Chapter Twenty-One #2
The detective’s face brightened. “You have the same last name. I take it that means you’re related?”
Instead of answering, Nasser turned to me. “What are they doing right now?”
“The detectives say Ali had Xanax in his system.”
“Xanax?” His face twisted with disbelief. “Ali?”
“Exactly.” Nasser knew as well as I did that Ali would have had to have a serious medical issue in order to take any medication. “They’re checking to see if we have anything like that in the house.”
His face tightened. “We need to talk about this.”
“No need.” Detective Fox appeared. “We’re finished here.” She held up a plastic bag containing a couple of bottles of prescription medicine. “Do you mind if we take these with us for testing?”
I shrugged. “Those are old. I don’t even remember what the prescriptions were for.”
“We’ll have the lab check it out, just to be sure,” Detective Fox said.
“We’ll be in touch.” Her partner handed me his card on their way out. “Please call us if you have any questions or remember anything that might be useful. And, if I neglected to say it before, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“We both are,” Fox put in.
“Thank you.”
Nasser followed the detectives out and chatted with them by their car. After a few minutes, they all shook hands and the detectives drove off.
“What was that all about?” I asked when Nasser came back in. “How did you even know to come over?”
“I was listening on the phone, remember? I asked you to keep the line open.”
I’d forgotten. “What did they say out there?”
“I don’t want you speaking with the detectives without me present.”
“Why?” I protested. “I’m not a little girl.”
“I am your attorney. It would not be smart to speak with the police without me in the room.”
“I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Just to be safe. It’s very possible the drug found in Ali’s bloodstream incapacitated him and caused the crash.”
“But . . . I don’t get it.” I couldn’t make sense of this new information. “Why would Ali have Xanax in his system? Do you think it’s another thing he lied about?”
“I don’t know. What we do know for sure is that Ali didn’t brake before he hit that tree. It’s plausible he crashed because the drug made him pass out.”
“Could he have taken a Xanax by accident?” I grasped for an answer that computed. “Maybe he wanted a pain reliever for a bad headache or something and someone gave him Xanax by mistake.”
“Until we know more, it’s better that I be present whenever you talk to the police,” Nasser said.
“Ali was something of a local celebrity. I’m guessing the police want to do their due diligence in the event the tox report gets leaked.
The reporters at Ali’s TV station would be all over the story if foul play is suspected. ”
It was only later that I was able to process what Nasser didn’t want to tell me outright. That if someone drugged Ali right before he got behind the wheel, his death might soon be investigated as a homicide. It wouldn’t be long before the police went looking for suspects.
And anyone who watches detective shows knows that the first person they look at is the wife.
I drove straight to the kids’ school right after Nasser and the detectives left.
I might not be able to protect my children from the truth, but they deserved to at least hear it directly from me.
Before leaving, I stopped to gas up, absentmindedly scanning the other cars at the pumps while I filled my tank and wondered how to tell Ayla and Adam that their dad had a strange drug in his system when he died.
Naturally, I was especially concerned about how Ayla would take the news.
My gaze landed on a vintage-looking sports car.
What drew my attention was its burnt-orange color.
When I was little, my parents drove a station wagon in that same vibrant shade.
People used to compliment the color all the time.
I briefly wondered why manufacturers stopped making cars in fun colors.
The gas nozzle clicked off. My tank was full. It was time to get on the road.
Two hours later, the kids and I were walking along a trail near the college.
“Did you drive all the way out here just to go for a walk in the park?” Ayla asked. She wore baggy sweats and looked like she’d forgotten to brush her hair that morning. Ayla had rarely appeared disheveled before her father died.
“I would prefer to go on a real hike,” I answered. The college was nestled in Virginia’s scenic Shenandoah Valley. Ali and I had always meant to come out for a hike with the kids. The one time we tried, it rained so hard that we went to lunch instead.
Adam trailed behind us holding Binti’s leash. “I can’t believe you got a dog after we left home.” She and Adam had instantly become friends. Binti loved anyone who walked her.
“She’s good company,” I said.
“I’m glad you got her, Mom,” Ayla said. “She’s adorable.”
“Why are you really here?” Adam paused to let Binti do her business. “If you came just to see if we’re OK, as you can see, we are.”
“How about you?” I looked at Ayla.
“I’m fine.” She looked away. “Just leave it alone.”
An obvious lie. “Have you thought any more about seeing a grief counselor? That might help. I could set it up.”
“Mom,” she snapped. “Stop.”
I felt impotent. I wanted to assist my daughter, but she clearly wasn’t ready yet. “OK, but if you change your mind about seeing a counselor—”
“I won’t,” she cut me off. “Are you going to tell us why you’re here or not?”
I reluctantly let the subject drop. For now.
“I know you two are strong and resilient.” I swallowed hard, looking ahead.
It was almost November. The leaves were beginning to fall, resulting in half-dressed trees lining the path.
“Together, the three of us can get through anything.” If I said it enough, maybe I’d start to believe it.
“It’s not like we have any choice,” Ayla said in a flat voice.
I inhaled long and deep. “I came because I have something to tell you.”
Ayla halted. “Is it bad news?”
Adam came up behind us. “What’s up?”
My throat was dry. I didn’t know where to begin. I thought about the secret house. And now the Xanax. Lying to me was one thing, but how could Ali put the children in this position? I wanted to punch him.
Ayla watched me carefully. “What’s going on, Mom?”
“It involves Dad.” My voice cracked.
Ayla’s eyes rounded. “Are you about to cry?”
My throat twisted. “Maybe.”
“Why?” Adam cocked his head. “What’s happened?”
I pointed to a nearby bench. “Let’s sit.”
“No, thank you.” Ayla crossed her arms over her stomach. “Just say it.”
I took a deep breath, forcing air into my deflated lungs. “I drove out here as soon as I found out. I wanted you both to hear it from me.”
“What’s up?” Adam asked. Binti seemed alerted to the change in atmosphere. She stood next to Adam, her tail high and still.
“Two detectives came to visit me today.”
“Detectives?” he repeated.
Ayla was beyond pale. Her skin took on a grayish tint. “Why?”
“Apparently, whenever there is a fatal car accident, they test the person’s blood. It turns out that your dad had a drug in his system.”
Adam’s mouth slackened. “Now you’re saying Dad did drugs?”
“No,” I said. “He—”
Ayla flushed. Two bright-red spots on her cheeks shone against the sickly tone of the rest of her face. “What kind of drugs?”
“Dad had Xanax in his system when he crashed.”
A sound of surprise erupted from Ayla’s lips. “Dad took Xanax? Since when?”
Adam’s brows scrunched together. “What is that? I mean, I’ve heard of it, but what’s it for?”
“It’s an antianxiety medicine.”
“Dad taking medicine?” Ayla looked totally thrown. And almost a little relieved. What had she thought I’d say?
“Why would he take anxiety meds?” Adam asked. “Was he anxious?”
I shook my head. “Not to my knowledge.” But there was a lot I didn’t know.
Adam dug his hands deep into the front pockets of his jeans. “It makes zero sense.”
“For all we know, it could be a mistake.” I looked from one of them to the other. “Maybe someone gave him a Xanax by accident. Maybe they thought they were giving him regular Tylenol or Advil.”
“And Dad was driving,” Ayla said. “Does Xanax make you sleepy?”
I nodded. “It can, yes. I looked it up. You’re not supposed to drive after taking Xanax until you know for sure how it affects you.
” My legs didn’t feel like they could hold me up for much longer, so I sank onto the bench.
“Most people will feel the effects of the drug within an hour. Dad could have taken it right before he left to come home.”
Ayla slumped onto the bench next to me. “Wow.”
The three of us momentarily went quiet, trying to process this strange new development, until Adam broke the silence.
“Is that why he crashed?”
I hated not being able to protect these precious babies of mine. I dreaded the moment they learned about the secret house. “Possibly.”
“I knew Dad was too good a driver,” Ayla said, “to just go and crash into a tree. Even if he was in a hurry.”
“Why would he be in a hurry?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know.” Ayla bit her thumbnail. Was this a new habit? A way to cope with stress? “To get home or whatever.”
Adam looked my way. “What else did the cops say?”
“They’re investigating. They’ll trace all of your father’s movements the night he died.”
“And who he was with?” Ayla asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I nodded. “Yes, and who he was with.”
Adam kicked a pebble along the trail. “Do we really have to keep walking? This doesn’t qualify as a hike. Not a Dad-quality hike.”
I smiled. “He would say this trail is for suckers.”
Ayla stared at the ground. “I don’t feel like walking either.”
I came to my feet. “Well, I’m already here, and if we have an early dinner, I’m buying.”
I knew the appeal of a free meal to my college students.
Ali had set a monthly food allowance for each of them when they moved out of campus housing.
I’d maintained the payments since his death, although the kids usually had to remind me to send the money.
Maybe Ayla would eat something if I was there to watch her.
Adam perked up. “Can we go to the Japanese steak house? Or is that too expensive?”
Ali would say it was too pricey. That something like the steak house was for special occasions. Well, he didn’t make the rules anymore.
“Japanese steak house it is.” I put my arm around my son’s slim waist, pulling him in for a side hug. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”