“Lily, would you like some water or maybe a Coke,” Detective Chris Lee said. “We just want to ask a few more questions about the break in at your folks’ house. No worries.”

With tear streaked cheeks, Lily sniffled. She’d scrubbed off her makeup, put on a frumpy sweatshirt, and did her hair in two messy ponytails. Lily sat timidly in the ratty conference room chair. Looking with big sad eyes between the two detectives, Lily wiped at her face. Her voice quavering, she asked for a diet soda.

“No worries, I’ll bring you a drink and a snack and get you back to the hospital to wait with your mom. Just tying up loose ends.”

Chris opened the door of the interview room. Then pretending to remember something he turned back into the room. Two officers escorted a handcuffed Ricky Shaw past the interview room. Ricky and Lily stared at on another. Dirty and disheveled, Ricky looked terrified.

“Sorry, baby, they caught us,” Ricky said.

A cop pushed the now crying teen up the hallway. Snarling, Lily jumped to her feet. The false tears and girlish innocence fell away. They’d chosen that pathetic loser for a reason. John said he was the perfect pansy. Lily had toyed with him. She’d made him think they could be together if her parents were gone. She’d told him a lot of bullshit about her folks being monsters. All he had to do is shoot them and make it look like a robbery. Instead that screwup screwed up somehow.

Now instead of collecting insurance and getting the house and the jewelry business, Lily had to play worried daughter. Her parents locked themselves in their bedroom. Ricky tried to break down their solid oak bedroom door. Suddenly flashing lights and sirens, cops were everywhere. Her dad suffered a heart attack when stupid Ricky tried shooting the doorknob.

Vibrating with indignation, Lily caught the knowing look between the detectives. She realized she was being played. Lily sat down and folded her arms.

“Arrest me or let me go but I’m not saying a word until I have a lawyer.”