04. Face Time

Hanna met up with Caleb outside the school, talking about Caleb's conversation with Hanna's dad, Tom Marin.

"Wait, so he thinks my mom stole the gun?" a shocked Hanna asked her boyfriend.

"Your dad's not sure, okay?" Caleb clarified, "It could have been missing before she got there, he just knows it was gone after she left".

"No, it's not possible" Hanna stated, refusing to believe her mom actually killed Wilden.

"It's beyond possible" Caleb retorted, "It's what happened, Hanna your dad owned a 38, if it turns out that Wilden was shot with a 38, your mom has a lot more to explain than not having an alibi".

"Is this what you call helping?" a frustrated Hanna asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes" Caleb said.

"Well, it's not" Hanna said, grabbing her bag that was placed beside Caleb.

"Hey Hanna, if this looks bad to us, how do you think it's gonna look to those state cops?" Caleb asked, stopping Hanna from walking away.

"Just forget it, okay?!" an annoyed Hanna snapped.

"Forget what?" a confused Caleb asked.

"Forget the gun, forget you spoke to my father, just forget everything you ever told me!" Hanna demanded.

"Hanna, forgetting is not gonna work in this situation" Caleb argued.

"Just, don't do anything, okay?" Hanna pleaded, before walking away from her boyfriend and over to Spencer and Daniella who were walking to school together, "Spence, did you show your sister the mask yet?".

"Great conversation to have in the morning, Han" Daniella teased.

Hanna ignored Daniella's teasing and looked at Spencer, "Did you?".

"Not yet" a confused Spencer admitted.

"What are you waiting for?" an annoyed Hanna asked, "We can't just let her get away with it because she's your sister Spencer".

"Whoa!" a shocked Spencer said, not expecting Hanna to say that.

"Hanna, you need to relax" Daniella warned.

"That mask puts Melissa at the studio" Spencer said, "Right now that all it does".

"She's leaving town and she's about to pin it on my mom before she goes" Hanna snapped.

"That's only if she's actually A" Daniella argued.

"She has to be!" Hanna stated.

"Guys!" Emily called out, walking over to the trio with Aria next to her.

"Emily, Aria, please tell them, we have to do something" Hanna pleaded.

"You okay?" a concerned Spencer asked, looking at Emily's panicked face.

"My dad's home" Emily informed.

"Isn't that usually a good thing?" a slightly confused Aria asked.

"No, he's back because family services wants to talk to us" Emily revealed.

While the five best friends stood outside their school, talking about all the new problems A kept making for them, they completely missed Detective Holbrook and his partner Detective Linda Tanner, sitting in a car, observing them.

 "Those are the ones you told me about?" Tanner asked Holbrook.

"That's them" Holbrook confirmed.

"If I dressed like that when I was in high school, my dad would have had a stroke" Tanner said, looking at the girls clothes.

"I could have gotten used to it" Holbrook teased.

"Don't make me sorry I picked you for this" Tanner warned, "We're not here to get cozy".

"I know, we're here to solve a couple of homicides the locals keep tripping over" Holbrook said.

"And find out what it is about those five pretty girls that attracts so many corpses" Tanner added.

***

The five best friends sat on a table at their school courtyard.

"What happens if Hector realises Melissa's mask is gone?" a worried Daniella asked her friends.

"That guy has so many heads he'll never miss one" Hanna assured.

"I think I have to write that sentence down" Spencer teased, just as Emily's phone buzzed.

Emily quickly picked her phone to see who had messaged her, "It's my dad" she informed her friends, "He wants me to come straight home after school".

"Come on, they can't really think that there's something wrong with your family" Aria said.

"I don't know what they think" Emily admitted, "I lied about getting hurt, I lied about the pills".

"They weren't that big of lies, were they?" Daniella wondered.

"Yeah, that's the problem, a big lie gives you something to hang onto" Hanna said, "The trouble starts when you shave the truth and it just gets all twisted up".

"Alright, I gotta go" Aria said, gathering her books.

"Hey, how's Jake?" Emily asked, inquiring about Aria's new boyfriend.

"Much better then Ezra" Daniella mumbled, which Aria didn't hear, but Spencer and Hanna did as Daniella was sitting between them, Spencer gave Daniella a warning look while Hanna turned her face to hide her smile from Aria.

"Jake's fine" Aria informed, standing up from her seat.

"He was fine that last time we asked" Spencer remembered.

"Well, he's still fine" Aria stated.

Hanna looked at Daniella, "Is your mom really going to Austria with that muffin man?".

"I sure hope so" Daniella said.

"Austria's a long way from here" Spencer said.

"We're counting on A not having a passport" Aria said, Daniella nodded her head in agreement.

Once the bell rang and Aria had walked away, Hanan turned to Spencer, "Hey Spence, figure out what you want to do about Melissa".

Hanna got up and walked away from her friends while Spencer turned to Daniella and Emily, "Senior year's supposed to be the best year of your life, did you know that?".

"Yeah, if you survive it" Emily said, before also leaving to get to her next class.

"I don't think A's going to let this be our best year" Daniella said, patting Spencer's shoulder before getting up for her class and after a moment Spencer also followed.

***

Daniella sat at the Brew, watching Toby kiss Spencer goodbye, "Hey" Spencer greeted Daniella, once Toby had rushed out.

"Where's your boyfriend off to in such a hurry?" a curious Daniella asked.

"He said it was about work" Spencer replied.

Daniella took a minute to observe Spencer's expression, "Liar" she finally said, "He's about to do something and you know exactly what that something is, oh my god, don't tell me he's going out to find the lair, that's really dangerous of him and us, if there's anything A knows is how to hold a freaking grudge".

"I think he'll be okay" Spencer assured.

"Hey, sorry I'm late" Emily apologised, walking over to the two girls.

"I got your tea" Daniella said, handing Emily her tea.

Emily took the tea from Daniella's hands, "Thanks".

"Okay, so if you wanted a mask made, who would you ask?" Spencer asked,

Daniella and Emily thought about Spencer's question for a moment, "Personally, I'd ask someone who works at a costume shop" Daniella finally said.

"Shana" Emily said.

"You think Shana's involved in this with Melissa?" Daniella asked, Emily shrugged, having no confirm answer to that question.

"I want to see what happens when Melissa coms face to face with the mask" Spencer said, "Where would she go first? Would she go out to Hector's?".

"Or to Shana's?" Emily asked.

"Or somebody completely different?" Daniella asked.

Suddenly Emily's eyes landed on the door of the Brew where she saw her girlfriend Paige entering, "I'll be right back" Emily told her Spencer and Daniella, before rushing over to her Paige.

Once Emily had walked away, Spencer looked at Daniella, "Are you ready for this?".

"I'm ready, but just not tonight" a guilty Daniella said.

"Oh no no, Melissa isn't even home today" Spencer assured, "I was thinking more tomorrow night".

"I can definitely do tomorrow night" Daniella said.

"Meeting Jason tonight?" Spencer teased her best friend.

"Shut it" Daniella said, letting out a small laugh, "But yes I am meeting Jason tonight, we're finishing the rest of the Harry Potter movies".

"So is everything back to normal between you guys?" a curious Spencer asked.

"Almost" Daniella admitted, "We're taking it nice and slow, neither of us want to rush into things and ruin everything, we really love each other and the last thing either of us want is to rush everything and then watch collapse like it did last time".

"That's very mature of you two" Spencer praised.

Daniella smiled at her best friend, "Thank you, it was my idea" she said, making Spencer laugh.

"Of course it was" Spencer teased.

***

Next night, Daniella met up with Spencer at her house, currently the two best friends stood outside the Hasting's house and peeked into the Hastings living room from the window, they saw Melissa enter the room, she placed her bag on the couch and then walked over to the fridge, opening it she took out a bottle of wine before walking over to the cupboard to pull out a wine glass, she placed both of them on the kitchen counter, she then opened the bottle of wine and proceeded to pour herself a glass when suddenly her eyes landed on her suitcase that was placed in the middle of the living room.

"What's my suitcase doing down here?" Spencer whispered, while using her phone camera to record her sister's moves, "Maybe mom brought it in from the barn? But why?", Daniella and Spencer watched as Melissa walked over to the suitcase, the two girls quickly rushed over to the next window to see Melissa's actions clearly, they watched as Melissa picked the heavy suitcase up and placed it on the couch, "What's in here?", Melissa opened up her suitcase and started searching for anything out of the ordinary in it, when suddenly her eyes landed on the mask of her face, she quickly picked it up in her hands and looked at it in shock, "What the hell is this?", immediately Melissa started looking around, causing both the girls to duck under the window before she could see them, "No, it's just you Melissa, just you and that mask, now where did it come from?".

"Do you think she's gonna figure it out?" a curious Daniella asked.

"Yeah" Spencer replied, "Just give her a second, she's smart, very smart".

The two girls watched as Melissa sat down on the couch and stared at the mask in her hand, while Melissa was thinking, the two girls quickly moved to another window so they could see Melissa's face clearly.

"Okay, work it out Melissa" Spencer whispered, "Where could it have come from? Who could have made it?", Melissa suddenly stood up from the couch, "Good girl, that's where it must have come from, now what are you gonna do?", Daniella and Spencer watched as a panicked Melissa grabbed her purse and quickly rushed out the house, "Come on" Spencer said, as her and Daniella rushed to follow Melissa wherever she was going.

***

"So, I take it this is Hector's place?" Spencer asked Daniella, the two having followed Melissa right to Hector's.

"Yeap, creepy Hector's, creepy workshop" Daniella confirmed.

Seeing the front door to Hector's workshop open, quickly caused Spencer and Daniella to run to the side and hide, they watched as Melissa stepped out with a sack full of something.

"Is that sack big enough for Hector?" a worried Spencer asked.

"Nope" Daniella assured, watching Melissa walk over to the bridge that was over a lake.

"Good" Spencer whispered, "Okay, I want to follow Melissa, can you keep an eye on Hector?".

"Lovely, you get to keep an eye on your sister and I get the creepy mask guy" an annoyed Daniella said.

"You'll be fine" Spencer assured, before rushing to follow her sister while Daniella stayed behind to keep an eye on Hector, once Spencer had gone after Melissa, Daniella entered Hector's shop and immediately started looking around, to her confusion Hector wasn't anywhere to be seen, she turned the torch on her phone and started searching the back of Hector's workshop, as she was looking around, her eyes suddenly landed on Alison's mold through the mirror, she quickly rushed over to the mold and removed the cover and realised Hector lied to them, he never destroyed Alison's mold because right now she could see six of them.

***

After a little bit of looking around, Daniella finally found Hector cleaning the chair he had sat Emily on, "Hi" she greeted, immediately startling Hector.

"I'm closed for business right now" Hector said, putting his hands up.

"Then you should have locked your doors" Daniella retorted, she held up the Alison mold she found, "I thought you destroyed all of Alison's masks".

"I said I destroyed the mold, I kept the casting" Hector defended.

"So you're a liar" Daniella snapped.

"I didn't have the heart to destroy them" Hector said, grabbing Alison's mask from Daniella's hand, "I mean, look at her, she's beautiful".

"When Alison came here, was she alone or with somebody?" a curious Daniella asked.

"No, she was always alone" Hector replied, "Except--".

"Except what?" Daniella asked.

Hector went on to tell Daniella the day a panicked Alison entered his workshop, asking for the money he owed her and asking him the quickest way to route 30, he told her that when he followed Alison out, he saw her getting into somebody's car.

"And that was the last I saw of her" Hector finished his story.

"Did you see the driver of the car Ali got in?" Daniella asked.

"Bad angle" Hector said.

"When was this exactly?" Daniella asked.

"That summer she disappeared" Hector informed.

***

"The woman that was just here, the one that just left with the sack, why was she here?" Daniella asked, continuing interrogating Hector.

"She wanted to know about those" Hector informed, gesturing towards the Alison masks, "I made her the same deal".

"She let you mold her face into a mask for information?" Daniella asked, Hector nodded his head, "And what information did you end up giving her?".

"Less than I told you" Hector said, taking a moment to stare at Daniella's face, "You know, you have a very interesting face".

"Yeah, an interesting face that you're not going to touch" Daniella stated.

***

Daniella stood in the Hasting's kitchen, making herself a cup of tea when Spencer walked in, "Her car's gone and she's not in the barn".

"Is there any part of you that believes what Melissa told you?" a curious Daniella asked Spencer.

"Enough of it, for now" Spencer admitted.

"So you believe her when she said that she didn't kill Wilden?" Daniella asked, before Spencer could say anything both her and Daniella's phone beeping caught their attention, the two girls quickly grabbed their phones and read the message they just received.

"Melissa's guilty of plenty, but she's not A material, kisses" Spencer read out, she looked at Daniella, "I'll call Emily, you call Hanna and Aria".

Daniella nodded her head, she quickly went to dial Hanna's number but suddenly stopped when her eyes landed on the Hasting's front door, which the Marin girl was using to enter, "Han".

Spencer turned and faced the worried girl, "Hey, we know how Mona got the Ali mask and who burned down the lodge, at least we think we do".

Seeing no response from the Marin girl caused a small frown to appear on Daniella's face, "Han, everything okay?".

"I think my mom killed Wilden, and A knows it" Hanna revealed, shocking the other two girls.

***

Presenting 4x04 of We Belong Together!

How was the chapter?

Thoughts on Tanner and Holbrook keeping an eye on the liars?

Thoughts on the girls suspecting Melissa to be A?

Thoughts on Daniella thinking Toby is looking for A's lair?

Thoughts on Spencer and Daniella following Melissa to Hector's?

Thoughts on Daniella confronting Hector?