I know exactly where Craig is. The one catch is that turning him in could implicate me. At this point, it’s pretty clear that Craig is losing it. He’s been holed away for too many days out there. Out in the swamps, there’s nothing that you can do. You just have to wait.

That’s why he built the damn place. He wanted somewhere safe. Now, after he told me all the details of the murder, it makes sense. He built it after everything went down. He knew how fragile he was. He knew this case wouldn’t just go away. They never do. No one like him gets away with murder. Eventually, it all catches up to you. So he built the cabin. He found a way to hide.

Only, he told the girl he was going to use. He got sloppy drunk and spilled it all to me. I’m the wrench in his plans and if I don’t turn him in now, he’s going after me. At least, that’s how I’m feeling. Paranoid much? Probably. But I can’t take any chances now.

I take out my laptop, sliding my black leather gloves on. The same gloves I used in our heists. They’ve been cleaned and carefully put into my bag. Now, I’m using them one last time.

I take out my laptop and glance at the blank screen. I begin typing: I never wanted to be typing these words. I never thought I’d be in this position, stuck in the middle of two crimes. The first crime was a bit foolish, I’ll concede. We needed money and we studied hard. It wasn’t the crime of the century, but it was well thought-out. You see, I was leaving this place behind. We all were. We were going to Europe to disappear forever and start our new lives, separate from each other. Texas has represented a lot of things to a lot of people, but to us, it represented our hell. I won’t apologize for the crime all three of us committed, but I will say this. We weren’t trying to hurt anyone. You have to realize, our backs were against the wall. We had no choice, but to survive.

I’m the girl you’ve been looking for and I can tell you that Elroy and I had no idea Craig murdered someone. I spoke with him recently and he explained the whole thing. Now, I feel sick to my stomach. I can’t think about anything else. He used us as a means to escape. But now that this is ending, I know I can’t let him leave. I have to tell you where he is.

I want some semblance of normality in my life again. Falling in love with Marshall has given me something real to fall into. At first, I thought I could manage my emotions. I thought I’d keep him close, while having fun too. It was dumb, I’ll admit, but I thought I’d be in Europe by now, surrounded by Cliffside views.

I take a break from writing. Marshall. This is going to Marshall. The man who changed my life forever. My eyes start to water, but I hold back from crying. I miss him so much and it’s only been a day. I grab my phone and look at his number. I text him, “I love you, my handsome man.”

He texts me, “Missing you like crazy.” And then, only seconds later, he says, “I’ve been thinking. After this whole thing is over and done with, let’s do something special. Let’s go to Mexico and get away. Let’s get lost down there for a week. I want to get to know you better so bad, Vi. I’m sorry I’ve been so consumed with work. It’s not fair to you and I’m working on a way of getting out.”

Getting out? My heart sinks while reading. He’s so good to me. He’s done so much and worked so hard to make this work right and all I’ve done is lie to him. And now, he’s talking about throwing his career away, all so he can have more time with me, the liar.

My hands are shaking. I can barely breathe. I hold my phone and type the words: “All I want is you. I hope I’m good to you. Mexico sounds wonderful. I would love to explore the world with you.”

Huge dreams. I’m diving into the unrealistic, thinking about all we could do together. We could go to South America and hike the mountains of Peru. We could boat across Venice, while eating big globs of pasta. We could head to the streets of Bangkok and backpack across the lush terrain of Thailand. Then, we could take a road trip across America. I could see it all, while being with the one I love.

They’re just pipe dreams. It’s never going to happen like that. When he finds out who I really am, he’ll cuff me, throw me in my jail cell, and never talk to me again. I’ll have to become a different person in prison. I’ll have a new life, one defined by small quarters and bars that extend all around. Small windows and decaying food. I’ll lose all semblance of life, while Warren carries a broken heart throughout his career as a cop.

I set my phone back down and look at the laptop. There’s more to be said, so I continue to write. “The directions will be listed below. You’ll find him there. I’m sending you this, at the risk of losing everything. The truth is, I haven’t spent the money yet. It was supposed to be for a home and a new job. But now, I’m thinking of giving it back. Funny, right? I know it doesn’t make a difference, what I do now. I committed the crime. Your job is to seek justice. My job is to thwart justice. Who will win? My guess is that, in the end, no one will come out ahead. It’ll just be the age-old cat and mouse chase. I have no doubts in my mind that you’ll lock me up. But it won’t change anything in the end. Anyway, I hope this helps your prior investigation on the murder. That’s something I can’t stand behind. Goodbye and good luck finding me.”

I print it out and carefully grab the paper, holding it away from me. I don’t want to get any of my hair on it, any of my saliva, or anything. I quickly fold it and throw it in an envelope. I drive 40 miles out and drop it in a box, near a few shacks, in a poor neighborhood. There are no cameras around here, so I should be safe.

When I head home, I’m exhausted. Come tomorrow, Craig will be in their custody. As for me, I’ll be holding my breath and hoping for better days.