Eight
I hadn’t opened my laptop in two days. I hadn’t done anything really except lay on the couch. I told Rachel it was because I was tired and wanted to rest when the truth was I simply didn’t want to do anything. I think Rachel knew that. I never could hide anything from my sister. She didn’t push me…too much anyway. She knew my work hadn’t gotten done and she gave me gentle reminders, which I knew was hard for her because Rachel loved to hound me usually.
I was glancing at my laptop, knowing I should open it and get to work. Part of me started to reach for it, but the sound of the buzzer stopped me. Rachel had stepped out to grab us some dinner and I stared at the door for a moment. The buzzer sounded again and I pried myself from the couch, walking over and pushing the button. As I looked down at the still healing bruises on my arm, part of me was afraid of who was waiting downstairs.
“Yes?” I asked nervously.
“This is Officer Torres. I was hoping to speak with Samantha Everly. Is she available?”
I felt the nerves start to brew in my stomach at the sound of his voice. It’d only been a few days since I left the hospital and had spoken to him. I hadn’t heard anything though and I wondered if they’d talked to Tyler because I hadn’t heard anything from him either.
“Yes. That’s me,” I said and I knew my voice sounded timid.
“I have Detective Blanchard with me. Is it okay if we come up and talk for a few minutes?”
“Um…” I said, my voice hesitating before answering. “Sure.” It took me a second, but I pushed the button that would unlock the door for the police officers.
I waited for them to come up and I could hear their footsteps approaching. There was a knock on the door a moment later and I looked through the peephole, just to be certain it was really him. The last few days had added a level of suspicion in my life that hadn’t been there previously. I was relieved when I saw Officer Torres’s head full of dark hair and his black uniform.
I opened the door, not caring that I was in the same sweats and Red Sox hoodie I’d been wearing for two days or that my hair hadn’t been washed in as many days either. Officer Torres stood there, greeting me with the same caring smile he’d shown the day he’d forgiven my parking violation as well as in the hospital. There was an older looking stone-faced man in a trench coat beside him. I wished he’d show the same kindness on his face that Officer Torres did.
“Hi,” I said, keeping my eyes on Officer Torres rather than the detective.
“I’m sorry to show up unexpectedly like this,” Officer Torres began.
“It’s fine,” I said, trying to sound nonchalant as I stepped aside, motioning them into the apartment. I looked around quickly at the wadded-up blanket and empty bowl of ice cream on the coffee table and was suddenly embarrassed. I hadn’t been expecting visitors though and truthfully, housekeeping was the furthest thing from my mind. “I…I’m sorry about the mess. I’ve…I’ve just been trying to rest.”
“No need for apologies, Miss Everly,” Officer Torres said.
“Please call me Sam,” I reminded him and he smiled again.
“Alright, Sam,” he began and then looked at the man next to him. “This is Detective Blanchard. He’s been assigned to your case.”
The man extended his hand, which seemed to be the first show of human emotion I’d seen from him.
“It’s good to meet you,” I said to him and he nodded.
“Likewise,” he added in a much deeper voice than I’d expected.
“Do you want to sit down?” I asked, walking quickly over to the couch to gather the wadded-up blanket. “Again, I’m sorry about the mess.”
“Please don’t apologize on our behalf, Sam. This is nothing compared to the places we’ve seen.” I looked up to see Officer Torres smiling in a comforting way that told me he wasn’t judging me.
I sat down in the chair while Gabe and Detective Blanchard took a seat on the couch.
“How’re you feeling since you’ve been home?” Gabe asked and his eyes drifted down to my sling.
“I’m feeling a little better,” I told him, but before he could respond, the door opened and I turned my head to see Rachel standing there holding the bag of Chinese take-out we’d ordered.
Her eyes widened at the sight of all of us sitting around the living room and she slowly closed the door.
“What’s going on?” she asked, her words coming out slowly.
“You remember Officer Torres from the hospital?” I asked and she nodded, her eyes drifting to the detective then. “This is Detective Blanchard.”
“Is everything okay?” she asked, setting the bag down on the table and walking over to us, standing next to the chair I was seated in.
“We’re just here to talk to Miss Everly,” Detective Blanchard began.
“Sam, please,” I interrupted and the detective glanced over to me, obviously not caring what I preferred to be called.
“I wanted to update you on the progress of our investigation,” he said.
“Have you spoken to Tyler Reeves?” Rachel’s voice was hurried as she looked between Officer Torres and the detective.
“We have. It took some time to contact him, but we’ve spoken to him…”
“What do you mean it took some time?” she interrupted. “His spoiled ass lives at the damn frat house on Perkins, just like I told you.”
“Calm down, Rache,” I said softly.
“No, Sam. It’s been four days. It shouldn’t take four days to find someone.”
“It does when that person is out of the country,” Detective Blanchard added defensively and I felt my head whip around to look at him.
“Out of the country?” I asked, my voice heavy with confusion.
“When we went to speak with Mr. Reeves, his fraternity brothers informed us they hadn’t seen him in a few days and when we spoke to his father’s law firm, we learned he had to take an unexpected trip to Toronto,” Detective Blanchard said.
“Toronto?” I asked softly.
“His grandfather was in the hospital. A suspected heart attack we were told. His family made a trip up to be with him. He returned yesterday.”
“I didn’t know Tyler had family in Canada,” I said softly, feeling even more confused than I already did.
“Apparently, they do,” Officer Torres added and I looked up to meet his eyes. His jaw was slightly clenched, but he continued to hold my gaze for a moment before my eyes moved to the detective.
“What did Tyler say about everything that happened with Sam?” my sister asked, her voice hurried and strained as she reached for my hand.
“He seemed surprised to hear you’d been injured,” Detective Blanchard said and I heard Rachel scoff loudly.
“Like hell he was surprised! The bastard’s the one who did it!” Rachel exclaimed and I didn’t think the detective appreciated my sister’s outburst.
“Excuse me,” Detective Blanchard said, turning to Rachel, a look of annoyance on his face, “I should’ve asked earlier, but can I ask who you are?”
“I’m Rachel Murray, Sam’s sister,” Rachel said defensively. “What else did Tyler say?”
The detective’s annoyance didn’t go anywhere, but he looked over to me, ignoring Rachel.
“We will continue to follow up with Mr. Reeves, but according to the charter jet and his passport upon arriving in Toronto, Mr. Reeves was not in Boston at the time of the accident.”
“What?” Rachel exclaimed. “This wasn’t an accident! He pushed my sister down the stairs!”
“Miss Murray,” Detective Blanchard said, his voice stern now as he looked at my sister. “We followed the lead you gave us and regardless of what you may believe, that lead proved to be unfounded. Unless there is any other evidence, we believe what happened was exactly what you don’t want to call it.” He looked to me now. “It appears to have been an accident. Has your memory returned at all, Miss Everly?” he asked and I shook my head, relieved in a way that it appeared to be my carelessness that resulted in my injuries. Tyler was a jerk, but he hadn’t done this to me, and in a way, I felt it redeemed me some, to myself anyway, that I wasn’t completely stupid for falling for him.
“So, that’s it then?” Rachel asked, her voice heavy with exasperation.
“Unless something new comes to light,” Detective Blanchard said, standing up. “I wish you the best, Miss Everly.”
I stood up and shook his hand with mine that wasn’t in the sling.
“Thank you,” I said quietly and followed Detective Blanchard to the door, letting him out and watching as he walked down the hall. Officer Torres remained by the door though and my sister stayed on the couch, still fuming. “Thank you for stopping by,” I said to him and he smiled.
“How’re you doing, other than the obvious?” he asked me and I met his eyes, taken aback at how dark they were, like a cup of black coffee.
“I’m fine…I think,” I said softly.
“If anything changes though, anything at all with what you remember about that night, let us know.” The way he looked at me told me he cared. He wasn’t as cut and dry as the detective. Something told me he thought there was more to this. I hoped he wasn’t right.
“I will. Thank you again, Officer Torres.”
“Gabe, remember?” he said and I smiled.
“Thank you, Gabe.”
He smiled and held his hand out to me. I took it with mine. It was warm and soft and he held it tightly for a moment before letting go.
“Keep an eye on your sister,” Gabe said to Rachel over my shoulder. She stood up and came next to us.
“I plan on it, Officer Torres.”
“Like I told Sam, please call me Gabe,” he said and Rachel nodded.
“Gabe,” she said softly, looking directly at him. “I know that detective thinks I’m crazy, but everything’s not always what it seems. I just can’t believe he didn’t have something to do with this.”
“Rache, it’s okay,” I said softly, urging her to let it go, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good.
“I know you’re worried about your sister,” Gabe said to her. “Our top concern is for her well-being and I promise you that’s what we’re here for. If new information comes to light, we’ll look into it. I promise.”
Rachel didn’t say anything for a moment, but then she nodded.
“Thank you, Gabe,” she said softly and then linked her hands with mine. Gabe looked down at our hands and then up to Rachel again.
“Would you mind if I spoke with Sam alone?” he asked and I could see the surprise on my sister’s face.
“Um…sure,” she said, looking over to me and then letting go of my hand and excusing herself to the bathroom. Gabe watched the whole way until Rachel had closed the door. He looked back at me then and I could feel the nerves brewing in my stomach when his dark eyes met mine.
“Why did you ask my sister to leave?” I asked him.
“Because sometimes people are hesitant to say what’s really on their mind if they’re afraid of what others might think,” he said and it grew quiet for a few moments until he spoke again. “Your sister is convinced Tyler Reeves has something to do with what happened to you. I can tell she believes it. I can see her disdain for him whenever she talks about him, but,” he said and paused for a moment as he collected his thoughts, “I also see how guarded you get whenever his name is mentioned. I can see the apprehension in your eyes.”
“No. I’m fine,” I said defensively. “Rachel exaggerates things. She fixates on her ideas whether they’re founded or not.”
Even as the words left my mouth, I couldn’t believe I was saying them. Tyler was a problem and once again, I was trying to minimize what he’d done to me because I didn’t want to admit what I’d allowed him to do to me.
“I’m not here to judge anyone,” he said in a kind voice that made me feel better. “I’m here to help. If you’re scared or afraid, if you don’t feel safe for any reason,” he began as his eyes drifted down, settling on my arm where the bruises from the night at the frat house were still visible. “If there’s anything you need to tell me, I want you to know you can.”
“I’m fine,” I said again and he nodded, raising his eyes back to mine and smiling. It was a forced smile and then he put on his hat that had been tucked under his arm.
“If anything changes, please let me know,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said softly and then he nodded again before walking out. I shut the door behind him, his words echoing in my mind. If you’re scared or afraid, if you don’t feel safe for any reason
…if there’s anything you need to tell me, I want you to know you can. I felt my eyes growing warm with tears and shame overtook my body. I wanted to open the door and call out to him, telling him I was terrified, but I kept my mouth shut, just liked I’d learned to do from the moment Tyler Reeves walked into my life.