Celeste Chapter 6 #2
“Okay, fine, then how about we get to it. I’d like to get back to Capri as fast as possible,” I said.
“Why? Is something wrong? Aliya and Soren made it, didn’t they?”
“They did. But Capri is still wary of being at home when I’m not there. Plus, she’s not thrilled with the idea of us working to bring down whoever did this to her. She understands why we’re doing it this way, but she’s concerned.”
“Concerned about what?”
“That we’ll get caught. I’ll go to prison for it. Or that I can’t handle seeing what’s done to those responsible. She disagrees with me being involved in the punishment that’ll be dished out.”
“I can understand that, but sometimes, you have to see things to be able to know they’re real. Demons can be laid to rest more easily that way,” Hulk stated.
“Agreed. But Capri is sweeter than I am. She only sees the good in people. I know there are rotten people out there. And I’m not sitting back and allowing someone to get away with what they did to her. I can’t do anything about those cases in the courtroom, but I can in her case.”
“You have resolve and guts, I have to admit. You’ll need both and more to stomach what we have to do.
However, before we delve into the ugliness, we must first find clues and determine who’s responsible for hurting her.
Was anyone else involved, as you believe Vanessa is?
I didn’t want to speak of this where Capri could overhear us. I don’t want to upset her more.”
“Speak freely. You won’t frighten me,” I informed him.
“First, do you know of anyone who would want to hurt your niece? Has she stolen anyone’s boyfriend? Insulted someone? Posted something online that could be taken the wrong way?” Hulk fired away.
His rapid fire took me by surprise, but I quickly recovered. When he fell quiet, I answered him.
“No, there’s no one I know of who would want to harm her.
Capri is sweet, kind, and willing to help everyone.
She wouldn’t intentionally hurt anyone. She doesn’t date.
Getting through college is a priority for her.
Guys would distract her from that priority.
Stealing someone’s boyfriend is out of the question.
She isn’t that kind of person. That means she wouldn’t flirt with a guy who has a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, or husband.
Insulting people is another big no-no for her.
She’d tell me if she did, even if it was by accident.
It would mortify her, and she’d have to make it right.
Lastly, she doesn’t engage in the obsessive online posting that many of her generation do.
She finds it silly and a waste of time.”
“Damn, I was hoping it would be something that easy,” he muttered.
“If it were, I would’ve already thought of it.
But I’m telling you, Vanessa knows something she’s not saying.
And I don’t trust that the police thoroughly searched the pool house and the surrounding area where Carpi was…
raped. You weren’t there when those two asshole cops spoke to us at the hospital and then afterward.
They kept making it sound like she did something wrong.
That she’s hiding stuff, so they questioned her as if she lied about having no memory,” I snarled.
Recalling Officers Oliver and Ingram made me stand up from my chair. I swept between the chairs and over to the window. It showed nothing but darkness outside, but I stared anyway. My fists were clenched, and I wished I had something to punch. I saw Hulk’s reflection come up behind me.
“Who did that? Tell me the names of the cops who did it,” he demanded. I whirled around to face him.
“It was Officer Ingram and Officer Oliver. They’re supposedly two of Cherokee’s finest. Finest, don’t make me laugh.
Those arrogant assholes have been in court enough for me to have their number.
All they care about is acting like big shots and being condescending to others.
With those kinds of cops around, is it any wonder I refused to allow them to speak to Capri without a lawyer present? ” I snorted.
“Those fuckers are the ones in charge of her case? Fuck. If we were going to allow the cops to solve her case, we’d get different ones assigned, but since we want them to continue to be clueless, those two are perfect for the job,” he told me.
“Do you know them?”
“I’ve had the displeasure of meeting them.
They responded to a situation at Zari’s home when she was being harassed and repeatedly subjected to vandalism.
They claimed they couldn’t do anything about it and acted as if it were their fault.
The only thing they were guilty of was being Arab.
There were neighbors and others who didn’t like them because of it.
The stupidity of believing everyone who’s Arab is a terrorist is unbelievable.
They were no help when Aliya was attacked either. ”
“Aliya was attacked?” I gasped.
“Yeah, a bit over three years ago, when she was fourteen. Three boys at the high school were constantly harassing her and Arif. One of them was obsessed with her and tried to rape her. She luckily wasn’t.
That was another reason I thought it might be a good idea to get her and Capri together.
Even if Capri is older than Aliya, they’re close in age and have a common trauma. ”
“Oh, that poor girl. I’m so glad she escaped having that happen to her,” I said.
“She was lucky, but it still traumatized her. You can bet money that we made sure those boys paid for what they did, especially that punk who attempted to assault her.”
“You killed him.”
“Actually, no, because he failed to succeed. However, there was considerable debate about whether we should. In the end, his two buddies were severely beaten and left town. They’re being watched.
If they try anything like harassment again, they won’t be so lucky a second time.
As for the other boy, Billy, he’s no longer able to rape anyone.
You have to have a cock to do that. He left town forever, too, and is being monitored. ”
“He doesn’t have a cock? You mean you…”
“Amputated it? We sure fucking did,” he said without remorse.
The sudden relief, knowing that the Pagans would do what they promised and wouldn’t chicken out, filled me. I stepped toward him. When his arms opened, I walked right into them and pressed my head to his chest. It was a solid wall overlaid with a slight cushioning. Hulk’s arms encircled me.
“I want whoever raped her to pay with their life, but before they do, I want them to suffer. A swift death is too good for the bastard. If Vanessa or one of those three girls Capri spoke to that night, or someone else, is involved in any way, like Billy’s friends were, I want them to be taught a lesson they’ll never forget.
If they set her up, that’s one thing. But if they actively watched or participated in her assault in any way, they deserve the same fate as her rapist.”
“I promise they won’t escape their fate,” he whispered close to my ear.
His words, the feel of him holding me, caused me to let go. As tears pricked my eyes, I let a strangled scream come out of me. I cut it off.
“Don’t hold it in, Celeste. Let it out. Scream as long and loud as you want. No one will hear you. My office is soundproofed,” he assured me.
At first, I was afraid to believe it. But as the tension continued to build, I threw back my head, opened my mouth, and let the scream tear out of me.
I hollered until I couldn’t do it anymore.
My throat was sore. I hadn’t been able to fully let go and bellow my rage out because I didn’t want to scare Capri or have our neighbors call the cops.
When I was through, Hulk led me over to the leather couch—this time, I gave in and sat on it. He lowered himself next to me.
Like a gentleman, he produced a handkerchief from his cut. He dabbed under my eyes, soaking up the tears that had fallen. I sniffed.
“Here, blow your nose,” he said.
“I’m not doing that to your handkerchief.”
“For God’s sake, that’s what it’s for, woman. It’ll wash. Do it,” he urged.
I took it from him and hastily blew my nose.
Once I no longer felt like it was running, I crumpled the hanky up and thanked him.
“Thank you. I’ll return it after I wash it, and don’t bother telling me there’s no need.
I’m not listening. Thank you for allowing me to scream.
It feels like a pressure valve was released. I feel lighter.”
“You’re welcome. Any time you want to scream, let me know. As for the hanky, just make sure to use fabric softener on it. I hate a rough cloth on my delicate nose,” Hulk said, winking.
I busted out laughing. I gently pushed at his chest. He didn’t budge. Something flickered in his eyes, and then I was released. Shakily, I scooted back, putting some distance between us.
“What strategizing did you want us to do tonight?” I asked. I had to get my mind back on the topic at hand.
“You and I have to speak to Vanessa again. However, we need to do it away from her home and in a place where others can’t see us.
That way, if she goes crying to the cops, saying we harassed her, we can deny it.
She won’t have proof. I’m working on that with Wire.
He’ll see what her routine is, and we’ll be able to pinpoint a place.
As for wanting to search the home where Capri was attacked, we’re working on a way inside that place.
One where they’ll let us waltz in and won’t pay any attention to us. ”
“How can you do that?”
“I’m not saying how yet, until I know if we can pull it off. Another thought I had… are there any places Capri likes to go when she’s not at school or working? Any spots she hangs out with her friends.”
“Capri has always been relatively quiet, and she doesn’t have what you’d call close friends.
She occasionally has lunch or coffee on campus with some of her classmates.
She has never been one to go shopping or to parties, which is why it was so hard for that bitch Vanessa to talk her into going to that party.
Capri tends to be very driven with her schoolwork. I’m afraid that’s my fault.”
“Why would that be your fault? Did you forbid her to go places or to have friends?” Hulk asked, frowning.
“No, but she watched me for years. I was never one to do those things. I had her, work, and school to worry about and take care of. Those other things were a waste of precious time and money. We didn’t have extra to waste.
We stuck to family-oriented activities we could do together and on the cheap, like movie night at home.
Our own spa day, where we soaked our feet, applied homemade facial masks, and painted each other’s nails.
Or we’d put together a massive puzzle that would take us weeks to complete and would take up the whole kitchen table.
She fell into the same pattern, and I didn’t really notice it until a couple of years ago.
By then, it was too late to change her.”
I hung my head in defeat. Why hadn’t I done something different with her? Maybe if I had, she would’ve had many friends and wouldn’t have been at that party at all, or wouldn’t have been left alone.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it,” Hulk ordered.
“What the hell?” I scowled at him.
“I can tell. You’re blaming yourself for something. It’s not your fault what happened to Capri. It’s not her fault, either. It’s whoever did this to her. They have a missing component in their head or heart,” he said gruffly.
I flopped back against the back of the couch.
I was tired, so I closed my eyelids. My head hurt, and all I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.
I hadn’t been getting much shut-eye. The nightmares were still happening.
The cushion depressed, causing me to lurch to the side.
I ended up tilting over against Hulk. My eyelids flew open. He moved right up against me.
“You look tired. Aren’t you sleeping?” He raised his huge hand and rubbed his thumb under my eye. His touch was tender for such a big man.
“Not a lot. Capri keeps having nightmares and wakes us both up with her screaming. It’s hard to fall back to sleep. It happens more nights than not. We’ve been taking catnaps during the day. If we keep it to an hour or less, she seems to do okay.”
“Celeste, you can’t keep going without sleep, either of you. Is she only reliving that night, or is it more?”
I hesitated, then thought, Why hide it? “No, she admitted to me that she’s scared that whoever did it will find her and come after her.
It’s why I can’t leave her alone, even at home.
She freaks out. Although we have guns and both of us know how to use them, she’s afraid.
She’s never been as comfortable handling weapons as I am. ”
“Would she be able to sleep through the night if she were somewhere she felt no one could get to either of you?” Hulk asked.
“Probably, but I don’t know where that would be. We can’t afford to move or stay in a hotel for an extended period. There’s no telling how long she’ll be afraid.”
Hulk didn’t respond, but he got a faraway look on his face. As comfortable as it felt to be here with him, I knew it was time for me to go.
“Was there more we needed to talk about tonight?” I asked.
“We can save additional talk for later. For now, I want you to stay alert. Call me if you find out anything new or if you feel uneasy about anything. If Wire discovers something, I’ll contact you.
The rule, though, is that you don’t go off alone trying to track down whoever did this.
Swear to me, you won’t do that, Celeste. ”
“I pinky swear, I won’t do it, Hulk.” I held up my pinky finger.
He grinned as he held his up and wrapped it around mine.
As we grinned, I wondered if we might actually become friends.
After completing our sworn oath session, he offered to escort me out to the parking lot.
I wanted to snoop and see what it was like inside, but decided tonight wasn’t the night to check out my first strip club.
We passed Dave as we left the building. He gave us a chin lift, but was busy checking in a couple of men, so I waved and kept walking.
Hulk insisted on walking me to my car and assisting me inside. The last thing he said was to be careful and to text him when I made it home. I assured him I would. The whole drive back, I thought over what a weird night it had been, and how much it made me want to be near Hulk more.