Chapter 28
I left Audrey sleeping peacefully this morning, placing a handwritten note on my pillow for her to find when she wakes up. The sun is on the verge of rising, enveloping me in the blue morning hue as I make the drive to the police station.
Yesterday morning, when I knew Logan would still be asleep, I stopped by his parent’s house to talk with the chief on his day off. I told Chief Harper I believed Audrey could have been followed and asked if he could look into the situation.
I know Audrey didn’t want me to, but I needed to guarantee that Kellan wouldn’t fuck with her. I’m not na?ve. He has power. His resources are so endless, who knows what strings he’s able to pull to skirt the law. I had to make sure this didn’t follow us here—because I swear, if he still has her in his grip, I’ll be the one to break his fucking hands.
After I got the text back from Chief Harper yesterday at the winery, I’d been eager to find out what he knew. I hardly slept—not even our marathon love-making session last night could knock me out cold. My mind ran through every possibility that Chief Harper might tell me. If he has any valuable information to share that would get us closer to closure, I’ll take it.
I pull into the parking lot, squad cars lined up in front of the station. Not much crime happens in our small town outside of the odd belligerent drunken bar fight at Siren’s Flask or petty theft offenses. The last time anything newsworthy happened was with the Ted Winthrop and Duke Taylor scandals, and sadly, James’s death.
I slide out of the driver’s seat and breathe in the fresh morning dew. It’s 6:00 a.m., and the sun is making its way over the horizon, turning the sky the color of Audrey’s hair. I place my hands in my hoodie pocket and stride up the steps, pulling on the iron door handle.
It’s a quiet, still morning at the station. I see Ms. Lisa behind the glass, typing away on her computer. I tap the glass with my finger to get her attention. She looks at me with stunned eyes, squinting through her thick-framed glasses. “Donovan? Is that you? Oh, my goodness, aren’t you just the most handsome young man I’ve ever seen!” She smiles wide, her red lipstick smudged on one of her front teeth.
“Hi, Ms. Lisa! Thank you. Um, you got a little...” I flash my teeth and use my finger to rub my front tooth, gesturing for her to do the same.
“Oh! Oh my, I’m sorry about that,” she stammers, covering her mouth with one hand and rubbing her tooth with the other. “You don’t let a lady walk around with lipstick on her teeth, do you? What a nice boy you are,” she coos, keeping her mouth closed as she smiles at me.
“No, ma’am. It’s the chivalrous thing to do,” I wink, causing her already flushed cheeks to deepen in color.
“What can I help you with, dear?”
“I’m here to meet with Chief Harper. He asked me to come in this morning.” She holds a finger up to me and picks up the phone, dialing a couple of numbers. I hear a faint beeping from the receiver and a hearty voice on the other end.
“Chief, Donovan King is here to see you.” She nods and hangs up the call.
“Donovan, you can go to his office. Walk through the bullpen and his is in the very back. Can’t miss it.” She points toward the door and I nod a thank you in her direction. I hear a buzz and a door click, and I make my way into the inner station.
Only a couple of officers are in this morning, probably going home soon from the night shift. I see the glass windows ahead with “Chief Randall Harper” plastered across the door. He sits behind his desk, shuffling through the stack of paperwork scattered in front of him.
I knock, and his head whips up, giving me a warm smile and motioning with his hand for me to come in.
“Donovan! Good morning, son. Great to see you,” he bellows, his voice a low timbre. He bends around his desk and pulls me in for a hug, getting a whiff of aftershave and black coffee.
“Hey, Chief. Great to see you too.” He pats my shoulder and points to the seat in front of his desk.
“Please, sit. Let’s talk.” He plops in his chair, the air whooshing out of the cushion below him. He’s fit for an older man, definitely where Logan gets his build from. You don’t wanna fuck with the chief. He’s intimidating to others, but he’s like a father to me.
“So, what have you found out?” I ask, eager to hear his response. I sit up straight, discreetly tapping my heel into the carpet.
“I had my guys check the CCTV footage from T-Mobile and Lavender Lane. We weren’t able to catch the plates on the black SUV.” He slides a series of pictures from the footage across the desk.
My heart beats faster, feeling the pulse on my neck thud. The man stands outside of T-Mobile, staring into the glass. Another picture shows Audrey walking out of the store, following him. The next picture is the man driving off in the black SUV with Audrey in the corner staring in his direction.
Chills run through my body as I think about how terrified she must’ve been. I should’ve been there with her.
“Damn. So none of the cameras in this area caught the plates?” Chief Harper slowly shakes his head no, pursing his lips into a thin line.
“The only thing we can see in the footage is that this SUV has a slightly dented bumper. You see? Right there.” He points to the dent in the photo. At least there’s something to go off of.
“Okay…what about Kellan? Anything on him?” I ask desperately, feeling like I’m grasping at straws. He shuffles through his papers, his gaze narrows.
“He’s in New York. Looks like he laid low for a couple weeks after the arrest, but he was at a fundraiser for Teach for America just a few nights ago,” he says, sliding the paper in front of me.
It’s the first time I’ve seen his face since that night. A fresh scar slashed on his eyebrow that Audrey left. I smirk at the thought of her fighting back and making her mark on him.
“How can we guarantee her safety then, Chief?” A hint of regret sits like a rock in my stomach, knowing I shouldn’t have come here without Audrey’s permission. He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms behind his head.
“As far as the SUV goes, we can’t prove that she was being followed. It looks coincidental from the tapes,” he states. I clasp my hands together under the desk, squeezing them so tight that I lose feeling in the tips of my fingers.
“And Kellan seems to be out of the picture. There’s no restraining order filed against him, but he seems too deep in the public eye to do anything spontaneous. There’s no connection between him and Oakwood Valley.” His tone is stern given his position, but soft because I’m like a son to him. He didn’t have to look into this for me, but he did because I love Audrey.
“Well, alright then. Thanks, Chief. Do I have your discretion?” I sigh, a mixture of emotions swirling in my chest. It’s relief and defeat fighting one another. I should feel relieved nothing is wrong, but the defeated feeling is what’s eating at me. Why is it I want something to be wrong? Or is that even the right term to use? It’s more like my instinct is screaming something’s not right.
He stands from his chair and comes around his desk, opening his arms to me. I stand to meet him and give him a hug, taking in his black coffee and aftershave scent one last time.
“Of course, son. You have my word. I’ll have my boys look out for the SUV if it comes rolling back into town. But you got nothing to worry about.”
I hope you’re right.
“Thank you, Chief. I appreciate your help,” I say gratefully, although my smile doesn’t quite reach my eyes.
“Anytime. Tell your mother I want an invitation to the next Sunday dinner,” he chuckles, placing a firm grip on my shoulder.
“Yes, sir. I will.”
He leads me out of his office and waves me off as I walk back through the bullpen. I push through the door and wave goodbye to Ms. Lisa.
I walk to my truck, kicking a pebble along the way. That unsettling feeling tugs at me again as soon as I touch the door handle. I freeze, taking a second before I hop in.
“It’s fine. She’s fine,” I mutter to myself.
Once I’m in the front seat with the engine running, getting to Audrey is the only thing on my mind. I need to see her, hold her, kiss her, and tell her we’re gonna be okay. I wrestle with the fact that I have to tell her I went to the chief behind her back, but she’ll understand.
She’s not being followed, and Kellan is gone.
Right?