by K. C. Crowne
“So you’re the one who called the police?” Charlotte asked.
He nodded, still not looking at us, but his cheeks were wet with tears. “She hung up the phone, and I was afraid for her. She sounded so determined, and I couldn’t talk her out of it.”
A waitress came and took our orders.
“Just a sweet tea for me, please,” Josh said. “I haven’t been able to eat much since that day. I tried to get to her in time but-- it’s a good forty-five minutes from Nashville, even on the best days.”
We all just ordered drinks and waited until the waitress came back with them before we continued talking. I also wanted to give Josh a chance to breathe. The poor kid was really messed up.
Josh straightened his back and forced himself to look me in the eye, and he was the one who chose to continue the conversation.
“My sister was really torn up about something. That Peter guy, I think it’s your ex?” he turned to Charlotte who nodded her head. “He may not have killed her, but he hurt her. He hurt her beyond words, to the point that she did this to herself, I just know it.”
“What did she tell you about her relationship with Peter?” Charlotte asked, her voice soft.
“Not much, just that she loved him and that she was going to marry him and live a life like she’d always dreamed of - one where she wouldn’t have to struggle to pay the bills every month. That bastard knew she struggled, and he used her, I know he did. She said he made her do some pretty terrible things too, made up lies and all that. My sister was a good person, she wouldn’t have done what she did if she wasn’t being manipulated behind the scenes.”
“I’m so sorry, Josh. I know Peter, and I know what he’s capable of, so I believe you,” Charlotte said. “I’m trying to find proof that he hurt her, because she didn’t deserve it.”
“Well, the police told me it didn’t matter even if he did manipulate and use her, even if he did cause her depression, she killed herself. No charges could be filed against Peter for anything, so they didn’t even take my report. I have a feeling it’s because he’s rich and well-known while my sister and I are just nobodies, but that’s what they told me - there’s nothing they could do.”
“I don’t know if that’s true,” I said. “I don’t know the laws in Tennessee, but several states have laws in place that can see you charged if there’s proof you coerced someone to take their own life. Problem is, we’d have to find proof.”
Charlotte turned to Josh. “We heard there was a suicide note. Do you, by chance, know what was said in it?”
Josh stared at Charlotte in disbelief. “Note? I hadn’t heard of any note. If she’d left one, I think my family has a right to see it, but they never mentioned one to me.”
Charlotte and I shared a knowing look. Something wasn’t right here. The police had told Sandra one thing, Josh another.
“Huh, if I didn’t know better, I’d almost say they were trying to hide evidence,” I said under my breath.
“Maybe it has something in it that they don’t want folks knowing about,” Charlotte added.
I sighed. The idea of dealing with corrupt police was exhausting. It was hard enough to solve a crime when you had the law working with you, but when they were working against you? At times, it could feel damned near impossible.
“Sure seems like it to me.”
Chapter 21
Charlotte
“Thomas, I know you’re just a deputy, but you have to listen to me,” I said, talking to the one person I knew and trusted in the sheriff’s department. I had convinced Eli to go back to the station to try and get some answers. “Something isn’t right here.”
“What are you doing back here?” Ford’s voice boomed from the other side of the station. “Are you just asking to be arrested, Ms. Grey?”
I took a deep breath before turning to face the man. “No, but I do want some answers. We spoke to Jenny’s neighbor as well as her brother, and neither of them think your officers have done enough.”
“What more is there to do?” Thomas asked from his desk. “It was clearly a suicide, there was a note and--”
“Deputy,” Ford scolded as he closed the distance of the small station. “Don’t give information about an ongoing investigation.”
Ford towered over the deputy who just stared back at him with a confused look on his face. “Ongoing investigation? I thought--”
Ford scowled at the man, a hateful glean in his eye silencing the deputy.
“There are things we’re looking into - things which are above your paygrade, deputy.”
“Things? What kind of things? Why would you insinuate that I was involved in the death when clearly, the video shows no one coming and going into her apartment after Peter left.” I’ll admit, my voice was raised a bit. I had my hands on my hips and I stood tall.
“Ms. Grey, please leave this station before I have you arrested for impeding an investigation.”
I opened my mouth to argue some more, but a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I glanced back to find Eli staring at me with soft eyes. “Come on, Charlotte. This kind of stress isn’t good for you,” he said. And he leaned in close enough to whisper in my ear. “You or the baby.”
The baby. He was right. I let my emotions get the best of me. My hand fell to my belly, and I knew none of this was good for our child. I stepped back without another word and followed Eli to the door.
“Don’t come back here unless we have a warrant for your arrest, Ms. Grey.”
My blood boiled and I froze in the doorway. I wanted so badly to ask him what grounds he’d arrest me on, but I knew men like him. Peter was like him. They were bullies. He was trying to push my buttons, trying to give him a reason to arrest me.
I wasn’t going to let him win.
I took Eli’s hand in mine and walked out the door, my insides in knots from the rage that had built up inside of me.
“Something just isn’t right here!” I shouted as soon as we were in the truck. “I never liked him, but it’s clear that man is corrupt.”
Eli reached inside his pocket and pulled out my old phone, the one I was no longer using. Instead of responding to me, he frowned at the screen.
“What is it now?” I knew it had to be Peter. When Eli didn’t answer, I reached for the phone. “Let me see it.”
“You’re already angry,” Eli said, his voice staying calm. “I don’t think this will help matters.”
“I still need to know what’s going on.”
Eli let go of the phone, and I was able to read the message from Peter.
I know you’re in town, Charlotte. Meet with me. Let’s talk everything through and try to come to an agreement before you completely ruin your life and those of your loved ones with it.
“What does he mean ruin my loved ones’ lives?”
“I take it as a threat against your family.”
My blood, which was previously made of fire, turned to ice. I was still angry, but there was a fear inside of me now. If he could do what he did to Jenny, what could he do to my family?
“I think,” Eli said, speaking slowly as he studied my face for a reaction, “I think we need to talk to your family.”
“As in my mom and dad? Hell no,” I said.
“I know how they are, and I know your relationship is strained with them, but your dad was a powerful attorney here in town, I’m sure he has connections or could help us figure out the corruption in the sheriff’s office. And if Peter is going to do something to mess with them, don’t you think they have a right to know?”
I sighed and closed my eyes. I didn’t want to admit that he was right.
My parents were uptight and had different ideas about how I should live my life, sure, but they were still my family. And if Peter was going to go after them, they needed to be warned. I wasn’t sure what kind of damage they could inflict on my family, but I didn’t want to find out.
And my dad was a very powerful person in the small town, someone many people respected.
If anyone knew what was going down at the sheriff’s office, it would be him, even though he’d technically retired a year before.
“Alright, I’ll give them a call.”
My finger hovered above their number in my phone as I bit my lower lip, trying to come up with the perfect thing to say to them. I would have to deal with my mother nagging me about leaving Peter - a man she thought walked on water. My father would be disappointed in me running away, surely, since he was a lot like Peter in that regard. He cared about his reputation, and that of his family, way too much for my liking.
But I pressed the dial button because I knew Eli was right.
Ooo000ooo
My dad had answered the phone, and he was surprised to hear from me. He even sounded happy and relieved. He wasn’t much of a phone person, but we’d set up a time to go over there for dinner.
My hands were clammy, and my heart was racing as we pulled up to my family’s house. I had never really enjoyed dinner with my family even before the drama went down, and I expected tonight’s dinner wasn’t going to be much fun. My dad might have been relieved to hear from me, but after that relief wore off, I expected a stern lecture about running away from my responsibilities and about how I needed to grow up. Of course, neither of them knew about the abuse. I wasn’t sure how they would respond to that. Were there concerns about reputation more important than their daughter? I guess we’d see.
I also hadn’t told them I was bringing Eli with me. I told them I had someone with me but didn’t really explain who. I hadn’t thought about it on the phone, but now that I did, they would likely be surprised to see my old high school boyfriend strolling in with me. My dad was always pretty harsh with Eli back in the day, and I wondered what he’d have to say now.
“I guess it’s now or never,” I muttered as I unfastened my seat belt.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. I remember your parents were a bit strict, but they seemed like good people, even back when your dad was threatening me with his shotgun.”
“Yeah, please don’t ever do that if we have a daughter.” I cringed at the very idea of it. “It’s so…. sexist.”
Eli chuckled. “I’ll be protective of our child no matter if they’re boy or girl, but no, I won’t go that far.”
“Thank you.” Even more proof of what I already knew - Eli was going to make one hell of a father. I knew that no matter what happened between us, or what our child was like, he would love them unconditionally and raise them well.
I got out of the car with Eli and together we walked up the stone path to my parent’s mansion. Being from one of the richest families in Red River used to come with perks like, oh the police sometimes looking the other way when I was speeding. Perks that used to irk the hell out of my dad, who firmly believed in the law and that no one was above it - not even him, and especially not his daughter.
I hesitated for only a second before ringing the doorbell, knowing full well that my parents were likely aware of our arrival the minute we started up the walkway due to their security system.
Wave at the cameras, I thought to myself as I stared right into one of them.
The front door opened a second later, and my mother stared back at us from the other side.
Judith Wilkins-Grey was about the same height as me, and I was by no means tall. Growing up, I had always thought she was so big and scary. Now, as an adult myself, I recognized just how small she was. Then again, it would be unwise to let her size fool you - she could be downright scary when angry.
I often compared her to a fifties housewife, and tonight was no different. Her reddish blonde hair was pulled back into a chic chignon, no sign of a single grey hair thanks to her loyal hair stylist. She wore a floral dress with an apron tied around her waist as if she was working hard in the kitchen. Several years ago, Mom had hired a cook that prepared most of the meals for her and my dad, so unless Rosa called in sick, I knew the apron was more for show when she popped into the kitchen to check on things.
Her blue eyes moved over the two of us, and her red lips pursed in a frown.
“Your father said you were bringing company, but he didn’t tell me you were with Elijah again.” The first words she’d said to me in weeks, and that’s what she went with.
I sighed. This was my mother after all.
“I didn’t tell him. It had slipped my mind to mention it.”
“It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Grey,” Eli said.
“Wilkins-Grey,” Mother corrected him, her chin pushed out confidently. “And thank you. Same to you, Elijah.”
“Eli. Please, no one calls me Elijah anymore,” he said. “Not even my mom.”
My mother didn’t respond to that, she just motioned for us to enter the house. “Dinner will be served in just a couple minutes. I was just about to check on it. Your father should be coming down any second and-- well, there he is.”
My father came down the steps, and my mother rushed off to the kitchen. Unlike my mother, my dad at least smiled and shook Eli’s hand.
“When Charlotte said she was bringing a guest, I assumed it was one of her girlfriends. It’s good to see you again, Elijah.”
“Please, call me Eli.” He shook my dad’s hand, and the two men shared a look of respect.
“You’ve grown, son. The Navy must have been really good to you,” Dad said.
“It was, Mr. Grey.”
My dad turned back to me, and his face shifted into one I’d known well - that of a dad preparing to give me a lecture.
“We were so worried about you, Charlotte. I know you texted your mom a handful of times to tell her you were okay, but we couldn’t be sure if they were really from you. She kept thinking maybe you’d been kidnapped. She was so happy to hear you called and I heard your voice.”
My mom, happy? Her behavior when we’d arrived seemed far from happy, but I let it go.
“I’m sorry, I just wasn’t ready to talk about it all just yet, and I knew there would be questions.”
“Are you ready to talk now?” My dad cocked his brows.
“I-- well, I don’t think I have much of a choice, all things considered. We need your help, Dad.”
“Yes, you mentioned that on the phone. Care to explain what’s going on?”
“Dinner is almost ready,” Mom’s voice called from the other room.
“I’ll explain everything,” I said softly. “But it’s probably easier when we’re all together, so I don’t have to repeat myself.”
I stared down at the floor, counting the hardwood slats as I often did as a kid when trying to avoid eye contact with my parents. I followed my dad through the living room and into the adjacent dining room, where Mom was already seated at the table. Rosa was just finishing up setting the table, placing a steaming plate of mashed potatoes next to what appeared to be grilled salmon.
“Rosa makes the most amazing rosemary-crusted salmon I’ve ever tasted. Even better than that restaurant in Maine we go to when visiting your grandparents,” Mom said.
Rosa smiled at me, and I offered her a friendly smile in return.
“It’s a recipe passed down from my own mother, in fact,” Rosa said. “And one I plan to pass down to my children too.”
“You could open your own restaurant if you wanted to,” Mom said. “But then again, I’d be sad to see you go.”
Seeing the way my mom heaped praise on the woman surprised me. My mother was never one to go heavy on the compliments, but then again, it was true that Rosa being there meant my mother had less to worry about in her everyday life. My mom was nothing if not self-absorbed.
It was nice to know that she was respectful of the woman and all her hard work, though. It made me think there was a heart inside that otherwise frozen exterior after all.
I took my usual seat next to my mother and Eli sat beside me. My dad sat at the opposite end as my mom, next to Eli. Rosa hurried from the room and came back with a bottle of wine.
She went around the table pouring glasses f
or each of us as my mom raved about her wine choices and how they complement every single dish she makes. As Rosa approached my glass, I held my hand over the top.
“Just water for me, please.” I spoke quietly to not draw attention to myself, but my mother raised an eyebrow. If she had any suspicions, she kept them to herself.
Rosa came back with some water for me, and we began serving ourselves, passing the plates around the table.
“So, Charlotte, your father said you needed to ask his help with something. I’m assuming this has to do with your breakup with Peter?” Mom asked.
And there it was. The elephant in the room. I had to face it.
“Sort of, yes, things have gotten pretty complicated.”
“Oh?” Mom asked as she sipped from her wine. “Please, I would love to hear what motivated you to abandon your fiancé days before your wedding. Or does Elijah being here with you mean that the things he’s been saying around town are true?”
I flinched at her words, but thankfully Eli was there to offer his hand underneath the table, giving my thigh a squeeze. I wasn’t alone. I had this. I kept my rage from boiling over by taking a few deep breaths before answering my mother.
“No. None of what he is spreading around town is true in the slightest. Listen, Mom and Dad, I know you loved Peter, and you were so proud of your little girl for finally dating someone you found worthy. But Peter wasn’t the man I thought he was. The day I left him, he gave me a black eye, and--”
“He what?” My dad stood up from the table, his voice bellowed and seemed to shake the painting above him on the wall.
“He hit me, Dad.” As I said those words, tears filled my eyes.
“Oh sweetheart, I had no idea.” My mom’s words came out choked. She covered her mouth and were eyes watering over. Was she about to cry? For me?
My father had his fists balled up at his sides, and his flesh was tinged red from anger - I had seen my dad mad many times in my life, but nothing had ever turned him as bright red as that moment.
“That asshole.” My dad never cursed, especially in front of his children. “I’m going to ruin him.”