Chapter 12 #2
Instead, I’d befriended her and later learned about her long-distance boyfriend, Kane, and how much she loved him and couldn’t wait for him to visit that summer.
A year later, when her dad came forward to report that she’d been raped by Ryder Elliott at my party, I’d been devastated.
That something like that might’ve happened at my party and to someone I truly cared about…
And Ryder Elliott… My brother, Dallas, had played football and run track with Ryder.
They were close friends. So while Dallas had defended Ryder and called the charges preposterous, I’d made a lame attempt at defending Neisy as I’d come to the realization she’d have nothing at all to gain by making up such a thing.
That was the first time I was ever seriously at odds with Dallas.
After the case was thrown out for a lack of evidence, it took Dallas and me a long time to get our relationship back on track.
He never forgot that I doubted his friend, and I never forgot that he doubted mine.
Eventually, we got to the point that we stopped talking about it and agreed to disagree, but that took years, and things were never quite the same afterward.
Dallas and Arlo recently left high-paying jobs, as did Ryder’s brother, Cam, to help get Ryder elected to Congress.
My stomach hurts when I think about the potential ripple effect of Blaise’s admission and what it could do to the lives of people I care about.
It would be easier to forget I ever heard what she said.
But then I think of Neisy and what she went through after the accusation became public, and I can’t go back to yesterday when I didn’t know there was a witness.
I pull into the lot at The Daily Catch and park as a million memories of summers spent hustling fried seafood come flooding back to me, including how my family used to make me undress outside because I stunk so badly after a shift.
As I walk inside, the bell jingling on the door sparks even more memories as does the smell of fried fish.
The owner, Ronnie, is working at the counter with a stack of paper, a pen and calculator. He looks up and smiles when he sees me. “This is a nice surprise.”
I reach across the counter to shake his hand. “Good to see you.”
“You, too. How’re things in LE?”
“It was a busy summer, but it’s gone quiet now.”
“I’m sure it has. Coffee?”
I slide onto a stool at the counter. “I won’t say no to that. How’s business?”
“Busier than ever, year-round these days.”
“Glad to hear it.” The restaurant is located on the shore of a placid inlet off the river, with picnic tables and a dock that make it a go-to spot for boaters looking to pull up and grab a meal.
“What brings you by, Houston?”
“I was thinking about Neisy the other day and wondered how she’s doing.”
“She’s great. Married to Kane with four kids, last I heard.”
I’m thrilled to hear things worked out for them. After seeing them together, I’d had no doubt they were the real deal. “Is she still living in Virginia?”
He nods. “They’re in Norfolk. Kane’s a lieutenant commander in the navy. They got back from a three-year tour in Italy about six months ago. Had a great time over there.”
“I’m glad to hear they ended up together.”
“Never had a doubt. He was it for her since they were kids.”
“Yes, he was.”
“What about you? Never got married, did you?”
“Nope. I still haven’t found someone I can’t live without.”
His guffaw of laughter makes me smile. “I hear you, brother. My Claire is a doll, but sometimes she makes me want to muzzle her.”
That makes me chuckle. “As I recall you couldn’t run this place without her.”
“That’s the truth, and she keeps our three teenagers in check. I got lucky, and I know it. You will, too. I’m sure of it.”
“I guess we’ll see. It’s good to see you, Ronnie.” I put a couple of singles on the counter for the coffee that he pushes back at me.
“My treat. Don’t be a stranger. Bring the folks in for dinner sometime soon.”
“I will. Thanks for the coffee.”
“Come by for a cup any time.”
“Will do.” I shake his hand and head out with the info I came for, feeling a bit guilty for deceiving Ronnie by not telling him why I was really asking about Neisy. He was good to me during the four summers I waited tables for him and his parents, who ran the place before he took over.
Now that I know Neisy married Kane and they live in Norfolk, it takes about four seconds on my phone to track down an address for them, even before I knew his last name was Messner.
Denise Messner.
Who is she these days and does she still think about what happened on that long-ago summer night?
What would it mean to her to hear there’d been a witness?
Would she want to reopen the case or keep it in the past?
If the AG is willing to go forward based on Blaise’s eye-witness testimony, it’ll come down to what Neisy wants to do.
I send an email to Josh letting him know I’ve located the victim.
I’m back at the station when he replies. I’m meeting with Roberts at two. Will get back to you after.
I call Blaise to update her and to make sure she isn’t having regrets the day after her confession.
She answers on the first ring. “Hi.”
“How’re you doing?”
“Okay. I think. Jack’s place is great. Thanks for the recommendation.”
“I’m glad it worked out. I wanted to update you on what’s going on. I’ve notified the attorney general’s office that a witness has come forward. The assistant AG is meeting with the AG today. I’ve also located Neisy in Norfolk, Virginia, where she lives with her husband and four children.”
“Wow, she’s married with four kids.”
“She married her childhood sweetheart, Kane. He’s a lieutenant commander in the navy.”
“I’m glad she’s happy.”
“What about you?” I ask the question before I take two seconds to think about whether I should. “Are you married?”
“No. That hasn’t been in the cards for me.
I’ve barely dated.” She pauses before she continues.
“I want you to know… What I saw that night has haunted me in ways I can barely fathom let alone describe. I’ve had health problems, trust problems, emotional issues, anxiety… It messed me up badly, Houston.”
“The AG will ask why it took you so long to come forward.”
“And that’s a fair question. The only answer I have is that so many people I loved would’ve been hurt by me coming forward at the time, so I chose not to.
I own that choice, but it was the wrong thing to do.
My only excuse is I was seventeen, and the person being accused was someone I grew up with.
He was my brother’s closest friend. My best friend was dating Ryder’s brother and is now married to him.
All I could see at the time was everyone I loved turning on me for telling the truth.
And that doesn’t account for the fact that I was expressly forbidden from being in LE that night.
If my parents found out I was there, I would’ve lost their trust.”
“I understand all that, but it’s been fourteen years, Blaise. Surely you could’ve come forward at some point after you left home.”
“I almost did once.”
“What stopped you?”
“Ryder’s longtime girlfriend, Louisa, died. I lost my nerve after that.”
“I guess I can understand that.”
“I wish you knew how many nights I stared at the ceiling thinking about telling the truth. I have no defense for why I haven’t done it sooner. Maybe I wasn’t ready to blow up my life. I’m still not, but I can’t live with this anymore. I just can’t.”
“If the AG decides to reopen the case, I’m worried about it getting ugly. I want you to be prepared for that.”
“I tell myself I’d prefer that to the purgatory I’ve been in all this time.”
“You know how people are around here. They close ranks around their own, and Ryder is one of their own.”
“I know,” she says, sighing. “All I can do is tell the truth and let the fallout be what it is. I saw him rape her, and I’ve been sick with guilt over my own inaction ever since.”
“One thing you haven’t said is if you were alone when you saw what you did.”
“I’m not going to comment on anything other than my own story.”
I note how she answers the question without actually answering. “So you weren’t alone, and the other person is unwilling to come forward.”
“I’ll only comment on my own story.”
“The AG will ask who else was there.”
“I’ll only comment on my own story.”
“It’d go easier for you if someone could corroborate your story.”
Her silence speaks volumes.
“Okay, Blaise. We’ll play it your way. I’ll let you know what the AG says.”
“Thank you, Houston.”
I stare out the window for a long time, thinking about this case and the absolute shit storm that will ensue if the AG moves to reopen the case. I receive an email that afternoon from Spurling that the AG wants twenty-four hours to review the case files and decide whether to proceed.
In the meantime, I need to see Neisy and warn her of what might be coming. If she’s unwilling to participate, it’ll all be for naught anyway. But there’s no way I can let her be blindsided.
I fire up my computer and buy a ticket to fly to Norfolk tonight with a return tomorrow afternoon.