Thanks to nick2951, RHatch89, and Guest for the reviews. I feel like I've lost a lot of my old reviewers over the past few chapters, so I appreciate you guys sticking with me! This and the next chapter are a few of my favorites, so please let me know what you think. If I could get five reviews on this, that would be lovely!

Chapter 26

It's just after seven in the evening, and I'm finishing up some outlining for biology when the phone rings. Groaning, I shove my notebook off of my lap and walk down the hallway to the upstairs phone. I figure it's either my father, calling to check in from Baltimore, or Mona, calling to tell me where the hell she's been for the last five hours.

I grab the cordless phone and glance down at the caller ID. ROSEWOOD PD flashes back at me, and my stomach does a flip. Crap. Crap, crap, crap. I can't help but think of Wilden, even though it seems like "A" has given up on trying to frame us for his murder. Hanna's mother was arrested a few days ago, even though she clearly didn't do it, either. But I guess it's a lot easier to frame someone for murder when you have footage of them running the victim down with a car.

I take a deep breath and answer shakily. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Vanderwaal," the deep voice on the other end says sternly, which does not calm my nerves.

I consider pretending to be my mother, just to get information, but balk at the last second. "Yeah – um, no, this is her daughter…Viola."

"Viola," the man repeats, like he's trying my name out. "I need to speak with one of your parents."

I pace nervously back and forth in the hallway, glancing downstairs to check if my mother is home yet. She went to see a show in Philly with a few of her friends, and isn't due back for another hour or so. "They're not home," I tell him. "What's going on?"

There is a very long pause, in which I can hear muffled voices muttering in the background. I am just about to repeat myself when the officer clears his throat. "It would really be better if you could put me in contact with one of your parents."

I am aware that this is probably protocol, but I am still irritated at not immediately getting the information that I want. "My father is in a different state, and my mother's at a show. Her phone won't be on for another hour," I explain. "Will you please just tell me what's happening?"

Another eternity-long hesitation occurs before he says, with clear reserve, "Mona Vanderwaal is your sister?"

I feel my nervous stomach sink. "Yes. Why?"

This time, there is no pause, but it still seems to take him forever to get the words out. "We have her down at the station…she just confessed to the murder of Detective Wilden."

Without even realizing it, I release the phone. It drops from my hand and thumps to the floor. I hear the man's voice, muffled against the carpet and sounding alarmed. "Hello?"

My mind snapping back to the present, I snatch it up and say quickly, "Sorry. Yeah. I'll be there in five minutes." Before he can respond, I end the call and drop the phone once again, taking the stairs so quickly that I nearly slip and fall headfirst right down them.

My adrenaline is so high that I am barely even aware of my emotions as I grab my purse and keys, pull on the first pair of shoes that I see, and bolt to my car, all in less than a minute. It's dark, but I don't even remember to turn on my headlights as I back out of the driveway and speed down the street.

It's only when I'm turning onto Main Street, the police station coming into view, that I recognize just how angry I am. No. Not angry. Furious.

I know that Mona didn't kill Wilden, and I'm sure it won't take the police very long to figure that out, too, good liar or not. Why would she risk being thrown back in Radley, or worse, prison? What would be the gain?

A terrible thought occurs to me as I pull into a parking space in the police station's lot, so fast that I nearly slam into the concrete block in front of it. What if this is all another plan? What if "A" forced my sister to take the fall for Wilden's murder…after all, it seems more likely that they would want her in jail instead of Hanna's mother, of all people.

I slam the door of my car and stomp inside, not bothering to lock it. We're outside of a police station, for God's sake. I think it'll be okay. I enter through a side door and rush down the hallway, thankfully unnoticed.

A small room is only a few feet ahead of me, and I can see through the large window that it's empty. Only a chair and table sit inside, and I realize all at once that it must be the interrogation room. And it seems I've arrived at just the right time, as before I can even catch my breath, a door between the small room and myself opens. A police officer comes out, followed by my sister.

I freeze. I want to call out, but my mouth won't move, and anyway, I don't even know what to say. Just as the officer opens the door leading to the interrogation room, I am distracted by the sound of footsteps pounding toward me.

I glance back, spotting Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria rushing up to me, with Mrs. Hastings close behind. I wonder briefly why Spencer's mother is here, then realize that she's Mrs. Marin's lawyer. Of course she was probably the first one to get the call, before even me.

The girls converge upon me, Hanna grabbing onto my arm and giving me a questioning look. I shake my head and shrug helplessly, turning back and staring as Mona sits down in the interrogation room. For a moment, her eyes meet mine, but then she looks past me, right at Hanna. She smirks just as the officer pulls the blind covering the window, blocking off our view.

The sound of the blind slapping against the bottom of the window somehow snaps me out of my daze. The room seems to be spinning, but I'm pretty sure that's just me. Now it's my turn to grab Hanna's arm, my nails digging into her skin. "Oh my god, oh my god." I turn to her, barely able to breathe. "What the heck? Why was she looking at you like that?"

Hanna glances over her shoulder, making sure that Mrs. Hastings is not in the vicinity. "I don't understand," she whispers, addressing us all as the other girls crowd in closer. "I told Mona that I was going to confess to killing Wilden. She spent all day helping me get my story straight."

"More like her story," Spencer corrects her, shooting another concerned look at the closed-off room. "This must have been her plan all along."

For once, I am actually in the loop, but I am so close to the verge of hysteria that I barely understand what they're talking about. "Oh my god," I say again, pressing my hand over my eyes. "My mom's not getting home for another hour, I can't believe this."

"Hey, calm down." Aria moves to stand next to me, wrapping her hand around my arm. It's only then that I realize how badly I'm shaking. "There's gotta be more to this. I mean, why would Mona just walk in and confess to a murder?"

Still shivering, I wrap my arms around myself and say quietly, "A murder that she didn't even commit." Emily gives me a doubtful look, so I feel obliged to explain. But the middle of the police station doesn't seem like the best place for this conversation. "Come on," I hiss, pushing out the door and back into the parking lot, the others following close behind.

"And why are you so sure about that?" Emily asks once we're safely out of earshot of any cops.

I'm frustrated, but too tired to even roll my eyes. "Are you guys forgetting that I was on the 'A' team up until Wilden's body was found? If Mona had killed him, it would have been on an order from 'A,' and I would have known about it." I'm only about eighty percent sure of that – there were obviously a lot of "A" plans that I knew nothing about, even near the end of my time on the team – but I feel oddly certain of this.

Hanna groans, crossing her arms. "Then why else would she do something that's only going to get her thrown back in Radley?"

We're all quiet for a moment, the only sound around us the buzzing from the air conditioner unit against the wall. This is one thing that I can't think of a good answer to.

But thankfully we have Spencer. She raises her eyes, looking at each of us individually and saying quietly, "Maybe she wants to get thrown back into Radley."

...

Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter, Viola finds out the real reason behind Mona's confession.