THE LIE THAT LOCKED HIM AWAY
The air in the visiting room was thick with tension, heavy enough to choke on. She sat across from him, trying to look stronger than she felt.
“He said he’d be coming in later. Did you get stuff for Amy and Aaron and Nina?” she asked, her voice fragile. “They said you were doing okay.”
He snorted, a bitter sound. “I wish I could change places with you.”
“What good would that do?” she asked softly.
“It would mean you weren’t the one in here.”
He stared at her, the question that had been burning inside him finally forcing its way out. “Why am I in here? I didn’t kill Theo.”
His voice cracked, but he pressed on, the memory clawing its way back. “I thought he was going to kill me. I was lucky to get out of there alive.”
She shifted in her seat, discomfort plain across her face.
“But the thing I really don’t understand is Tyrone.” His voice dropped, raw with disbelief. “He saw me. He saw Theo. He knows that I didn’t do this. Why isn’t he saying that? Why is he lying?”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I am 100% sure about that.” His hands gripped the edge of the table. “Listen, I am really struggling here. I didn’t sleep a wink last night because I keep thinking about someone being locked up in prison because I lied to the police. I’ve got to do something. I have to make it right.”
Her face tightened. “Hey, we discussed this yesterday. I know it’s not easy, but you have to stay strong. Look, meet me in the Rovers after work. We’ll discuss it then. And don’t do anything stupid.”
She stood, swaying slightly. “Oh, feel a bit dizzy. No, no, I’m okay.”
“Fine. You forgot your lunch box.”
“Oh, right.” She took it, muttered to herself, “Forget me if it wasn’t screwed up.”
Outside, the afternoon air did little to clear the fog in his head. He moved through the streets like a ghost, barely registering the world around him.
“Oh, what is he like, hey?” someone called out. A familiar voice.
He looked up. “Hey. You okay?”
“Yeah, fine.” He forced a smile. “Yeah, you sure?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Yeah, mate.” The other man was breathing hard. “No, I just—I think I ran too fast. I’m so out of shape. I’m getting old. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
“Oh, well, I better get off. Stuff to do.”
“Okay, yeah. See you later.”
“I better get off, too. Enjoy your lunch.”
“Thanks.” She turned back. “Can I get a kiss?”
He sighed. “So, you’re going to speak to her?”
“I’ve already said I’m going to speak to her.”
“Today?”
“Yes, today, Ryan. It’s the first thing on my to-do list.”
Ryan pressed his advantage. “Look, if I’d known she was Theo’s ex-wife, then I would have said something earlier, you know? I mean, she dropped off the wedding cake hours before. So, what was she still doing on the streets so late at night?”
“What? I don’t know. I’m going to ask her that, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, but not only that, Ryan. You said—I mean, what about her kicking off yesterday? You know, when she found out that Todd’s got Theo’s life insurance.”
“Exactly.”
“Hey, hey, maybe Christina was right. And what if Danielle thought the money was coming to her? I mean, sounds like a pretty big motive to me.”
He stopped, turning to face Ryan fully. “Yes, I do know how to do my job. Thank you.”
“Sorry.”
“Just can’t believe for one minute that Summer killed Theo.”
“No. Well, I need to go to work now. So, any more advice for me? Any more instructions?”
“No. No.”
“Okay. Have a nice day.”
But none of them were having a nice day. Not really.
Somewhere in this tangled mess of alibis, half-truths, and convenient silences, the real story was buried. Tyrone had seen everything—and yet he was saying nothing. Why would an eyewitness choose to lie about what they saw? What was he afraid of? Or worse—what was he protecting?
And then there was Danielle. Theo’s ex-wife, lingering in the streets long after she should have gone home. She’d dropped off the wedding cake hours before the murder, so why was she still out at that hour