Chapter 3

I almost laughed thinking about my last life.

Grant, grabbing my chin, whispering, "Darling, without an alibi, you're dead in the water."

Now I had the entire LAPD's incident report. High-def interrogation footage. The medical examiner's bloodwork.

The entire Los Angeles justice system was my alibi.

Let's see who they could pin this on now.

The hours ticked by.

At 6 AM, Detective Ramirez from the Homicide Division appeared at my cell door, his face dark. He led me to a private interview room.

"Julia," he said, his voice grave. "There was a fatal hit-and-run on Sunset Boulevard last night. A valet, a college student, was killed on impact. The vehicle we've identified at the scene is a white Porsche 911. Registered in your name."

I widened my eyes, playing shocked and confused. "What? That's impossible! My car has been in my building's garage. The keys are in my purse!"

My mom and Liam, who had been waiting anxiously in the lobby, heard this and rushed over.

"Detective, that's an absurd accusation! My daughter has been in custody here all night!" My mom protested.

Suddenly, the station's glass doors were shoved open.

My fiancé Grant and his sister Blair stormed in. A guy trailing right behind them suddenly pulled a concealed camera from his jacket—a TMZ stringer.

"Julia! You got high, killed someone in a hit-and-run, and you have the nerve to hide? Do you have any conscience at all?" Grant screamed, projecting his voice for the camera.

I gave them a cold look. "I was arrested yesterday for vandalism…"

Blair cut me off with a shriek.

"Oh my god! You weren't just drunk, you were high, weren't you? No wonder you ran! Hiding out in a police station, pretending to be crazy!"

My mom went pale. "That's a lie! My daughter would never do something like that!"

"Why not? It's all over the news! Figures your family would raise a murderer who thinks she's above the law!" Blair sneered.

The TMZ reporter, like a shark smelling blood, shoved his way toward the glass partition.

"Julia! How does it feel to buy your way out of vehicular manslaughter?!"

The flash of his camera went off once, blindingly bright, before two officers immediately tackled him back against the wall.

My mom was shaking with rage. Liam pointed a finger at the struggling reporter. "Confiscate that! My legal team will hit TMZ with a multi-million dollar defamation suit that will have you paying for the rest of your life!"

"Back off! This is a police station, not a movie set! Get his gear!" Detective Ramirez barked, and the officers quickly dragged the reporter out of the lobby.

I stared hard at Grant. "I was arrested at 6:30 PM yesterday! The garage security cameras can prove my car was still there!"

A flicker of panic crossed Grant's eyes.

But he recovered quickly, like a true Oscar winner, his face shifting to a look of profound disappointment.