20. Chapter 20
June 28, 2011
5:21 pm
“Ice cream sounds really good right about now,” Sara said.
Hailey shook her head, “After everything that just happened, you want ice cream? I still can’t believe you talked to Dad. The last thing we need is for him to get involved. And thanks to you, he’s going to make it so much more difficult for us to open Mom’s case.”
“I’m fully aware of the situation, Hailey. I’m just done letting him control everything I do. And plus, I haven't had ice cream in thirteen years.”
Despite being angry at Sara, Hailey had to admit ice cream sounded like a nice treat on such a hot day. The storm had since passed and the sun was now shining bright, drying up the water that had poured out of the sky.
Hailey took a right and drove back past the park toward a little ice cream shop that had been a favorite spot for them as teenagers. Shocked that it was still standing, Hailey found herself reminiscing.
The restaurant was a quaint, mom-and-pop shop that served savory foods but was famous for their sweet treats. It was an outdoor eatery with tables lined under a pavilion. They walked up to the window, ordered their snack and sat at one of the tables.
The sound of cars passing by filled the silence as they waited for their order, not knowing what to say to each other. It was clear they were at odds, though Hailey didn’t understand why. After they had connected about their battle wounds, she believed they had patched things up. Well, maybe not entirely, but enough to start mending their broken relationship.
Hailey was trying to help her sister, but all Sara seemed to want to do was fight and argue. She had known it would take a lot of work to fix the relationship, but it wouldn’t go anywhere if Sara was constantly destroying what little progress they made.
“Why are you trying so hard to get back at me? I’m trying to help you, and you keep throwing it in my face. I thought I could trust you with my secret and all you‘ve done is try to manipulate me into telling Trey.”
Sara leaned in close to Hailey’s face, her voice just above a whisper, “Despite what you might think, I was actually trying to help you.”
Hailey balked. “Ugh! Don’t act so self-righteous. We all know ninety percent of what you do is for your own selfish gain.”
An employee from the shop called out their order and they both collected their ice cream and sat back down.
Sara sighed. “Look, I’ve seen the way you and Trey look at each other, it makes me want to puke.” She waved away a bee and continued. “I’ve lived the consequences of people keeping secrets. All you would have done was ruin the second chance you have with him. If you’re comfortable keeping a secret from someone you love, it’s never going to work.”
Hailey looked at her ice cream, unsure if she could trust her sister’s claims. “Is that what happened with Chase? You kept a secret from him?”
Sara shook her head. “No. I told him the truth.”
Hailey tilted her head. “That doesn’t really help your pep-talk.”
“Whatever, Hailey. It doesn’t matter what you say, you know I’m right. Trey knew something happened with Ryan and it would have eaten away at him. And if you refused to tell him, it would have strained your already fragile relationship. You can’t trust people who keep secrets from you. Trinity doesn’t need parents like that.”
Hailey winced. She hadn’t expected Sara to be so honed in on her shortcomings.
She nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry for accusing you of being selfish.”
Sara lifted a shoulder. “Well, I am selfish about ninety percent of the time.”
“Like that stunt with Dad? You don’t think you should have warned us?” Hailey said.
“I’m done cowering in a corner. I’m not a little girl anymore and I want him to pay for what he did to me.”
Hailey shook her head. “Well, pulling the lion's tail isn’t all that smart. We both know we have to figure out how to play his game better than him. All you did was piss him off more than he was before.”
“Good. People slip up when they’re pissed, which is why I did it,” Sara replied.
That much was true. And David was already starting to get nervous. He wouldn’t have called to threaten them if he wasn’t concerned about them poking around. Hailey wondered if there was any truth to Sara’s claims that he was involved with Morgan’s death. It certainly looked that way. “Just promise me you’ll stay away from Dad and let Trey handle him,” Hailey said.
Sara scowled. “Not a chance.”
“Sara, let Trey handle it. You’re going to get one of us hurt.”
“Do you not understand that I have to do this?” Sara leaned in toward Hailey and pointed to herself. “I need to prove to myself that he can't control me anymore.”
Hailey furrowed her brows. “You don’t need to prove anything-”
“You don’t get it!” Sara snapped. “I used to think I could take on the world. Even though I was terrified of Dad, I refused to let him dwindle my fire.” She looked away. “Now I don’t even have a spark left, thanks to him. It’s pathetic. The part of me that was so wild and free, he took that from me. So yeah, I do have something to prove. He needs to know my fire isn’t gone.” She sighed and shook her head. “And I need to find that part of me again, the part of me that was resilient and that couldn’t be tamed.”
Hailey was surprised by Sara’s words. Even when they were kids, Hailey always saw her sister as the strong and tenacious one. She was confident and fearless, always going after what she wanted. She refused to let anyone bully her or boss her around. It was clear those parts of her were still there.
But Sara didn’t see herself the way Hailey did. Hailey knew her sister was still strong and resilient, probably more so now. She may be a little rigid, but then she had always had a chip on her shoulder about one thing or another.
“You haven't lost that fire,” Hailey said.
“Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not.” Hailey leaned in closer to Sara. “You’re still strong and fearless. You still refuse to take shit from anyone. You’re a survivor. You lived through thirteen years of prison, not to mention what you went through at home before any of this happened. You’re more ready to take on the world than you ever were before.”
Sara sighed. “Then why do I feel so defeated?”
“Because it’s exhausting trying to keep a fire going when you’ve hardly got a spark.”
Sara paused, and then said, “What if this is all for nothing?”
Hailey shrugged. “Then we’ll figure it out. But you’re not alone anymore, Sara. You just have to learn to trust me.”
Hailey stuck her pinky up in the air and Sara laughed. “Are you serious? A pinky-promise?”
Hailey chuckled. “It worked when we were kids.”
“Yeah, because we were both sneaking out and had dirt on each other.”
“Still, I mean it. I’ve got your back.” Hailey said.
Sara smiled and shook her head as she looped her finger around Hailey’s. “Then I guess I’ve got yours.”
Music blasted over the speakers and conversation filled the room as glasses clinked together, the familiar anthem of the run-down bar. A man who sat in a booth tucked away in the corner eyed Trey as he walked inside, curious as to what the cop was doing there.
Trey nodded to him, but the man ignored him.
Trey sat next to Ryan at the bar top and the bartender came to take his order. “I’m on duty so just a Coke for me.”
She smiled and left. Ryan glared at Trey. “Surprised to see I’m not behind bars?” His lip was still slightly swollen, and the black eye was now a bluish-purple shade and fading.
“I’m not here looking for trouble, even though you’re full of it.”
The girl brought Trey his drink and he took a sip.
“What do you want, Harbor? Is Hailey being a little pest and you want me to take her off your hands?”
It took every ounce of self-control Trey had not to grab Ryan by his collar and beat the life out of him. He took a deep breath to slow his racing pulse.
Ryan smiled, knowing he got under Trey’s skin.
“It’s about Nicole,” Trey said.
Ryan took a swig of his whiskey and slammed it down. He yelled at the bartender, “I'm empty.”
She looked uncomfortable as she came to fill his glass again, her eyes darting from Ryan to Trey. He cat-called her and she hurried away.
“I told that other cop I haven't seen her.”
“That’s interesting since it's your mother we’re talking about.”
Ryan chuckled. “Not everyone likes their parents.”
“You would know.”
Ryan whipped his head to look at Trey. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Trey waved him off. “Maybe not everyone does, but I heard you were on good terms with her. Is that true?”
Ryan shook his head and took a drink. “No.”
Treys' curiosity piqued. “Why?”
“Why would I tell you?”
Again, Trey ignored Ryan’s questions. “What do you know about Morgan Gallagher?”
Ryan clenched his fist. “Nothing.”
“We both know that’s a lie.” Trey sighed. “Nicole is missing, and we have evidence to suggest Sara didn’t kill Morgan.”
Confused, Ryan said, “And? What’s that got to do with me?”
“I want to know what you know about your father. We know it’s David.”
Ryan flinched and Trey took another drink as Ryan did. Ryan nursed his whiskey, studying the precipitation on the glass. “I aint got nothin’ to say.”
“You tried to kill Hailey just to get back at your old man for abandoning you.” Trey shrugged. “A therapist would say that’s some serious daddy issues.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes. “You little-”
“Call me whatever name you want, but right now our interests align: to spill David’s secrets to the world. You want revenge and I need to figure out what he’s hiding. We both know he’s not lily white in your mother’s disappearance or his late wife’s death.”
Ryan thought over what Trey said. “What makes you think I know anything?”
“A little birdie told me.”
Ryan eyed him suspiciously, but Trey wasn’t going to give away his sources. Both Lauren and Genevieve could be in danger if Ryan decided he wanted revenge for their willingness to talk.
“All I want to know,” Trey continued, “is any dirt you’ve got on David and the names of anyone who may have had it out for your mother or even Morgan.”
The bartender came by again to fill Ryan’s empty glass and cast a worried glance toward him. Trey would bet Ryan either threatened or harassed the girl when he had one too many.
Ryan looked at Trey. “What’s in it for me?”
“Knowing you got to stick it to David if the info you tell me pans out. Plus, you may be able to help us find your mother. That seems like more than enough for a piece of shit like you.”
Ryan chuckled and took a gulp. “You’re funny.” He sighed. “I’ll tell you what I know, but I want you to make sure I get an exclusive with every reporter in the city. I want everyone to see David for what he is.”
Trey nodded. “Deal, but not until after my investigation is done.”
Ryan clenched his jaw but didn’t put up a fight. “I found out David was my father when I was ten. My mother let it slip one night and told me how he didn’t want us, how he refused to leave Morgan. I was curious about him, so when I got older, I confronted him. He flipped his shit and told me to never contact him again and that he wanted nothing to do with me.” He lifted a brow and smiled. “Dad of the year.”
“What about Morgan?”
“I don’t know who I hated more: her or my father. He wanted nothing to do with me because of her. As a kid I would listen to my mother cry herself to sleep at night, empty bottles of booze left all over the house while random naked men scavenged through our empty fridge at three in the morning, using her like the trash she is.”
Ryan threw back another glass of the brown liquid, slamming it down with a thud. Trey thought it might shatter.
“Everyone loved Morgan. They swooned over her, and people thought she was all sunshine and rainbows when she was really a wolf in sheep’s clothing, just like David. But no one was allowed to know our secret, or my mother wouldn’t get a dime.”
Trey prompted him. “What about the girls? They didn't even know.”
“Oh, spare me the victim card. Hailey and Sara sat up in their mansion, looking down their nose at the rest of us, even you. We struggled to eat while Sara and Hailey didn’t have to want for anything. It’s disgusting.”
Trey had a lot of questions but held his tongue. Ryan was finally talking, and Trey didn’t want him to stop. He hadn’t understood the degree in which Ryan’s disdain stemmed. Even in the way he said their names permeated hatred and resentment.
“Shortly before I turned eighteen, I started blackmailing them. I told David and Morgan I’d go public with a paternity test if they didn’t give me money whenever I needed it and get me out of trouble whenever I called. At the time, it seemed like the best way to get what I wanted.”
“Can’t imagine that went over well with David.”
“Such great detective skills,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “He threatened me, but he didn’t realize I had proof he’d been seeing my mother again, so he shut his mouth pretty quick and did what I said.”
Trey wasn’t shocked to hear that David had been seeing Nicole again. He’d assumed as much.
“Did he stop seeing Nicole after that?”
Ryan shrugged. Trey wanted to keep him talking. “Are you still blackmailing him?”
“You tell me. I’m not in jail right now for assault and battery against a cop.” He smiled as he recalled their tussle.
Trey ignored the comment. “What else do you know about David?”
“Not much else. Morgan hated me and my mother, and she made it obvious. But my mother hated her just as much, if not more, so it was always a pissing match if we ran into each other.”
Trey nodded. Could Nicole have killed Morgan? It didn’t explain why she was missing now, but it was plausible, though he had no evidence to support that theory. And as much as he didn’t like coincidences, they still existed.
“Aside from Morgan, did your mother have any enemies? Had she gotten into trouble recently?”
Ryan didn’t answer at first as he considered Trey’s question. “Not really. Everyone liked her. I heard a rumor that she got into it with some lady at work in the parking lot, but I didn’t care enough to get details.”
Could be something. Could be nothing.
It wasn’t much to go on, but Trey wanted to run down the lead with other employees and see if the restaurant had cameras to help identify the lady.
“And what about you? Did you hate her enough to hurt her?”
Ryan laughed. “She was a mediocre mother at best. I think she secretly hated me. If I hadn't come along, she probably could have kept seeing David. But I ruined that for her.”
If Ryan wasn’t so deplorable, Trey might actually feel sorry for him.
Ryan threw down some cash on the counter and whistled at the bartender. “One of these days, Rita.” He winked at her and she visibly tensed. Trey made a mental note to speak to the owner about getting a bouncer to keep the bartenders safe.
Trey laid down his cash as well and followed Ryan out the back door. Trey welcomed the fresh air. The stench of cigarettes and alcohol was bringing on a headache.
Before Ryan walked away, Trey asked, “Did you have anything to do with your mother's disappearance?”
Ryan turned around. “No. But I wish I would have.”
The hair on Trey’s nape stood upright. Ryan was a creep.
Trey had one last question, “Where were you the night Morgan Gallagher was killed?”
Ryan grinned ear to ear. “I was with our little Princess.”
Flashes of Ryan hurting Hailey raced through Trey’s mind. Rage filled him as he envisioned her screams, body bleeding at the hands of the man who stood in front of him. He could have lost Trinity.
He looked around and saw they were alone. He pulled his fist back and connected with Ryan’s jaw. Blood spattered all over Trey but he didn't care. Ryan was startled, but then quickly threw a punch at Trey. This time, Trey was ready, and he ducked. He knocked Ryan in the stomach and brought him to his knees. He smacked Ryan, Ryan’s head lopping to the side as blood dripped from his lip.
“That was for Hailey,” Trey hissed as he wiped Ryan’s blood from his hands.
Ryan’s breathing was labored as he sat hunched over, blood dripping to the ground. “Like I said, you’ve gone soft. You better keep your word and kill me, because I’m coming for your whole family.”
Trey grabbed Ryan by the collar and slammed him into the brick building. Ryan let out a huff of air and Trey got inches from his face. “This is my only warning, Ryan. I will kill you if you hurt my family again. Right now, you’re not worth my time. I have too much to live for. Which is more than I can say for you.”
Trey shoved him away and Ryan fell into a heap on the sidewalk. Trey walked away and climbed into his truck.
His gaze never left Ryan as Ryan stood and spat blood onto the concrete. He glanced at Trey and smiled as he climbed into his red pickup truck, waving at Trey as he did.