17. Chapter 17
June 28, 2011
2:46 pm
As they walked back toward the police station that was only a few streets away, Hailey could nearly feel heat coming off of Trey. Though, if she didn’t know any better, she would have assumed it was the summer sun.
He was irritated, but he shouldn’t be. Gavin was part of her past and she planned to keep him there. And honestly, she and Trey weren’t necessarily official, so he had no claims to her anyway.
Or were they official? The way they left things at dinner last night may say otherwise.
God, she’d give herself a headache if she thought about it too hard.
Sara caught up with them, shoving her phone into her pocket after ending a call. She glanced at Trey. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Hailey was pretty buddy-buddy with Gavin earlier,” Trey grumbled.
“Oh, here we go.” Sara rolled her eyes.
Hailey giggled at Trey’s remark. “You’re jealous. That’s cute.”
Trey scowled. “No, I’m not. I just don’t like him. He treated you like shit.”
“That was more than a decade ago. I think he’s fine now. We actually might go see a movie later.”
Trey whipped his head to look at Hailey, who was grinning ear to ear, trying to contain her laughter. For once, she was baiting him, and he was walking right into it.
“Come on, Trey. You know I’m only kidding.”
“Whatever,” he said, sulking.
“How manly of you.” Sara said dryly.
Trey shook his head at Sara. “Who were you on the phone with anyway?”
She shrugged. “Someone.”
Hailey was curious. Sara was up to something. “Someone who ?”
“If I wanted you to know, I’d tell you.” Sara eyed Hailey. “I’ll spill my secret if you spill yours, though.”
Hailey narrowed her eyes at Sara. Hailey didn’t understand why she was so set on Hailey spilling her secrets. She felt like a teenager all over again, wanting to pull her sister's hair and start a fight.
Why did Sara have to be so vindictive? Hailey was going out of her way to help clear her name and all Sara could manage to do was start fights, keep secrets, and have a bad attitude.
Trey eyed her, but she quickly changed the subject. “I went and talked to Eli today.”
Trey stopped walking and turned to her. “About what?”
“My mother’s case. I told him that we had evidence that proved Sara didn’t do it and wanted to hear what he remembered.”
“And?” Trey asked, eager to hear what she had to say.
“He was pretty mad that I asked. He accused me of saying he botched the investigation- which I didn’t. Then he told me to leave.”
“I gotta admit, that makes me curious,” Trey said.
Hailey continued, “That’s what I thought, too. It was definitely weird, like he was hiding something…”
“Is that it?” Trey asked.
They started walking again. “Yeah, basically. He said everything is in the report.”
He nodded. “Something’s off and I don’t like it. Now I want to triple check every file, every piece of evidence, every interview. ”
Sara chimed in, “I’ve always thought he was working for Dad. I don’t know what Dad has on him, but it must be juicy for him to help frame me for murder. I kept telling him I was innocent and all he did was apologize and say he wished he didn’t have to arrest me. Plus, he never looked at other possible suspects. Ever.”
Hailey had never considered the fact that David could have manipulated or blackmailed Washington. They all assumed he swayed the D.A. or the judge, but not the investigation itself.
“I don’t think we should jump to conclusions just yet. That’s a steep accusation against a former police chief and a mayor. And I’m not going to do anything with it unless I have solid proof.”
“Whatever,” Sara said curtly. “Just don't be mad when I say I told you so.”
Trey shook his head. “I’ve got some other news. I talked to the D.A. and he’s willing to at least watch the tape. He said he couldn’t make any promises to reopen the case officially, but he gave me the okay to poke around a bit.”
Sara’s head shot up. “Are you serious? Could this case really get reopened?”
“I’m not promising anything, but at least D.A. Whitaker is willing to look at it if we bring him sufficient evidence.”
“That’s amazing news!” Hailey hugged Sara, unable to contain her excitement. Sara tensed, and Hailey immediately pulled away. It felt odd hugging her sister after all this time, especially given the tension between them. But it somehow still felt natural to want to celebrate with her.
“Yeah, but that’s not all.” Trey shifted. “Nicole House has been missing for a few days now. It looks like there was a struggle.”
Hailey’s mouth gaped open, and Sara scrunched her brows.
“Are the cases connected?” Hailey asked.
Trey shook his head. “I honestly don't know. Right now, it doesn’t look like it, but I do think it’s interesting your father is right in the middle. First, your mother is killed and then Nicole goes missing and your father was involved with both of them?”
“He probably did it, that bastard,” Sara said.
Hailey wasn't sure if Sara was blowing off steam or if she meant it.
“When I first pressed him about Nicole, he stonewalled me. But then he admitted to the affair and that Ryan is his son. He denied having seen her recently, though. I mentioned your mother too, so the cat’s out of the bag to some degree.”
Hailey said, “This whole thing is weird, Trey. You can’t tell me those cop instincts of yours aren’t buzzing.”
“They definitely are, I just haven't connected all the dots yet. But all we need is one person to blow these cases wide open. You’re just not going to like who we’re going to talk to.”
Hailey stopped abruptly. “No. We’re not talking to Ryan.”
“ You don’t have to. I will.” Trey sighed. “We all know he’s probably the only person who would be willing to tell us anything.”
Sara said, “How do you know he won’t lie?”
A truck honked as another car lulled too long at a stop sign. The driver stuck her hand out the window and gave the truck driver the middle finger and sped off.
Trey waited for an older couple to walk around them before continuing the conversation. “I don’t. But with as much as he terrorized you both growing up, I’d be willing to bet he hates David. And if that’s true, he might be willing to tell us what he knows.”
Hailey inwardly shivered. If Trey talked to Ryan about that night, there was no doubt he would goad Trey with what he’d done to her. Then, she’d have no choice but to face Trey about her own worst nightmare.
Sara said, “Talk to him. We all know my father isn’t going to help us and apparently Eli won’t either.”
“Please don’t,” Hailey said, hanging her head.
Sara shifted slightly but Hailey couldn’t read her thoughts. She had honed her skills of secrecy and Hailey often couldn’t figure out what Sara was thinking or feeling.
Trey looked at Hailey. “I’m sorry, but I don’t need your permission to talk to him. I have an entire case that involves him directly.”
Hailey took a step back and tilted her head at Trey, scowling at him. “ Excuse me ?”
“I can’t do my job unless I have all the facts, Hailey.”
Hailey felt heat rising through her body. She didn’t want Trey to know. She didn’t want him to look at her differently, to see her as a victim. Even though that’s what she was. And that fact pissed her off more than she cared to admit.
Sara quietly said, “I know this is hard for you to talk about, but you need to tell him what happened.”
“No,” Hailey said through clenched teeth. “And why do you care, anyway? It’s not like you were sober enough to know what was going on.”
Hailey wasn’t going to be strong-armed into spilling her secret. She hadn’t done that to Sara. She had given her sister the space to open up when she felt comfortable. The fact that Sara was so adamant about Hailey being vulnerable with Trey irked her to the nth degree.
Sara glared at Hailey.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”
“If he has information that could clear my name then I want to know what it is.” Sara pointed at Hailey. “ You’re the one who brought me the tape and told me to go to the cops with it. So, excuse me for getting annoyed with your little secret. Quit being so dramatic.”
Trey stood silently, watching the exchange. Another pedestrian walked around them, eyeing them curiously. Sara stomped away, leaving Hailey to deal with yet another mess.
“Where are you going?” Hailey yelled.
Sara didn’t answer and Hailey let her go.
Maybe that was for the best. Hailey wasn’t sure she could be around Sara without a fight breaking out. Hailey needed a break from Sara’s incessant miserable attitude.
Sweat beaded on Hailey’s hairline. The summer heat was beating down despite the impending rain clouds that were rolling in, causing the sky to darken.
She was hurt that Sara felt she was being dramatic. Maybe she was. But what she went through that night was traumatic in its own right, though maybe it paled in comparison to what Sara had been through.
Trey took Hailey’s hand. “Please tell me what happened to you. Not knowing is killing me.”
Hailey’s eyes filled with tears. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation of her trauma. She felt betrayed that he would ask her to tell him something she wanted to keep private.
“No. We’re not doing this, Trey.” She turned to walk away but he gently grabbed her arm, and she spun around. With fire in her eyes, she tore her arm from his grasp and began walking away.
“Hailey!” Trey called after her. She felt childish walking away and was both embarrassed and angry with her display of emotions. She wished she could turn them off like Sara did.
Trey finally caught up to her. “Talk to me. What happened to you?”
She spun to face him, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Why do you care? Because of your investigations? You never cared until now.”
Stunned, he stammered, “No. I mean, yes, but that’s not the only reason. I love you and clearly something awful happened to you.”
Hailey smiled angrily. “Oh, that’s priceless. You haven't given a damn about me since I left but now that I’m back, you’re somehow entitled to my secrets? I didn’t ask for your help because I wanted to rekindle things. Believe me, if I could do this on my own I would.”
She saw the hurt in his eyes as he said, “That’s not fair and you know it.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve done just fine without you for the last thirteen years so maybe I should plan to keep it that way. I don’t owe you anything, Trey. You broke things off with me, remember?” She was shaking now. Unable to contain her anger, she blurted out, “You’re the reason Ryan almost killed me that night!”
Trey froze.
Hailey covered her mouth, stunned by her own admission.
She hated that Ryan was still controlling her. After years of living in fear, she had found safety in having a choice to share her trauma. But now that choice was gone, along with any control she’d had over her emotions. She probably sounded like a lunatic to Trey, but no one understood how horrific that night had been and how traumatic it was to talk about.
It had been nearly ten years since she recounted that night. Her therapist tried to dig it out of her, but Hailey refused to talk about it. The woman didn’t prod too much, but kept reminding Hailey she couldn’t heal if she didn’t talk about it.
The only reason she divulged the information was because her nightmares had become so frequent she wasn’t sleeping. All she could see when she closed her eyes was her bloody body and Ryan’s evil smile as she looked up at him.
She never talked about it again and she hadn’t told anyone else since that day in therapy…until she told Sara. And Sara had betrayed her trust.
And now she’d have to relive it again.
Hailey beelined for a secluded bench tucked into the corner of the park. Trey followed close behind, confused by her actions. She sat down, thankful to be away from listening ears and prying eyes. Trey sat next to her, putting space between them.
In the distance, thunder echoed through the sky. The park was nearly empty, aside from two families that were playing. A little girl was swinging, her legs dangling as she tried to heave herself into the air. A little boy who looked to be the girl’s brother was chasing a lizard as their mother yelled at him to stop. The other family sat close by as two twin girls raced through the jungle gym, their shrieks of laughter ringing through the park.
She watched the families for a minute or so, though it felt like an eternity. They were making memories, and she envied their happiness. She had never gotten that as a child. Her family was broken long before she was ever born.
Maybe it was time to break that cycle. How could her own little family be whole if she never let herself heal? Despite not wanting it to be true, she knew a part of her would feel relief by confiding in Trey.
Taking in a deep breath, she picked at her nail polish. “I had just found out I was pregnant with Trinity that morning.” She smiled and looked at Trey. “I had been so excited to tell you. I mean, I was scared but I just knew it would all work out. We had our date planned for that night, but then you started saying we shouldn’t be together and that I was better off without you.” Hailey furrowed her brow. “I was so angry because I thought we would have this happy ending that happens in movies…”
Hailey paused for a moment, steadying herself. “When I left, I drove aimlessly for a while, just stewing over everything and crying. I was a wreck, and the hormones probably weren’t helping. I was scared of what my parents would say, too. I knew my father was going to lose it.”
She rubbed her arms, despite the heat of the afternoon. “I was on Bolender Road when my car gave out. It was dark by then and I didn’t know what else to do…”
The first parts of her story were relatively easy to recount but now she needed to mentally prepare herself. She began fidgeting with her hair to keep her anxiety at bay. She stared at the grass, getting lost in memory as she told him what happened that night…