"'A' really likes throwing cars at people." -Spencer Hastings
"No, no, we're fine," Emily promised her. Isabel was on the phone with her the next morning and learned that someone drove a car through her house. "Yeah, they didn't catch the driver."
"You know what that means, right?" Isabel asked darkly. "'A.'"
"Yeah," Emily gulped, and Isabel knew that her mom was with her.
"Why would 'A' wanna install a new window in your living room, though?" Isabel frowned. It didn't seem like something 'A' would do to just any of them. "Did you anger CeCe?"
"I don't know if this was CeCe," Emily replied skeptically. "I mean, why would CeCe hate us?"
"Look, we all wanna know the answer to that question," Isabel sighed. "But for now, just give your mom my deepest condolences, and please, be careful."
"Okay," Emily nodded. She hung up, and Isabel walked over to the kitchen counter. What had Emily done to make CeCe so mad?
-
Isabel walked into Spencer's kitchen, wearing a grim expression.
"How are they?" Aria asked nervously.
"She said they're fine," Isabel replied, sitting down at the counter.
"'A' really likes throwing cars at people," Spencer scoffed as Aria sipped her coffee.
"Is there any chance this really was an accident?" Aria sighed. Everyone stared at her. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"No, okay, 'A' did this, but why?" Isabel frowned, looking to Spencer for an answer.
"To keep us off balance, keep us from finding Red Coat, or CeCe Drake, or whoever we're dealing with," Spencer shrugged.
"Well, I think it really was CeCe, and I hope that Toby and Caleb find her," Aria huffed. Isabel gave her a confused look, and she added, "Toby and Caleb are trying to find 'A'. But not like that," she said hastily at Isabel's terrified look.
"God, Spence, what is taking your mom so long?" Hanna complained. Mrs. Hastings was Ms. Marin's defense lawyer, and she was supposed to be getting Ms. Marin out on bail.
"Courts run on judge-time, not lawyer-time," Isabel explained, and Spencer looked over at her, impressed.
"Well, it's an arraignment. All they have to do is set bail and she can go," Hanna scoffed.
"She said that she would call you the minute that your mom was released," Aria assured her. "Just take a breath, all right?"
The door opened, and both Hanna and Spencer sat up from their slouching position. "Mom?" Spencer called.
"Hi. Have you girls had breakfast?" Mrs. Hastings asked, walking over.
"Mrs. Hastings, where's my mom?" Hanna demanded.
"Spencer, why don't you take Aria and Isabel upstairs for a minute?" Mrs. Hastings sighed, looking over at Spencer.
"No," Hanna said. "No, I want them here."
"Hanna, we entered a plea of not guilty, but the judge refused to grant bail," Mrs. Hastings replied warily.
"No," Hanna whispered.
"Why?" Spencer scoffed in disbelief.
"First degree murder of a police officer, a district attorney who doesn't want to make any more mistakes," Mrs. Hastings shrugged. "But we're definitely going to appeal."
"Okay, and how long is that gonna take?" Hanna frowned.
Mrs. Hastings sighed again. "The papers will be on the judge's desk this afternoon. But some things have been put in motion."
"What sort of things?" Aria asked.
"Hanna, your mother is going to be transferred to another location," Mrs. Hastings replied.
"What location?" Isabel pressed so that Hanna wouldn't have to answer.
"She's being remanded to the state prison in Muncy until the trial," Mrs. Hastings explained, glancing her way. "They'll move her tomorrow."
"God, you promised," Hanna scoffed as Aria put a hand on her shoulder.
"Honey, I'm sorry," Mrs. Hastings said as Hanna got up and stormed out. Aria followed soon after, and Isabel and Spencer did as well.
-
When they got upstairs, Hanna was sitting in Spencer's desk chair, and they took a seat near her.
"I should be the one in jail, not my mom," Hanna muttered, not meeting anyone's eyes.
"Hanna, you didn't do anything wrong," Aria assured her.
"Yeah, somebody killed Wilden, and 'A' is taking advantage of that," Isabel agreed.
"It's not your fault," Spencer added as Hanna finally looked over at them.
"My mom went out there to protect me, how is this not my fault?" she snapped. Her phone rang, and she sighed. "It's Caleb. I can't talk to him right now."
"Hanna, my mom is a really great lawyer," Spencer reminded her.
"Well, then why isn't my mom out?" Hanna shot back.
But Spencer was unfazed by her bluntness. "Because it's just one hearing. She'll win the case. She always does."
"Always?" Hanna replied coldly. Spencer was silent.
"Okay, so do you wanna go to school? Or not go?" Aria asked.
"No you guys go. I'll be okay," Hanna mumbled.
"Are you sure?" Isabel asked worriedly.
"I'm gonna have to see my dad," Hanna huffed like it were obvious. "If my mom doesn't come back, then I have to move in with him and the gruesome twosome." She sighed. "You guys go. I'll be fine."
"Okay," Aria nodded, and they got up.
"Spence, tell your mom I'm sorry if I yelled at her," Hanna said as they gathered their stuff.
"She's an attorney, okay? She's used to it," Spencer assured her.
"A really good one," Hanna agreed.
"Okay, well, call us if you need anything, all right?" Isabel replied.
Hanna just nodded again. "Yeah. I'll be good."
-
Later, in school, Isabel was talking with Caleb once again.
"She isn't answering my calls," Caleb complained.
"She's really hurt right now," Isabel replied, hoisting her books up to her chest. "She thought her mom was gonna get bail. We all did."
"I just don't like her being alone, you know?" he sighed.
"Well, she said that she's gonna call her dad," she shrugged.
"Come on. That's not any better than being alone, if you ask me," Caleb scoffed, throwing a worried glance her way.
"I know her dad's... something, but Spencer's gonna cut after English and make sure she's not at home still hiding under her sheets," Isabel promised as Caleb nervously fiddled with his backpack strap. "Okay?"
"How are the rest of you doing?" he asked after a second.
"We're just dandy," Isabel said sarcastically as she stopped in front of her classroom. Caleb stopped her, and she knew he meant how was she doing.
"Isabela... I drove by Emily's, okay?" he finally sighed when she was silent. "They're still pulling pieces of that car out of the living room. So, I'm gonna ask you again: How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Caleb," she scoffed, and he gave her a skeptical look. "I haven't been out drinking, if that's what you mean." He nodded, relieved. "As for Spencer, Aria, Emily... We're trying to stay positive. If 'A' is escalating things, maybe it means that we're getting too close for comfort. Maybe you and Toby are getting too close to Wilden's killer."
"Maybe," he shrugged, unconvinced.
"Anyway, that number that you pulled from Nigel's cell phone, did you ever figure out who was on the other end?" she asked, changing the subject. Supposedly, the pilot who flew Red Coat out to the Lodge's name was Nigel Wright, and he had lied about being there. So when Caleb and Toby confronted him, Caleb stole his phone.
"Somebody really smart," Caleb replied, shaking his head. "The number is assigned to three people and three addresses. All in New York."
"Well, which one is real?" Isabel frowned impatiently.
"I don't know. That's why Toby went to New York- to knock on some doors, see who answers," he explained.
"Maybe CeCe Drake," Isabel scoffed. It was the answer that made the most sense. Especially with...
"Maybe," Caleb shrugged again. The bell rang, and he looked to her one last time. "Okay, will you please just have Hanna call me?"
"I will," Isabel nodded.
"Thank you," he sighed, and walked off.
-
Later, Isabel got a call from Caleb while she was doing her math homework.
"Isabela, I think Hanna's planning something stupid with Mona," he gulped, and she dropped her pen. No. She knew exactly what it was. 'I should be the one in jail. Not my mom,' she had said.
"Oh no," she replied, eyes wide. "She's gonna try to take her mother's place."
"Her mother's-" he began, but then he realized what she meant. "She's gonna lie and say she killed Wilden?"
Isabel arrived at Hanna's and found that Caleb was already there.
"And you let Mona talk you into this?" Caleb was saying to her.
"Mona is helping me. It was my idea," Hanna retorted as Isabel walked in.
"Hanna, it's insane," Isabel scoffed, sitting down next to Caleb. "First of all, you can't do it."
"Second of all, you would never pull it off," he agreed. "And third, I am not gonna let you do it."
"I have to do this," Hanna snapped. "And what's she doing here?" she added, looking at Isabel.
"To help convince you that turning yourself in will not help your mom," Isabel scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Maybe 'A' will settle for ruining my life and leave my mother alone," Hanna shrugged miserably.
"Neither one of you is going to prison," Caleb yelled.
"My mother's already there," Hanna huffed. "If they take her away tomorrow, I'll never get her back. Look, it'll be okay. I'll be fine."
"You will be fine?" Isabel scoffed in disbelief. "Hanna, you're talking about going to prison, okay?"
"Prison for kids is still prison," Caleb added. "You don't need to do something just because you feel guilty about something that somebody else did."
Hanna was quiet for a second as she looked between Isabel and Caleb. "You guys think she killed him. You think my mom shot Wilden."
"No, I don't, Hanna!" Isabel huffed. "You know I don't!" Hanna just looked over at Caleb.
"I did, okay?" he sighed. "Until I talked to her today. She never killed anyone."
-
Isabel was washing dishes, just not her own. Working at the Brew required overtime, since she was so often drunk or incapacitated.
Her phone beeped with a new text from Spencer.
'SOS. Mona confessed to shooting Wilden. Call!' -Spencer
-
She hurried to the police station and saw that Mrs. Hastings, Spencer, and Emily were already there. Hanna, Caleb, Jake, and Aria met up with them soon after to see a detective bring Mona into a interrogation room.
Mona gave them a small smile before the blinds closed on her. Hanna was staring at her incredulously, but also worriedly.
Mona was about to do the exact same thing she was helping Hanna do.