Garrick was a faster reader than I was. “She was killed by strangulation?”
“That’d be why you didn’t see any blood on her.”
Lola flopped down on her desk chair. “Ugh, a dead body. I can’t imagine what it would be like seeing one of those. It totally creeps me out.” Asher rubbed her shoulders to console her from the horrible thought.
“The coroner has ruled it a homicide,” I said as I read the conclusion.
“It’d be pretty hard to strangle yourself to death,” Garrick pointed out. Oh, right.
Although… it could still have been an accident. I didn’t think it would be wise to point that out to him. He might decide to accidently strangle me.
Garrick flicked the report to the second page where the coroner had made more detailed notes. According to him, the girl had a few more bruises on her body but they were not serious and probably sustained during the attack that ended her life.
It must have been horrible for the poor girl. To have your life ended so violently, having to fight just to try to save yourself, knowing death was close. It would have been terrifying. I instantly hated the person who had done it to her.
Her name was Chloe Walter. She was only sixteen. Seeing her personal details brought it home that she was a real person. The report wasn’t just a work of fiction about some mythical creature. Chloe was a real girl, living a real life, with real hopes and dreams for her future. A future that was never going to happen now.
I made myself read every word on the page and reached the end. The coroner had found traces of DNA evidence on Chloe’s body. It was sent off for further testing. I had seen enough TV cop shows to know it would take a little while for those results to come in.
I waited for Garrick to finish reading the report. He was going slowly now, probably making sure he memorized every word before moving onto the next one. That report could make or break a case against him.
So could the DNA test results. But Garrick’s DNA was going to be on the body because he tried to help her. He would have left fingerprints, maybe some saliva from the resuscitation, and perhaps some hair just from being close to her. The more important part of the DNA test would be if they found anyone else’s genetic markers.
“It doesn’t really say anything bad for your case,” I pointed out. Garrick was being way too quiet. I much preferred it when people spoke, even if they got angry. At least I knew what was going on inside their head then. There was no way to tell what was ticking inside Garrick’s brain.
“Anybody could have choked the poor girl,” Lola said, backing me up.
“Garrick, say something,” I urged.
He looked at me, piercing me with determined brown eyes. I tried to read his mind but it was impossible. He and Lochie had more in common than they realized.
Finally, he spoke. “They’re not blaming just anybody, they are blaming me.”
“It’s only early days. The report isn’t going to change anything.”
“I need to get out of here. I need some air.” Without saying anything else, Garrick walked away and left us there. I wanted to run after him, try to make things better, but I couldn’t. What could I possibly say to him that would make everything alright? Nothing. Because I couldn’t make it alright.
“Should I go after him?” Asher offered. I shook my head. It was nice of him to volunteer but I knew Garrick wouldn’t appreciate being babysat.
I sat on the bed as hopelessness started to creep in. It was naïve of me to think I would be able to make his murder charge go away. Seeing the coroner’s report made it all seem that much more real. Chloe Walter was a real person. It wasn’t just a matter of Garrick versus the police.
“How are things going at home?” Lola asked carefully. Her face was a picture of sympathy.
“Between Garrick, Lochie, and all my parents it’s all a bit… awkward. And difficult.” I smiled, trying to reassure her it was okay. It would sound like a lie if I actually spoke those words aloud.
“You can always come here when you need a place to escape to.”
“Thanks. I might need to take you up on that offer,” I joked. At least I tried to. I only earned more sad looks from Lola and Asher. I stood, there was no point in bringing them down too. “Thank you very much for getting the report. I really appreciate it. Garrick does too, he just doesn’t use his words very often.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for the DNA results,” Asher offered.
I gave Lola a hug and thanked them both again. They didn’t need to go out on a limb for Garrick so it was incredibly sweet that they had. It wasn’t like they knew him all that well.
Garrick was nowhere in sight outside Lola’s house. I sent him a text to ask where he was and whether he needed a lift but he didn’t reply. I sent him another one to let him know I’d pick him up whenever he needed me to.
A tiny part of me hoped he wasn’t planning on running away and disappearing. I didn’t really think he would, but when it was my parents’ house on the line with the bail, I couldn’t help the thought crossing my mind.
I drove home with my brain completely occupied with thoughts of Garrick. I couldn’t even comprehend what it must be like for him. To be accused of a horrible crime that he didn’t commit would be soul destroying. And frustrating.
When I pulled into the driveway, I didn’t even notice Lochie’s car parked out front at first. I had to look twice to make sure I had seen right. Checking my phone, there were no messages from him.
Considering Lochie wasn’t actually in his car, that could only mean one thing – he was inside. That was a scary thought. I wondered how many parents were in there too.
My question was quickly answered as I stepped through the front door. Sitting in the living room were all four of them, with Lochie sitting in the hot seat. I could see the sweat forming on his brow from across the room.
“Hey, everyone,” I greeted them as all eyes turned to me. Lochie sagged with relief. Once, I would have been so happy to see him in discomfort. Damn it, he’d grown on me since then. “What’s going on?”
“We’re just having a casual chat with your boyfriend,” Adoptive Dad said. Somehow, I suspected he was lying.
“Oh?”
“He was telling us all about your night last night.” The words from Adoptive Mom made me freeze. God, I hoped I didn’t look as guilty as I felt. If I had the word stamped across my forehead it wouldn’t be as obvious as my expression. Surely they wouldn’t know about the make out session.
Lochie saved me from saying something stupid. “Yeah, the movie was great. I hadn’t seen it before but I enjoyed it.”
“Yeah, the movie,” I managed to get out. “It was kind of a guy’s thing.”
“You said it was good.”
“I lied.”
“Our Amery, a liar?” Birth Dad interrupted. “I don’t think so. You should have chosen a movie that was more cohesive to her taste.”
“I told you he doesn’t deserve her,” Birth Mom piped up. I really hated it when they all ganged up on Lochie like he wasn’t even in the room.
I cut them off. “Are you all done with Lochie? I’m sure we’ve all got better things to do than sit around here talking about a movie.” They started to protest as Lochie waited for permission to get up. He would never admit it in a thousand years, but he was scared of them all. I could tell.
Adoptive Mom was the voice of reason. “You both may go.” Neither of us waited around to see if they changed their minds.
I led Lochie through to the kitchen for some semblance of privacy. “Are you here to hang out with my parents?” I hoped humor would help with any of the bad thoughts that were probably going on in his head at that moment.
He stood by the bench across the room from me, respecting the invisible barrier my parents liked us to keep while they were around. “You don’t remember?”
Okay, now I was more confused. “Remember what?”
“We had a date tonight.” He was annoyed, I could tell f
rom the tone of his voice.
But, a date? I scanned through my memory, trying to locate that little piece of trivia I had obviously forgotten – according to Lochie anyway. Was he wily enough to make me think I had just forgotten something that I never really knew in the first place? Probably not, he wasn’t that dedicated to lying.
“You seriously don’t remember,” he said, seemingly amazed at the concept that I could forget something. “We talked about it the other day. I reminded you last night. We were going to go to the outdoor movie at Sheffield Park. Dinner, movie, date night?”
Oh. I did kind of have a vague recollection about that. They were showing some scary movie that I thought would provide plenty of cuddle time for us.
I hit my forehead. “That’s right. I’m so sorry. Is it too late?” Looking at him, it suddenly occurred to me that he had a nice going out shirt on and he’d combed his hair. He had made an effort for our date. Now I felt terrible.
He checked his watch. “The movie started half an hour ago.” It was official, I was the worst girlfriend in the world.
“I really am sorry. Can I make it up to you?”
He flashed me his cheeky grin, the one that made his cheek dimple. All that cuddle time I could have had, I was an idiot. I should have set a reminder in my phone or circled the calendar. “You can try to make it up to me.”
I arched an eyebrow in question but I already knew exactly what he was implying. “We’ll see.”
“That’s what you said last night.”
I took a few steps closer so I could clamp his mouth shut. There were some things I would literally die of embarrassment over if my parents overheard. What he was talking about was definitely one of them. “Shhh.”
He gently removed my hand from his mouth. “So I’m guessing tonight is dead.”
“It’s been a long day, I’m sorry.”
“I should go then.”
It would have been nice to ask him to stay so I could at least start to make it up to him, but I was ridiculously tired. All I could think about was getting into my pajamas and lounging about like the rest of the world didn’t exist.
Lochie got the hint, making me feel even worse. “I’m sorry,” I repeated, wondering how many times I would have to say it before I didn’t feel guilty anymore.
He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” I nodded and followed him to the door. I waited on the stoop until he was driving down the road and out of my sight.
I joined my parents, still in the living room, and slumped onto the lounge in amongst them. They had flicked on the evening news where the headlines of the day were still being reported.
Everything was so depressing. If someone created a news show that only reported on happy things, they would make the world a better place. Listening to all the doom and gloom was enough to make me want to go jump off a bridge.
A report on a protest caught my attention. Mainly because of all the signs that were clearly anti-alien. ‘Send them home’ one read, others were just as bad, ‘Save our race’, ‘Aliens are murderers’. They got a bit more creative too but I wouldn’t want to repeat those ones.
“Why are the protests so bad again?” I asked, hoping someone would have the magic answer. I thought all the protestors had grown quiet when they realized we weren’t going to kill them all in their sleep. Apparently I was wrong.
My parents all exchanged a glance, like nobody wanted to answer my question. That wasn’t a good sign. What had I missed while doing my rounds today?
“What’s going on?” I asked, more concerned now.
Adoptive Mom answered for the group. “It’s because of Garrick’s arrest. They think all Truconians are capable of murder now.”
A knot formed in the bottom of my stomach as I considered the impact of her words. It should have been expected, I guess. Krom thought the humans would react like that, it was probably naïve of me to think it wouldn’t happen. I needed to be more pessimistic.
“Krom said they would,” I muttered. “I guess they don’t believe in innocent until proven guilty.”
“They are still scared about the integration,” Adoptive Dad started gently. “It takes a long time to change people’s minds. They’ll come around eventually.”
I wasn’t so sure if that was true. Weren’t there still so many people that were against other human races? There were people who didn’t like black people, other people who didn’t like white people. Some humans were just determined to be prejudiced. There was no reason for them to suddenly be accepting of aliens from a whole different planet. Not when they couldn’t even accept people from their own planet.
“Besides proving Garrick didn’t do it,” I started. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”
Birth Mom placed her hand on my arm. “Just be yourself, little bug. We would never ask anything other than for your natural, beautiful self to shine through.”
I doubted that would be enough to save the alien race, but it was sweet of her to say. Considering I hadn’t actually known my birth parents for very long, I still felt an overwhelming love for them. Especially when they complimented me all the time. Who wouldn’t love that?
Unfortunately, our love fest was interrupted by the front door opening and then slamming closed again. Footsteps stormed by and headed upstairs. It could only be Garrick.
We all exchanged glances but nobody dared to speak. Garrick’s return was the white elephant in the room. Then I noticed everyone was staring at me. “What?”
“You should go talk to him,” Birth Mom suggested. Actually, it was more like an order rather than a suggestion. She said it as if I didn’t have a choice.
“He probably doesn’t want to talk to anyone right now,” I countered. Garrick liked his space when he was in a mood, I definitively knew that from being cooped up in a trailer with him for so long.
“He’s upset. He should speak with someone.”
“Malia is right, honey,” Adoptive Mom piped up. Why did they always have to agree only when it was to gang up on me? Surely they could find any other subject to agree on?
I gave up. It was easier taking my luck with Mr. Stormy than deal with the four of them. “Fine.” I sighed and threw up my hands in surrender.
They were quiet as I left. I hoped they all felt a pang of guilt at sending the poor teenager to do the dirty work. Garrick would probably have benefited from their older, wiser selves. But no, send the young girl instead.
I knocked lightly on his door and listened for some acquiescence for my entrance. It didn’t come. I tried again and got some sort of a grunt from inside the door. I guessed that was my cue.
Opening the door slowly, Garrick was pacing the room. They could probably hear his stomps downstairs and turned up the television so they didn’t have to listen to it.
“How’s it going?” I asked, having no idea what else I could say. It wasn’t like I could reassure him that everything would be okay. I didn’t know that and he wouldn’t believe me anyway.
“I want to be alone.”
“I’m sure you do.” I sat on the edge of his rickety foldout bed, making it clear I wasn’t going away. “But the parental mafia downstairs elected me to speak with you. So, I kind of have to. You know how they scare me.”
“So, what? I’m supposed to pretend I’m okay so everyone can sleep well tonight?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what, Amery?” He stopped pacing long enough to stare me down. His anger was simmering away beneath his skin. He was a tight bundle of nerves, ready to unravel at any moment.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. I really had no idea what I was supposed to say to him. I didn’t have any training in calming down an angry guy. I barely knew how to keep my own emotions under control. “But I’m just trying to help.”
“You can’t help me. You should have left me in jail.”
“You’re throwing that back in my face? Seriously? The fact that I didn’t let you rot in jail?”
“This is my problem, not yours.” I was speechless. He was actually blaming me for helping him. That was wrong on so many levels. The silence lingering between us was tense to say the least. “You should go.”
But then my anger bubbled up. “I’m not going anywhere until you calm down. Everybody is trying to help you. And yes, seeing the coroner’s report today sucked, the fact a girl younger than us died sucks, and being blamed for her murder sucks too. But you can either feel sorry for yourself and push everyone away, or you can fight back and accept the help.”
That stopped him. Garrick’s mouth hung open a little before he snapped it shut again. He took a few steps back to perch on the edge of the desk, crossing his arms as he moved.
“So?” I asked, determined not to let him get away with being an insolent grump.
There was no way he was going to go through everything alone, whether he liked it or not. Garrick was family to me. We didn’t go through everything together without coming out of it with a lifelong bond. He was just going to have to deal with that.
“You’re really mean sometimes, you know that?” He mumbled. He didn’t know the half of it.
“When I’m speaking to someone with a really thick head, then I have to be mean. It’s the only thing that will get through the skull.” I wasn’t sure if anything I was saying was actually getting through to him. I wished it was.
When Garrick spoke next, his voice was so quiet I could barely hear him. “I’m going to jail, Ame. They’re going to give me a death sentence. There’s nothing we can do about it, they’ve already decided I’m guilty.”
“That’s why you have to fight. They have to find evidence, they have to give you a trial, and they have to let twelve jury members decide your guilt. That’s the law whether you’re a human or alien.” I was hoping that was true anyway. Finding twelve humans that held absolutely no prejudice against aliens was nearly impossible, if not totally impossible. But surely they had to try? It was the law.
“We could spend all this time fighting and still not end up any further ahead.”
“Then at least we know we did everything we could,” I tried to convince him. “Isn’t that better than regretting what you could have done?”
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 71