“What’s wrong?” he asks with a perplexed look on his face.
My heart is pounding so hard, it’s practically jumping out of my chest. I try to calm down my breathing, but it’s all to no avail. I gasp for breath instead. Aiden gets out of bed and walks over to me. He’s still in the nude. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had been asleep this whole time. He probably barely moved at all.
“What’s wrong, Ellie?” he asks.
I continue to gasp for breath. But in between my quick, dissatisfying breaths, I manage to mumble, “We have to call the police. Can I have your phone?”
Without another question, he runs over to the nightstand and hands me his phone. I dial 911.
“What’s your emergency?”
“I tried to call you earlier, but he took my phone away. You need to come right away. I walked in on him raping my friend,” I say as calmly as possible.
The 911 operator asks me a dozen other questions, which I answer truthfully and to the best of my ability. I don’t keep anything back. I tell her how he took my phone and attacked me. I tell her how I hit him in the head with a rock to get away. I tell her that I have no idea if he’s still conscious or if he’s even still here. When she asks me where we are located, I turn to Aiden, who tells me the address.
The 911 operator refuses to let me hang up until the police arrive. But I’m too afraid to go outside to see what’s going on and when Aiden volunteers to go, I grab his hand.
“But what about Caroline?” he asks. “Don’t you want me to check on her?”
“Yes, of course. But she was passed out. What are you going to do for her if you find her that way? We need the paramedics to come here and fast.”
“Ellie, I’m just going to check on her.”
I shake my head, refusing to let him go. But he pries my hands off him and gives me a big warm kiss on the lips.
“I’m going to be okay; he’s not going to do anything to me, Ellie. I promise,” Aiden says. In a flash, he pulls on a pair of pants, a long sleeved shirt, his dress shoes, and his jacket from last night. And just like that, he’s gone.
Chapter 7 - Ellie
The aftermath…
I know it’s not right that I didn’t want Aiden to go help Caroline. I know that he should go. Of course, he should. But I can’t help how I feel. I’m afraid. I don't want anything else bad to happen and, at this point, I don't know what Tom is capable of. Still, Aiden doesn’t listen to me. He leaves me alone in the room with the 911 operator on the line. I pace around the room, trying to decide what to do. Should I follow after him, just in case he needs my help? Or should I just say here? Stay safe.
The 911 operator keeps asking me questions about what happened and I answer the best I can. I tell her about getting a number of calls from Caroline, and that I didn’t see them until later this morning. After a while, we end up covering the same ground. I don't know why I have to stay on the line, but she insists that we should until the police arrive. After what feels like forever, but is probably only ten or fifteen minutes later, I hear sirens somewhere in the distance.
“They’re here,” I say.
“Okay, just walk out there and make sure that it’s them,” she says.
I run out of the cottage and see two police cars pulling into the parking lot up front. The paramedics aren’t far behind. Aiden meets us out front as well.
“I couldn’t find him anywhere,” he says with a disappointed look on his face. “But you have to help Caroline. She’s still unresponsive.”
“Is she breathing?” one of the police officers asks.
“Yes, but very faintly,” he says.
The next hour or so is a complete blur. There are so many emergency personnel walking around all over the place that I get overwhelmed and just find a quiet place to sit and wait until someone talks to me. I watch as the paramedics rush Caroline, on a stretcher, to an ambulance. There are all sorts of tubes attached to her and my eyes well up with tears at the sight.
“At least, she’s not coming out in a black body bag,” Aiden says. This statement is supposed to make me feel better, but instead, it just makes me feel like total shit. I should’ve answered her calls and texts earlier. I shouldn’t have spent all night making love and then writing. Then maybe none of this would’ve ever happened.
“She called me. A lot,” I say, burying my head in his shoulder. “I should’ve been there for her.”
“This isn’t your fault. Not at all,” Aiden says. “You had no idea any of this would happen.”
I believe him, of course, but only partly. A big part of me doesn’t believe him at all. I know what I should’ve and shouldn’t have done, and I know that I had failed her. Even if I didn’t know, that’s still no excuse.
A police officer approaches us and asks to take my statement. His partner takes Aiden aside, probably to get his own statement.
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asks. I had already told the story to the 911 operator and to Aiden, but I repeat it again. I’ve seen enough crime shows and true crime documentaries on television to know how this works. They keep asking you to re-tell your story in order to see if you mess up. Or add anything that you haven’t added before. It’s all about being consistent. It’s supposed to point out who the liar is. But I have nothing to hide. I tell him the whole truth and nothing but the truth, exactly how it happened.
The police officer listens carefully and writes down parts in his little notebook.
“Have you found Tom?” I ask at the end.
“Actually, no.” He shakes his head. “We can’t find him anywhere.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. What is he talking about?
“But when he attacked me, I hit him on the head with a rock and he fell down right there. In the front yard,” I say.
“And your boyfriend, Aiden Black? Is that his name?” he asks, reading off his notes.
“Uh-huh.” I nod.
“He went out to check on Caroline after you ran back to your cottage?” the police officer asks.
“Yes, while I was on the phone with the 911 operator.”
“Well, that’s the odd thing; he didn’t see him either.”
I already know this. But I don’t really have an explanation as to why not.
“I don’t really know what to say.” I shrug. “I mean, I hit him hard but it’s not like he was dead or anything. Maybe he just ran away. Because he knew I was going to call the police.”
“Maybe,” the cop says unconvincingly. Suddenly, it hits me. Wait a second. What is going on here? Is he really questioning my story? What does all this skepticism on his face mean? Is he trying to say that I’m lying?
“I don’t understand,” I say. “Are you trying to imply that you don’t believe me?”
Now I feel myself getting angry. I mean, who the hell does he think he is?
“No, not at all. I’m just telling you what we know now.”
“Well, I’m not lying. He was the one who did it. He was right there when I left him. If he ran afterward, well, I don't know what I can do about that.”
My voice is rushed and on the verge of losing control. I’m angry that he’s questioning me after all that I’ve been through. What gives him the right?
“Okay, I didn’t mean to upset you, Ms. Rhodes,” the cop says after a moment. “Let me talk to my partner and I’ll be right back with you.”
He leaves me sitting on the stoop of my cottage. Even though morning is in full bloom already, the air feels colder than it ever did before. Whatever sun peeks through the cloud cover, it’s not enough to warm me up. Suddenly, I feel an overwhelming feeling of despair and loss come over me. I want to scream and cry at the same time. I want them to believe me and leave me alone. I want to go back to bed and pretend that none of this ever happened. I want to turn back time. Shivers run through my body and I don’t know if they can be attributed entirely to the cold, or the fact that I didn’t really sleep at all last night or everything that has happened.
Perhaps, it’s some sort of combination of all three.
I wrap my arms around my shoulders and rock from side to side. This soothes me somewhat and my heartbeat slows down to its normal pace after a while. I inhale and exhale deeply and force all the bad thoughts swirling around in my head to go away at least for a few minutes.
Chapter 8 - Ellie
When no one knows where he went…
“Hey,” Aiden says, walking up to me. He’s holding two small plastic cups in front of him. I watch the way the steam rises from the top, guided slightly by the breeze off the ocean. Right now, it looks like the most beautiful thing in the world.
“I got us some coffee,” Aiden says, handing me one of the cups. I take it and wrap my hands around its hot base. I take a sip and savor the moment of how it runs down the back of my throat.
“This is good,” I whisper.
“Yes, it is,” Aiden says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and squeezing me tightly. “Are you okay?”
I give him a little smile, but we both know that it’s a lie, that’s how utterly unconvincing it is.
“You’re going to be okay,” he says.
“What about Caroline?”
Aiden shakes his head. “I don’t know for sure. But I think she’ll be alright, too. She had a pulse and she was breathing.”
“Faintly,” I correct him. “Barely breathing.”
Aiden hangs his head and avoids eye contact with me. He knows that what I’m saying is the truth, and no matter how he sugarcoats it, he can’t change that fact.
Neither of us say anything for a while. I look out past the police vehicles and all the commotion to the water on the horizon. The waves are peaceful this morning, not crashing very hard against the sand. It’s almost as if they are sad as well.
“Do you want to go inside?” Aiden asks. “It’s freezing out here.”
I don’t respond. On one hand, I wouldn’t mind going inside. I’m so cold that I have barely any feeling left in my toes, no matter how much I move them around inside my boots. But I can’t. Going inside feels a little bit like giving up. On helping Caroline. On finding Tom. And unraveling this whole awful night.
“Not yet,” I say.
“But you’re freezing.”
“What do you think happened to Tom?” I ask, ignoring his statement.
“I think he ran away,” Aiden says. “He knows that he fucked up big time, and he’s doing his best to cover his tracks.”
I shake my head.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, Aiden. I’m just so overwhelmed by everything. I mean, if I hadn’t walked in on them…I don't think I could’ve ever believed that Tom, my friend Tom, was capable of doing anything like that. I mean, why would he? He’s with Carrie. He loves her. At least, I think he does. And even if he doesn’t, why would he do that to Caroline?”
“I don’t know.”
“He has always been too gentle and kind. I’ve never seen him hurt a fly. He has always been so sensitive. If anything, I thought he let girls walk all over him a little too much.”
“The thing is that everyone has secrets. I mean, not everyone has secrets like Tom, but there are always things that we don't know about our friends and loved ones.”
“I knew that he had some anger issues. He was really mad at me for rejecting him. And he said some awful things to me about my writing. But to do what he did to Caroline? I just never knew he was capable of that kind of evil.”
Aiden shrugs. “Maybe he didn’t know either. Maybe that was the first time he ever did anything like that.”
“That’s no excuse!”
“Yes, I know that. Of course not. But I’m just saying that maybe this was something new that he did. Maybe he didn’t know he was capable of any of that either.”
I stare at him, trying to figure out what he’s saying.
“I’m not taking his side. Not at all, Ellie. I’m just trying to show you that maybe he hasn’t been duplicitous the whole time you knew him. Maybe he just snapped.”
I take in a deep breath and wait a few moments before letting it out. I don't know what to think. Maybe Aiden is right. Or maybe Tom has been this asshole the whole time I’ve known him and I was just completely blind to it. Who the hell knows? In either case, I want the police to find him and I want him to pay for what he did. He really hurt me. And not just me. He really hurt Caroline. He’s a predator. A real predator. And I’ve been friends with him for years. I feel like such a fool.
“C’mon, let’s take a walk.” Aiden tugs on my shirt.
“No.”
“C’mon, please?”
I sigh. I don’t know what it is about being cold, but sometimes staying put and not actually moving a muscle feels warmer than standing up and letting the cold air engulf you completely. Aiden holds out his hand to me with a hopeful look on his face. I can’t say no. Besides, a walk would be good for me. If I can’t bear to go back inside, I can at least stretch my legs out a little bit and get the blood moving through my body.
“Okay, fine.” I finally cave and let him pull me up to my feet. I follow Aiden down the path between the cottages and back up around the other side of the house. At first, I think we’re going to go down to the water, but instead we weave around the whole property going the long way around.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“I don’t know. We’re just walking.”
Holding on to his elbow, I put all of my weight on him. But he doesn’t seem to mind. He’s basically propping me up. I even close my eyes and let him lead me wherever he wants to. I’m utterly exhausted. I’m so tired that I don't want to be here anymore. I can’t bear to. Instead, I just want to be as far away from here as possible - somewhere where people are kind, there is no pain, and the sun is shining and warm.
When we come around the bend toward the front of the Warrenhouse mansion, Aiden stops. Since he’s leading me, I practically run into him. The jolt forces me to open my eyes. At the top of the stairs, I see the police officer who interviewed me, talking to Tom and Carrie and her parents.
All four of them are dressed in their pajamas and wearing thick robes on top of them. Tom, Carrie, and her mom are all wearing long coats and hats. Wait a second. What is going on here? I peer up the steps to make sure that I’m seeing everything right. I don’t know about Mr. and Mrs. Warrenhouse or Carrie, but Tom should definitely not be wearing his pajamas. Or a hat. It’s a small ski cap, but the way it’s tugged so low around his head, it’s covering up practically any sign of where I had hit him with that rock.
Tom sees me from the top of the stairs, but doesn’t acknowledge me at all.
I’m about to go up the steps when Aiden pulls me back. There’s another police officer standing in front and slightly to the side of us and his job seems to be to prevent anyone from going up the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I ask Aiden. He shrugs.
Everyone on the porch is talking in such hushed tones that I can’t hear a thing. So, we stand here watching and waiting. Why aren’t they arresting him? Why are Carrie and her parents talking so much? The police officer is carefully taking notes just like he did with me, without making a move to put his handcuffs on Tom.
And then it hits me.
“Oh my God,” I whisper to Aiden.
“What?”
“He’s telling them that he was asleep the whole time,” I say. “That’s why he’s dressed like that.”
“He wasn’t wearing pajamas before?”
“No, not at all. I mean, he was naked. But the clothes that I saw on the floor were what he wore to the party.”
Aiden shrugs and shakes his head.
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” he says after a moment.
How can he remain so calm and patient? No, I need to stop this. I need to tell them that he’s lying. And if Carrie is saying that he was with her, she’s lying, too. I need to put a stop to this.
I make a move
to go up the stairs, but the police officer at the bottom blocks me.
“May I help you, ma’am?”
“He’s lying,” I say loudly. “They’re all lying.”
“Lying about what?”
“I mean, I don’t know exactly what they’re saying but he was not wearing those clothes when I saw him. And if he’s saying that he was asleep the whole time, that’s a lie.”
“Okay, ma’am,” the cop says, continuing to prevent me from going up. “But we cannot allow you to interrupt the interview.”
“What? I’m not going to interrupt anything.”
“You have already given us your statement. Now, we’re trying to get another statement.”
“Even if it’s a lie!” I say. Aiden puts his hand on my arm but I shrug him off. Why is no one believing me? What is going on?
“This is how we do things,” the cop says after a while.
“They’re going to figure it out,” Aiden whispers in my ear, trying to push me away from the porch without much success. But I can’t contain my anger and disbelief anymore.
“You have to ask him to take off his hat!” I scream loud enough for everyone on the porch to hear me. “I hit him with a rock in the temple. I’m sure it left a mark.”
Tom shakes his head and says something to the police officer.
“Please, you have to believe me!” I scream louder.
“Ma’am, if you can’t contain yourself, I’m going to have to put you in the back of the cruiser.”
Aiden grabs me by the arm and pulls me away. “No, that won’t be necessary. C’mon, Ellie. Let’s let them do their job.”
“But they’re not doing their job,” I say as he pulls me away. He’s squeezing the top of my arm so hard that it’s throbbing in pain. No matter what I do, I can’t force him off me.
“Let me go!”
“Not until you calm down.”
“I don’t have to calm down.”
“Yes, you do. Let them do their jobs. They’re going to figure it out.”
“No, they’re going to believe him.”
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