32. Chapter 32
July 7, 2011
8:12 pm
Elijah Washington had been pronounced dead before Hailey and Trey ever made it to the hospital. When Trey had first entered the room, he had been unsettled by the absence of the beeps of the heart machine or the swooshing of the ventilator. Now it was the sound of CSI techs collecting evidence that filled the space. And because the room was a crime scene, Hailey was not allowed to go inside, something she was pouting about.
Shocker .
In the hall, an officer was trying to console Lauren as she cried over the death of her friend. Trey detoured to where the blonde was standing, and gently touched her back. “Lauren, would you like me to call David for you?”
She patted her eyes with a tissue, mascara marking her cheeks and snot running down her nose. “No, I’ll be okay. David is in a meeting, so I'll call him later.” Her eyes rounded. “David is going to be devastated. How am I going to tell him that Eli is dead?! They were best friends.”
Lauren began sobbing again and the officer gently pulled her into his chest and stroked her hair. By the slight grin on the officer’s face, he was smitten with the southern belle and was happy to be a shoulder to cry on.
Trey eyed the man and then returned his gaze to Lauren. Once Lauren composed herself, Trey continued, “I know you’ve already told Officer Montez what happened, but can you go over it again for me?”
Nodding, she inhaled deeply, her voice shaky. “I uh- I was about to come into Eli’s room when I saw a man holding a pillow over his face.” Her voice cracked and she let out a yelp.
“You’re doing great. Were you already in the room or still outside the door?”
“I had just opened the door. It took my brain a minute to figure out what was happening.”
Trey nodded. “Okay, what happened next?”
“I screamed and dropped the flowers.” She looked over to the puddle of water, red roses, and broken glass that was in the doorway, tagged by a yellow evidence marker. “I startled him, I think. He dropped the pillow and ran off, almost knocking me to the ground.”
“Did you get a good look at him?”
She looked at the room full of police then looked at the floor as she twirled her hair. “No.”
Trey furrowed his brow. “You know who did it, don’t you?”
“He could have killed me! I’m not going to put a target on my back. Look at what happened to Eli, to Loretta. Look at Hailey!”
He glanced at Hailey who was making conversation with a nurse. Though she tried to cover the bruises with makeup, he could still see their shadows. He could hear her cries at night when she would wake up from a nightmare.
Trey felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. He was supposed to keep people safe, but people were dying. And he was not any closer to making it stop.
Lauren started crying again and Trey gave her a moment to stop. “Lauren, we will make sure you're protected, but I need to know who it is in order to do that.”
She tore at the tissue in her hands, considering her fate if she told what she saw. Finally, she sniffled and sighed. “It was Ryan House.”
Trey stilled. “Are you positive?”
“Yes! I know what he looks like,” she chastised
“You’re going to need to come down to the station and make an official statement. Can you do that?”
Irritated by the inconvenience, she huffed and nodded her head. She puckered her lips and crossed her arms, a stance in which Trey knew she had done a thousand times to get her way. He was confident no one dared tell this woman no. If they did, they would surely suffer her husband’s fury.
Officer Montez quickly chimed in, “Mrs. Gallagher, I’d be happy to drive you to the station and take your statement.”
Relishing the attention from the man, Lauren gave him a soft smile while wiping at her tears. “I’d love that, Jimmy.” She touched Jimmy’s arm softly and Trey thought he might melt right at her feet.
As Lauren began walking down the hallway toward the elevator, Trey warned Jimmy, “Don’t forget she’s the mayor’s wife. Don’t do anything stupid.”
The young man ran his hand through his hair, debating if a night with Lauren would be worth the ramifications.
Trey brought him back to reality, “Jimmy.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t let her leave the station until we find Ryan. The last thing I need is for her to get hurt or killed.”
Jimmy tipped his head and walked away quickly to catch up with the woman.
Trey shook his head and smiled, knowing that if Lauren wasn’t married, Jimmy would probably have a shot with the lady.
Hailey was now walking toward him. “What did she say?”
Trey wasn’t ready to upset Hailey, but she would just have to deal with it. “I can’t tell you because it’s an open investigation.”
Hailey rolled her eyes. “I figured you’d say that. I overheard some of the cops talking. I know it was Ryan.”
Trey shot her a look and then shook his head. “I just can’t figure out where he’s hiding. No one has seen him since your attack, and they still don’t have any leads. How did he get away without being noticed?”
“Well, I was eavesdropping and they’re wondering if he had help from someone. They think it may have been a nurse. Or maybe he dressed up as one to get access.”
Trey eyed her, annoyed by her incessant need to pry and snoop. But even he couldn’t deny her Achilles’ heel was also one of her greatest assets.
“Now I need to find him.”
“I bet my father knows where he is.”
Trey nodded. “I just don’t think he’ll tell me and he’s MIA, too.”
“Do what he does: threaten to blackmail him.”
Trey smiled. “I don’t think that will go over well with a judge or my bosses.”
He sighed. Why would Ryan kill Eli? If Ryan wanted to ruin David, he would blackmail Eli into helping him, not kill him.
Trey was even more confused than when they started this investigation. Nothing made sense and so many pieces overlapped and intertwined with one another, yet still didn’t make a direct connection to the murder of Morgan Gallagher or Nicole House’s disappearance.
He had three working theories, all lacking evidence:
Number one: David killed Morgan and framed Sara, which seemed to be the most likely theory. But it didn’t explain Ryan’s involvement. And that was assuming Lauren lied about David’s alibi.
Number two: Ryan killed Morgan and David was covering for him, as he did for most of his life. It was clear Ryan hated the Gallagher family, especially Morgan. Plus, Ryan had the makings of a killer. It wasn’t a far stretch to think he had done it. If he thought Eli would rat him out, it would explain why he had killed the old man.
And lastly: There could be a third person, like Nicole or Hannah. Nicole had a motive, and no doubt David would cover for her. It would also make sense for them to break up after the murder. After all, killing your lover’s spouse would cause quite the strain on a relationship.
But after hearing about Hannah, it was safe to assume she may be capable of killing Morgan as well. Stalkers were notorious for escalating. Again, David could be covering for her to save his own ass. But neither of those theories explained Ryan’s involvement.
And either way you look at it, David Gallagher was involved. How or how deeply, Trey wasn’t sure.
Despite not wanting to even look at the man, they needed to talk to him. He had avoided them the entire two weeks, claiming to be booked up with meetings all over the county, but Trey didn’t buy it. What better way to avoid saying something incriminating than to simply avoid the people asking the questions. But sooner or later, he’d have to talk to them.
Trey just wanted it to be sooner, before another body turned up.
“So, what now?” Hailey asked.
“Now, I’m going to go interview Hannah. If she was stalking your family thirteen years ago, she may be able to tell us what happened…as long as she isn’t the killer.” Which Trey wasn’t so sure about. “I’ll run you to my house so you can be with Trinity and your sister until I'm done.”
Before Hailey could protest, her phone buzzed, and she reached into her pocket to retrieve it. “Hello?”
Trey couldn’t hear the person on the other end of the call.
Hailey said, “It is. Who am I speaking to?”
A pause as she listened to the other caller.
“What do you mean? Has his wife been contacted?”
Another pause.
Hailey stood completely still. “Cancer treatment? He has cancer?”
Trey was on edge.
“Uh, yes. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Hailey hung up the phone and rubbed her face.
Trey didn’t wait a moment. “What was that about?”
Hailey shook her head and furrowed her brows. “That was a nurse. My dad was having cancer treatment today and had an adverse reaction to it. I'm the only person listed as a contact.”
“Your father has cancer?” Trey couldn’t contain his shock either.
“Apparently, he didn’t tell anyone. He won't even let them call Lauren and I have to follow strict instructions not to tell her either.” Hailey crossed her arms, irritated by her father. Though Trey suspected she was also scared, even if she’d never admit it. Despite Hailey’s hatred of David, he was still her father, and she loved him in her own way.
Trey’s eyes narrowed.
“What is it?” Hailey asked.
“Your father sent Ryan to kill you and now Ryan just killed Eli.”
“Okay, so?”
“We know your father was involved with your mother's death, but we're not sure if or how Ryan was involved. I think Ryan has been helping him take care of anyone he sees as a liability.”
Hailey’s eyes widened. “He would never have Eli killed. They were best friends.”
Trey was angry at her defense of her father. “Hailey, he tried to have you killed! His own daughter. He would have Eli killed if he thought Eli might spill his secrets.”
The man had done nothing but terrorize her her entire life and here she was defending him. As much as he wanted to let the anger linger, he couldn't. He knew Hailey had an innate need to protect the people she loved. And he had no doubt Hailey loved her father despite his horrific deeds, at least in her own way.
Though he wasn’t fond of her emotions toward David, he loved her for it. She wasn’t so jaded she couldn’t be bothered with compassion or love. Of course, she knew he was nothing but a monster, but she would still mourn his death when the time came. Because she was a good person. She was kind and gracious. The world needed more people like her.
Trey said, “We need to go talk to him.”
Hailey tilted her head. “He’s in the hospital, Trey.”
“Exactly. He’s stuck in a hospital bed. He can’t leave. And right now, he’s vulnerable. We’re going to confront him about your mother. Despite what Lauren said, he either killed her or knows who did. And we both know it wasn’t your sister. He wouldn’t be telling Ryan to kill people if he wasn’t involved. So, let’s see if we can get him to tell us what happened.”
“Why would Lauren lie?”
“For the same reason as everyone else: blackmail. She lives with him. I’m quite sure it isn’t difficult for him to find something he could use to persuade her to lie.”
Hailey nodded slowly. “Okay, but what makes you think he’s going to tell us anything? He’s gotten away with something for thirteen years. Why would he ruin that?”
Trey began walking toward the elevator and Hailey followed. “I don’t know. And I don’t know if he’ll even talk, but I’ve run out of ideas. We have nothing concrete, and we have no idea what happened that night…but he does.”
He pushed a button, and the doors closed. “And we need to know before more bodies hit the floor.”