Deception
Sirens
A little while later, Cassie pulled her car up to the front of the Armstrong residence. It was a sprawling white mansion with a black tiled roof. Tre’s house was amazing but Billie Joe’s was just a little bit more extravagant.
Cassie looked around the side of the house for Billie’s black Mercedes, which was usually parked there when he was not using it, but it was not there. Adrienne’s red Porsche was in it’s place instead.
She wondered why he would not be home yet as Tre had been back for a while.
Cassie decided that she would knock on the front door and find out first hand where Billie was.
Adrienne answered the door after a couple of minutes looking frazzled.
“Huh? Cassie?” Adrienne blinked a few times, looking like she had seen Cassie for the first time.
“Yeah, Adrienne, hi.” Cassie stood awkwardly at the front door.
“Why are you here?” Adrienne looked past Cassie to her green Lexus.
“I came to see Billie Joe for a second, I have a message from Tre.”
“Oh.” Adrienne looked crestfallen.
Cassie couldn’t quite read Adie’s expression but she thought she saw a mixture of sadness and worry.
“Adrienne?” Cassie tried to break Adie out from the sudden daze she seemed to have slipped into.
“Yes? Oh, right, Cassie. Billie Joe isn’t here. I was hoping he was with Tre or Mike but he’s not. I don’t know where he is, to be honest.” Adrienne began chewing on her nail nervously.
Cassie began to share her worry. “You don’t know where he is? Have you called Mike?”
“Yeah, Mike had started driving Billie home but he insisted he wanted to drive himself because he was upset…something happened but I’m not sure what…so Mike said he let Bill drive himself the rest of the way home and he called a cab to take him back to his car.”
“So what does Mike think of Bill not being back yet?” Cassie ran a hand through her blonde locks.
“He’s going to look for him along the road he left him on. He said he was only about five blocks from our house when he left. That’s why he let him drive on his own. Mike doesn’t know why he’s not here. He was hoping maybe he decided to go to Tre’s. Can you tell me what happened there, please?”
Cassie drew in a shaky breath; she had no idea what to say to Adrienne.
“Uh, well, all I know is Billie said something to Tre that upset him and they ended up getting into a bit of a physical fight.”
“A fight?!” Adrienne’s dark eyebrows shot up, causing her forehead to crease.
“Tre punched him.”
“WHAT!?” Adrienne screamed, her hand flying up to her mouth.
“I know. I was just as shocked as you are.”
Adie’s mouth opened and closed as if she was speaking but no sound was coming out.
“Adrienne, maybe you should sit down.”
“No, Billie must have been shattered, no matter how close he was to our house, Mike shouldn’t have left him. He would have been in a horrible state.” Adrienne leaned against the door jamb for support.
“Tre was really shook up about it.”
“Did Tre tell you what the fight was about? What Billie said?”
“It was something about me. Tre thinks Billie’s jealous of him for having a young girlfriend. I think Billie Joe began insulting me for some reason. That’s why I came to talk to him, to straighten things out.”
Adrienne just shook her head, her brown and gold dreadlocks quivering “It must go deeper than that, just look at how he reacted about Joey and Ramona.”
Just then, a police car rolled up to the house, followed by Mike’s old Volvo.
“Oh my God.” Adrienne whispered almost inaudibly.
Cassie looked around the side of the house for Billie’s black Mercedes, which was usually parked there when he was not using it, but it was not there. Adrienne’s red Porsche was in it’s place instead.
She wondered why he would not be home yet as Tre had been back for a while.
Cassie decided that she would knock on the front door and find out first hand where Billie was.
Adrienne answered the door after a couple of minutes looking frazzled.
“Huh? Cassie?” Adrienne blinked a few times, looking like she had seen Cassie for the first time.
“Yeah, Adrienne, hi.” Cassie stood awkwardly at the front door.
“Why are you here?” Adrienne looked past Cassie to her green Lexus.
“I came to see Billie Joe for a second, I have a message from Tre.”
“Oh.” Adrienne looked crestfallen.
Cassie couldn’t quite read Adie’s expression but she thought she saw a mixture of sadness and worry.
“Adrienne?” Cassie tried to break Adie out from the sudden daze she seemed to have slipped into.
“Yes? Oh, right, Cassie. Billie Joe isn’t here. I was hoping he was with Tre or Mike but he’s not. I don’t know where he is, to be honest.” Adrienne began chewing on her nail nervously.
Cassie began to share her worry. “You don’t know where he is? Have you called Mike?”
“Yeah, Mike had started driving Billie home but he insisted he wanted to drive himself because he was upset…something happened but I’m not sure what…so Mike said he let Bill drive himself the rest of the way home and he called a cab to take him back to his car.”
“So what does Mike think of Bill not being back yet?” Cassie ran a hand through her blonde locks.
“He’s going to look for him along the road he left him on. He said he was only about five blocks from our house when he left. That’s why he let him drive on his own. Mike doesn’t know why he’s not here. He was hoping maybe he decided to go to Tre’s. Can you tell me what happened there, please?”
Cassie drew in a shaky breath; she had no idea what to say to Adrienne.
“Uh, well, all I know is Billie said something to Tre that upset him and they ended up getting into a bit of a physical fight.”
“A fight?!” Adrienne’s dark eyebrows shot up, causing her forehead to crease.
“Tre punched him.”
“WHAT!?” Adrienne screamed, her hand flying up to her mouth.
“I know. I was just as shocked as you are.”
Adie’s mouth opened and closed as if she was speaking but no sound was coming out.
“Adrienne, maybe you should sit down.”
“No, Billie must have been shattered, no matter how close he was to our house, Mike shouldn’t have left him. He would have been in a horrible state.” Adrienne leaned against the door jamb for support.
“Tre was really shook up about it.”
“Did Tre tell you what the fight was about? What Billie said?”
“It was something about me. Tre thinks Billie’s jealous of him for having a young girlfriend. I think Billie Joe began insulting me for some reason. That’s why I came to talk to him, to straighten things out.”
Adrienne just shook her head, her brown and gold dreadlocks quivering “It must go deeper than that, just look at how he reacted about Joey and Ramona.”
Just then, a police car rolled up to the house, followed by Mike’s old Volvo.
“Oh my God.” Adrienne whispered almost inaudibly.