Words remained unsaid in Levi's throat as he heard the signal on the other side die. He sat in disbelief while the police's jeep moved sideways due to the bumpy road. 

Unbelievable. 

Andrea sat in front of him, her mind also occupied with the phone in her hand. Levi could only guess that she was trying to reach her mother since this was far from what she might have expected. 

Tamara sat beside him, maintaining a permanent glare on her face. Being his probation officer, she should have scared him into staying at home but she had failed. Her face showed contempt, but she bit back her words. 

Levi tried to think about the situation clearly. He had failed to get the doctor's prescription and was caught talking to Andrea instead - very unconvincing. If only he vomited again, that would be reason enough to leave his house. 

He looked at his phone anxiously. Evelyn was the one that called and yet, she hadn't uttered a word. She didn't respond to him even though he said he was in trouble. He knew she wasn't going to ignore a statement like that. 

What went wrong? Levi thought. 

The last time Evelyn hung up on him abruptly was when she had gone to meet Iris and they had started talking about their past. She hung up because she didn't want Levi to know but also because Iris was there. 

A chill ran down Levi's spine. If that was the case days ago, why couldn't it be the same now? His gaze automatically fell on Andrea who was still clutching her phone uneasily. Either she didn't know anything or she was worried about whatever her mother was planning to do. 

I need to look at that phone now, he thought, lifting himself up to see the screen. 

Tamara glanced at them for a second, "put that phone away, girl."

They were nearing the police station and Levi began to panic. There had been no call back from Evelyn and his own condition wasn't getting any better. His stomach churned, resembling the curdled milk he had consumed. His head spun, resembling the loop he found himself running in. His eyes grew blurry, not from tears but from the strain this day had proven to be. 

All his thoughts ceased when the jeep pulled to a halt in front of the police station. He patted his knees, reassuring himself that it would be alright. He just needed to vomit. 

He stepped out of the jeep and Tamara was beside him the next second. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the station, unwilling to leave him out of her sight any longer. 

"Sit," she said, pointing to a wooden chair, "I'll bring Officer Ackres. You're in a lot of trouble, Mr. Coleman."

Levi didn't object. In fact, he was waiting for Tamara to leave. Once she left, he stuck his finger into his throat. He gagged slightly, but it wasn't enough. He stabbed his finger deeper and buried his head between his thighs, making sure no one could see what he was doing. 

"What the fuck are you doing?" Andrea asked, sitting beside him. 

He looked up, "this is happening because of you. If you'd let me talk to the doctor, I would have shown the prescription minutes ago."

"You think I want to be in the police station? Of course not!" Andrea said. 

This was the only good news Levi had got all day. She was here to be questioned which meant she was finally under the police's radar. There was no incriminating evidence against her now but when Evelyn did find it, it would add up. 

 "You're finally getting what you deserve," Levi said, chuckling. 

"Don't get too ahead of yourself. If the police find out what you did-" Andrea began.

"-then I'd stop covering for you. You'd lose the grip you had on me and that isn't what you want," Levi said, "at this point, I really have nothing to lose."

Andrea considered it. He and his father were already on bad terms. She wasn't sure if it meant anything anymore. She was lost in her thoughts when Tamara came back with Officer Ackres. 

"I've brought him and this girl he was talking to," Tamara informed. 

"What's your name," he asked, pointing at Andrea.

"I'm Andrea James," she replied, nonchalantly although she was hoping either Iris or Andrew was there. 

"What were you doing with an alleged arsonist?" he asked, ignoring Levi's presence, "I'm assuming you are aware of his house arrest."

Andrea didn't speak. There was no right thing for her to say anymore. Anything she said would put her under the radar and she knew it. If she told him they were friends, she could be seen as a potential accomplice and if she said she didn't know about the house arrest, that would be hard to believe. Still, it was the safest option. 

"I didn't know who he was until today. We met in the hospital and he began speaking casually. I don't generally follow the news," she said, her voice meek and confident at the same time. 

"I see," Ackres said suspiciously. 

"Oh please, don't fall for her nonsense," Levi said. Tamara signaled for him to stop talking but he didn't obey, "we go to the same university, of course she knows me. We also used to be friends before the fire. This you can verify with the security cameras for sure."

Andrea's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. She felt agitated and what's worse was that she knew Ackres demanded an explanation, one she couldn't give. 

"Is this true Ms. James?" he asked, unwilling to trust Levi blindly. 

"I think you can understand why I wouldn't want people to know we used to be friends," she said, trying to manage the situation. 

"I do but why would you voluntarily agree to talk to him?" Ackres asked. 

Andrea said nothing. Instead, she balled her fists and imagined herself breaking the chair with it. She had put herself in the police's target and there was no way out now. Levi, of all people, fucked her up. 

"How about you stay here, Ms. James? I'll deal with the problem in my hand and you can tell me more about this on your own accord," Ackres said calmly. 

His tone turned sour when he look at Levi, "what exactly were you doing outside when you were on house arrest?"

"It's a hospital, I can't exactly party there," Levi said. He hated the accusatory tone he received whereas with Andrea it was just pleasantries. 

"Cut the crap, Mr. Coleman," he warned.

"I was unwell. I got food poisoning and I was there to see the doctor," he said.

"Then why were you bothering Ms. James?" Ackres asked. 

"I saw her and since I didn't have an appointment with the doctor, I decided to talk to her while I wait. Nothing suspicious as you think it is," Levi said. He was trying his best not to panic. 

"What exactly were you talking about?" he asked. 

"Why don't you ask Andrea? You seem to believe her words a lot more even though you've caught her lying to you," Levi said. He wanted to go home and the only way for that to happen was for him to throw up. 

"When I ask you a question, you answer me!" Ackres said sternly. 

Levi flinched at his raised tone and a warm lump formed in his throat. Levi got up but before he could react further, it was too late. The last few remnants of the curdled milk flew from his mouth and landed on the floor. Officer Ackres stepped two steps behind and called for someone to clean up after Levi was done. 

Levi had a relieved smile on his face. Not only did the pain in his stomach stop, Ackres knew that he really was sick now. He had never felt such an enormous amount of joy from vomiting and that seemed bizarre to him. His tongue tasted like vomit but it didn't matter. He got the chance to rub it in Ackres's face. 

"As I said," he began, "I'm sick."

"Alright. However, I will be needing the doctor's word on that," Ackres said. 

"That I can manage," Levi said. 

While Ackres called Tamara to discuss the details, Levi walked back to Andrea who was sitting anxiously. Seeing her state pained him that he didn't have enough time to gloat. But he needed to get home. He needed to know that Evelyn had the evidence but more than anything, he prayed that she was fine and nothing bad had happened. 

"Will your mother be here soon?" one of the police officer's asked Andrea. 

"I don't know. She hasn't been picking up the calls and neither has my brother. I'll let you know if they do," Andrea said, her voice small. 

Those words caught Levi's attention. Andrea's mother was always around when she needed it, at least that's what she had told him. If she wasn't picking up even after Andrea's various attempts, she must have been doing something important.

Levi couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad had happened ever since she disrupted their call. His mind had been occupied but now that he was free to go, his mind was plagued with faint images of Evelyn in trouble. He couldn't help but think that the only reason she was there was him. 

What to do? he thought helplessly as Tamara walked up to him. 

"I'll drop you off at home. Only go to the hospital after getting an appointment and don't waste time. This will not end well for you," she warned him. 

He nodded but his mind was elsewhere. 

He followed her to the jeep, preparing himself for what he was about to do. 

⋆ ★ ⋆

"Remember what I said?" Tamara asked as she entered Levi's house after him. 

"Mhm," he replied, his mind only half present. 

"Inform me when you get the doctor's word, I'll collect it from you when I can," Tamara said, "don't pull stunts like this again and speak to Ackres with respect. You want to be someone people can sympathize with if you really want to win."

"If you say so," Levi said. His eyes were searching for his father.

"I'll take your leave now," she said as she left. 

Levi didn't waste a moment sitting. He ran to his room and took his burner phone from the drawer. He knew Evelyn didn't want his burner phone to get traced to her but he had no choice now. It was the only number he had that she didn't save and if Iris really was there and Evelyn was in trouble, this is the only number she had a chance of picking up. 

Levi dialed her number and waited. Five rings passed and then two more but there was no response. 

For a moment, he stood in silence, unable to think of what to do. There was no one he could call except for his father but he wasn't home either. He was running out of options and time and in his heart, he knew Evelyn needed someone's help. 

But where is she? She probably isn't still at their house, he thought worriedly. Even if he were to leave the house again, where would he go to find her? He was at a dead end and he needed to act fast. 

He looked at his ankle and then at the kitchen. He walked into it and retrieved a knife from the slab. He took a deep breath and stabbed it into the GPS tracker, only to realize it wasn't hard enough. Instead, he grabbed a roll of tinfoil wrapper and covered the tracker with it.  The metal would fully disable the signals released from the tracker. This would alarm the police but at least they wouldn't be able to track him down. 

He took in a deep breath as sweat ran down his shoulder. He was deathly afraid of what he was about to do and the consequences it held but he had no other choice. He knew what to do. 

His father stopped driving on his own and preferred cabs for his safety and that worked to Levi's advantage. He took his father's car keys and stepped out of the house for the second time, the situation much direr than before. 

He hoped Andrea was still in the police station and he hoped her mother would respond to her. Andrea was the only link to Iris and he had to take it. 

He got into the car and turned the engine on. He drove the car out of the gates and onto the roads. He closed his eyes and sat in quietude for a minute before finally opening them again. He had taken his break and was ready for the long day ahead. 

He sped off in the car and didn't look back.