Shadows (27 page)

"There's no dresser?"

"Nope. I'll have to figure that out later." He
continues down the small hallway which opens in to a large family
room. There's a large flat screen television mounted above the
fireplace and two leather couches. There's no tables, but an upside
down laundry basket next to a couch with a dirty cup on it. I raise
my eyebrows at Robert, giving him a questioning look. "Don't judge
me. I'm single and I just moved here. All of my stuff is still in
California. It's being packed up. Hopefully, it will arrive within
the next couple of weeks."

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. You gave me the look Mom
gives me, when she's questioning my choices."

Shrugging my shoulders, I turn around taking
in all of the spacious room. I point to a door in the corner,
"What's in there?"

"The bathroom. I have no clue why it's in the
living room. The layout of this house is really weird, but it's
cheap for being a beach rental. There's a sliding door over there,
behind the curtains, which also leads to the beach. It's a private
beach so you shouldn't have to worry about too many people being
out there.

"What made you decide on renting a beach
house? Why not just rent an apartment in Chicago?"

"Because for what I would have paid for the
apartment in Chicago, I could have rented two beach houses. I love
the water. I don't like being so far from it. I will definitely
miss surfing, though."

"Yeah, the waves are definitely not big enough
here for that."

"So, that's the house. I need to get
everything set up for my class. Feel free to do whatever. I would
suggest a swim in the lake, but since it is April I know you'll
freeze your ass off."

"Yeah, I'm not going in the lake anytime
soon." I know from past experiences the water is almost always
cold.

"I was thinking we could watch some Netflix
tonight. I'm going to order pizza for dinner. I noticed The
Princess Bride was on there the other day, if you're
interested."

"I love that movie."

"I know." He walks away leaving me with a
little smile on my face. Maybe being here will be better than
staying with my parents. I have nothing from Matt or Theron here,
but then I remember the box. I'm suddenly curious to know its
contents.

I make my way back up the stairs to grab my
stuff. Once I have it in my room, I try to make sense of it all. I
leave most of my clothes in my bag. I'm able to hang a few up since
there was a couple of hangers in the closet. I take a couple of
books I brought with me and set them in the window sill by the bed.
All that's left is the box that Matt left me. I want to go through
it, but I stop myself.

I flop down on the futon and close my eyes.
Not even two minutes go by before I hear my phone buzzing in my
purse. I really don't want to talk to anyone. Theron and Kayla have
been texting me since Monday, but I ignore them. It buzzes again
and I decide to check it. I grab my phone. It feels so heavy in my
hand. My stomach sinks, taking a deep breath, I swipe open the
screen to view my text messages. I now have seventeen unread texts
from Theron and six from Kayla. The one I just got isn't from
either of them. In fact, I don't recognize the number. I open
it.

My sweet, Eve. What did he do to
you? I came to see you and he told me you ran. I know what Thomas
did. Please know, it wasn't Theron's fault. He didn't know what
Thomas was up to. He had some inclination and I looked into it for
him. He didn't believe his own father would go this far to hurt
him. Please, if you can, just text me or call me so I know you are
okay. I miss you. -Isa

Several questions quickly come to mind, but I
dismiss the first one. I know how Isa got my number. Theron must
have given it to her. The next question is more a cluster of
questions. What exactly did Thomas do, how was it directed at
Theron, and why does it include me? I shake my head. I need to be
done with this. My dad is right, I need to take some time to
myself. Grabbing the business card out of my purse, I schedule an
appointment for next week with the surgeon.

"Hey, butthead." Robert is leaning against the
doorframe. "I see you got all your crap."

I throw my pillow at his face. "It's not
crap."

"I know. Do you have a few
minutes?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"I just wanted to know what happened. What did
he do?"

"What do you mean what did he do?" I start
pacing back and forth. So much for getting past this. "Did you know
he already knew me? We met when we were younger at the beach. He
hung out with us for a summer. I forgot, but he didn't. He followed
me around for six months, before I finally ran into him at the
laundromat. I should have questioned it when I saw his house, but
the idea never came to me. I was too wrapped up in him. Then I find
out my new boss, or should I say my ex-boss, is his ex-fiancé. If
he hid those things from me, what else did he hide?"

"First off, stop. You are going to wear a hole
in my carpet. Did you let him explain? Maybe he didn't tell you
those things because he thought you would freak out and run. Does
is matter if he was engaged before?"

"Yes, it matters!" I'm furious. I stand in
front of him clenching my fists at my side, my chest heaving with
rage. How could it not matter? "He fucking lied to me!"

"No, he didn't."

"What?" I feel like I've been slapped across
my face. Robert is defending him. This is bullshit.

"He didn't lie. He should have probably told
you those things, but you were going through something most people
don't. I think he was worried it would break you."

Wiping tears from my eyes, I slide down the
wall, bringing my knees up to my chest. "Everyone loses someone
eventually."

"True, but how many people go through exactly
what you did? Just because everyone loses someone eventually,
doesn't mean it hurts any less. Listen, Theron asked me to go to
the game with him on Saturday. He said you were supposed to, but
since you won't talk to him he asked me."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to a
baseball game with him after he lied to me?"

"You know what, Eve? You need to grow the hell
up. Everyone has been walking on eggshells around you. He didn't
mean to hurt you. You need to pull your head out your ass. Get your
shit together and deal with all this." Robert stomps off slamming
my door behind him.

He didn't lie to me. Robert's words keep
replaying over and over in my head. I need to know exactly what
happened. I only know two people who could explain everything to
me. I refuse to talk to one of them, I'm not ready for that, so I
decide to respond to Isa's text.

It's Eve. I'd like to talk, but
w/o Theron. Can we do that?

I wait a few moments, but I get no response.
Deciding I need a break from everything, I throw my phone in my
purse and head upstairs. Maybe a drive will clear my head. Robert
is sitting at the breakfast nook eating cereal. Grabbing the box in
front of him, I can't help but laugh, "Seriously? How old are
you?"

"Thirty-one. What's your point?" He snatches
the box of cereal from my grasp.

"I thought Trix were for kids?"

"Screw off. I'm technically someone's kid.
Besides, they're really good."

I grab a bowl from the cabinet, taking a seat
at the table as my phone starts to ring. "Figures."

"Ha! More for me." Robert has a huge grin on
his face.

I'm glad someone is happy about this. Reaching
into my purse, I grab my phone. “Hello."

"Evelyn Davidson?"

"Yes?"

"This Detective Marcus Cright. I'm calling
into the regards to the events regarding a Matt Stephenson. If
you'd like, we could discuss this matter in person. As you are a
firsthand witness, we wanted to inform you of an update on the
case. We have already spoken with the family, and were informed to
call you personally."

Everything around me comes to a complete halt.
My lungs begin to burn, realizing I'm not breathing, I take a deep
breath.

"Hello? Ma'am?"

"Yes, I'm here. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting
your call."

"Would you like to set up a time for a
meeting?"

"Is it necessary? I just…this is incredibly
difficult as it is. Do I have to come in?" Turning my head, I cast
a glance at Robert. He's sitting perfectly still. Everything is so
eerily calm.

"No, it's not required for you to come in. I
wanted to personally give you my condolences. I'm so very sorry for
your loss. "

"Thanks." Resting my elbow on the table, I
rest my face in my hand while holding my phone with my other hand.
I feel defeated. Every time I stand up and feel strong again, I get
reminded of how frail I really am.

"A warrant was issued for the arrest of
Patrick Jennet. After running his prints through our data base, we
were able to come up with an immediate match. He has two prior
warrants issued for public intoxication, assault, and theft. He was
picked up yesterday. He will be held in the county jail without
bail. Would you like to be notified of any court dates?"

"Do I have to attend?"

"Not at this time. If it comes to a jury, you
could be subpoenaed as a witness."

"Okay. Can you just keep me
updated?"

"Of course, Ma'am. Have a good
day."

"You too." I tap end call on my screen. Gently
laying down my phone on the table, I begin to cry. I feel Robert's
hand softly rub my back. Wiping my eyes, I look over at Robert, his
solemn expression comforts me. He's not going to push me, he's
going to let me deal with this as I need to. "It was the
police."

"I guessed as much. What did they
find?"

"They were able to match prints against the
knife and have someone being held in county jail. He has other
warrants so he's being held without bail. They will notify me of
any future court dates, or if they will need me as a
witness."

"I don't know what to say to make this better
for you. I wish I could trade you places." He squeezes my shoulder
and I do my best to return a faint smile.

"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy."
Staring at the empty cereal bowl in front of me, makes me realize
how empty I feel inside. Theron was a way to make me feel, but now
that's he's gone I feel hollow. I don't want to rely on someone
else to make me feel again. I need to learn how to handle this on
my own. Before all of this happened I would lose myself in books,
and let them ease my stress, clearing my mind. With that thought, I
decide a trip to the bookstore is in order. "Robert, I'm going to
go out for a bit. I just need to clear my mind. You,
know?"

"You sure you don't need me?"

"No. I'll be fine. I'm just going to browse at
the bookstore."

"Okay. I hope you find something good to
read."

"Me, too." I grab my purse and sling it over
my shoulder as I head out the door.

Chapter 16

T
he familiar ring of
the bell announces my presence as I walk into the store. The smell
of old and new books, assault my nose. Inhaling deeply, I head to
the counter. I've missed this place. It's strangely quiet, not
seeing Olivia or Harold moving about, I decide to take a walk
through the store. I hear a noise in the back. I freeze all of my
movements until I hear it again. It sounds like someone is pushing
boxes across the floor.

"Hello?" I call out to anyone who may hear
me.

"Yes, I'm in the back. I'll be right with you.
Sorry, I'm just a bit short handed today" Olivia comes walking out
of the back brushing dust and cardboard remnants from her slacks.
"Oh, Evelyn, what a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen you in a few
weeks. I was starting to wonder if you finally had enough
books."

"That, Olivia, is not a thing. You can never
have too many books. I have had a rough couple of weeks, and I was
hoping you could lead me to a smile."

"If you don't mind me asking, is your rough
weeks related to the Stephenson boy? I saw his name in the papers.
Poor thing, he was always such a sweet boy."

"He was one of my best friends."

"I'm so sorry dear. If I had known, I would
have sent a card or flowers to the funeral home."

"It's okay. There were so many arrangements,
I'm not sure I even know who they came from."

"Yes, well, that's another matter. I've been
rather bombarded here lately, and I'm having a hard time keeping
track of what's what."

"Where's Harold?"

"He was trying to prove to me he didn’t need
any help reaching some of the boxes in the back. He lost his
footing, fell off his ladder, and broke his leg. He's resting at
home, while I try to make a go of things by myself. I wish I had
help, but I don't want to post any ads. I have no idea how long it
will be, before he's back to his normal self."

An idea occurs to me, sending a bubble of hope
straight to my heart. Thump. I press my palm to my chest and I feel
it beating. Thump. I know I just felt that on the inside as well.
"Olivia, what if I help you? I recently quit my job, and I need
something to help me pay bills between jobs. Could I help you out
while I work on my resume?"