Not Forgotten (9 page)

Chapter 9

Natalie stood with her back against the wall in the darkest shadow of the room, sipping the dry wine from her glass. It was the only one she would allow herself so she took her time. Whenever she was surrounded by the unknown she was always diligent of her consumption. One drink did not incapacitate her and she was still able to make smart, informed decisions. One did not make her sluggish or haze her mind. She was always vigilant, especially during these types of events where the alcohol was flowing.

She resented the fact that for the past forty minutes she had been left alone. Not that she needed to be entertained but he had invited her. She would much rather be at home. She was still feeling raw and vulnerable after her dream and wanted nothing more than to slip into her cotton pyjamas and review Hallie’s case. She was annoyed at wasting her time. She could have been working, reviewing the tapes of Hallie’s previous sessions. She had already watched a few which seemed to follow the same lines. Hallie starting off antagonistic, trying to push help away and then turning for the worst when the psychologist conjured the image of the past in her mind, the girl becoming violent in the blink of an eye.

Natalie glanced around
Sweet Harbour’s
conference room. This was one of the town’s premier hotels. The walls were a rich burgundy that matched the dark stain of the polished floorboards. A long rectangular table covered in a pristine white tablecloth that reached the floor was against the west wall and held delectable appetisers. She had already sampled the king garlic prawns, canapés, and mini quiches and found them to be satisfactory and resisted the urge to go back for more.

Natalie tried making small talk with some of her fellow guests but the effort had been too much. She was much happier hidden away where she could observe the people around her. She found it relaxed her and spent the next few minutes reading the body language of several guests.

When they had first arrived, Derek had taken her on a lap of the room, introducing her to people she would never remember like a preening peacock as if to say ‘
this is mine’
and she thought that had been his intention. It explained the dress he had chosen for her. If he knew her at all, he would know it was not her style and that it would cause her some discomfort.

She had gone from a respectable doctor to Derek Butler’s date and had noticed the obvious omission of her doctor status when he’d introduced her. Natalie wondered if he felt threatened by her title and successful career. Not that she could—or would—do anything about that and certainly made no apologies. She had worked hard to get to where she was and if a man couldn’t be proud of her for that and supportive of her aspirations, he wasn’t a man she wanted beside her. She stopped analysing Derek. It didn’t matter. After tonight it would all be over.

Natalie tried to feel sad at the knowledge of the upcoming break-up but no emotion stirred within her. It only reinforced her resolve to make it final. Derek may be an attractive male but he wasn’t the man for her. She wanted a man who made her heart thump in her chest. A man who made her breathless when he drew near. A man she thought of even when she was alone and made her excited at the thought of seeing him again.

Natalie gave it another twenty minutes then picked her way through the crowd where Derek was charming a small group of five. She touched him lightly on the arm, feeling the sinewy muscle beneath her hand. She felt his strength—his power—and felt scared. It was such a stupid emotion, she thought. She had spent time with Matt Murphy over the past week and she had never felt threatened in his presence. She knew without a doubt he would die protecting her before he would lift a finger to her—and he carried a gun. Natalie was amazed at her certainty when it came to Matt but couldn’t fathom why her body never relaxed completely around Derek.

“I’m going to head home,” Natalie informed him.

Derek frowned, either from the interruption or the fact she was leaving. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

A long week actually. Hallie’s case was an emotional rollercoaster that didn’t seem to stop. Yet, Natalie couldn’t seem to back down. She felt a connection with the teenager that made her continue to push herself beyond breaking point.

She would’ve much preferred to take a taxi home, but Derek had insisted and ushered her out the door. Ten minutes later, Natalie was in the passenger seat of his black Audi driving through the quiet, late night streets of Harbour Bay.

She couldn’t wait to get out of her dress and slip into bed. Natalie exhaled in relief when her house came into view. A sense of pride washed over her. It was hers. Who would’ve thought bricks, plaster, and glass could mean so much to her? She stepped out of his car before he had a chance to exit and she met him on the path that led to her front door.

“Thank you, Derek. I’m sorry to have pulled you away from your party.”

He shrugged. “You’re more important.” He leaned in to kiss her. She turned her head away.

Thankfully over the past few hours she’d had time to imagine several scenarios to tell him she no longer wanted to see him. She didn’t want to hurt him but neither did she want to continue their relationship, such as it was.

“Listen, Derek, these past few months have been nice but I think it best that after tonight we don’t see each other again.”

He shot her a look of disbelief. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. It’s just not working out.”

“You’re just scared of your feelings for me. Don’t let your fear take you away from me.”

Natalie blinked. Conceited jerk. She had known he spent a considerable amount of time on his appearance but she hadn’t thought him vain and narcissistic. Did he truly believe that every woman he met instantly fell in love with him and couldn’t possibly accept that she felt nothing?

“Don’t tell me how I feel, Derek. I know better than you.”

Derek frowned in the darkness surrounding them. The street light behind him their only source of light. She had not remembered to turn on her porch light before leaving earlier and regretted the oversight.

“You can’t deny you have feelings for me,” he stated as if a fact.

“I can and I do. I feel nothing for you, Derek. I wish I did but I don’t. Please understand.”

He took an aggressive step towards her which startled her. Natalie stepped back but he advanced so quickly she didn’t have time to put distance between them. He caught her about the waist and pulled her into his solid chest and before she had a chance to protest, his lips descended on hers. He took her mouth ruthlessly, forcing himself inside her mouth as he bruised her soft lips with his assault.

Natalie pushed him away. “Get off me.” She wiped at her aching lips in an effort to remove his taste from her mouth. She felt violated, his invasion sickening her.

Derek stumbled but quickly righted himself. He retaliated by striking her across the face, the sound of the slap carrying in the silent night. Her eyes widened in surprise and her skin stung where he had made contact and she raised her hand to her face and touched the bruised cheek.

Fear momentarily stunned her but she soon found her voice and her tone was cold and steady as she spoke.

“Get off my property right now.”

Derek’s face turned contrite and moved towards her, arms outstretched as if to comfort her. “I’m so sorry, babe. I don't know what came over me.” She did. He wasn’t used to hearing the word no and obviously thought he could manipulate any situation. “You shouldn’t have made me so mad.”

Natalie froze and saw a red haze ebb at the corner of her vision. How dare he blame her for his loss of control? She saw him more clearly now then she ever had before. He had the sentiment of a typical abuser. It was always the victim’s fault. How had he been able to dupe her for so long? She’d pushed the right buttons and his real personality emerged.

“Leave right now, Derek, or I will call the cops.”

She produced her phone and punched the ‘zero’ button three times and poised her finger over the green ‘send’ button. Not that it would do any good if he chose to advance on her. She had felt his strength and knew she couldn’t defend herself against it. She would be either dead or badly beaten by the time help arrived.

“Natty, babe,” he said pleadingly, as if she would forgive him if he showed her he was remorseful. She wondered briefly how many women had fallen into that trap only to regret it later.

“Don’t call me Natty.” She threatened him with her eyes, which she was sure were a combination of anger and fear. “Get out of here, Derek. I won’t tell you again.”

Natty.
She hated that name. Derek held up his hand in surrender.

“Okay I’m going. I’m sorry.”

He turned his back on her and she watched him go, refusing to relax until he was gone from her sight. He peeled out of her driveway with a squeal of tyres. Natalie let out a relieved breath and her knees went out from under her. She caught hold of the side of her house to keep from falling face first and held on for dear life, the cool brick wall strong and steady against the palm of her hand. Slowly, a foot at a time, she made it to the door, despite her brain screaming at her to get to safety but her wobbly legs just wouldn’t cooperate. She slammed the door behind her and secured the deadlock.

Natalie stared at her reflection in the mirror by the front door, noting her pale complexion and the fear in her eyes. She had never wanted to see that look again and as she brought her hand up to gingerly touch her cheek she noticed it shook. She had spent the past sixteen years avoiding that very situation. It frightened her that she had been so blind.

Natalie prided herself at reading people and yet Derek had her completely fooled. Had she allowed herself to become complacent? Was she so arrogant in her abilities to read another that Derek had been able to use it against her and wheedle his way into her life? She hoped not. She would need to be more careful. She had been lucky tonight and had been able to defuse the situation. Next time could be another story. She studied the bruise already forming and moved into the kitchen to retrieve the cold pack she knew to be in her freezer. She pushed aside her frozen meals until her fingertips located the hard block and after rolling the cold pack in a tea towel, Natalie pressed it to her cheek.

Hopefully it would help with the swelling.

Natalie shivered and not just from the cold pack. Derek had showed signs of having Borderline Personality Disorder. It worried her that she had not seen it before tonight. But then, she had spent little time in his company. A few hours here and there, as well as events such as the one tonight where they were never alone. Still, she thought a professional such as herself should’ve been able to see what lurked beneath. She would report him to the police in the morning. Her knowledge of BPD told Natalie she wouldn’t be the last. Years of experience told her this was just the start for him and he would soon escalate. His actions might even kill someone one day and she couldn’t let that be on her conscience.

Tears fell from her eyes as she admonished herself again and again for being so stupid. She removed a sheet of paper towel and wiped her nose before switching on the kettle. As she forced herself to go through the simple motions of making chamomile tea, her hand stopped shaking and she began relaxing. She was starting to feel calmer, more in control.

Her mobile rang and she jumped. Okay, so she wasn’t completely in control yet. She checked the caller ID just in case it was Derek, relieved to see Matt’s name on the display. She had programmed his details into her contact list earlier in the week and realised now she was glad for his call. Anything to get her mind off what had just happened.

She answered the phone and was surprised—and thankful—that her voice sounded so steady. She held the handset to her ear as she took a sip of the hot and soothing tea.

“Hey, it’s Matt. I was just wondering if you had a chance to view those police reports yet.”

Natalie remembered the stack of files she had brought home with her that she’d planned to review until Derek had called and she’d gone out with him instead. She instantly felt guilty. Hallie and Matt deserved her full attention on the case.

“Sorry, no. I’ll make a start on them now,” she promised.

It wasn’t as if she was going to get any sleep tonight. She tossed the cold pack back into her freezer, her cheek numb.

“It can wait until tomorrow. What time are you seeing Hallie?”

“Ten. Why?”

She didn’t bother asking him how he knew she planned to see her. Natalie had visited with Hallie every day for as long as her schedule would allow. He must have been advised by the hospital staff since Hallie was technically part of an on-going investigation.

Matt sighed. “I was thinking afterwards we could get together and go over them. You can give me your impressions and I can give you mine. Maybe by putting our heads together we can come up with some new leads. I could certainly use some about now.”

“Sure,” she said, making her way towards her stairs located in the centre of house. Moonlight gently spilled through the windows and casted tree branch shadows on her floor. She stepped carefully, afraid to spill her tea. “I take it no new developments have arisen?”