Thanks," I reply, "It's good to be back." I let my eyes wander around the room and the sudden urge to come clean about Jimmy consumes me and before I know what's happening, the next lot of words start flowing out of my mouth.

"I have something I need to tell you," I say as I take a deep breath.

"I'm all ears," Evie replies giving me her undivided attention.

With Rachel's help, I slowly pull myself upright in the bed. "I killed Jimmy." I exhale a deep breath and instantly feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.

I glance up, my eyes collide with Rachels, her hands are covering her mouth as tears well up in her eyes and she shakes her head at me, disbelief written all over her face.

I shift my attention to Chad and he's standing there scratching the back of his head, his eyes refuse to meet mine and I sigh, even 'Chad the dog' can't look at me now.

"All right," Evie says as she clicks her pen on her notepad. "Explain what happened to me, and we'll see where we go from there."

"Well, I'm sure you're aware of Laylas background where her husband is concerned?"

"Yes, he was brought up on child pornography charges and took his life before he was due to appear in court," Evie replies with disdain drowning her words.

I nod my head, "Layla found out that it was Jimmy that put her husband up to it, confronting him. She spent the past 12months drowning her sorrows, desperately trying to move forward and forget her past." I watch as Evie writes down everything I'm saying to her.

"He lost his temper when she told him everything she knew, planning on going to the police with the new piece of information she had with the hopes of clearing Ryder's name. Jimmy got mad, like real fucking mad and she freaked out, slicing his face with a razor then she took off running to the bar. I was in one of the other rooms checking the supply draws and I heard a commotion in the distance."  I look at Rachel clearing my throat, it felt like I had swallowed a slew of iron hot stones and my throat felt raw and raspy.

"Can you pour me a drink please?" I ask, taking the cup from her offering hands when she's done.

As if I were a dehydrated fish, I swiftly swallow it down, savouring the sensation of the cool liquid gliding down my throat, quenching the fire-like sensation, and continuing with my statement.

"When I entered the bar, I saw Jimmy looming over her, confessing his sins as he picked up a metal barstool, raising it above his head and telling her exactly what he thought of her. The look on Laylas face was...." I take a deep breath in, closing my eyes,  running my trembling fingers through my hair as I remember the look of sheer terror on her face.

"Without second-guessing my motives, I reached over the bar, picking up the Galliano bottle and I.. I marched up to him from behind and I struck him across the head." I feel a single tear slide down my cheek and when I open my eyes again, Evie is staring right at me.

I look to my side and Rachel is no longer there, my heart lurches into my stomach as I fear I may have scared her away for good this time and the funny thing is..

I don't blame her.

I wipe my eyes with the palms of my hands. "I'm guilty, I killed him and I helped Layla get rid of his body." I whimper. "We stuck him in a drum, rolled him out of the club and threw him into the dumpster." I cry with a heavy heart. "I robbed his sons of a father." I sniffle, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "I.. I didn't mean to do it, honestly, I didn't." I start twisting the sheets between my hands. "I only intended to knock him out but I freaked, I've experienced the damage he is capable of when he is in a state of rage and when he had that stool raised above his head, threatening to hurt Layla...." The words fall from my lips.

"Did she steal my money too?" Chad asks me, and I look up to witness the anger gleaming in his irises.

I suddenly feel like I'm drowning in a pit of guilt, looking down at my hands again, nodding my head and a low growl from Chad fills the room

"I'm sorry, Chad. She was desperate and I.. "

"What the fucks wrong with you Lisa?" He bellows out, surprising the shit out of me and I snap my head up, our eyes colliding once again.

"What do you mean?"

"You kill Laylas fuck buddy-"

"No! He wasn't -"

"Yes! He was, she was fucking him, Lisa. She chose to spread her fucking legs and let him pound her. Then when she finds out that he was the brains behind Ryder's side hustle," he throws his hands up in the air. "Her loyalty to her deceased husband comes crashing back to her. You murdered a man, then you got rid of his body, which by the way I bet was Laylas idea because I know you, Lisa. You wouldn't hurt a fucking fly! And you assist her in robbing me?" I watch as his face turns red, his eyes penetrating mine and I swear he is setting my soul on fire because everything he is saying is true.

"I'm sorry! If I could go back and do things all over again I would." I cry out, feeling like utter shit.

"But you cant. Shit! I can lose the Club." He hisses. "And if that happens, what's going to happen to the other girls? Where are they gonna go? What are they gonna do?" He asks me, shaking his head as he roughly pulls his jacket off the back of the chair, sending it crashing to the ground as he storms out of the room.

"Chad!" I call out after him. "Chad please..." I cry.

Through murky eyes that are clouded by my tears, I watch as Detective Evie picks the chair up and takes a seat. She reads over the notes that she has written in her notepad and looks up at me with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I thank you for your confidence by telling me everything that occurred without a lawyer present, Lisa."  A faint smile stains her pretty face as she looks at me through eyes full of pity. "In return, I'm going to be quite frank with you. Things aren't looking good for you at all, if you had called the police before disposing of Jimmy's body, you could have been charged with manslaughter and you possibly wouldn't have spent any time in jail because you could have argued that it was done through self-defence." She says with a sigh, closing her notepad and sliding it into the breast pocket of her blazer.

"I panicked," I whisper.

"And through your state of shock you were easily influenced and for that, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do to prevent you from serving any real-time behind bars." She states honestly, confirming my fears of going to jail.

We sit in silence for what seems like hours before she clears her throat and stands up.

"This is what you're going to need to do...."