Chapter Where's the Culprit
"The police have footage of Cat coming in a side door, using her hotel issued key card, and she's carrying what looks like an accelerant in her hand," Zach was saying. Trent could hardly believe his ears. While he had been under the impression that it was possible Cat might have been responsible for this, hearing someone say there was proof of it was horrific. How would Bree handle hearing that someone she'd thought had been her friend had tried to kill her?
"That's... disturbing," he said, watching Bree's eyes widen as she attempted to guess what he might be talking about. "But they haven't found her yet?"
"No. They are still looking for her. They think she might've caught a bus out of town, or maybe even hitchhiked. They have no record of her using rideshare, like they had when they arrested her for cutting the electricity off at the club. They were able to show that she took an Uber to do that."
"What's going on?" Bree asked him.
Trent brought the phone away from his mouth. "Police have video of Cat coming into the hotel with an accelerant," he said. Her eyes bulged, as her face morphed into a horrified expression.
He patted her arm, but he had no idea how to comfort her at the moment. Back in the phone, Trent said, "I'm shocked, Zach. Thanks for letting us know."
"Sure. By the way, you can tell Bree, if you want to, that Zelda was asking me about who filled in for Cat last night, and I told her all about Shawna. She wants to meet her. She said she heard from several people that Shawna had done a great job. It sounds to me like there's a good chance we might have Shawna in the band permanently."
"That will make her happy," Trent said, glad he'd have some good news to tell his girlfriend. She looked like she was about to cry after what he'd just told her about Cat.
"I'll let you know if I hear anything else. Do you guys need anything?"
"Thanks, man. I think we're fine. The doctor wants to keep Bree overnight, so we'll be staying in the hospital. At least I know she'll be safe tonight for certain."
"Yes, that's a relief. If you need anything at all, give me a call."
"I appreciate it." He told him goodbye and hung up, glad Zach was willing to help out. It seemed like his role had changed rather quickly from antagonist to friend, but Trent wasn't complaining.
As Trent put his phone back into his pocket, Bree started asking questions about what Zach had to say. Trent repeated everything Zach had told him about Cat, which wasn't much. When he was done, Bree didn't look satisfied. "I'm sorry, babe.
I wish I had more answers for you. But... Zach did say Zelda wants to meet with Shawna. She's gotten good feedback about her, so there's a good chance they'll hire her."
That brought a smile to Bree's face. "That is good news," she said. "If we can get Shawna in the band, and Cat locked up for a few decades, life will be much better."
Trent couldn't help but grin at her. "I agree. But you need to get some rest. I sent your parents a text earlier that your surgery was over and everything went well, but I need to call them."
"You're so sweet. Thank you for taking care of that for me. I would love to speak to them, but I feel really tired all of a sudden."
He could tell by looking into her eyes that she was tired. "I don't mind at all. I'll step outside in the hall to call them, okay? Why don't you try to get some rest?" He stood and kissed her on the forehead. Bree closed her eyes and rested her head back, and Trent headed out the door, thinking she'd be just fine on her own for a few minutes.