Plagiarized (23 page)

“Your tears must mean something, Missy. They must mean that you’re sorry, or that you regret what you’ve done to me. If that’s the case, call the nice detective tomorrow and confess. Tell him what you’ve told me. Tell him how you were sleeping with your teacher and then bashed his head in.”

That got a reaction from her. “I didn’t bash his head in. I shoved him, he tripped on the corner of the rug that always had a habit of flipping up, and as he started to fall back, I tried to stop him. I tried to catch him and keep him from falling, but I wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed on to my sweater and my weight fell on his. I didn’t bash his head in. I was trying to save him. I loved him!” Missy was in hysterical sobs by that point.

I was totally astounded by her declarations of the event, it was a confession. It could have truly been a very tragic love story had I not been the one facing the punishment of a crime I never committed. If she wanted to sue me for taking her ideas and essentially plagiarizing her book, then fine. Fucking sue me. But pinning a murder on me was beyond immoral. It went beyond anything I had ever done to anyone. It was worse than everything I had done in my lifetime, even if my sins were all added together.

“Then tell the cops that!” I fought back with every ounce of my being. My sole purpose was to convince her that she needed to confess.

She shook her head while desperately trying to dry her face with the backs of her hands. “No. They won’t understand. They believe it was a murder and that’s what they’ll convict me of. They won’t believe me, why would they? It wasn’t a murder, Sage. It was an accident. One that I have had to live with for the last twelve years of my life; do you even know the torture it’s been?” she sobbed.

“So what… you’re just going to let me take the fall for this accident?” Why was I reasoning with her? Oh yeah, because she was the one that essentially held the key to my freedom. I felt like my freedom was dangling just within my reach and I couldn’t grasp it. Like she was waving the key to it in front of my face and then yanking it back again once I got too close.

“No. You won’t be arrested. There isn’t enough evidence for that. There’s no way they can connect you to it. You’ll be fine,” she tried to offer me false consoling. It made me want to punch her. Was she fucking ignorant?

“Are you fucking insane? Missy”—I felt like grabbing her shoulders and shaking her, but I held myself back—“they hauled me off to a police station today and questioned me for hours! They have all the connections they need between my book and real life. All the evidence they need to charge
me
with for killing someone. I wrote my character based on my life, except for a few key scenes that I got from you, and now they’re trying to say that Sarah killed Ben so that must mean Sage killed Bradley. You have to see the correlations between the two since you were the one who gave me details of the scene and I wrote them just as you told them to me. He was my teacher, too! I visited you in college! What the fuck do you mean they can’t arrest me?!” I was downright screaming by that point. My rage had completely boiled over. I couldn’t contain it.

Missy pulled my phone from her pocket and timidly handed it back to me. “I think you should leave. You’re angry, I’m upset, and it’s not a good combination for a conversation like this. We won’t get anywhere like this.”

I momentarily stared at her, stunned that she was being so heartless. How could she just shut this conversation down? Didn’t she realize what was on the line? Didn’t she realize that she held all control of where I ended up? She could basically snap her fingers and make things happen at this point, but instead, she was demanding that I leave. I angrily snatched my phone from her hand and stalked closer to her, making her back away in the process. I didn’t stop until her back was pressed firmly against a wall and we were face-to-face. Her breaths were coming out in shaky pants as she tried desperately to keep eye contact with me, but looked everywhere but my eyes. I, however, never faltered.

“You don’t get to tell me when this is over. This is my fucking life we’re talking about, and one way or another, the authorities will find out the truth. And until that happens, you can sweat at night as you recount every moment of that night. Maybe there was a fingerprint you didn’t clean up. A hair in the drain from your showers there. DNA on a glass in the dishwasher that hadn’t yet been run. Something”—my voice grew quieter the closer my lips got to her face—“that will tie you to the crime and clear my name. And once you’re too tired to stress about that anymore and you close your eyes to finally get some sleep, it will be his face that will haunt your dreams. His eyes that will flash in your mind as you recount his last minutes. His last breaths. And”—I brought my lips to her ears—“the way his eyes looked as his life drained from his body.”

With that, she shoved me away from her with shaky hands. I could tell just by looking at her that her heart was pounding in her chest. It was almost as if I could see it ricochet off her sternum.
Bum-Bump. Bum-Bump. Bum-Bump
. Her eyes glossed over as a new wave of hysteria entered her brain. She knew I was right. As I laid awake, fighting for my innocence, she would lay awake, fighting her unforgettable memories of that life changing night.

I won. And I would win in the end, too.

Game on, bitch. Let’s see who caves first.

I left Missy’s house and started driving aimlessly as I concentrated on the demise of my life. Even though I had sounded completely in control when I had confronted Missy back at her home, I was anything but. My every thought was consumed by the allegations I faced as well as the possibility of being sent to prison.  I could think of nothing else.

I was surprised when I pulled up in front of Craig’s and then happiness followed. My subconscious knew me so well. I needed to see him to tell him what was going on, and needed to feel his protective arms surround me.

I quickly looked to see if there were any cars I didn’t recognize in the large circular drive, located at the front of the mansion. I didn’t want to show up in the middle on another impromptu visit from his family. That was the last thing I needed at the moment.

My thoughts were so scattered that for the first time in my life, I forgot to check the mirror on the visor before exiting my vehicle. Which explained Craig’s astonished and worried gaze when he opened his front door and took a look at me.

“Sage! Are you okay?” He looked me up and down, trying to figure out what was happening. “I’ve been trying to call you and have been worried sick. Did something happen at the signing?” He searched my gaze for answers.

I shook my head. “It wasn’t the signing,” I croaked out. My phone was still turned off, thanks to Missy.

“What then?” He held on to me as I collapsed in his arms.

“It’s so bad, Craig. I don’t even know where to begin.” He put his arm around me and walked with me to the living room closest to the entrance. It was my favorite living room and the one I usually spent most of my time in when I was there. “Is your family gone?” I asked him tentatively.

He nodded and ushered me to the couch. “They left earlier today.”

“What time is it?” I had completely lost track of time. It was dark and had been such a long day, I knew it was late. I also realized I had only had a bagel in the early morning with my cup of coffee; that was it. Despite the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything as I had been ushered from one place to the next, I still didn’t have an appetite. All my energy was tied up in frustration and worry about my current situation.

“It’s after ten.”

“Wow! Time sure flies when you’re having fun.” I started to laugh. But the more I laughed the more out of control I felt until I was suddenly left crying big sobs that were wracking my body. As my body shook, Craig made soothing sounds and wrapped his arms around me once again. He offered me words of comfort, but all I could think of were the metal bars closing behind me. I was done.

I explained the situation in its entirety to Craig. I told the tales of the entire day, starting when I arrived at the book signing and ending with me on his couch, sobbing as if my heart were broken. I was just facing the reality of the situation, my life as I had known it was over.

Craig let me cry on his shoulder and I watched his emotions change on his face. Pride, over all the books I sold; concern, as I described the arrival of the police detective; protectiveness, as I explained the interrogation; and rage, when I told him that Missy was letting me take the fall for the murder she had committed. It gave me peace that he believed me; I could see it in his face. He believed every word I said and every word that came past my lips was the truth. I had nothing to hide behind now that I had been stripped bare of everything, my freedom.

Craig’s kindness made me cry even harder. I couldn’t believe I had met someone so young yet he would stand by me no matter what. For the first time in my entire life, I felt blessed—blessed that he had been introduced into my life, no matter what the circumstances were that surrounded our relationship.

Craig gave me a valium that completely knocked me out. He tucked me in bed as if I were a small child and held me until I fell asleep.

***

The next morning, I woke up with a headache that felt like the most monstrous hangover I had ever experienced. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, but no matter what I did, the fogginess in my head wouldn’t dissipate. I finally decided that I would have a quick shower and then join Craig, wherever he had gone. It was already after nine in the morning and I was glad that I had a chance to get some sleep at least.

The shower made me feel somewhat refreshed and the clothes I borrowed from Craig were comfy and loose. The loaner clothes masked the situation and made it feel like a fun sleepover, instead of what it was, a complete nightmare. I padded on bare feet down the stairs, sliding to a stop right outside of the room where Craig was. I heard him talking to someone and couldn’t decipher whose voice in addition to his it was that I heard. I leaned closer and heard the distinct voice of his mother.

He had called his mom? Part of me was incensed and the other part of me couldn’t care less because soon, my entire life would be on display for the whole world to see anyway. I stood there and eavesdropped for a minute, not sure how to make my entrance.

“Well, of course she did it! She needs to just fess up and march herself down to the police station and confess,” Mrs. Marten huffed out.

What? She didn’t believe me? I tried not to feel wounded by what she had just said. I had only met the woman once and there was no reason for her to side with me. I was better off knowing where she stood, and now, I could deal with everything all at once.

“I know she does. Who’s going to convince her of that?”

Craig’s agreement with his mother had me weak in the knees. It would have been easier to manage if he had just taken a knife and plunged it deep within my chest. I didn’t think I could be in any more pain than I was at the moment. Everything I had naively thought I had with Craig wasn’t.

“I feel like just sticking her in the car and driving her down there myself!” Mrs. Marten’s anger was evident in her voice.

I needed to get away from there. They were going to turn me in! I turned on my heel and started to run, but halfway up the stairs, I tripped and my ankle twisted. My fall was unexpected and I let out a cry as I fell. I slid down the stairs and landed on my ass on the bottom step. I started to cry. Now, to the added pain of heartbreak I was suffering from, my ankle was killing me and I was trapped with the people who had turned on me.

Craig came running, I could hear his footsteps on the marble as he ran across the foyer, but I didn’t look up. I was too devastated to even look at him.

“What happened, Sage? Are you all right?”

I felt his hand on my arm as he tried to grab my attention, but my stubbornness allowed me to reject him. He didn’t need to pretend any longer. I knew how he felt. I just needed to gather my things and then hobble out to my car to leave. That made me cry even harder because I had nowhere to go. If I went home, then the police would eventually find me and I would be thrown in prison—especially now that
everyone
I had counted on as friends were against me.

“Sage, honey, what’s going on?” Craig picked me up and carried me in to the room where his mother and he had agreed to turn me in.

I refused to look at him as he sat me upon the couch gingerly, almost tenderly, but I knew I was reading too much into the situation. My hopes were showing. I wanted him to care, but he didn’t.

“Please, Sage.” He put a strand of my wet hair behind my ear and then kissed the lobe.

“Don’t!” I cried out. “Don’t act like you care about me after I heard you and your mother!” I looked up at him as a broken woman. I had nothing left to hide what I was feeling. He could see me raw and weak for all I cared.

“What do you mean?” He looked baffled. “We were strategizing,” he explained, but it really wasn’t an explanation at all.

“Strategizing on how to get me turned in to the police,” I scoffed as I clarified my reason for being upset.

“Sage, you are crazy,” he said affectionately.

“I know.” And I did. I was completely and certifiably crazy, at least I felt like I was since I had never felt this out of control during a particular situation in my life. I always maintained control, always. Now, I had none.

“My mother and I were strategizing about your case and how to get
Missy
to the cops to give her confession.”

“Oh.” I looked down at my clutched hands and white knuckles in defeat. I was completely off base. I always thought the worst about people; it was the only way I knew how to survive. I had automatically reverted back to what I knew, not even giving it a second thought that Craig might be trying to talk to his mom about getting
Missy
to the police station. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“It will be okay, Sage. You’re going through a lot right now. God only knows how I would be dealing with this situation. It would be a disaster.” Craig’s mom offered me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry, dear. I have my attorney on his way here to meet with us. He should be here around noon. I also have the cook preparing a nice brunch for us. I’m sure we all need something for energy.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly and looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. She actually did care about me, as did Craig. It was a wonderful and welcoming revelation.

“I also called Keegen,” Craig admitted. “I thought he might be able to help persuade Missy to do the right thing.”

I only managed to nod, unable to form the words. These people were going to help me. I couldn’t stop the hope that started to creep back in. Maybe things would be okay? Was it possible for me to retain my freedom? The thought of confronting Keegen in front of Craig made me nervous, especially after Missy’s admission that Keegen still loved another woman, presumably meaning me.

“Craig told me everything and I can’t believe the predicament you’ve found yourself in. It’s quite unfortunate.”

“Yes,” I managed. I had nothing left to offer at the moment. The thought of having a full on conversation at that very moment was overwhelming. I just wanted to dig a hole and lay in it until this had all blown over.

“My mom’s lawyer is very gifted. He has helped many people, even guilty people, get charges dismissed. He will be able to go with you when the police question you again. He’ll also be able to talk to the district attorney and see what evidence they actually have against you. He’s looking in to the case now and will update us once he arrives.”

“He’s already on the case even though I haven’t even hired him?”

“I hired him on your behalf and have already secured a retainer in your name. He has been working on it since very early this morning; I’ve doubled his fee.”

I stared at him wide-eyed, unable to comprehend that he had done something so kind for me.

“I love you, Sage,” he declared softly and I just stared at him. “Truly, love you.”

“When I go to prison, you can’t wait for me.”

“If, my love, if you go.” He took my hand and tenderly kissed the inside of my palm and then made my fingers close around his kiss. “I will always be with you, always, even if we aren’t together.”

He said the words with such intensity that I had a hard time not believing them myself.

Thankfully, the sound of the doorbell interrupted our conversation; it was getting to deep for me. I had no idea to respond to his affirmation.
Did I love Craig? Truly, madly, deeply love him?
I knew I didn’t want to hurt him, was that the same thing? I couldn’t remember a time in my life when I had been truly in love. I had times where I thought I was in love, and then the guy got to be so annoying that I broke up with him. I had a feeling that didn’t count.

“Keegen.” Mrs. Marten got to her feet and hugged Keegen forcefully, even though he hardly lifted his arms to return her greeting.

“Hello, Mother.” He looked at her and then turned and spotted me. “You didn’t tell me
she
would be here,” he spat out defiantly.

“I knew if I told you, you wouldn’t come.”

“I’m not doing this for you, Sage. I’m having this talk for my brother. I just want you to know that. If you were lying on the floor in pain, I wouldn’t stop to help you.”

I looked at him and couldn’t hide my surprise. Where was this contempt coming from? Missy had said he was in love with me? So why wasn’t he all over me, begging me to return to his side? This was not at all what I had expected.

Craig went on to explain the story to Keegen, all the while begging him for help to reach Missy and reason with her. I watched Keegen’s expressions change as the story went on, but knew before Craig had even finished, Keegen wasn’t going to help us. I couldn’t believe how much hatred he had for me, it seemed to ooze out of every pore.