“I asked a policeman to put me on your visitor list, but he made a big deal about it. I was worried the jail might be on the lookout for my name, so I asked your mom to put Rachael’s name on the list. I’m sorry I had to deceive you, but I really need to talk to you for a few minutes.”
“Sure, I’ve got nothing but time. What do you wanna know?”
Paul sat down opposite me, so I immediately asked, “Sunday, you were very focused on Rachael. I was wondering why?”
“Were you jealous?”
“No, I was just wondering why you were so focused on Rachael and why you were so adamant about taking her to your car.”
“I…don’t know…she seemed really in to me, you know?” Paul’s eyes weren’t those of a hardened criminal; they didn’t even look like those of a petty thief. Replaying Bill’s words that Paul was a psychopath and very believable kept me from putting my usual faith in my gut. My body wasn’t reacting as it should, no tingles on my arm or the back of my neck. I couldn’t feel even an ounce of danger present.
“Look, I don’t know what you want from me. I saw Rachael and I liked her. I was trying to get to know her when I got arrested. I know you’ve watched the news, but cops don’t always get it right. There’s a reason people are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Mr. McMasters always let me borrow his car. You can ask anyone. He was good to me, so was his wife; there’s no reason for me to hurt either one of them.” He sounded sincere, and my senses still weren’t in warning mode.
“Paul, I’m sure you don’t believe me, but I’m not interested in how the car came into your possession or any of the events leading up to that. I really only want to know why you were so focused on Rachael Sunday.” I held his stare and could see the disbelief in his face, as if I were trying to trick him into a confession.
“I’m a nice guy. This is all a huge misunderstanding. Mr. McMasters asked me to take his car for an oil change Saturday: the receipt’s in the glove box. I signed for the car from the dealership. Why would I get an oil change for him if I didn’t have his permission? Call the dealership and ask. Last week I picked it up and washed it in my driveway, the way he always liked it washed, distilled water only. It was in my driveway for three hours. All our neighbors saw it. Seriously, you have to believe me.”
I could hear Bill’s words echoing at me from yesterday.
Paul looked terrified, just a scared kid. Paul’s lip began to tremble, and his face went sheet white. “I didn’t kill either of them. I just borrowed the car. Mr. McMasters said I could. I don’t know what happened to him, but he was alive when he tossed me the keys Sunday morning.”
The struggle within me was incredible; Paul was so believable, so utterly honest and afraid all at once. “Why’d you borrow the Porsche? I mean if Mr. McMasters had you taking care of maintenance a couple days last week, why’d you have it on Sunday?”
“He and I were talking about a party at school that I didn’t have a date to, so I wasn’t going. He said the car was a chick magnet.” Looking embarrassed he quickly added, “Those were his words, not mine. He told me to take it for a drive and see if I couldn’t find someone to go with. I’m not very smooth, so I thought I would try Mr. McMasters’ advice and see if the car could land me a date.”
Although my body gave no indication that Paul was lying, I wanted him to say it again so I could watch his response more carefully. “So that’s why you wanted Rachael in the parking lot, just to impress her with the borrowed car?” Paul nodded a couple times and then hung his head in embarrassment.
“It’s the truth. They were both really good to me. Mr. McMasters and my mom worked at the same company. I didn’t do this, I swear: I didn’t steal the car. I didn’t kill anyone!”
Paul didn’t seem unbalanced, but had I ever met a psychopath? I didn’t want to believe that I could be suckered by anyone, but a voice inside me was telling me I needed to trust my instincts.
“So that’s it? You were looking for a date for a party, and that’s the only reason you wanted Rachael to follow you to the parking lot?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
“Okay, so if this is all some misunderstanding, why are you still here?”
“My mom doesn’t have money for bail, the lawyer assigned to me can’t see me until sometime next week, so I can’t do anything but stay here.” I could see the hopelessness he was feeling as I turned everything over in my mind.
Why had I been so certain that Paul was a danger Sunday morning and barely seventy-two hours later I wasn’t so sure? I had never been fooled by lies. Was I losing my edge? Had something changed? I don’t think so. All my senses have been dead on. How’s it possible that Paul appeared dangerous Sunday? I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, the tingle in my arms and the sense that evil was near. Had Paul said or done something that triggered it in the mall? No, I got the sensation before he ever came to our table, before I had even met him.
This had never happened before, ever. I had never had a signal from my body overridden by consciousness later. Paul seemed genuine today. He hadn’t been in jail that long, so identifying a plausible lie and being so convincing would be difficult for anyone. He nearly begged me to check his story. He looked scared, not arrogant, not the way I’d expected him to look. I had to be missing something, but what?
After talking to him, I believed Paul Stratford to be one hundred percent innocent. If everything was really connected like Rewsna said, then what was the connection? I replayed the conversation between Rewsna and I; what were her words of wisdom really? Could she hear me now? I closed my eyes and continued to replay them as clearly as if she had been standing beside me. I heard her say, “Stay to your path, Lauren.” I looked up half expecting her to be there, but I was alone. How in the world can I stay to my path when I have no idea what my path actually is? I need to figure out what my path is, then I can figure out how to stay on it.
Our silence must have bothered him. “I would never kill anyone, especially Mr. McMasters. He was the most decent guy I ever knew. I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt him.”
“When did you pick up the car?”
“I was at their house a little before 9:00, we talked for a few minutes, and Mr. McMasters told me to take the car and see if I could find a date for this weekend.”
“Were there any cars on the street that you didn’t recognize?”
“No, but I walked to their house and didn’t notice the street. It’s not like I was looking for a parking place or anything. Mr. McMasters was in his front yard watering his flower beds. He went into the house after we talked and got the keys to his car. That was it.”
“Did you go into the house?”
“No, I had been in there on Saturday, but not Sunday.”
“You didn’t notice any strange cars on the street. Did you notice anything about the house that was different?”
“No, nothing.”
“Where was Mrs. McMasters when you were there?”
“Somewhere inside, but I didn’t see her through any of the windows.”
“Did you see any of their neighbors outside?”
“Two houses down from the McMasters I saw one of their neighbors pulling out of his garage, but I don’t know his name.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“No, he could only tell them that he saw me in the front yard. He was gone before I left.”
“Paul, maybe he saw a strange car on the street or someone he didn’t recognize in the neighborhood. I’ve got a feeling that the police believe they’ve already caught their murderer and aren’t doing the usual canvassing of the neighborhood.”
“Why are you asking me all this? Why are you so interested?”
I started to hesitate and decided being secretive wouldn’t do either of us any good. “I get a feeling sometimes about people, and you don’t strike me as a murderer. I want to help if I can, but I’m not certain what the best way to help is. Should I post your bail? Hire you a goo
d lawyer? Hire a private investigator? Call an investigative news program?”
“A feeling? Like what kind of a feeling? Are you psychic or something? If you’re psychic, just tell the cops that you know the truth!”
Trying to beat around the bush with Paul would be useless. I’d just be open and hope he didn’t think I was a fruit loop. “Sorry Paul, it doesn’t work like that, and I’m definitely not psychic. But I did sense danger from you at the mall Sunday. Why would I feel that way if you weren’t dangerous? It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“I had decided that if Rachael wouldn’t agree to a date, I was going to go back to the McMasters’. Nothing I was planning would have put you or Rachael in danger.”
“If you weren’t any danger to either of us, I never would have gotten that vibe, unless…” It hit me. “Unless there was danger posed by taking the car back to the McMaster’s home, and I was getting the warning for you, not from you? I don’t see how, because the second we met you at the mall, I was certain that Rachael should stay away from you. I even took her into the bathroom and told her to pick any other guy in the mall but you.”
“A danger vibe, are you serious? Really? What do you mean pick any other guy?”
“Sometimes my skills are helpful at finding people who are fun to hang around with . . . never mind. But if you were in danger and I was sensing that rather than you being the danger, that explains everything. From the moment the police arrived on Sunday morning until now, I’ve not had any sense of danger around you. It was my responsibility to keep you from returning to the house, and I didn’t even see it. As soon as that was accomplished, everything was fine. Oh, my gosh – Paul, you really are innocent.”
“A lot of good that does me here. Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad you don’t believe I’m a murderer anymore, but it doesn’t fix this situation at all.”
“How much is your bail?”
“One hundred thousand dollars, but my mom doesn’t have that kind of money, and she and Mr. McMasters were very close. Even if she did have the money, there’s no way she’d make bail.”
“If I get you out of here, where can you stay?”
“If you get me out of here? Where are you going to find a hundred thousand dollars?”
“Never mind about the money. Where can you stay? It won’t do you any good if I bail you out of jail and you end up staying in a cardboard box in an alley.”
“I think I can stay at my grandmother’s house. I haven’t talked to her, but I don’t think she would tell me no.”
“If I leave now, I should be able to get you out this afternoon.” With that I stood up, reached out my hand to shake Paul’s, and made my way to the door.
“Wait, just like that, you don’t even know me and you’re going to go find bail money for me?” I didn’t answer – I just waved as I headed for the door.
The remainder of the afternoon was a blur. I had remembered seeing a Bail Bond place across the street. Having no experience in this area, I asked them how it worked. Basically I had to pay them ten percent of the bail money, they would put up the other ninety percent and keep my ten percent when it was all over. It would cost me ten thousand dollars to spring Paul.
I thought of the money in my checking account. It was more than I had ever had or maybe would ever have again. I could use the money for grad school, a new car. . . that’s more money than I could make in months at Tasty Burger. When I thought of him locked up for something I knew he didn’t do, I couldn’t leave him in here. He was in here because of me. I asked them if I could use their phone book to call a cab, and the old man behind the counter offered to give me a ride to my bank. I withdrew the money and got a ride back to the bail bondsman’s office. We filled out the paperwork, and everything I could do was complete by two p.m. The bondsman told me that it would be a few hours before Paul was released. I asked him to give Paul my cell phone number. I looked at my watch and realized there was a real possibility I could make it back to school before Rachel’s last class was over and give her driver’s license back.
The cab dropped me in front of the school, and I made my way to the hallway where Rachael’s classroom was. I waited across the hall; she was already grabbing her things to leave for the day when she saw me waving through the doorway.
Curiosity must have gotten to her because she asked, “Are you going to tell me what you needed it for?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t wreck a car or go gambling or anything.”
“I was stressed about a test and didn’t want to waste time asking you what you needed it for. I saw the interview from last night. Do you really think we weren’t in any real danger Sunday?” I could tell this question had been eating at her all day.
“I’m certain that he didn’t do it, so much so that I just bailed him out of jail.” The look on Rachael’s face was not at all what I was expecting. It was . . . relief. I’d expected her to be confused, angry, frustrated, any number of emotions, but not relieved that I had just set him free.
“Why’d you do that? You were so . . . ” She didn’t finish her sentence.
“It’s kind of a long story. I guess I could say that I was worried that you didn’t have a date for this Saturday, but that wasn’t the real reason. Honestly, I know he didn’t do anything wrong, and my initial impression of him was off the mark.”
“But how do you know?” She was looking for some real assurance, and, obviously, I couldn’t give her anything concrete or tangible.
“Rachael, I just know. I’ve been to the jail, well, technically you went to the jail, but I know when someone is lying to me. When we talked, there wasn’t an ounce of deception in him. With him locked up, the police aren’t looking for the real criminal, they’re just gathering evidence to keep him locked up. The only way to help him was to get him out of jail and maybe hire a private investigator or something. On an unrelated topic, he’s really in to you.” I added the last part just to see what she would think, and her movements gave her away in an instant. She leaned forward with a huge smile, “Really?”
“No doubt about it. He’s going to call me as soon as he’s released. Want me to give him your number?”
“Um, if you’re sure . . . yes, give him my number and tell him to call me tonight.” Rachael gave me a hug. “I’m so glad you were wrong.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I wasn’t wrong about the danger. I only misinterpreted that Paul was the one presenting the danger, when in reality it was he who was in danger. Rachael was excited and offered to give me a ride home.
Just as we were halfway to Rachael’s car, I saw Max’s huge truck up against the curb and his eyes searching faces of the army of students exiting the building. “Hey, Max is here. Let me see what’s going on.” Rachael followed me to Max’s truck.
Chapter Nineteen
Max saw me approaching his truck with Rachael a few feet behind. He looked rested and seemed really upbeat when he explained, “I know you said that you had plans after school today, but after last night I wanted to make sure you weren’t pissed. Pathetic, right?”
I grabbed him tightly and whispered, “Yeah, it’s pretty pathetic, but I’m sooooo glad to see you.” I turned to Rachael, “I don’t need a ride home after all. I’ll call you in a few hours with an update.”
Rachael waved goodbye, fully understanding my cryptic message. Max opened the driver’s door and motioned for me to get in. I climbed in and slid over to the center of the seat and asked him, “So, what’d you do today?”
“Not much. My sleep schedule is all jacked up, so most of the morning I spent snoozing. I got to thinking about our conversation last night. You’re right, regardless of how I feel, it was out of line for me to tell you to check with me before going to the jail or anything else you feel you need to do.”
“Well, thanks,” better to tell him now than let him find out about it later, “In interest of full disclosure, I went to the jail today and bailed Paul out.” Max’s jaw tightened and his muscles went rigid. I
could see his knuckles were clenching the steering wheel hard, but to his credit he remained silent.
“I know this may not be how you want to spend your free time, and it’s okay if you say no, but there’s an end of term party called the Class Bash this Saturday. You wanna go?” I hadn’t thought much about it, but this would be a good night out, and with Max’s new found bond with Seth, maybe the four of us could go. I’d have to broach that with Seth later.
“Have you lost your mind?” Max’s knuckles were completely white on the steering wheel, and I could see now that his teeth were still clenched. “You bail a murderer out of jail, and the very next sentence you ask if I want to go to a party with you? Never mind that last night you agreed you wouldn’t even see this guy unless you talked to me first, now you’re telling me you went to see him and you made his bail? What would possess you to do either of those things by yourself? You knew I wasn’t working. You knew I didn’t want you to see him alone.”
“Easy, Max, you asked me if it was too much to ask for me to call you beforehand. I didn’t say that I would. As far as the party, it isn’t a big deal. I wasn’t going to go, and I didn’t mention it before because I thought you would think it would be silly.”
Max got out of the truck and started walking away. I called after him, “Where are you going?”
He yelled over his shoulder to me, “I need to take a walk . . . alone. Go ahead and take my truck. I’ll get it from you later.” I sat there watching him for a full minute - he was really just wandering away.
What kind of a bozo storms off like a little kid? Should I let him have his little tantrum on his own? Then I thought about it. I could have called him this morning and told him what I was up to. Heck, I could have told him last night when I started forming my plan. I’ve always liked that I do things my way, on my own, but there wasn’t any reason for me to keep Max out of it. Seth’s been my closest friend my whole life, but he never interfered in any of my decisions. I guess I’ve always been this way. But I can’t put Seth and Max in the same category. There’s a reason I always kept Seth at arm’s length.
Meeting Destiny (Destiny Series) Page 19