Celeste Chapter 4
It had been four weeks since our lives changed drastically for a second time.
It was hard to believe it had been that long already on one hand, but on the other hand, it seemed to be much longer than that.
In that timeframe, the police had made no progress with the case.
They had no idea who raped Capri. They kept saying they were working the case, but with no evidence, I was afraid they were sitting back and waiting for some clue to walk into the station or for an epiphany to strike.
They had met with us twice since those initial hospital visits.
All they did was ask Capri if she’d remembered anything and if there was anything she wanted to tell them.
Each time, Lucia had been present and directed the conversation.
Capri remained firm that she was not hiding anything and had not remembered anything.
I’d gotten her into therapy right away. I knew it would take time for her to process what had been done to her.
Her therapist wanted me to consider doing therapy for myself.
I told her that if it became necessary, I would.
My priority was for my niece to feel safe enough to be alone, whether it was out in the world or at home, and to stop having nightmares that woke us both with her screams.
Capri still pushed to keep up with her classwork.
Her education was her priority. She hadn’t returned to classes, but her professors had been understanding and allowed her to continue her work online.
They all knew what happened to her. Cherokee, being such a small town, meant pretty much everyone knew.
The stares when we went out, which wasn’t often, were beyond annoying.
On my end, I wanted to tell people to stop fucking staring and whispering when they saw her.
Didn’t they have any damn manners? A couple of days after Capri left the hospital, I left her to rest at home.
A neighbor we were friendly with came over to stay with her so she wasn’t alone.
I went straight to her so-called friend Vanessa’s house.
I tried calling her on Capri’s phone, then on mine, but there was no answer.
She didn’t respond to the voicemail or texts I left, asking to speak with her.
I knew from the police that they had spoken to Vanessa, and she claimed she knew nothing.
I wanted to verify that, and to give her a piece of my mind.
The police wouldn’t give it to me, and my niece didn’t know where she lived.
They’d always hung out in public or at school.
I found her address easily online. Vanessa hadn’t expected to open her door and find me standing there.
Remembering that look on her face made me smile.
The front door opened after the second doorbell ring. I watched Vanessa’s face register who it was on her doorstep. Her eyes widened, she paled, and I thought I saw dismay on her face for a second before she covered it with a small smile.
“Hello, Celeste. Is everything alright with Capri?”
“Capri is at home, healing,” I said.
“Well, I, uhm, I’m glad to hear it. May I ask why you are here?”
“I would think it’s obvious and expected that I would come see you. You claim to be my niece’s friend. Yet, you left her alone at that party where she was raped. And you haven’t come to see her or even called to check on her. What kind of person, let alone friend, does that?” I fired off.
I wasn’t waiting to be invited inside. I didn’t give a damn whether her neighbors heard me.
I said it loud enough that anyone nearby would overhear.
Her eyes almost popped out of her head, and her mouth dropped open.
She darted her gaze around, looking to see if anyone was nearby.
I stood there with my hands on my hips, staring at her.
If laser beams could shoot from my eyes, I would’ve been cutting her down.
My gut told me she was never a true friend to Capri and that she might know more than she admitted about that night.
I couldn’t understand why she never came back from getting a drink, and then left without any idea where Capri was. It stank to me.
“C-Celeste, please, there’s no need to shout. I don’t know why you came here and are attacking me,” she said when she could speak.
“I’m here because you abandoned Capri even before the rape happened.
You left the party, leaving the person you brought with you, without a backward glance.
A normal person would’ve asked others to help find her.
Or raised a fuss and called the cops when she wasn’t found.
They don’t just up and leave. I know you know more than you’re saying. I want to know what it is.”
Her pallor worsened. Her grip on the open door was so tight that her knuckles were white. Vanessa took a step back. I took two steps forward. I was still outside the threshold, so she couldn’t say I invaded her home.
“I don’t know what you mean. I know nothing. I looked for her and asked people if they had seen her. They said no. One guy said he saw her leaving with a guy. I assumed she’d met someone and they’d gone back to his place, so I left.”
“You should know that Capri isn’t someone to meet a guy and then go off with him. You’ve known her for months and are supposedly her friend. Surely, you know that about her,” I countered.
The hearsay that someone saw Capri leave with a man was news to me. The police hadn’t mentioned it when we spoke to them. Who was lying, or withholding information?
“I need you to leave. I’m not talking to someone who comes to my home, attacking me for something that wasn’t my fault. I didn’t get her raped. I’m sorry that it happened, but it’s got nothing to do with me,” Vanessa stated.
“I didn’t attack you. I haven’t laid a finger on you.
See, I believe it does have something to do with you.
And even if it takes me years to prove it, I will.
In the meantime, don’t call, text, or drop by to see her.
When she goes back to classes, steer clear of her.
If you don’t, you’re not going to like how things turn out. ”
“You can’t threaten me! I’ll call the cops and tell them what you did,” she warned.
“Go ahead. They know where I live and have my phone number. I’ll gladly tell them what occurred here.
And I’ll tell them about the supposed guy who saw Capri leave with another man.
I know the police don’t have that tidbit.
I’ll let them know they need to come back and speak to you again.
Maybe this time they should take you to the station and hold you for a while. It might jog your memory.”
Absolute horror filled her face before she stood back and slammed the door in my face. I heard her turn the lock. I’d left upset. I had gotten nowhere, but I was happy that I’d shaken her. I was now utterly convinced she knew something.
Most of my time had been spent keeping Capri company.
I’d taken leave from work. Judge Fontana had been understanding and told me to take care of my family.
According to him, there was nothing more important than those we love.
I had a lot of accrued time off, so I took the time with pay.
Eventually, it would exhaust itself, but not for a while.
However, for tonight, those matters were not the focus.
Instead, it was an invitation I never imagined receiving.
I would have to be totally clueless not to know that Eliana Raven, the nurse practitioner who ran Pagan Promises, was the wife of the president of the Pagan Souls MC.
She wore a leather vest everywhere she went, proclaiming herself the property of Agony.
I’d seen her with other women who wore the same kind of vests all over town.
Her affiliation with that club didn’t matter to me.
I found her sweet, kind, deeply loving, and always willing to help others.
Capri and I met her for the first time when we went to Promises to see if there was anything we could do to assist. The only thing that changed is that now, I was tempted to ask her the name of the Pagan I’d seen that day on the street.
Even with everything happening with Capri, I still found he cropped up in my dreams and sometimes during the daytime.
I was stunned when I received a call from Eliana.
She asked if it would be okay if she spoke to me about something.
Of course, I told her yes. I assumed she needed something for Promises or for us to volunteer.
I was more stunned when she asked if Capri and I would come to the Pagans’ compound on Friday after work.
She assured me that it was for a good reason.
Eliana claimed the club wanted to talk to us about a matter.
If I wasn’t willing to do it there, we could arrange to do it somewhere I was comfortable.
It was true, I was wary of meeting an entire motorcycle club, even if Eliana was there.
She had assured me that there would be other ladies and kids present.
What made me accept was two-fold. One reason was how much I liked Eliana and what she did for people.
The second reason was one that I dared not voice aloud.
I wanted to see that biker again. I desired to know his name and to get a closer look at him.
Plus, who could say no to seeing inside their compound? It was somewhat shrouded in mystery.
Capri had been by my side when I got the call. I asked her what she thought. She was shocked, but like me, she admired Eliana, so in the end, we said yes. We were told to arrive at seven o’clock and not to worry about dinner beforehand. They would take care of it.
It was a quarter of seven, and we were five minutes from the Pagans’ compound. The closer we got, the more nervous I became. I glanced over at my quiet niece. She was staring out the window. Her hands were clasped together in her lap.