"Having a son in jail for two murders might keep you indoors." -Spencer Hastings
Isabel, Spencer, Emily, and Aria walked out of Emily's house in the middle of the night.
"I thought Hanna was joining us for dinner," Emily frowned as she closed her door.
"Hanna hasn't eaten since Tuesday," Spencer scoffed.
"Should we grab a pizza and go over there?" Emily suggested.
"Not unless the topping is Caleb," Isabel shrugged, and Emily raised an eyebrow at her.
"If you guys want to go see her, can you just go without me?" Aria asked nervously. "I already feel bad enough that I convinced her to tell Caleb."
"Well, I kinda told Caleb to talk to her, so..." Isabel muttered.
"With or without you guys, she was backed into a corner," Emily assured them. Isabel still felt responsible, though.
"This 'A' does not feel like a high school girl playing games," Spencer huffed.
"Probably not even a high schooler," Isabel mumbled, crossing her arms.
"Okay, well, if you figure out those rules, can you tell the rest of us?" Aria asked as they came to a stop.
"You know what? I'm not really hungry," Emily said.
"Me either," Aria agreed, looking at Isabel.
"Don't look at me, I'm always hungry," she shrugged.
"My stomach's in a knot," Spencer scoffed. "So's my neck. I haven't been able to brush the back of my head in, like, a year and a half."
"Spence, don't let them freak you out. If the police really knew that we were lying about the lake house-" Aria replied.
"Not just the lake house. What about the negatives of that picture, Ali's missing body, all the things we buried with her... any of that could get us arrested," Emily added.
"It's my neck again," Spencer complained as she stretched her neck. Suddenly, police sirens wailed, and Isabel wished she wasn't so familiar with them.
"Are they going to Jenna's?" Aria frowned as ambulances and police cars swarmed Garrett's house.
"Garrett's," Isabel replied, trying to get a better look.
"Well, who else lives in his house besides his parents?" Aria asked as they walked closer.
"I don't think they've been outside since he was arrested," Emily said.
"Having a son in jail for two murders might keep you indoors," Spencer shrugged as they continued to stare. Mrs. Reynolds was wheeled out of her house on a stretcher, and Emily spoke up.
"That's his mom. That's Mrs. Reynolds," she gaped.
Suddenly, Isabel noticed someone in a black hoodie watching, and she exclaimed, "You guys."
"What? What is it?" Spencer asked as she frantically looked around.
"Over there," Isabel said, pointing to the hooded per- wait, where did they go? "There- there was a person in a black hoodie watching us, I swear!"
"What are you saying?" Spencer asked incredulously.
"You think 'A' was out here watching us?" Emily added.
"Are you sure?" Spencer scoffed, still craning her neck.
"Why would 'A' care about Garrett's mother?" Emily agreed.
"Maybe 'A' wanted her out of the house," Isabel shrugged.
-
The next day, Isabel, Emily, and Spencer stared at Jenna while she handed out invitations.
"What happened to keeping a low profile?" Emily scoffed as they watched Jenna. "Staying blind because she's a target?"
"Look at her. How can you miss her?" Isabel scowled, glaring at Jenna's bright attitude.
"She's been gliding around school all day like a Thanksgiving float," Spencer agreed.
"Yeah, we should say something to her," Emily nodded, and started to walk over.
"No. Wait," Isabel said, grabbing her arm.
"Did you get Aria's text about Lucas and the photo studio?" Spencer asked, and Isabel turned to her.
"Yeah, what was that about?" she frowned.
"Aria says that she knows the photographer who owns the studio, and it's on the same block where she and Hanna saw Lucas on that night," Spencer explained.
"So now we think Lucas took the photos in the graveyard?" Emily replied skeptically.
"Well, maybe, but then why was he pounding to get in there?" Spencer pointed out.
Emily sighed and turned away. "I can't think about this now. I have a calculus test."
"Wait, Em. There's something else," Spencer exclaimed, stopping her again. "My mom left her tablet out on the table this morning." She pulled out a folded paper, and Isabel took it.
"What is this?" Emily asked, reading over her shoulder.
"They're letting Garrett out," Isabel read. "To see his mother. It's called compassionate furlough."
"What has he done to deserve compassion?" Emily scoffed.
"She's probably really sick," Isabel shrugged, handing Spencer the paper back.
"So basically they're giving him a get-out-of-jail-free card?" Emily huffed.
"This just might be his last time to say goodbye to her," Spencer replied.
"At least he gets a chance," Emily snapped, and Isabel knew what she was talking about: Maya.
"Do you want to talk about this later?" Spencer offered.
"What's there to talk about?" Emily scoffed, shifting her books. "We have no power- who cares what we think?"
"I do," Isabel muttered, and they stared at her. "Look, what if 'A' put Garrett's mom in the hospital to get Garrett out of jail?"
"Maybe the plan is to meet up with the person who's really helping him," Spencer added. "It would explain what Aria saw hiding in the shadows last night." Emily looked skeptical, and she sighed, "Em, Mona might not be the only person in Rosewood who owns a black hoodie."
"Don't look now, but she's coming over here," Isabel whispered, and Emily frowned at her.
"Who?" She asked.
"The float. She's carrying something. Envelopes," Spencer replied.
"What's in them?" Emily pressed, turning back around.
"Anthrax," Spencer scoffed.
"Hi. Here's one for you, one for you, and one for you," Jenna smiled, handing each of them an envelope. "I haven't seen Aria or Hanna. Can I trust that you'll pass them on?"
"What is this?" Spencer asked, staring at her pointedly.
"Oh, they're invitations," Jenna grinned. "It's my birthday."
"And you recovered just in time," Isabel said skeptically.
"The doctors say it's a positive outcome," Jenna shrugged.
"No. What the hell is this, Jenna?" Spencer asked in a low tone.
"I thought you needed protection. We had a deal," Isabel hissed in agreement.
"Well, this is the new deal: I feel a lot safer when I'm in charge of what happens to me," Jenna replied in the same deadly tones. "Hope to see you at the party."
-
Isabel was helping Emily work at the Brew, since her cranky boss was getting ready for Jenna's party.
"So, did he ask you to work this party, too?" She asked, leaning back on the expresso machine.
"What? Who?" Emily blinked, willing the counters for the fifth time today. Isabel winced at all the hard work she had to do because she was a new employee.
"He sent out an e-mail to all of the workers at about nine this morning," Isabel explained, and Emily's eyes widened.
"Oh hell no," she scoffed.
"Exactly my thoughts, but I'm not the boss," Isabel shrugged.
"I don't want to go to Jenna's stupid pity party," Emily huffed, crossing her arms.
"Do you want to keep your job?" Isabel sighed, and Emily threw her towel down angrily.
At Jenna's party, Isabel helped work, putting out cupcakes, drinks, and once even stuffed mushrooms. It wasn't hard work, and she was glad she was getting paid.
In the middle of her shift, Spencer called, and she swore under her breath as her boss walked by. For some reason, he had it out for her, and specifically her, as if he thought she was a bad worker (she tried too hard for this).
"What, Spence?" She hissed once her boss finished ripping her a new one for that. "It better be good, since Mr. No-Phones-Allowed-When-I'm-Paying-You-My-Money just knocked thirty dollars off my check."
"It's Garrett," Spencer muttered, obviously in a public setting.
"Hm, do tell," Isabel replied, walking back into the kitchen. Emily frowned at her, and she mouthed, 'News about Garrett. Take over my shift?' and Emily nodded.
"Okay, so he's finally chosen some flowers, which are hideous, and tacky, and mostly carnations, but there's not really much selection around here," Spencer said.
"Is he handcuffed at least?" Isabel scoffed.
"Yeah. And he has two guards with him," Spencer nodded. Suddenly, she went silent.
"Spence-"
"Hold on," she whispered.
"What's happening?" Isabel asked after a couple seconds, balancing her phone between her shoulder and ear, a tray of scones in one of her hands, and a pitcher of lemonade (yum) in the other.
"He's writing a note for the flowers," Spencer explained. "Why would he be doing that?"
"So she'll know who they're from," Isabel said as if it were obvious.
"His mom is in a coma. She's not doing a lot of reading," Spencer pointed out as someone took a blueberry scone off Isabel's tray. She noticed the familiar angry expression that her boss often wore, and her eyes grew wide.
"I gotta go."
"Fine," Spencer huffed, but then her tone grew sweet. "Uh, I'll call you later. Bye, dad."
"Dad?" Isabel scoffed, quickly pocketing her phone as her boss threw a suspicious glance her way.
-
"He's writing someone a note?" Emily asked incredulously. They were in the kitchens, frosting cupcakes while Isabel caught Emily up on the latest news.
"Maybe 'A', maybe Jenna, maybe both," Isabel shrugged, swearing under her breath as she messed up a frosting swirl again. Oh well, might as well eat it, since it was practically a mess now.
"But why? We need to figure out who he's writing, and why," Emily urged. "And the only way we can do that is if we get that note."
"Hey, I'm in no position to do that," Isabel replied, hastily throwing away a cupcake wrapper as another worker walked in.
"I know," Emily sighed. "Neither am I, but just remember, we're keeping our jobs."
Isabel made a face and watched as Emily carried out a tray of cupcakes, only to have her boss bring in another unfrosted batch.
-
Later, Isabel met up with Emily at the hospital, as Paige had fallen down and hit her head at Jenna's party.
"We dated for a while," Emily was telling Nate St. Germain. They hung out a lot, and he was supposedly Maya's cousin or something. Isabel had seen them talking while she worked at the Brew multiple times.
"Was that before Maya, or after?" Nate asked.
"It was kind of in between," Emily shrugged. Isabel waved to her, and Emily added, "I'll be right back." Spencer walked up to them, and Isabel smiled at her.
"You get my text?" Isabel asked her.
"Why do you think I'm here?" Spencer scoffed, crossing her arms. "Let's go upstairs."
"No, I can't," Emily said, stopping her. "Nate's here and Paige is coming out any moment."
"But if Wilden left, that probably means Garrett left, too, and we have to see what's on the card he stuck in those flowers," Isabel hissed.
Suddenly, the elevator bell dinged, and Garrett and two guards walked out. When Nate noticed them, he got up and stormed over.
"Hey! Garrett!" He yelled, pouncing on him.
"No! Nate, stop!" Emily huffed, and Isabel walked over.
"Stop!" She agreed, but from a distance.
"Isabel, I'm so sorry," Garrett apologized, and Isabel frowned at him.
"For what?" She asked. Somehow, deep down, she knew he didn't kill Ali.
"I wrote that note," he explained as the guards threw Nate off him.
"What n-" Isabel began, but her eyes widened. "How could you? How could you do that to him?" Nate stared at her, confused but glad that she was yelling at Garrett. "You made him doubt himself, made him think he killed his own sister!"
"Things aren't always as they seem," Garrett warned cryptically as he scampered back into the elevator to save himself from her pouncing on him, too.
Isabel just stormed off as Emily and Spencer stared at her.
"Who-" Spencer started, but Isabel was already gone.
All this time, not only was Garrett not who she thought he was, but he was also despicable. And nothing could change her mind.