33. Chapter 33
July 7, 2011
8:37 pm
Sara sat on the couch with Gavin while Trinity watched TV in Trey’s room. She saw Hailey’s name pop up on her cell phone screen. “Hey.”
“Dad’s in the hospital. Apparently, he has cancer and had a reaction to his treatment medication.”
Sara sunk back into the sofa. “Is he dead?”
“What? No.”
Sara sighed. “One could only be so lucky.”
She was disappointed he hadn’t kicked the bucket, but then found herself on cloud nine knowing his body was slowly killing itself. She shouldn’t be so thrilled by the news, but she was.
That man had ruined her life in more ways than one and it was finally catching up with him. She couldn’t fathom why Hailey sounded so worried, but then again, Hailey hadn’t suffered the way Sara had.
Maybe vengeance was coming disguised as karma.
Gavin stared at her intently, curious about the call.
Hailey said, “We’re going to talk to him, and I thought you’d want to come.”
Rage boiled within her. Sara hated that Hailey was worried for David, that she still felt any type of love toward their father. The sharp pain of betrayal tore through her heart.
Sara stood, anger flooding her. “Talk to him about what, Hailey? How he set me up? How he ruined my life? Or how I would have to use makeup to cover bruises from him punching me or throwing me against a wall?”
She started pacing. “Right. Let’s just forget everything he did and sing kumbaya together. All of a sudden he has cancer and that somehow absolves him of his sins? Fuck that, Hailey.”
Hailey said through clenched teeth, “Nothing will ever absolve him of what he’s done to us, to you. I risked my life for you, Sara, so don’t question my loyalty. Me and Trey are going to see if he’ll confess . He’s stuck in a hospital bed and is likely dying. It might be a long shot, but we’re running out of options.”
“I don’t want to go near that bastard.” She slammed the phone closed.
Sara couldn’t believe all that was happening. She had been shocked when Gavin had read the text about Eli just a few hours ago. Despite the old chief ruining her life, he had been like family to her. And she couldn't completely discount his attempts to save her, even if he’d gone about, it the wrong way.
And now her father was in the hospital with cancer?
Sara walked back to the couch and sunk into it. Gavin stayed standing, peering out the window. With Ryan’s disappearance, Gavin was on edge. He wasn’t willing to let his guard down until Ryan was caught.
Sara couldn’t help but be on edge too, her anxiety mounting. She was vulnerable. And this time, there wasn’t anything she could do about it. That thought nearly crippled her. Over the past few days, she’d had to work hard to keep herself from panicking, something she had trained her body not to do.
“What was that about?” Gavin asked.
“My father has cancer and Hailey and Trey are going to use his deathbed to get him to talk.”
Gavin raised a brow. Like everyone else, he hadn’t expected that news. “Are you okay?”
Sara didn’t immediately answer. She thought about everything she had been through with her father. His torment and hatred for her.
All she’d ever wanted was for her father to love her, for him to notice her and be proud of her. She had been a free spirit and he thought she needed to be tamed. She could still feel the pounding of his fists on her body, the degrading words that passed his lips. He had tried to break her down, but she was too resilient. The drugs hadn’t killed her, so he had tried to bury her, and she had dug herself out of the dirt.
How ironic: he wanted her dead, but he was the one dying.
Before she could stop herself, she began laughing uncontrollably; shrieks and cries filling the room. Despite her best efforts to control them, all of her emotions and trauma came roaring to the surface. Tears formed at the edge of her eyes as she laughed and hunched over, wrapping her arms around her waist.
Was she finally having a psychotic break?
Gavin awkwardly sat down next to her, unsure of what was happening.
She finally caught her breath and wiped at the tears. “I’m sorry. I just…” She giggled again but focused enough to stop. “My dad was awful and I’m so glad he got what was coming to him.”
“Sara-” Gavin said.
She knew he was worried, but she wasn’t going to talk about it. At least not tonight.
“If I wasn’t a recovering alcoholic, I'd pop champagne.” Sara started laughing again before crying hysterically over all she’d endured.
The monster from her nightmares was finally going to die.
Trinity was glad she had turned down the TV in an attempt to eavesdrop on the conversation between Sara and Gavin. Her aunt’s high-pitched laughter had alarmed Trinity. Though she didn’t know her aunt well, she had never seen her that distressed, and Trinity found it frightening.
Initially, she didn't like the woman who seemed to have caused her mother so much pain. But over the last few days, she grew to really love her. Even if she was prickly and standoff-ish.
She’d been surprised by what she’d found out as Gavin and Sara had talked in hushed tones. As if being related to a convicted murderer wasn’t bad enough, she found out that said convicted murderer wasn’t even a murderer. It was another family member who had framed the other family member.
How wild! And sick!
And slightly confusing.
She had only met him twice, but her grandfather gave her the creeps. Something about him made her uneasy. Which was weird because he basically ignored her.
She liked her grandma though. Er, step-grandma. Initially, Trinity couldn’t believe how young Lauren was, but she had been cool the few times Trinity had run into her around the house with Genevieve.
The woman was a total Barbie too, but Trinity wouldn’t hold that against her. If she had Lauren’s beauty, boobs, and body, she would probably flaunt what she had without a care, just like Lauren.
Trinity knew she wasn’t ugly, but she also didn’t think she was pretty either. She wasn’t all that curvy and had hardly gotten boobs yet. Her butt was still small, and she had some acne.
Even though she didn’t always like the way she looked, she loved her thick black hair. She had been growing it out for a while now and it was almost to the middle of her back. She got compliments on it constantly and she wore it like a crown. She’d always known she got her beautiful hair from her father’s side because her mother was a brunette.
Trinity was glad to finally know exactly what he looked like. She also loved that he was kind and protective and a good man. Trinity saw the way he looked at Hailey, as if she was the entire world. She hoped a man would look at her like that someday.
Focusing on the task at hand, Trinity shoved her thoughts aside and looked down the hall for Gavin. Sara had left the house fifteen minutes ago, despite Gavin’s protests. Gavin was sitting on the couch, an old show playing on the TV, the volume low.
Trinity’s phone buzzed and a text from Cecilia flashed across the screen. Cecilia had lost her phone earlier in the day, but apparently, she found it again and the two were planning to go skinny dipping with some older boys they had met a few days ago.
Rdy? Sneak out the window. We r here .
Trinity typed quickly:
Coming now. Dnt leave w/out me .
Taking in a deep breath, she tiptoed back to the bedroom. She had to admit, she was a little nervous to sneak out because of the guy who was trying to kill her mother. But since her mother wasn’t even here, Trinity’s life technically wasn’t really in any danger. And besides, she would be with her friends and killers didn’t like witnesses.
She went to the window and opened it before she lost her nerve. She scanned the yard but didn’t see Cecilia.
She texted again:
I dnt c u. Where r u?
Her phone buzzed a second later:
Dwn the st. red truck.
Trinity looked out the window again and saw the red truck parked a few houses down. She should have known better than to think her friends would park right outside the house. That would be stupid. They would definitely get caught if they did that.
Gosh, she was so lame for never having snuck out before.
Before climbing out the window, she listened one more time for footsteps. When she didn’t hear any, she took a deep breath, climbed out the window, and ran toward the vehicle.
Her heartbeat quickened as she ran through the dark, streetlights hardly illuminating the sidewalk or her surroundings. If she wasn’t careful, she would trip.
She felt wild and free as she did something daring, but the darkness sent a chill down her spine. You never know what kind of evil could be lurking.
She hurried her pace to a near run, wanting to get to the truck and out of the eerie night. She tugged on the handle before noticing no one was in the car.
What the.. .
Her brain registered danger, but her body didn’t comply. Fear paralyzed her and panic gripped her.
A large hand covered her mouth, and a man whispered in her ear, “If you scream, I’ll kill you.”
Tears streamed down her face as she let out a soft whimper. She wanted her mother.
Because she knew today would be the day she died.
The hospital floor was quiet, with only faint hums of the air conditioner, beeps of machines, and the occasional squeaking as the staff pushed medical carts down the hall. The stillness was unnerving in contrast to the chaos that was only a few floors away in Eli’s room.
It had taken Trey and Hailey nearly forty minutes to convince someone to tell them which room David was in; a nurse had accidentally marked his room as private. But after getting the run-around, Trey had finally flashed his badge and David’s room number was magically no longer private.
The door was ajar, and David looked to be sleeping. Hailey lightly tapped on it. “Dad?”
His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at her. “Hailey, I didn’t think you’d come.”
He strained to breathe, his body weak from whatever trauma it had been through. He eyed Trey in disgust.
“Didn’t expect to see me, though,” Trey quipped.
Hailey gave Trey a sharp look and he shrugged.
“Why didn’t you tell us you had cancer?” Hailey asked David.
David let out a labored breath and closed his eyes. “I haven't told anyone, not even Lauren. The prognosis wasn’t good and it’s incurable. The medicine I've been taking only helps with the pain. They gave me two years and I’m in my final months.” He opened his eyes to look at Hailey. “The cancer had gotten worse, so I knew my time was coming. I’ve been running around trying to get my affairs in order, so Lauren isn’t stuck with a mess.”
Hailey’s heart plummeted. She hadn’t realized he would be dead soon. She hated the sorrow that swelled in her chest. How could she feel both sadness and hatred for this man? She hated him, no doubt, but he was still her father. And though she had a vast amount of horrific memories of him, she also had a few cherished moments with him.
She had fallen off her bike when she was five and he ran over to help her. He placed a bandage over the scrape and drew a smiley face on it. He had even taken her and Sara on a late-night ice cream run one summer night, all three of them singing along to some song on the radio. She couldn’t remember the song to save her life, though.
There were other memories, but she chose not to let them flash through her mind. Because he was a monster and had always been a monster.
And that’s what she would remember him as.
At least he was doing one kind thing by getting his affairs in order for Lauren. It also explained the many ‘business trips’ he had taken over the last week and a half. He wasn’t just avoiding Trey, he was getting ready to die.
“Why aren't you telling Lauren? She’ll be devastated.”
“Because I don't want her to worry I’ll drop dead every time we’re together. I want to enjoy the time we have left without looks of pity or concern or fear.”
Hailey didn’t think that was fair to Lauren, but she understood it.
He took another labored breath. “I just took care of my will a few days ago and Lauren will get the majority of my assets, but the rest will be split between you and Trinity’s college fund.”
“I don’t want your blood money.”
David didn’t look shocked by her response as much as he looked hurt. “Sunshine, this isn’t blood money. I’m trying to help you.”
His use of her old nickname grated her ears. Hailey Rae, his “ray of sunshine.” As a child, she had loved the name and had thought it was his way of showing her affection, even favoritism. But as she’d gotten older, she had quickly realized it was another way to manipulate her.
He would make her feel special and she would do his bidding. And then, as quickly as he had shown his affection, it would be replaced with anger and disdain.
“Nothing you do is ever for the greater good of someone else. And you think giving us money when you’re dead is going to make up for everything you put us through?” She pointed at him. “Screw you.”
He pinned her with his gaze. David looked from Hailey to Trey, who was standing behind her, legs spread, and arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes at the old man, daring him to threaten her.
David nodded at Trey. “I see you didn’t take my advice after all. Maybe if you had, she wouldn’t be in danger and people wouldn’t be dying.”
“Are you still pushing that bullshit? Blaming everyone for your sins?” Sara said from the doorway.
Hailey and Trey turned to her, and she walked over to them. Hailey took Sara’s hand and Sara gave it a light squeeze before letting go.
“Well, the murderous daughter returns.”
Hailey said, “Just stop. We know you blackmailed the police to frame her.”
Sara lifted a brow and smirked. “We might even have reason to believe you killed Mom.” She took a step closer. “Let’s not forget the death threats and hitman you so graciously sent after us. Though, you really should find better help. Ryan doesn’t seem like he’s fit for the job seeing as how Hailey and I are both still breathing.” Sara pointed at Trey. “Even Trey is still standing.”
David didn’t respond, he simply glared at them. But they weren’t going to be swayed, bullied, or manipulated into leaving.
“What happened the night Morgan died?” Trey asked. He kept his voice steady as he tried to calm the heightened emotions and growing tension. If David was going to tell them anything, he wasn’t going to do it with Sara and Hailey lashing out at him.
David reached for the call button the nurse had laid on the tray table. His fingers barely grasped the cord, and it fell onto his bed. Hailey slowly sat on the edge of his bed and pried it from his hands, placing it out of his reach.
“You’re going to talk to us,” Hailey said.
Sara said, “You can either tell us what we want to know, or we will go public with every theory, every whispered rumor, and every person you blackmailed. I will ruin your name and your legacy. You might walk free, but you will be a pariah and an embarrassment. They may already know about Nicole and Ryan, but they don't know about everything else.” She snapped her fingers. “That can change in an instant.”
A vein throbbed on his forehead as he tried to contain his rage. “You have no proof.”
Hailey shook her head. “We don’t need proof. Mom’s diaries, Ryan’s paternity test, the officer’s statements…that’s all we need. Who cares about criminal court?” She leaned closer to him, getting inches from his face. “In the eyes of the community, you will no longer be the wonderful mayor. They will finally see you as the tyrant and monster you really are, and you will lose everything . I’ll make sure of it.”
He lunged at her and tried to grab at her neck but his IV restrained him and he quickly brought his hands back to his side as Trey pulled Hailey away from the bed and stood in front of her, shielding her.
“You ungrateful little bitch! I gave you everything and this is how you repay me? I’ll kill you just like I killed your mother.”
David shook with rage. Sara’s mouth hung open. Trey stilled and Hailey audibly gasped as she clutched Trey’s arm.
David closed his eyes as he strained to breathe, acting as if nothing happened.
Trey said, “If you tell me exactly what happened that night, I’ll see if the D.A. will cut a deal. You’re dying and you’re well-liked in the community so they will likely try to help you.”
“No! He doesn’t deserve a deal,” Hailey said.
“He deserves the damn death penalty,” Sara sneered.
“We need to know what happened and we will never know unless he tells us.” He eyed David. “I want to know everything, and I want to know who’s been helping you. I know you haven't been going around killing people in the condition you’re in.”
“I’m not telling you shit,” David spat.
“Fine, have it your way,” Hailey said. “I’m calling Lauren right now and telling her you're on your deathbed.”
Her father seethed, glaring at her, murder in his eyes. He had no control here and he hated her because of it.
Finally, David said, “I want my deal drawn up before I leave the hospital, or I’ll recant everything.”
“Fine,” Trey said.
He nodded and began telling them what happened that night, staring at a spot on the wall as if he was transported back in time.