“You sure you won’t come in?” Rachel’s eyes pleaded with Ethan. 

“You’ll be fine." Ethan smiled and gave her a little shove. "She’d rather see you than me, I’m sure.”

“Ethan, I can’t go in there. It gives me the creeps.”

“I know, but think how Beth must feel. You can do this, Rach. You owe her that much.”

“I know. You’re right. I have to be strong for Beth. She needs me.” Rachel took a deep breath and started walking toward the double doors marked Visitor’s Entrance. 

She took one last look at Ethan before pushing the intercom button.

“Can I help you?” The voice of the Detention Officer startled her.

“Ah...ah, I’d like to see Beth Culbertson.”

“When the sliding doors open, step inside. Place your personal belongings in one of the lockers and take the key with you.”

Trembling, Rachel followed the instructions. As the first set of sliding doors closed, she heard the locking mechanism and almost changed her mind. After locking her purse and jacket inside the locker, she waited.

The second slider door opened, and an officer instructed her to follow her down the corridor. They stopped outside a door labeled Detention Center Cafeteria. 

“Please hold your arms out. I’m going to run a metal detector across your body. Do you have anything on you that should have been left in the locker?”

Rachel shook her head. The detector beeped, and her eyes widened in fear. “What was that?”

“My fault. I forgot to tell you to leave the key on the table to your right.” The officer smiled. “First time visiting?”

Rachel nodded.

“We don’t bite. Relax and have a pleasant visit. She handed Rachel the key.

The Juvenile Detention Center Officer opened the door and allowed Rachel to enter the commons area. 

Beth stood when she saw Rachel enter the room. She wasn’t allowed to leave her assigned table, so she waited for her friend to come to her. They hugged and then sat across the table from each other.

“Beth, are you okay?” Rachel reached across the table and held Beth’s hand. “I’ve been so worried since the police took you away.”

“It’s not the Ritz Carlton, but everyone has been nice. Last night I stayed in the infirmary, but this morning I went to breakfast with the other girls. They were all friendly.”

“The infirmary? Why were you in there? Were you sick?”

“Yes and no. I guess I was freaking out, and Dr. Mason called Bert.”

“That’s good, Beth. She wants to help you.”

“Help me? She handed me over to the police.”

“Beth, that’s not fair. She had no choice.”

“It doesn’t matter anyhow. I’m going to jail, Rach. They say I killed my dad. My fingerprints are on the knife.”

Rachel gasped. “How...how could that be?”

“Because I was there. I threatened him when he tried to attack me. I dropped it and ran.”

“So tell them that. You’re innocent.”

“Get real, Rachel. I hated my Dad. They believe I hit him over the head and ran away. They think I went back to finish him off.”

“I know you didn’t do it, Beth. You wouldn’t. They’ve got to believe you.”

“The Chief has some kind of vendetta. Even in here, the girls knew about the murder. One or two even congratulated me on killing my dad.”

“Oh, Beth, that’s horrible. What are you going to do?”

“I have court tomorrow morning. Mr. Cannon, my lawyer, says I will probably be arraigned and transferred to the County Jail as an adult because the crime is murder.”

“No, that can’t happen.”

“Face it, Rach, your best friend is going to be a jailbird. A pregnant one at that.”

“What?” Rachel’s voice rose several octaves. Some people turned to stare. 

“Yeah, I’m probably pregnant. One of the girls told me that she got raped and got pregnant. She’d never had sex before either. Another one told me it’s no big deal. She got an abortion.”

“An abortion? Beth, you can’t do that. You wouldn’t, would you?” Rachel stared at her best friend in disbelief. “Are you sure you’re pregnant?”

“Well, not really. I figure the way everything else has been going, I probably am.”

“Beth, we’ve got to do something. Where’s Bert? She’ll help you.”

“Probably not. I really wasn’t very nice last night. She probably said good riddance, and I’ll never see her again. Can’t blame her if she does.”

“She won’t! She’s not like that. She cares about you.”  Rachel squeezed Beth’s hand. “I’m … I’m so sorry.”

“Listen, Rach. Unless a miracle happens, I expect to go to the county jail tomorrow. Promise me you won’t come to visit me there.”

Tears sprung into Rachel’s eyes. “Beth, I can’t promise you that. Don’t ask me.”

“My life … well, it’s never going to be the same. If I go to jail for my father’s murder ….”

“Stop it! You didn’t murder your father.”

“Come on, Rach. We’ve seen enough Chicago PD to know how people get railroaded. The Chief wants a patsy. I’m it. No one’s looking for the truth.”

“That’s not true. I believe in you. Ethan does too. And Bert and Hank, they both believe in you.”  Rachel bit her lip hard. She didn’t want to cry. “Beth, you listen to me, don’t give up. You have to believe in you too.”

“Rachel, it’s time to face the facts. One, they need a suspect. I handed it to them with my fingerprints, no less. Second, what kind of life will I have if I’m pregnant? We’re talking about a baby who needs a mother.”

Beth, stop it. You don’t know for sure if you’re pregnant. Even if you are, we’ll figure something out. And Ric and Hank are going to find the real killer.”

“Rach, I know you mean well, but the truth is, life doesn’t happen that way. My life is over. I should have died with my mom.”

“Stop it! Stop it! I can’t stand to hear you talk like that.” Rachel was terribly distraught. She didn’t know what to say or do to make Beth believe it would be alright. 

A red light started flashing, and a buzzer rang. Someone announced over the PA system that visiting time was over. 

“Oh, Beth, I can’t leave you like this,” Rachel wailed.

“You don’t get choices in here.” Beth tried to smile, but she couldn’t pull it off. “Go before we both start crying. The last thing I need is to be the laughing stock of this place.”

They hugged, and Rachel followed the line of people exiting the room. She took one last look at her best friend, waved, and then left the room.

Beth buried her face in her hands.