Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
JASPER
I followed Elliot into the Sable Point PD. The stench of stale coffee and industrial cleaner enveloped me as we stepped through the door. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting a harsh glow on the dated wood-paneled walls. A few officers milled about. Their hushed conversations and the muted ringing of phones created a low hum of activity.
"Hey, Andy. Thanks for calling," Elliot said, his voice echoing slightly in the cramped entryway.
Andy stood a little straighter, smoothing his immaculately pressed uniform. "That's Officer Clark to you."
Elliot rolled his eyes. "Okay, Officer Dipshit."
Andy's stern facade cracked, and he let out a hearty laugh that bounced off the dingy walls. "I'm just glad it was me who found him. Chief has had it up to here with his shit."
Chase slumped in a chair, his back to us like a sulking child.
"Everton!" Andy barked.
Chase swiveled around, his eyes meeting ours with a mixture of guilt and defiance. I bit the inside of my cheek and forced down my rising frustration.
"Let's go!" Andy snapped, clearly at the end of his patience.
Suddenly, the department door swung open with a bang, and I winced as our father strode in, his face a thundercloud of anger. Chase, now looking sincerely chastised, shuffled towards the exit with his head bowed.
Dad's voice was low and controlled, but I could hear the undercurrent of fury. "Chase. Truck. Now."
"Yes, sir," Chase mumbled, slinking past us like a dog with its tail between its legs.
As he left, Dad turned to Andy, the hard edge gone from his voice. "Thank you, Andrew. We'll be sure to make a generous donation to the Sable Point PD for your assistance today."
Andy waved him off, his expression a mix of exasperation and concern. "Don't worry about it, Mr. E. Just... get him in line, will ya? I'd hate to actually have to lock him up next time."
Dad shared a worried look with Elliot. I was pretty sure I was wearing a matching expression. This wasn't the first time Chase had pushed the limits, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be the last.
This can't be right.
I blinked hard and rubbed at my eyes.
Fuck, I'm tired.
The events of last night replayed in my mind—Chase's slurred voice, the fluorescent glare of the police station, the disappointment on Mom's face.
Focus, dammit. Dad had asked me to find some money to donate to the police department, so I forced my attention back to the computer screen, squinting at the neat rows of figures. Something was off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but a nagging sense of wrongness tugged at the edges of my mind.
I got up and cracked open a window. The refreshing scent of apple blossoms drifted in, chasing away the fug of coffee and desperation that permeated the barn. Outside, I could hear the distant rumble of tractors, the steady rhythm of life on the orchard continuing despite the chaos swirling in my head.
Sighing, I returned to the desk and slumped back into my chair, the ancient leather creaking in protest. I pulled out more records, spreading them across the scarred surface of the desk. Ed's voice echoed in my memory: "The devil's in the details, son." I traced my finger along the screen.
There. A series of small inconsistencies, barely noticeable on their own, but when added together...
A dull, heavy feeling hit my stomach, like a rock plopping into a lake. Blind panic seized me as I stared at the spreadsheet, willing the numbers to rearrange themselves. There has to be an explanation .
I reached for my phone and scrolled through my contacts. My fingers hovered over Natalie's name. Should I involve her in this mess? The memory of her bright, carefree smile over the last few weeks surfaced in my mind. I hated to bring her down, but she was the only one who could help. I needed her.
JASPER
Hey, Nat. You at the office? Need to run something by you.
I set the phone down and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. The silence stretched, broken only by the gentle ticking of the ancient clock on the wall. Each second felt like an eternity as I waited for her response.
What if she's with another client? What if she's too busy? What if ? —
The buzz of the phone startled me from my panicked reverie. I snatched it up, my heart pounding as I read her reply.
NATALIE
Just got in. What's up?
JASPER
It'll take a while to explain. Can I come by?
NATALIE
Sure. There's something I want to talk to you about too.
A minute later, the truck roared to life as I turned the key. My mind raced as I pulled out onto the dusty road. What am I going to say to her? How do I even begin to explain this mess?
I parked on the street outside Choi Accounting. Taking a deep breath, I released my death-grip on the steering wheel and climbed out of the truck. I made my way to the office door, squinting against the morning sun.
The bell chimed as I stepped inside, and the cool air-conditioning chased away the summer heat. Whenever I came here, I was transported back in time to countless afternoons spent sprawled on the floor of this very office, doing homework while Ed worked. Even after Nat left, I'd often stopped by on my way from the apartment to the orchard, just to say 'hi.' Fuck, I miss him.
Natalie looked up from her desk, a bright smile spreading across her face. "Jasper! I wasn't expecting you so..." Her words trailed off and her smile faded as she took in my expression.
"Hey, Nat," I managed, my voice sounding thin and strained. "Thanks for seeing me on such short notice."
She stood, smoothing down her skirt—a nervous gesture I recognized all too well. "Of course. What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Might have been easier if I had." I clasped my hands behind my neck and stared at the ceiling, trying to find the right words. "It's... it's about the orchard. The books. Something's not adding up."
Natalie's face paled, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly. If I hadn't known her so well, I might have missed it. That look confirmed the sinking feeling in my gut.
"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.
I pulled out the folder I'd brought with me, spreading its contents across her desk. "Look," I said, pointing to the columns of figures on the printout. "These numbers here, and here. They're off. Not by much, but when you add it all up..."
Natalie leaned over the desk, her brow furrowed as she studied the papers. I caught a whiff of her perfume—the same one she'd worn since high school. My favorite smell in the whole world.
With some effort, I forced my attention back to the matter at hand.
"I-I don't..." Natalie stammered, her fingers tracing the lines of numbers. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and conflicted. "Jasper, I?—"
"You know, don't you?" The words came out with unexpected force. The toxic stew of fear and betrayal that had been seeping into me since I first noticed the discrepancies stoked my anger.
Natalie flinched. She took a step back, knotting her fingers together. "I was going to tell you. I swear, I was just trying to figure out how to?—"
"How long?" I interrupted, my voice trembling. "How long have you known about this, Nat?"
She closed her eyes and a pained expression crossed her face. When she opened them again, they were filled with unshed tears. "A few weeks," she admitted. "I noticed some irregularities when I was first going through things, but I wanted to be sure before I said anything."
The room tilted around me. The floor suddenly felt unsteady beneath my feet. A few weeks. She'd known for weeks and didn't say anything. The betrayal cut deep, reopening old wounds that had just begun to heal.
"Why didn't you come to me?" I asked, hating how vulnerable I sounded. "We could have figured this out together."
"I was scared. I didn't want to believe it was true. And I didn't want to be the one to tell you that?—"
"That what?" I snapped. "That my family's legacy—our livelihood—is going down the fucking drain? That everything we've worked for is falling apart?" My voice rose with each word, filling the small office.
Natalie stepped toward me, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Jasper, please. I was trying to protect you."
"Protect me? By keeping me in the dark? By lying to my face every time we talked about the orchard?"
"I wasn't lying," she protested, a hint of defiance creeping into her voice. "I just... needed time to figure out a plan. I thought I could fix this without worrying your family."
"Fix it? Natalie, this isn't some spreadsheet error you can correct with the click of a mouse. This is our lives. Our future."
"Don't you think I know that? I've been working day and night trying to come up with a solution."
"A solution you didn't think to share with me. What happened to 'we're in this together?' Or was that just another lie?"
Her eyes flashed with anger. "That's not fair, Jasper. I was trying to help. I didn't want to burden you with this until I had a solid plan."
"Burden me? I'm not some fragile child you needed to coddle, Nat. I'm your partner. Or at least, I thought I was."
My words were followed by a ringing silence. We both knew I had just turned the conversation down a bumpy road we couldn't back out of. Natalie's face crumpled, and for a moment, I wanted to take her in my arms and make this all go away. But the seething anger in my gut wouldn't let me.
"But here you go, making decisions for the both of us again," I said, my voice hard and relentless. "You know best, right? Doesn't matter what the rest of us think or want or feel."
"So that's what this was really about then?" Natalie shot back, her own temper finally snapping. "You haven't forgiven me. I was eighteen, Jasper! I made a mistake!"
"A mistake? Losing your car keys is a mistake. Forgetting to pay your utility bill is a mistake. You packed your bags and left town."
"And you let me go!" Natalie's voice rose to a new pitch. I vaguely registered the muted click of the door closing as Jeanette made a tactful retreat. "You didn't fight for me, Jasper. You didn't even try."
"Because I thought that's what you wanted!" I shouted, raising my voice to meet hers. "I thought you wanted freedom, and I loved you enough to let you go. "
"I didn't want freedom," she cried, face wet with tears. "I wanted you to choose me. To put me first, just once."
I turned away, unable to look at her. For the first time in my life, I was literally shaking with anger.
"I thought we were past keeping secrets," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The fight drained out of me, leaving me numb and bone-tired.
I felt Natalie hovering behind me, the warmth of her body so close yet impossibly far. She was reaching out, not quite touching my arm. I sensed her hesitation, her fear of pushing me away further.
"Jasper," she said softly, her voice thick with tears. "I'm sorry. I-I wanted to make things right. To prove that I could do my dad proud. That I could be the person you needed me to be."
I flinched away from her touch, the gentleness in her voice somehow more painful than her anger. "And who exactly do you think I need you to be, Nat?" I asked, still not turning to face her.
I could hear her shaky breaths, could almost feel the rapid beating of her heart. Or maybe that was just my own pulse pounding in my ears.
"I don't know," she finally admitted. "I guess I thought if I could fix this, if I could save the orchard, maybe..."
"Maybe what?" I prompted, finally turning to look at her. The sight of her tear-stained face nearly broke me.
"Maybe you'd forgive me. For leaving. For hurting you. For all of it. "
I closed my eyes and pressed my hands to my face. God, when did everything get so complicated?
"Natalie," I started, then paused, struggling to find the right words. "This isn't about forgiveness. It's about trust."
She nodded, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I know. And I've ruined that. Again."