Suffer II (9 page)

It was time for her to start facing her demons. By the end of the phone conversation between Karla and the Greenes, all three were in tears. It was the first time they had spoken to each other in years. The weight of Karla’s guilt was tremendous, but not as tremendous as the relief when the Greenes lifted it. They made plans to reunite as soon as Karla returned.

There was little comfort when she made the second phone call. She didn’t like deceiving Tyler, but Kate assured her that the damage would be reversible. The team agreed it was the only way to get him to talk.

It was time for Brittany and Tyler to face their demons as well. They wouldn’t have a choice. It took six days to make all of the arrangements. The timing had to be perfect.

“Your favorite daughter is home!” said Brittany, squeezing through the front door with several bags.

“There’s my baby!” said Mrs. Greene, jumping to her feet from the couch.

“You moving back in?” asked Mr. Greene, standing. “We already rented your room.”

“Funny, dad,” said Brittany, noticing the two strangers sitting in living room.

“Just set these down,’ said Mrs. Greene, giving her daughter a tight hug. “We’ll take them up later.”

“Come sit, sweetheart,” said Mr. Greene, putting his arm around her. “I’d like you to meet our new friends.”

“I’m Kate and this is my sister, Abby,” said Kate, extending her hand.

“Pleased to meet you,” said Brittany, smiling.

“They’re here from Florida,” said Mr. Greene. “They’re helping Karla find Emily.”

Kate was expecting a reaction. She didn’t expect her to turn white and grab for her father’s arm. He helped her to the couch as Mrs. Greene brought her a glass of tea.

“I know this is upsetting,” said Mr. Greene. “We’ll be right here beside you the entire time, okay?”

“I’m not ready for this, Dad,” said Brittany, clutching his hand. “It’s too soon. I’ve told them everything I know.”

“I understand that,” said Mr. Greene. “They’re not the police. They’re private investigators.”

“I can’t go through this again,” said Brittany. “Please, Dad. You know how hard all of that was for me.”

“I do,” said Mr. Greene. “But if anything ever happened to you, I’d want answers and I’d want them fast. We’re going to do everything we can to help them.”

“We spoke to Emily’s mom last week,” said Mrs. Greene, taking a seat on the other side of her daughter. “She sounded so good, Brit. We all talked for hours and it was like having the old Karla back. She’s desperate to find out what happened to Emily, and your dad’s right. We’re going to help them. No matter what it takes.”

“She wrote about you all the time,” said Abby. “Since she was a little girl.”

“What do you mean she wrote about me?” asked Brittany, wiping away tears.

“Emily started journaling when she was twelve,” said Kate. “She didn’t stop writing in it until her eighteenth birthday.”

“She adored you,” said Abby. “You helped her get through one of the roughest times of her life. She wrote pages and pages of how you made her life better and stood by her when her mother was sick. You meant the world to her.”

“We told them what you told us about the party,” said Mr. Greene. “But they need to hear it from you.”

*****

Tyler parked his truck in Karla’s empty driveway. She had asked him to stop by and bring in the mail while she was gone. When he walked inside, he was startled by the strangers in her living room.

“Who the hell are you?” asked Tyler, holding the door open. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re friends of Karla’s. My name is Grey and this is Tony, but you can call him Chief.”

“I’m not calling him anything,” said Tyler, reaching for his phone. “I’m calling the sheriff.”

“Sheriff Lewis knows were here,” said Chief. “He also knows why.”

“Tyler,” said Grey, getting his attention. “You need to understand that we’re not going anywhere. We’re going to be staying in Boudreaux and making a lot of trouble for anyone who doesn’t help up find Emily.”

“I already told that Kate lady that I don’t know anything more,” said Tyler. “Why are you harassing me? I didn’t do anything to her. I tried to help Karla find her, and this is the thanks I get? She set me up.”

“Sit down, son,” said Chief. “We’re not looking to jam you up. At this point, we don’t think you had anything to do with her disappearance. You need to talk to us and keep it that way.”

“I know you guys aren’t cops,” said Tyler. “I don’t have to say anything to you.”

“Trust me,” said Grey. “You’d rather talk to us than the cops.”

“The sheriff needs a reason to change this case from a missing persons report to something a lot more serious,” said Chief. “The reason we give him to do that is going to be you.”

“Bullshit,” said Tyler. “I had nothing to do with it.”

“It?” asked Chief, cocking his head. “What
it
are you referring to?”

“Her being missing,” said Tyler. “I don’t know anything about her being murdered.”

“We never said murder, son,” said Chief. “But since you brought
it
up, you need to know what we know.”

“We know you put your hands on her,” said Grey. “You got rough and she told you to stop. You didn’t, and she had to fight her way out of your truck. A couple of months later, you brought her to the party where things really got messy.”

“You’re out of your minds,” said Tyler. “Did Brittany tell you that? If she did, she’s lying through her teeth. I never touched her. All I did was take her to the party. That’s it.”

“Emily told us,” said Grey. “She wrote everything down.”

“She’d fucking dead!” said Tyler, taking a step towards them. “She didn’t tell you a goddamned thing!”

“You’re not good at this, son,” said Chief. “I thought you’d be a tougher nut to crack.”

“You two can go to hell,” said Tyler, turning to leave.

“Sit down,” said Dawson, coming from around the corner. “You’re not going anywhere.”

*****

“I can’t talk about that night,” said Brittany, tearing up while looking at her father. “You shouldn’t be either. The sheriff told us not to.”

“No, he didn’t,” said Kate. “I spoke with him yesterday. The gag order is for her arrests and court appearances. Those took place after the party.”

“You need to talk to them now,” said Mr. Greene. “If you don’t, Tyler will.”

“What?” asked Brittany, losing her color again. “He’s here?”

“No, he’s not here,” said Kate. “He’s with a police officer and an FBI agent. They’re questioning him as we speak.”

“I’m going to be sick,” said Brittany. “I’m not kidding.”

“Go with her,” said Mr. Greene, looking at his wife.

Since they couldn’t arrest or split two suspects in interrogation rooms, Kate and Grey needed to make sure Brittany and Tyler were blindsided in two different locations. They also had to make sure the twenty-year-old adults wouldn’t be able to walk away from them.

Kate understood the relationships they had with their families. Brittany wouldn’t be able to run from her parents, and Tyler wouldn’t be able to run from Dawson. It’s the reason they had to wait six days for Brittany to come home from school and for Dawson to travel from North Dakota.

“I know this is incredibly difficult, Mr. Greene,” said Kate. “But it’s the only way to keep them out of much bigger trouble.”

“Please call me Jim,” said Mr. Greene. “I think we can dispense with the formalities here. Yes, this is difficult. I’m sorry, but I still can’t believe my daughter had anything to do with what happened to Emily. They were very close.”

“I’m sorry as well, Jim,” said Kate, looking at her text message. “But she did.”

Sitting at the console at the team’s rental house, Evan saved the recordings of the phone calls. He recognized the cell phone numbers he hijacked from Brittany and Tyler. He didn’t recognize the number of the second call Brittany made while in the bathroom at her house pretending to be sick. Kate had a hunch where the second call went, but she needed Grey to make sure.

“She just called him, didn’t she?” asked Jim, lowering his head. “Why?”

“To make sure he was sticking to their story,” said Kate. “Knowing what they have going on over there, Tyler’s probably in no position to take a phone call.”

*****

“Dawson?” said Tyler, widening his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Saving your life,” said Dawson, walking up to his brother and giving him a hug. “What have you done?”

“Nothing,” said Tyler. “I didn’t do what they’re saying I did. I swear to you, I had nothing to do with it.”

“With what?” asked Dawson. “You keep saying that. What happened to Em? What do you know?”

“I just need to talk to Brittany first,” said Tyler. “Please, just let me talk to her for a minute. You don’t understand what’s going on here. We didn’t do anything to her, Dawson. I swear to God we didn’t.”

“That’s going to be a little difficult right now,” said Grey, keeping up the pressure. “She’s at home right now with her parents and two of our investigators.”

“What do you think they’re talking about?” asked Chief. “You should be very concerned about that. If I were her, I’d be throwing you under the bus.”

“No,” said Tyler, looking at his phone. “She’s more worried I’m throwing her.”

*****

“Are you okay?” asked Abby, looking at Brittany while she settled back into her seat.

“No,” said Brittany, reaching for both of her parents’ hands. “You have no idea how much this hurts. She was my best friend and I couldn’t help her.”

“Help her with what?” asked Kate. “What happened at the party?”

“Tell them,” said Jim, squeezing her hand.

“It was the first time I caught her using drugs,” said Brittany. “I wanted her to have a great eighteenth birthday after everything she’d been going through with her mom. Ms. Karla was doing a little better, but it was still so stressful for Em. I wanted her to relax and have a good time, so I made it a surprise party and told her it was my Christmas party. I invited all of her friends. Most of them I knew well, but there were a few I didn’t. I just knew that she’d want them there.”

“She was very excited about it,” said Abby. “Is that why you helped her bury the hatchet with Tyler?”

“Yes,” said Brittany. “I knew something had happened between them, but she never told me what it was. He had a huge crush on her for as long as I can remember. I was sure it had something to do with that. I just reminded her what great friends they were, and whatever he did she needed to forgive him. She agreed, and they ended up coming to the party together. Everything was going great until those guys showed up.”

“What guys?” asked Abby.

She looked over at her father. “Tell them, sweetheart,” said Jim. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“I love you, Dad,” said Brittany. “But you can’t keep that promise.”

For the first time during their conversation, Kate knew she was telling the truth. She also knew everything she told them after that would be more lies. Brittany wasn’t trying to be deceitful. She was trying to protect her parents.

They both knew her father wouldn’t be able to keep that promise. He wouldn’t be able to protect his daughter any better than Karla was able to protect Emily. Brittany was scared for him.

Abby looked over at her sister and saw the familiar distance in her eyes. She knew she was taking herself into the dark place Abby would never be able to understand. A place Kate went to keep promises that others couldn’t.

“You’re right, Brittany,” said Kate, leaning forward. “He can’t protect you. I will.”

Emily and Brittany dove into the pool and glided underwater to the shallow end. All eyes were on them when they popped up from below the surface. Most of those eyes belonged to the boys who were silently planning their strategies to get closer to them. Some of the eyes belonged to other girls who wished that they would go away.

“I can’t believe our senior year starts next week,” said Brittany, pushing herself up on the stairs.

“I know,” said Emily, sitting beside her in the shallow water. “I’m going to have a heart attack waiting for my letter.”

“Oh, please,” said Brittany. “With your GPA, you’ll get in. I’m the one who should be worried. What if I don’t get accepted to LSU? I’ll never see you again, and Conner will drop me like a hot rock.”

“You worry too much,” said Emily, leaning back on her elbows. “You’ll get in too. Besides, I’ll always be there for you.”

“Ugh,” said Brittany. “Here comes trouble.”

Mark Hall was the first to put his plan into action. He brought two of his friends as back-up. He was the son of a district judge and didn’t let anyone forget it. Girls found him attractive, and he was popular in school. He wasn’t popular because he was smart and friendly. He was popular because he threw parties where alcohol and fights were guaranteed. Mark was confident and aggressive.

“Hey, ladies,” said Mark, staring at Emily’s chest. “You both are looking good today.”

“Thanks,” said Brit, noticing his stare. “I thought you were having a party at your house.”

“I am,” said Mark. “It starts at eight. You two are coming, right?”

“Not sure,” said Brit. “Em and I need some girl time. We’re probably just going to stick around here tonight.”

“I gotta tell you, Em,” said Mark, sliding onto the stair beside her, “you’ve changed a lot since last year. You look amazing. I mean, you were always pretty, but damn. You’ve changed a lot.”

“Thank you,” said Emily, trying to slide closer to Brittany.

“I’m serious,” said Mark, putting his hand on her knee. “You should come tonight. It’s going to be fun. You and I need to catch up.”

“I would,” said Emily. “But Brittany needs my expert advice.”

“About what?” asked Mark, moving his hand up her thigh. “Maybe I can help.”

“It’s girl stuff,” said Emily, pushing his hand off of her. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Sure,” said Mark. “I get it. Just give me a hug and we’ll catch up later.”

Before Emily could respond, he stood and pulled her up. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her into him. At first her arms were dangling by her side, but she conceded and hugged him back. She could feel his erection growing against her stomach as he held the embrace as long as she would let him.

“I can’t breathe,” said Emily, pulling away from him.

“Because it’s a good hug,” said Mark, smiling at her. “Don’t get jealous, Brit. You’re spoken for.”

“My loss,” said Brittany, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll see you later,” said Mark, wading into deeper water with his friends.

“That was gross,” said Emily, sitting on the step. “I could feel his hard-on.”

“Come on,” said Brittany. “You know you liked it. You should go out with him.”

“Are you kidding me?” said Emily, cutting her eyes at Brittany. “Please tell me you’re kidding. He just wants to get into my pants.”

“Why is that so bad?” asked Brittany. “That’s pretty much what all guys want. I mean, he’s not that bad looking, and he obviously wants you.”

“Who are you?” asked Emily. “What have you done with my best friend?”

“Come on, Em,” said Brittany, dropping her shoulders. “You know I’m kidding. But you’ve been cooped up in your house taking care of your mom since our sophomore year. The only guy you’ve done anything with now lives a thousand miles away and may never come back. You deserve to have someone take you out and do nice things for you.”

“I’m not much of a dater,” said Emily. “I just want to get through my senior year and into college. It’s what my dad wanted for me, and so do I. I’m going to make that happen.”

“What about your mom?” asked Brittany. “Who’s going to take care of her?”

“She is,” said Emily, turning away. “She needs to work through this. I’m not going to be in Boudreaux forever making her life better and missing out on my own.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Em. I really am. I just hope you mean it.”

“I do,” said Emily. “I hate the thought of her being alone, but I can’t do this anymore. She needs to snap out of it and move on with her life. She’s too young to just give up.”

“We’ll figure it out,” said Brittany. “I’ll help you.”

“You already are,” said Emily, smiling at her. “More than you know.”

“Hey, Brit,” said Mr. Greene, standing behind them. “Your mom and I are heading out shortly. I promised her a date night.”

“Aw,” said Brittany. “Aren’t you sweet?”

“It’s a curse,” said Mr. Greene. “Your mom wants you to come inside and help her pick out an outfit.”

“Okay,” said Brittany, standing and walking up the stairs.

“You need my help?” asked Emily.

“No, it won’t take long,” said Brittany. “I already know what I want her to wear.”

Brittany and her dad left Emily alone with her thoughts. She leaned her head back into the water, but her face was still above the surface. She looked up into the cloudless sky and saw a flash of sunlight reflect off the wing of an airplane. Emily wondered who was onboard and where they were going. Wherever it was, it had to be a better place than Boudreaux. She closed her eyes and felt the sun on her cheeks. She opened them again when the sunshine was replaced with a shadow and a stare.

“What are you doing?” asked Emily, lifting her head and looking up at Conner with a smile.

“Waiting to talk to you,” said Conner, stepping down into the water.

“About what?”

“I need your help with something, but you have to keep it between us,” said Conner, looking around. “Seriously, you can’t tell anyone.”

“Sounds intriguing.”

“It’s not that intriguing,” said Conner. “It’s actually a little embarrassing.”

“Even better.”

“Funny,” said Conner. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone.”

“I promise,” said Emily, sensing his seriousness. “What is it?”

“Chemistry,” said Conner, exhaling. “It’s kicking my ass. I had to go to summer school because of it. I just told everyone I was going to more football camps. It’s still kicking my ass. I was wondering if you could help me with it.”

“Of course,” said Emily. “It’s no big deal. A lot of people have trouble with it.”

“I know, but if I don’t keep my GPA up, I may not get the scholarship,” said Conner. “My parents don’t have that kind of money, so that’s my only shot. It’s kind of embarrassing, so I don’t want anyone to know, especially Brittany. You’re her best friend. You know that girl can’t keep a secret.”

“She actually can,” said Emily. “But I understand. Yes, I’ll help you and I won’t tell anyone.”

“Thank you,” said Conner, beaming. “I’ll tell her after I pass the class. You have no idea how much this means to me. You’re the best, Em.”

Again, Emily found herself being pulled into hug. The difference being that Conner’s was genuine and sincere. She returned the hug not realizing there were two sets of eyes watching them. One set belonging to Tyler and the other belonging to Brittany.

“I told you that wouldn’t take long,” said Brittany, walking up behind them.

“I have to head to practice now,” said Conner, standing. “I’ll come back by when I’m done. Thanks again, Em. I’ll talk to you later.”

“What was that all about?” asked Brittany, reclaiming her seat next to Emily.

“We were just talking about school starting next week. What did you pick out for your mom?”

“Something my dad’s going to like very much,” said Brittany, watching Conner walk away, but then seeing him turn to look at them.

“Really?” said Brittany. “He’s staring at you.”

“No,” said Emily, “he’s staring at you.”

“What’s going on?” asked Brittany, turning to her friend. “Why did he wait until I was gone before he came over here and then leave when I came back?”

“We were talking about stupid school stuff, Brit,” said Emily, looking down at the water.

“Oh my God,” said Brittany. “You’re lying to me. You can’t even look me in the eyes. Did he ask you out?”

“No!” said Emily, turning to Brittany and clenching her teeth. “He likes you. I’m not lying. We were just talking about school stuff. Drop it, Brit. I have no interest in Conner or Mark or Tyler or anyone else. Stop it, right now. I’m serious. If he was hitting on me, I would tell you and it would make him the dumbest guy I know. You’re my best friend and I’d never do anything to hurt you. I don’t need this crap right now.”

“Okay, okay,” said Brittany, backing down. “I’m sorry. You know how I get. I believe you. I’m really sorry, Em. It’s just I know that a lot of girls are after him because he’s going to be a football star.”

“And you thought I was one of those girls?” asked Emily. “I’ve never even been to a football game.”

“I know,” said Brit. “I’m being stupid. Do you forgive me?”

“This time,” said Emily, splashing her with water.

They spent the next few hours floating, listening to music, and talking with friends. Emily was relieved when Conner returned and pulled Brittany to the side. They were laughing and hugging in the corner of the pool away from the others.

Emily wrapped herself in a towel and found Tyler sitting alone at one of the tables. She grabbed a plate of food and went to join him. When she smiled at him, he turned away from her.

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Emily.

“I’m not starting,” said Tyler, lowering his head.

“Starting what?”

“The first game,” said Tyler. “Coach told me today. I’ll be second string unless someone gets hurt. I’ll be the only senior on the team riding the bench.”

“I’m sorry,” said Emily, reaching over for his hand. “Maybe you’ll start the second game.”

“That’s not how it works,” said Tyler, pulling his hand away from her. “And you.”

“What about me?”

“Flirting with every guy here,” said Tyler, glaring at her. “I’m the only one who really cares about you, and you don’t even give me the time of day. You’d rather be with Mark or Conner or anyone else except me. What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing is wrong with you,” said Emily, furrowing her brow. “You’re one of my best friends. And for your information, they were flirting with me. Well, except Conner. He wasn’t flirting with me at all. He was just –”

“Never mind, Emily,” said Tyler, standing. “You just don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“I said never mind.”

“Why is everyone being so weird today?” asked Emily. “I came here to have fun and relax. As you’re aware, Tyler, I don’t get to do that very often.”

“Believe it or not, neither do I. You’re not the only one who’s ever lost a parent,” said Tyler, walking away.

She sat and watched him leave. Her first reaction was to knock him out of his chair, but decided she had caused enough drama for one day. None of it was intentional.

“He got some bad news today,” said Conner, startling her. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

“It’s okay,” said Emily. “Yeah, he told me about not starting the first game. He told me a few other things as well. People are acting a little strange today.”

“Tell me about it,” said Conner. “I just got an earful from Brittany about being careful around other girls. She thinks they’re all after me.”

“I know,” said Emily. “Your girlfriend gave me the same speech.”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”