Big Bad World

Aubrey Questioned

[AUBREY'S POV]

The day was flashing by before my very eyes. My home wasn’t as clean as I wanted it to be and I had so much to do. Work was a drag, but on top of that I didn’t know how I was going to deal with my own life. Lacey was engaged and I was thrilled for her, but I couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of jealousy. It was awful that I had felt that way, and I shouldn’t have toward my own best friend. She had been getting quite the publicity lately. I suppose that’s what you would get when you’re marrying one of the most famous country artists in Nashville. It had unnerved me, but there was nothing I could do about it. She was my best friend and I had to let the jealousy pass.

My thoughts had flooded my mind making me feel as insecure as ever. I had no idea how much more interesting the day was about to get when I heard my doorbell. It had startled me. My eyes rolled in the back of my head as I stopped what I was doing to greet whoever was standing at my doorstep. My hand took the effort to twist the knob to open the door to see the cops standing before me. The atmosphere of the room grew dim as I allowed them to enter my home. The reasoning for their appearance was unknown to me. I swallowed hard as they sat in my living room on the sofa. “Aubrey Paxton, Lacey Grace’s friend right? We’re here regarding the death of Cooper Hastings and the barn fire” one of the cops asked.

I swallowed hard with nervousness. “Uh, yea, she’s my best friend, why?”

One of the cops handed the second cop a notepad and a pen to take notes, while he set up a recorder. The nerves in my body skyrocketed to 100. Why would they want to question me? Why did they ask about Lacey? “She says you were in Australia with her last year. Is this true?”

I bit down on my lip and nodded. “Uh, yea that’s true…”

My eyes looked everywhere around the room besides the cops sitting in front of me. It had made me nervous that they were sitting in my home, and the fact that they were asking about Australia. I knew a thing or two about Australia, but was it appropriate to mention? “Do you remember what you guys did on that trip?”

I nodded. “Um yea, we laid by the beach like the entire time. Lacey is obsessed with beaches. We partied some. Ya know, the usually I guess…” I said in apprehension. There wasn’t a way they could ask about anything else. There couldn’t be. I didn’t know how any of it happened, but I knew it happened. Lacey just didn’t need to know the outcome, and I had to keep it that way.

“Mm, interesting. Did you happen to hang out with Cooper Hastings at all?” he asked.

Everything in me stopped in that moment. This was exactly what I didn’t want to speak about. Why was he questioning me like this? Why were they here? I wasn’t at fault, and I had no idea who was. I kept lying to myself. “Um, no. I’ve heard about him, but I never knew the guy…” I mumbled truthfully.

The cop nodded apprehensively. “Who’s told you about him? Keith Urban by chance?”

My body froze once again. Keith and Cooper knew each other? How was that possible? Yet again, I didn’t know much about the guy. All I knew is that he had made another mad for one reason or another. The connection between him and Keith didn’t make much sense. “Um, no. I didn’t even know Keith knew Cooper. It was some other guy. I don’t remember his name though…”

The cop nodded. “What did this other guy say about Cooper? Do you remember what he looked like?”

I shook my head. “Uh, I don’t really remember what he looked like. All I remember is shaggy dark brown hair,” I shrugged. “He said a lot of things about Cooper. Something about how he wanted to get one of his friends back or Cooper made him mad or something for stealing someone’s girl. I don’t really know. All I know is that someone stole another’s girl and someone was mad about it. “

“Did Lacey hang out with this guy at all?” the cop asked.

Lacey didn’t need to be a part of this. I had to stop whatever this was. “Why do you care what Lacey was doing? It doesn’t matter. Lacey didn’t know Cooper. Also, why are you asking about Keith? I don’t see how any of this is connected,” I shot back without hesitation.

The cop sighed and leaned in toward me. “Lacey is a suspect, and we need to know as much as possible. Keith was involved. He was Cooper’s friend. All of it’s connected. We’re just trying to figure out why and how. Please answer the question, Aubrey.”

Lacey, my best friend was a suspect. I knew Cooper died, but Lacey shouldn’t be a suspect. It wasn’t her fault that any of it happened in the first place. The guy who I said I couldn’t remember should be at fault. He was the one who killed Cooper. He was the one who started the fire and he used Lacey as a culprit. It had made me sick that Cooper and Keith were friends. The guy who had told me about Cooper’s death and the fire that night was Keith’s friend. I was sick thinking about it. “Cooper died, okay? He died in the fire and the guy who started it; he’s a jerk. Lacey shouldn’t be punished for something she didn’t do. She shouldn’t be punished. I’ve told you everything I know. Stop questioning Lacey. She didn’t do anything. Leave her alone. Now leave, please,” I shot back. There was so much I wasn’t telling them, but they didn’t need to know. I had to protect Lacey and Keith. The truth wasn’t a priority when it came to protecting the both of them. Australia was a distant memory, and to have it revisited was cruel. To know that Lacey probably couldn’t remember the trip as a whole was cruel. I suppose you don’t remember much when you’re drugged…