Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
GRAMERCY
By the time we get to the precinct, Grandpa is tired.
He won’t admit it, but I convince him to sit on a bench in the waiting room with Calliope and the dogs while I go and inform the police what happened.
I give the front desk Sargent Calliope’s name and try to tell him what happened to her.
He holds his hand up, stopping me in mid-speech, and informs me that a detective will be out shortly to talk to us.
I wonder who was lucky enough to draw the short straw on this one.
When I hear Calliope’s name, I turn around and my feet cement themselves to the floor.
The room begins to spin. Grandpa jumps up and grabs me.
The detective looks at me but doesn’t move.
“You’re not Calliope; you’re Gramercy. What are you doing here? Who is Calliope?” His voice sends a shiver up my spine. I can’t catch my breath. Grandpa turns me into his arms where I feel my legs collapse under me.
“You’re supposed to be dead, how is this even possible? Why would you do this to my granddaughter? Do you have any idea what you’ve put us through—what you’ve put her through?” I feel the vibrations from his chest.
“This is not the best place to talk about this. Why don’t we go in the back?”
Calliope gets up and steps in between us. “If you’re who I think you are, then you are a cruel, shitty person who doesn’t deserve the time of day.” She turns and puts her arm around Grandpa.
“No, I need to hear him out. After years of lies, I need the truth.” I turn and face him. “Rian, I deserve the truth.”
He steps to the side and opens the door for us to follow him.
I will my legs to move while I hold on to the two constant people in my life.
He leads us to a private room. Once inside, I regain my strength.
Calliope and Grandpa have a seat on a small sofa in the room.
A quick glance around and I’m guessing it’s probably a break room.
“There are over eight million people living in New York City. What are the odds that you would walk through the door?” He walks up to a small fridge and pulls out some water bottles. He’s stalling as he gives each of us one.
“Stop stalling, Rian; tell me the truth,” I demand.
As he sits down, he pulls out a chair at the table for me.
“We were young, too young to know or even understand what we were fighting for. I missed you—God—I missed you so much. When all hell broke out in Fallujah, I was badly injured, and I had burns on the lower half of my body. My best friend, Ben Fresno, was also hurt. He pulled me out of the rubble and, while trying to get us to safety, he stepped on an IED. He lost both his legs. It didn’t look like he was going to make it.
I didn’t want to go home to you like this, so we switched identities.
His sister worked in the records department.
So right before he died, she made it happen.
It was his dying wish. That’s why you were told I died. ”
“What gave you the right to make that decision for me? I loved you, and you took that away from me.” My voice cracks and my hands are shaking. I’m not sure if it’s from rage or the lies I’ve been forced to live with all these years.
“It was my right to decide if I wanted to live or die. Not yours, and not the Marines.”
“But I just got a message the other day from someone who said you took his place that day.”
“That was me, Gramercy. I really wanted to tell you everything and then when I saw you were on the dating site, I couldn’t stop myself.”
“Do you even have a dog?”
“Yes, the dog in the picture is my partner, Chunk.”
“Why all the cloak and dagger?”
“Well, it’s not like I could say, ‘hey it’s your dead husband, want to go out on a date,’ now could I?”
“So, back then you didn’t want me, but now you do? How do you think that makes me feel?”
“It’s not that I didn’t want you, Gramercy; look at me.
” He lifts his pant leg and when he does, I see he has a prosthetic leg.
He lifts the other pant leg and his leg is covered with burn scars.
“The scars go all the way up to my ribcage. I couldn’t love you, if I couldn’t even stand to look at myself. ”
“I’m sorry this happened. I need time, Rian.”
“I understand. I just want to get to know you—again.” He presses a card into my hand with all his contact information on it. Grandpa gets up with Chica and pulls me into his arms. Then I remember why we were here.
“Well, before we leave, Calliope will tell you what happened today. We might have figured out who Mr. Con Job is on the dating site.” I quickly introduce him to Calliope, and she fills him in on the events of the day.
“Give me Charlie and I will bring him in the back. We have a chip scanner, so maybe we can get this case cleared up quickly.” He takes Charlie and leaves. I’m numb and still in shock. It doesn’t take long for Rian to come back into the room and let us know they found the owner.
“What happens next?” Calliope asks him.
“Nothing, we will take it from here.”
“What if he contacts me again?”
He hands her his card. “If he does contact you, let me know. Don’t engage him in a conversation or offer to meet him.” I think he’s already figured Calliope out. I’m the last one to leave the room. Rian reaches out and takes a hold of my arm. It’s like a bolt of lightning racing through my body.
“Don’t,” it’s all I say. He drops his hand, and I walk out the door without looking back.