Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) (34 page)

Troy turned tail and made his getaway before any harm could come to him.

Harry answered after several rings. “Emma?”

“Harry. Oh my God. How’s Dad? I swear if I had any idea what was going to happen, I would’ve warned you all. Aaron pulled a fast one on me.”

“No, Em. Calm down. Dad’s . . . fine, I guess.”

“You guess?” Something was wrong, very wrong.

“I know you and Rob had plans, but do you think you can put them off?”

“Harry, you’re scaring me.” Rob came to her side and took her hand.

“Well, I think you should come home because . . . Oh fuck. Um . . . Dad’s been arrested.”

Rob and Emma didn’t get to the Marblehead Police Department until five in the morning. They were welcomed in the lobby by Annie and Harry.

Emma walked straight into her brother’s arms. “What is going on? Why wouldn’t you tell me over the phone?”

All Harry would say was their father was in jail, but not what for. She assumed something happened at O’Rourke’s, but she had no idea what.

Emma pulled back; Harry’s face was pale and his eyes bloodshot. She turned to her best friend and saw the same expression accompanied by tearstained cheeks.

“Please, don’t tell me he killed someone.” Emma reached for Rob and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“I’m sure he wanted to. Hell, I wanted to.” Harry ran his fingers through his hair and pulled at the ends in obvious frustration.

“What? Who in the world would you want dead?” She was so confused. Her father had never been in a fight in his life. What could’ve sent him over the edge?

“Sully,” Harry stated with disgust and a dead look in his eyes.

Emma’s creased brows and tilted head showed her confusion. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

Annie stepped forward and placed her hands in Emma’s. “Maria started talking her usual trash except this time she pulled Sully into it. Sully said some things that none of us want to repeat. Just know, your father defended your honor.”

Emma turned to Harry to see his eyes clenched shut in obvious anguish.

“I’m a lot stronger than you think.” Emma turned back to focus on Annie and squeezed her hands. “You need to tell me what was said.”

“Maria and her usual BS, except she started going off about how you cheated on Derek.”

Emma took a sharp intake of breath.

Rob pressed himself against her back and placed his hands on her shoulders. “We didn’t do anything back then. She wouldn’t even let me kiss her.”

“No.” Annie shook her head and sniffled. “Not you. Sully claimed he’d been with Emma.”

“Never.” Emma shook her head in shock. “We never did anything. I could never have done that to Derek. I never even saw Sully like that.”

“We know that,” Harry seethed. “I don’t know what Sully’s game is, but when he accused me of—” Harry held onto his stomach like he was going to be sick. “Accused me of wanting to sleep with my sister, I lost it.”

“Oh my God.” Emma trembled for a second before her knees gave way. Rob and Annie held onto her and led her to a nearby chair to sit.

Annie knelt in front of Emma while Rob sat beside her, his arm around her shoulder.

“If Mick hadn’t got ahold of Sully first, I’m sure Harry would be the one behind bars.” Annie held onto Emma’s knees to balance herself.

“Where’s Sully?” Emma questioned.

“They arrested him too.”

At that moment, Chief Simmons walked out into the lobby. “Miss MacLean?”

“Yes.” Emma turned her gaze to the Chief.

“I have some questions for you. Would you mind following me to my office?”

“Um, sure.” Emma stood and separated herself from Rob, Annie, and Harry.

“Follow me and hopefully your father will be ready to be released by the time we’re done.”

Emma followed Chief Simmons down the hallway.

“Emma!” Rob called.

Emma turned back to find his concerned face.

“I love you,” he said and smiled like saying the words to her was the most natural thing in the world.

The moment was monumental in more ways than one. She had to give him the appropriate response but make it memorable.

“I know,” she simply stated and turned to walk down the hall.

“Did she quote
Empire Strikes Back
?” she heard Harry ask Rob.

“She sure did,” Rob responded.

Emma was sure her words put a smile on his face. After she got through the day, she planned on showing him how much she knew and how much she felt in return.

“We’ve had a break in your case,” Chief Simmons said and gathered a few papers on his desk.

Emma sat stunned. Her case was not even remotely close to the forefront of her mind.

“This is one of the letters your attacker sent to you?” The Chief slid a sheet of paper encased in a plastic sleeve toward her.

She scanned the letter and remembered it clearly. It was sent two days after her breakup with Patrick. Several harsh words were written and accusations were made. She remembered running straight to the bathroom to vomit after reading it.

“Yes, it is.”

“I’d like you to look at this handwriting sample and tell me what you see.”

The Chief slid another plastic sleeve toward her with random words written on it. She moved her gaze back and forth between the two sheets. Every single random word was a word in her letter. Each word appeared similar if not exactly like their pair in her letter.

“They are very similar.” Emma’s throat tightened. “Who wrote these words?” Her voice squeaked and shook. Could it be possible her tormentor had finally been found?

“We made other arrests besides your father recently. A gentleman was asked to write out his statement. When my detective passed it on to me, I noted the similarities to the writing in your letters. I pulled in all the favors I could with Judge Kessler and got a warrant for this man’s dental records.”

Emma’s stomach clenched and she wrapped her arms around her abdomen.

“They are a match, Emma. The district attorney is ready to press charges.”

Emma closed her eyes and let out a sob of relief. “Who?” she whispered.

Chief Simmons cleared his throat and retrieved both plastic sleeves before he spoke. “Sully McInerney.”

“Sully?” Emma’s eyes opened wide. Shock shook her body to the core.

Sully. He’d been Derek’s best friend as well as his cousin. Sully. The guy who was known as Big Teddy Bear. Sully. He was everybody’s friend. Sully. The man who brought her flowers after the attack.

“He visited me in the hospital. That fucking bastard sat and played cards with me while I sat in pain from his beating!” Emma stood up and shoved her chair back in the process.

“I know just what will make you feel better.” The Chief stood with a smile.

“What?” Emma looked at him like he just told her aliens existed and his wife would be giving birth to one any day now.

“How would you like to be behind the glass when we question him and make the arrest?”

She returned his smile. Her day just got a hell of a lot better.

Emma stood behind a two-way mirror with Chief Simmons. Sully sat handcuffed to a table on the other side, a visible fat lip and bruising around his puffy right eye. She smiled at the fact that her father dealt the blows to his lying mouth.

Detective Chris Durst walked into the interrogation room with a stack of folders in his hand.

“How much longer until my lawyer gets here, Durst?” Sully asked and licked his swollen lip.

“A few more questions.” Durst sat across from Sully and pulled a plastic sleeve from a folder. He set the folders down and placed the plastic sleeve in front of Sully. “Is this the statement you wrote out about the incident at O’Rourke’s?”

Sully nodded. “Yes. Look, I told the other detective everything. The old man came at me.”

“After you insulted his son and daughter.”

Sully shook his head.

“Would you look at this?” Durst passed over the plastic sleeve with the page of random words Chief Simmons showed Emma.

Sully scanned it. “Yeah. What of it?”

“This is your handwriting as well?”

“Yeah. I don’t see the point of all this. My lawyer was supposed to be here over an hour ago. I’m sure my wife is worried about me.”

Emma snorted.
Let the bitch worry.

“This is about to get interesting.” Chief Simmons grinned while the two watched a familiar form enter the interrogation room.

“Mr. Winterbourne.” Durst greeted the man with a handshake and motioned to the chair at the head of the table. “Sully, you remember Silas Winterbourne?”

“Sure.” Sully eyed Winterbourne with suspicion, which made Emma’s smile even wider.

“The District Attorney is here to outline the charges we will be filing.” Durst tried his best to hold back a smirk, but Emma could see the corners of his mouth verging upward.

“This was all a big misunderstanding. I’d had a lot to drink. I won’t press any charges and Mick doesn’t need to press any charges. I’ll pay for any damages to O’Rourke’s, so we can just forget the whole thing.” Sully waited for a response, but both of the other men just stared at him for a moment.

Winterbourne broke the stare and placed a sheet of paper in front of Sully. “Your bail hearing is set for this afternoon after you meet with your attorney. I will let you know the state will be asking for you to be held without bail.”

“What? This is all being blown way out of proportion.” Sully seemed pissed if the color of his face and throbbing vein in his neck was anything to go by.

“Just read the charges.” Winterbourne pointed to the sheet in front of Sully.

Sully scanned the sheet and his eyes seemed to bulge just a tiny bit more at the end of each line.

Sully pushed the paper across the table. “This is fucking bullshit! Attempted murder? Stalking? Please. I bet that old man is tougher than he looks. He got more hits on me than I did on him. What is he being charged with?”

“Oh, Mr. MacLean’s charges were dropped. He’s being processed out right now,” Winterbourne stated with an air of authority.

“Then what is all this shit?” Sully lifted his hands as high as the cuffs would let him and pointed to the paper.

“Maybe I need to read this along with you.” Winterbourne stood and placed the paper in front of Sully again. He pointed his index finger on a line of the page. “Charges are being brought forth by the Commonwealth on behalf of Emma Jean MacLean.”

Sully’s face went from beet red to pale pink in a matter of seconds.

“I can’t believe how good this feels!” Emma whispered and Chief Simmons put his arm around her shoulders.

“We have evidence linking you to the attempted murder of Miss MacLean twelve years ago and of stalking. I’m sure your lawyer will explain this all to you when he gets here.” Winterbourne pushed the paper away with his finger and moved to stand behind his chair.

“Fucking cunt!” Sully roared and stood, pulling at his cuffs and flipping the table on its side in the process.

Sully continued to scream obscenities and slam the table against the floor. Several officers entered the room and demanded he calm down. As the rage continued and warnings were ignored, officers were forced to taser Sully into submission.