A chill ran up River's spine and she stiffened.

"You okay?" Amanda asked, staring at her.

"Ya," she said, setting her mug down on the end table and discarding the blanket on the couch. "I'm just... I've gotta listen to this." She raised the phone and Amanda nodded speculatively. She walked out the front door onto the porch and pressed play on the new voicemail.

Alison, this is Tanya Simmons with the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office. I know you weren't expecting to be contacted at this number, but investigating is what we do so... listen I need to talk with you urgently. Please call me at your earliest convenience. You have my number.

She froze, wondering what could be so urgent that they would go to the trouble to hunt down her phone number. They had to have tried going through Charles first. Just as the thought popped into her head, her phone rang again. She jumped and looked at the display. Unger. She answered quickly and walked across the porch away from the door.

"Charles? What the hell is going on?" she hissed.

"Shit. I was hoping to catch you before she did. Look, I know you don't want to testify Ali but as you know now, it's serious." There was no denying that. The thick Bronx accent that belonged to her old friend always grew thicker when he was stressed.

"What's serious? What are you talking about Charles? I just got a voicemail, I haven't actually talked to Tanya yet. What is so urgent? And why is she trying to find me?" Her own question raised goosebumps on her arms and Frank's words echoed in her head. 'Everything's going to be fine.' Had he turned on her? And why would he? She had refused to testify against him.

"I finally got the scoop from her because they're desperate. Their guy that could place Frank in the alley, the delivery driver? He got popped last week."

"Oh my, God." She paced back and forth, thoughts reeling with what probably had happened to him.

"I know what you're thinkin'," Charles said. "But the guy was a banger and it plays gang related. There's no way they're gonna be able to connect this to Frank."

She shook her head. "Well then they'll just have to find something else."

"Like what? Is there something else?"

"What about the wire? It recorded everything." She shuddered picturing the first gunshot piercing through the device destroying the mic. And then the second piercing a hole through Tyler's head.

"Ali," Charles's voice grew serious. "The wire was illegal. Frank didn't know he was being recorded and it wasn't official. It's not admissible. Without more evidence, Frank's gonna walk."

She almost dropped the phone.

"Ali?" She barely registered Charles calling her name over the line. "Ali?"

"Ya," she managed to choke out, clearing her throat.

"Where are you? Are you somewhere safe?"

Her brow furrowed. "Why would you ask me that?" she questioned warily, suddenly unsure of everything.

"I'm just worried about you. You sell all your shit, take off like a bat out of hell with Jilly and don't even tell anyone where you're goin'--"

"You know why I had to do that, Charles. I told you. He's dangerous."

There was a long pause. "Is he really?"

"Yes. He is. What is this? Why are you questioning me all of a sudden?"

There was a long pause. "It's just that... " he sighed loudly. "Ali, did you kill Tyler?"

"What?!" She stood up straight, shaking, anger and disbelief gripping her like a vice.

"Well, I mean, it's no secret that you hated the guy. Tyler was a piece of garbage, we all know that. But you always seem to do the right thing. And in this case, the right thing would be testifying against Frank if you saw him kill someone, regardless of who it was. And you're not doing that. I know you Ali. I know you'd do the right thing. And instead you ran away. You have to admit that doesn't look good."

"Charles, what did Frank say to you?" The words left her mouth without even thinking.

"Nothin'. I haven't talked to Frank. I'm talking to you."

The fact that Charles was suspicious of her stung. How dare he question her on the right thing. The right thing was protecting her daughter. "I did not kill Tyler," she bit out, suddenly aware that she was standing outside Jackson's house having a discussion about murder. "How could you even think that?"

"I don't want to think that. Listen, forget I asked okay? But are you? Somewhere safe?"

She looked down the sleepy little tree-lined street with the neatly mown lawns and inviting front porches and realized she couldn't be more unsafe.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about helping the DA find some sort of evidence to keep Frank in jail. He's guilty, Charles. There has to be something." She clicked off the line and held the phone to her mouth. A shrill scream from the backyard made her nearly jump out of her skin and she closed her eyes and let out a long breath when it was followed by laughter. She turned around and froze. Amanda stood at the top of the steps, arms crossed over her chest.

"Time to tell me everything."