Chapter Twenty-Four
Introducing Gillian Gallagher
Rowan
Six sets of eyes stared expectantly at me, five with expressions of interest, and one with a look of uncertainty. I wanted to cry. The urge to run was overwhelming. Running would be easier than seeing the look of disgust on Nash’s face when he discovered who I really was.
“Are you Gillian Ann Gallagher?” the detective asked once more.
Swallowing down months of fear and regret, I answered, “I am.”
“Can you please tell us how you came to be known as Rowan Burns?”
I didn’t dare look at Nash. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. Instead, I stared down at my hands in my lap as I tried to explain.
“My name is Gillian Ann Gallagher. I was born Twenty-seven years ago in Dublin, Ireland. My mother passed away from cancer when I was ten years old. After that, my father moved us to New York City. We lived in the Irish sector of the city where my father owned the corner grocery store.” I nervously fingered the blanket. “My dad kind of fell apart after my mom died. Don’t get me wrong. I love my dad. He means well, but he’s always been a bit of a schemer. He dreams of being rich one day. I have no problem with him dreaming, except for the fact that his schemes normally involve me in some way or another.” I lifted my eyes to Garrett, and he encouraged me to continue. “In high school, I met my best friend, Gavin.” I swallowed thickly. “Ever since my mother’s death I wanted to be a nurse. Gavin…well, let’s just say that he had a hard time making friends.”
“How so?” Officer Bezos asked.
“Gavin was gay. He got beaten up a lot because of his sexual orientation, but also because he was somewhat of a smart ass. Anyway, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life, but because I was so sure of what I wanted, he followed me along for the ride. So I became a nurse and Gavin became an assistant radiologist.”
“Was Gavin friends with Conor O’Brien?” Detective Gains asked.
I let out a dry laugh. “Hardly. I just want you to have some perspective,” I explained.
“Please, continue.”
“Gavin and I worked for the same hospital and lived in the same apartment complex. I loved him like a brother, and never would have left, but my father …Father was getting more and more demanding and I was tired of jumping through hoops for him. Not to mention, my boss was hateful and I was overworked, so when a job opportunity came available in Florida, I took it. The same day I accepted the offer, my father called and asked if I would go on a date with a prospective business associate.” I heard Nash’s chair move, but I didn’t dare look at him or I would never get this part out. “Due to the demands of my job, I didn’t have a lot of time for dating. I was angry because I’d just gotten off from two back to back shifts at the hospital and was beyond exhausted. When I told Father no, he got very upset with me. He insisted, and, out of guilt for taking the job in Florida and keeping it a secret from him, I gave in.”
“Let me guess, your date was none other than Conor O’Brien,” Garrett stated.
“It was,” I confirmed. “At first he was charming.” I swallowed deeply, and attempted to gloss over the next part. “I drank too much, and one thing led to another. Let’s just say that he was…rough.” Nash let out a hiss of air, and I flinched.
Detective Bezos shot Nash a look of warning. “Did he rape you?” he asked.
“No, but I considered myself lucky. In other words, I did not doubt that he was capable of rape. I’d asked Gavin to page me at midnight. It’s something we did when the other was on a date and needed rescuing. When my pager went off, I made the excuse of being on call and needing to rush to work. Conor was unhappy to say the least, but what could he do about it? He wanted my number. He said things that I didn’t understand at the time, such as how I was more beautiful than he’d remembered and how maybe he should speak to the hospital on my behalf. It never dawned on me that he’d been stalking me. I just wanted to get away from him and forget the night had ever happened. As far as I was concerned it was over.” I took a deep breath, and suddenly a cup of water appeared in my line of sight. I slowly lifted my eyes. Where I expected to find judgement, or even disgust, I got concern and compassion. It gave me the strength to keep going. “Thanks,” I whispered as I sipped from the cup.
“Would you like to take a five minute break?” Detective Bezos asked.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get this over with.” He nodded his head, and I continued. “Before work the next day I went to my father’s grocery. I was having doubts about taking the job and wanted to talk to him about it. I also wanted to talk to him about Conor. As I neared his office door, I heard voices.” Garrett caught my eye as I said, “One belonged to Conor and the other my father. Father was begging Conor to give him another chance. He kept telling him that he would make me see the light.”
Detective Gains asked for clarification. “The light?”
“Conor told my father that without me, there would be no business deal. You see, without my knowledge, my father had leveraged himself. Conor was willing to dig him out, but only if I was the consolation prize.”
“Fucking hell,” Nash hissed.
“Mr. Bostwick. Am I going to have to ask you to leave?” Detective Bezos calmly asked. I glanced at Nash as he shook his head no. His eyes darted to mine, and I quickly looked away. I expected this to be hard, but it was so much more. It was embarrassing, humiliating…gut wrenching.
“After I discovered what my father had done, I ran home, called Gavin and explained what had just happened. He was furious. We made plans. I was going to pack a bag and leave for Florida directly after I settled things with my landlord and quit my job. Gavin was going to pack up the rest of my things and meet me in Florida once I’d secured a place to live.” My eyes welled with tears. “He never showed,” I whispered.
“Please repeat what you just said,” Detective Bezos asked. Nash slipped his hand underneath mine, and I grabbed onto it for dear life.
“Gavin, along with the truck full of my things, never showed up in Florida. It was as if he’d disappeared. He didn’t answer his phone or his texts. Finally, I was so worried that I called the hospital.” I frantically wiped the tears away, before continuing, “His boss said that he’d been killed in a hit and run accident. He was killed the night before he was supposed to leave for Florida.”
“Scoot over,” Nash said.
“What?” I jerked my head up to find him looming over me.
“Scoot over,” he repeated, and made a swishing movement with his hand.
“I c-can’t,” I told him.
He dipped his head down, and said, “Wrap your arms around my neck.”
“Mr. Bostwick,” one of the detectives admonished.
Nash paused long enough to tell him that he could either allow this to happen, or come back tomorrow. In the end, the detective gave in. Nash oh-so-carefully moved me over, and slid into bed beside me.
Once we were settled, I muttered, “Dr. Wheatley is going to kill you.”
“She can bring it on,” he replied. In the midst of such a horrible moment, Nash had given me the most precious gift. He’d made me smile.
“Please continue,” Detective Bezos said. He was clearly annoyed, but I didn’t care as I now had Nash beside me.
Nash gave my hand a squeeze of reassurance, and I told them about the phone call from Gavin’s phone. How Conor admitted to killing my best friend. How I ran, only to discover him already in Florida, hunting me. I explained my transformation from Gillian to Rowan, and finally, how I’d come to be Maeve Bostwick’s private nurse. Nash held onto my hand as I explained, and I soaked up his warmth and gained strength from his touch.
“Did you ever speak of Conor O’Brien to anyone?” Detective Bezos asked. “We’re just trying to figure out how he found you,” he added.
“A few months ago I was run off the road.” Nash tensed beside me.
“What?” he angrily whispered.
“At first I thought that Conor had found me. It turned out to be a truck full of teenagers out for a joyride, but in my moment of panic, I mentioned Conor’s name to Nash’s mom. Maeve latched onto it like a dog with a bone. When she made the assumption that Conor was an old boyfriend and I’d been in an abusive relationship, I didn’t correct her.” I looked over my shoulder at Nash, and tried to explain. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to think less of me. I should have left right then and there, but I couldn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“Hey,” Nash said as he wiped my tears away, “Conor didn’t kill my mother, cancer did.”
“But he f-f-ound me. He was in the house. He left the rose on Maeve’s bed. He could have hurt the two of you. I was so selfish for staying. You both made me feel s-s-so loved,” I sobbed.
“I think we’re done for now,” Nash said to the detectives.
“I agree. Will tomorrow morning, let’s say at ten, work for you?” Detective Bezos asked.
“That’s fine,” Nash answered. Everyone filed out of my hospital room while I sobbed into Nash’s chest.
“I’ve got you. You’re safe,” he whispered, and I wanted to believe him, I really did, but something deep in my gut told me that this was far from over.