Chapter 6 Adela
I walk into an office with a desk full of files. It smells like coffee in here. The lights are harsh because it’s raining hard outside.
“Mrs. Kalkaska,” a man says as he enters through the door. “Coffee?”
My mom and I shake our heads. “No, thank you.”
He sits in his chair and focuses on us. “Alright. Let’s get started.
I’m Detective Negan, one of the detectives on Cody Ravenshaw’s case.
So, let’s start from the top. Is there anything I should know?
And to make it easier for you, Miss. Tell me if you’ve noticed Cody acting suspiciously or if he made new friends, and then we’ll lead up to the night of the incident. ”
I nod, inhaling. That’s easy enough. “Cody transferred to UW Seattle for this school year from the University of Puget Sound, where I attend. He was so excited about playing hockey for UW. Apparently, it’s a big deal.
” I press my lips together. “We sort of got distant after his transfer. I don’t recall him making any new friends or anything like that.
I guess we never really talked about that when we saw each other. ”
My mom adds, “They have a lovely group of friends. There are seven of them together. All really good kids.”
“Yeah, we’re close.”
Negan asks, “Did he make friends with anyone from the hockey team?”
I lick my lips, trying to think. “On the night of my birthday––”
“What night is this?”
My mom whispers, “The night he was found.” She taps his desk lightly as if he needs to walk on glass now. The reminder makes me uneasy.
“Yes,” I confirm. “I found it odd that he didn’t stay to sing me Happy Birthday, and then we––”
“Whoa, back up a little bit. I need to get this story straight. He was…”
“At our house,” my mom smiles.
“Yes, he was at our house. So was his father, Judge Ravenshaw. They came over for my birthday dinner.”
“What time?”
“Dinner started at six.”
“What time did he leave?”
My mom pulls out her phone and says, “I have timestamps. He truly left the second before we sang Happy Birthday to Adela. I’m not sure why he didn’t stay. His father seemed rather annoyed that he was leaving.”
The detective turns to me. “Did he say why he was leaving?”
I shake my head.
“Okay. Tell me the time.”
My mom finds the time of the video, and Negan jots it down on his notepad. “You may continue, Adela,” he says warmly.
“We ate cake, and then I convinced my friends to get into Maeve’s car and drive to the address Cody gave me.”
“Do you have the address?”
I nod, pulling up our text messages on my phone. It’s the last thing he texted me. My gut pulls tight.
Negan writes down the address and says, “Whose address is this?”
“Someone from the team.” And then I pause because I don’t know if that’s true. I add, “I believe.”
His eyes meet mine. “Did you meet the owner of the house?”
I shrug. “I’m not sure. There were multiple people. I’d say about a dozen new faces when we arrived. I didn’t recognize anyone, and no one was introduced to me as the person who lived there.”
“Okay,” Negan says with a nod. “Then what happened?”
“Cody seemed a little upset.” I pause. “He specifically told me not to bring any of my friends, but it was my birthday, so I thought nothing of it.”
My mom looks at me. “He was upset about that?”
I nod, feeling guilty.
She looks at Negan and says, “Cody is a sweet boy. He rarely gets mad, and they barely fight.”I admit, “I was a bit thrown off that he was upset with me. I mean, it was my birthday. I found it odd. And then he pulled me into the hallway, and he…kissed me. And then his friends came into the hallway, asking to be introduced. Cody seemed annoyed, and then he forced us to leave.”
“What do you mean he forced you to leave?”
I shake my head, shutting my eyes. “Sorry, I’m speaking too quickly. Um –– he didn’t physically do anything. He just said it was time for me and my friends to go, so we left.”
There’s a moment of silence. Negan stares at me in thought. “Anything else?”
I nod. “He wanted me to stay the night at his place.”
My mom’s face twists.
I look at her and say, “Right? Odd.”
My mom throws a hand on Negan’s desk. “He never asks that of her.”
“Well, it was my birthday,” I blush, playing with the pendant at my neck.
She pulls her hand back and shrugs. “Yeah, maybe he was feeling celebratory.”
“I declined his offer,” I add. “I was offended that he rushed out of my birthday party to go to a random get-together with his team. But now…” I inhale, trembling. “But now I regret not staying the night.”
My mom grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly.
I add, “He had his car there. And then Judge Ravenshaw had me pick up his car to drive to his house yesterday. I thought it was weird to see Cody’s car in the parking lot near the rink.”
He pulls out a map and says, “Can you please circle where you found his car?”
I grab the pen and circle the E12 lot.
“Anything else you can think of, Miss Kalkaska, please do not hesitate to call. Here’s my card.” He points at his phone number on it before handing it to me.
“Okay. Is that all?”
He nods. “Yes.”
“Do you have any leads?”
He stares at me. “I’m working on it. We will get to the bottom of this. When he wakes up, he may remember what happened.”
I look over his shoulder at the gray sky and zone out for a moment.
When he wakes up?
My mom drives through downtown Seattle, and the detective’s voice won’t stop echoing in my head.
“Mom?”
She turns to me. “Yes?”
I search her face for something –– any emotion, any tell that she’s bothered but there’s nothing. “They’re not going to do anything, are they?”
She chuckles like it’s a joke. “What do you mean, Adela? They’re the police, that’s their job.”
“Did you hear what he said, though? When Cody wakes up… he’s going to remember what happened. He implied that they’re barely doing their job, relying on the fact that the doctors are saying he’s going to wake up from his coma.”
“Dear,” she says as we wait in traffic. “I know this has been really hard on you. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but maybe there is hope. Why don’t we take a trip somewhere in the meantime? It could take your mind off things.”
I roll my eyes. “Mom, I’m not going anywhere.
Cody needs me.” I grab the pink pendant around my neck.
I wish I could travel back in time to when he placed this around my neck.
It feels like a lifetime ago already. Anxiety curdles in my stomach, thinking about the immediate future.
I can’t just take a trip somewhere. I have adjusting to do at my new school, which reminds me that I haven’t told my mom yet.
“I’m transferring to UW Seattle.”
My mom scoffs. “Very funny.”
I knew she’d brush it off to hide her disappointment. I add, “Dad approved it. I’m starting this week.”
She nearly hits the stopped vehicle in front of us. “But you love Puget Sound, honey. Why would you…”
“It was meant to be a surprise…for Cody. I’ve been planning it for months, and it turns out, it was all for nothing.”
My mom sighs. “Well, I always knew you were serious about him. He could wake up tomorrow, and then you two could live happily ever after at the same college.”
I shake my head, gritting my teeth. I don’t have the energy to determine if she’s being kind or sarcastic. “It’s not looking good for him right now. They have everything hooked up to him. I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t lose hope.”
I nod, wiping away the tears that are sliding down my cheeks. “Thanks, Mom. Thank you for understanding.”
She pats my knee, acknowledging me in touch, but for the rest of the drive, she remains quiet.
When we arrive home, Maeve is the first person I see.
She’s leaning against Penelope’s car, arms crossed, her face softening the moment she spots our vehicle driving up the driveway.
Penelope stands beside her, phone tucked away for once, Elena hovering near Julian, their shoulders closer than normal.
Ryan isn’t here, and I remember that he has an exam.
As soon as my mom puts the car in park, Maeve opens my door for me.
“How was it?” she asks.
“Anything?” Penelope asks from behind her.
I shake my head. “They’re still gathering information. It seems like they know nothing.”
Julian swears under his breath as my mom’s driver’s door shuts. She walks towards the house, ignoring us. Elena’s jaw tightens, her eyes flicking away for a split second before returning to me with sympathy.
“We’re going to the hospital,” Maeve says. “Do you want to come?”
I nod. “Of course.”
The drive is quiet, the kind of quiet that presses against your ears until every thought gets louder. I watch the city blur past the window, wondering how many signs I missed because I wasn’t looking for monsters.
At the hospital, we’re allowed to go back and see him. Judge Ravenshaw gave them all of our names to put on the list, with the rule that I’m present every time.
Maeve squeezes my hand when we walk into the room where Cody lies still. Sure, he’s breathing, but he hasn’t moved an inch on his own. I don’t cry this time, instead I feel hollowed out, like someone scooped out everything inside me and left the shell standing.
Cody looks smaller in the bed. Tubes everywhere. Machines breathing and blinking and keeping time in a way that feels cruelly precise. I sit beside him, careful not to disturb anything, and rest my hand on his.
“We came to see you,” I whisper. “We’re so worried.”
Julian takes his other hand and mutters, “Yeah, Cody. We’re here. You need to fight, man. We haven’t gone to Saint Lucia yet.”
Elena adds, “Or Lake Como, like you promised.”
I can’t help the tears that fall down my cheeks. I catch everyone with tears in their eyes. We all stand around Cody, mourning him. Maeve rests her head on my shoulders, and somehow that makes me feel lighter, like she’s bearing the pain for me.
We don’t stay long. I think this is just as hard for everyone as it is for me, but they can’t slack off on their responsibilities. Luckily, I’ve been given the space because of the transfer.
“Does he know that you’re transferring?” Penelope asks me on the way out.
I shake my head. “Unfortunately, no.”
She touches my shoulder and forces a grin. “He would be so happy to hear the news.”
I nod, even though that felt like a punch to the gut. I realize now how untrue that statement is. I don’t think he would be happy to hear it, which is why I kept it from him for so long.
The drive back to my house drags on, and everyone’s quiet. It feels like they’re refraining from any conversation since I’m in the car, like I can’t handle anything normal.
When it’s only Maeve and I sitting in her Lexus, watching everyone drive away in their cars, Maeve turns to me and blows out a breath.
“Okay. So, I should probably tell you before someone else does.”
My stomach tightens. “Tell me what?”
Her eyes soften, apologetic. “Penelope and Julian. They slept together a few nights ago.”
The words land wrong. Not heavy, exactly. Just… disorienting.
“Oh,” I say.
She hesitates, watching me closely.
“That’s it?” she asks, eyebrows knitting. “I know Julian has had a very visible crush on you for years, so I didn’t want it to throw you off that he’s suddenly preoccupied.”
I force a smile that doesn’t quite work. “I mean. Good for them? Babe, Julian likes almost everyone. I’m pretty sure he has had a crush on all of us, including Ryan.”
That earns a slight smile from my best friend. “He’s kind of a man whore, isn’t he?”
“He is, but I’m glad you told me. I haven’t been really good at keeping up with everyone.”
Maeve studies me, too perceptive for my own good. “You feel like you’re on the outside, don’t you?”
The truth hits too close to the surface. I look down at my hands instead. “Everyone was quiet on the drive like they’re afraid I’ll break if they act normal, and everything keeps happening without me. I get it, though.”
“You’re not out of the loop, okay? You have me, and nobody wants to talk about their pathetic drama when you have something serious going on.
Don’t define this into something negative; we’re all being respectful.
Penelope knows this, otherwise she would be bragging about this hookup from the rooftops. You know how she gets.”
That makes me smile, and it helps relieve my anxiety a little.
She continues talking about normal things, and I try hard to listen, but I can’t stop thinking about the detective. I have a gut feeling they’re resting the case until Cody wakes up.
“What is it?” Maeve asks after realizing that I’m zoning out.
“What?”
Her eyes soften. “You look…”
I inhale, understanding her gestures. I mutter, “The detective didn’t seem concerned. He said that once Cody wakes up, we’ll know what happened.”
Maeve scoffs. “So, they’re just going to brush off his case because they think he’ll wake up and remember what happened?”
“Exactly, and it’s bothering me.”
Maeve widens her eyes. “Yeah, I’m upset hearing it too. That is bullshit.” She grabs her steering wheel, inhaling. “So, what’re you going to do?”
I glance at her. “I don’t know.”
Maeve shakes her head. “We can start with the asshole who lives on Nob Hill.”
“Nob Hill?”
“Yeah, the one who clearly didn’t want us there.”