Page 32 of What They'll Say About Us

"Yeah, it almost hit me in the head," I yelled back. "Who's up there? How did that happen?"

"I don't know. I thought everyone was gone. Who are you?"

"Vivienne's niece," I said. "She just left a few minutes ago. I was standing on the stage when that sandbag almost knocked me out."

"It must have been left on the catwalk." He looked above him and frowned. "I don't know why it would have been up there. Sorry about that."

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Henry," he muttered. "This wasn't my fault. I just came back to get my sweatshirt and then I heard a crash. Did you see anyone?"

"No."

"Well, glad you're okay."

As he disappeared, Morgan dragged me up the aisle and into the lobby. There was no sign of Nate in the ticket office, no sign of anyone, and my aunt had said something about going to her office, which I didn't want to try to find now. Instead, we went down the side hallway, out the door, and across the breezeway. A few key clicks later, and we were back upstairs in the warm apartment, which made everything feel slightly better.

At least for me. Morgan was still worked up.

"That wasn't an accident, Tessa. That bag didn't just fall. Someone pushed it over. Someone wanted to hurt us."

"Probably more me than you."

"I was close enough to get hit, too. This isn't good, Tessa."

"It could have been just an accident. Things do fall from the catwalks on occasion."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I'm trying not to jump to conclusions."

"Cassidy should be here. I'm not cut out for this on-scene stuff," Morgan said, clearly panicked. "Look what has already happened. The threatening note with the flowers, the car that almost ran you over, and now a heavy bag almost knocks you out."

"Thanks for the warning, by the way. You made me move just in time."

"You were lucky. But what about next time?"

"I'm going to be more alert to my surroundings. But I can't run away from this, Morgan. I can't let someone scare me into leaving. And the fact that someone is trying to make me leave is a sign that Paige's death wasn't an accident."

"And yours won't be either if they come after you or after us," she said darkly. "You might have the personal connection to these people, but I'm right by your side."

Seeing the fear in her eyes, I said, "Do you want to quit, Morgan?"

"We should both quit, Tessa."

"I can't, but you can. I won't hold it against you. This is my deal. I can do the on-site interviews, and you and Cassidy can help me research and put together timelines and all that."

"I can't let you stay here alone."

"I appreciate that, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

"No." She shook her head. "I can't keep letting you and Cassidy handle the on-scene investigations. It's what's taking our podcast to the top. I'll stay."

"Good." I turned as the doorbell buzzed. "Let's go have dinner with my aunt and try to relax, at least for a little while."

Vivienne was warm, funny, and very interested in the podcast, so dinner conversation flowed easily, and I was feeling much more relaxed by the time we shared a tiramisu to wrap up a delicious Italian feast. Morgan's tension had eased as well under my aunt's engaging demeanor, which made me happy to see. I didn't really want Morgan to leave. With so many people expressing dislike for me, it was nice to have someone who had my back and was in my corner.

"Tell me about your life, Morgan," my aunt said. "We've talked about Tessa long enough."