Misplaced Trust (Misjudged)

by Sarah Elizabeth

  ‘Alex, sweetheart. I just heard from the police department. They have a suspect over the break in on Sunday … I’m not sure why the name rings a bell but they should have him be in custody by the time I return back to Salem. They found an ID card amongst some of the items they took away for examination and he’s known to the police already, so, don’t be worrying. Love you sweetheart and I’ll call you when I get back home next week.’

  “Hey, are you okay?” Neil asks, with concern written over his face while leaning himself forward as I end the call. “Alex?”

  “Yes,” I look up and smile at them both, feeling the relief flowing through me at knowing they have found out who was responsible for this, and that my father will be safe when he returns back from Florida next weekend.

  ***

  I tried for over an hour to get a hold of my father and return his call, but each time, it just rang until the long tone sounded. I wish my father was more technologically minded, at least that way he would know how to set up his damn voicemail.

  Neil, Ryan, and Alyssa decided to stay home and play drinking games instead of hitting the city, on the promise that I would definitely join them when Ryan and Neil play their gig with the rest of their band over in Aruba on Friday night.

  Although I’m having a few drinks with them, I have no intention of getting drunk, which is more than I can say for the other three. Alyssa has already started giggling over pretty much anything anyone says, and out of Neil and Ryan, Ryan is most definitely handling his drink better.

  As they set up another game of ‘I’ve Never’, a loud knock on the main door draws everyone’s attention away from the game.

  “I’ll get it,” Neil says lazily, picking himself up from the sprawled out position he was in and making his way over to the door. “Oh and here we go …” I don’t know how much he’s had to drink, but he’s already beginning to slur his words.

  Turning around so I can see what he’s talking about, I become more alert when I see two cops walking in to the dorm, “Miss Alexis Harper?” a female cop asks as she steps inside, glancing between both myself and Alyssa for a couple of seconds, before her eyes land back over on me. “I’m Detective Gil, and this is my partner, Detective Bartz. We’d like to ask you a few questions, if we may?”

  “Go take a seat,” Neil ushers them over to the couch, with Alyssa and Ryan vacating their seats so as to make room for them to sit down. “We’ll just be through there.” Neil winks over in my direction as the three of them head through to Ryan’s room.

  The two of them sit on the couch over on the other side of the coffee table, with the female detective taking in the surroundings, while the other prepares his notepad and pencil.

  “As you are most probably more than aware, your father’s home was burgled on Sunday afternoon,” she begins, leaning closer and eyeing me cautiously. “During our enquiries, we’ve been made aware of a recent relationship between yourself and the prime suspect in our investigation, a Mr. Taylor. Are you in a relationship with him, Miss. Harper?”

  “What did you just say?” my mouth falls open and my stomach jolts. My heart, well I think my heart just hit the floor. “You must be mistaken—“

  “Miss Harper, we have enough evidence to bring charges against him,” she cuts me off, offering me a slight look of sympathy, before standing and glancing around the room. “Do you know where we might find him?”

  Shaking my head, not believing I’m even hearing this, her eyes continue to roam around the area, “I know it must be difficult to take in, it’s not every day the person you thought you could trust turns out to be the one you shouldn’t have trusted at all, I know, I’ve been there. Honey, he’s committed a serious crime and it would be better for everyone, for him especially, if he were to hand himself in, and sooner rather than later.”

  I throw my hands in the air, partly from the frustration that’s running through my veins, and the other part from the way she’s talking to me. I’m not appreciating the tone of her voice whatsoever. She’s glaring and speaking to me as though she thinks I’m guilty of something, “You’re wrong. I mean, why would he even need to break in? Why would he?”

  Throwing me a scrutinizing glance, she stands, and then proceeds to pace the floor behind me. It’s almost as though she’s looking for something. Looking for anything, “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “A couple of weeks ago, maybe three,” shit. I just lied to the cops. They’re wrong though. They have to be. There’s no way Brandon did this. No way at all. It doesn’t make any sense.

  “At the moment we have strong leads, and both yours and Brandon’s full co-operation would be appreciated, Alexis. Are you able to tell us why he left?”

  She expects me to be able to tell her this when I don’t even know the answer myself? “You tell me. I would love to know, really I would, but he left, without even so much as a goodbye.”

  The male officer stands and passes something over to me as he makes his way over to the door, “You can get hold of us on this number. If you see, hear, or remember anything, it would be in your best interest to get in touch immediately.”

  “We’ll be in touch, Miss Harper,” the female cops advises me, with a narrowness entering her eyes.

  My hands are shaking, and I find I’m unable to even stand up. My legs have turned to a quivering mess. All I can do is sit here, in shock. Total shock.

  It takes me a while to try and get my head around what just happened, and even more so as I try to explain to the rest of the guys what was said after they had left the room to give us some privacy.

  “Here,” Ryan hands me a shot glass filled with an amber liquid. Whiskey. Whiskey might help, then again, I think it’s highly doubtful. “Tell us again … Brandon came back yesterday, didn’t give anything away at all as to why he left, or why he came back, and now the cops are looking for him for breaking in to your dad’s house?” his face really says it all.

  It’s a lot to take in. There are so many questions to ask, and not merely enough answers for even half of them, if any of them at all.

  Neil’s sitting on the opposite couch and fiddling with his cell phone, so I’m assuming he’s messaging some people to see if they’re any more clued up than we are, “He said … he told me, before he left, not to hate him for what’s happening, to not hate him for what’s happened, and that he’s sorry.”

  Throwing the shot down, I relish the burn as it hits the back of my throat and the way it takes my thoughts away, even if it’s only for a nanosecond. I go to grab the bottle from the coffee table for a refill, “That’s it?” Ryan looks mystified as he pours himself, Neil, and Alyssa a drink for themselves once I’ve placed the bottle back down on the coffee table.

  “Not exactly … we um … we …”

  “You slept with him?” Alyssa asks accusingly, her eyes widening and revealing a slight sparkle within them. “He came back, you slept with him, and then he left again?”

  “No, it wasn’t like that. He got a call and told me he had to leave,” I insist, but I can see how this is beginning to look and sound.

  “He fucked you and left,” Neil scowls, grabbing hold of the now half empty bottle of liquor, not even bothering to reach over and retrieve his glass from the table. Swigging the whiskey neat, and from the bottle, I think he has every intention of getting wasted tonight.

  “Yes … No … Christ! Neil, I have no fucking clue what happened anymore!” I try to argue with him, my voice raising a few notches when I answer.

  “This is the exact same shit he used to pull when we in high school, and when he first got out of jail. I wish you’d fucking listened, Alex, I really do … You’re just like all the others to him. A quick FUCK!” Neil spits out.

  Slightly bewildered by his outburst, the harshness in his voice makes me still and lean back against the couch, “No, he said that—” I try to protest but it’s no use, once Neil gets angry, which isn’t very often at all, there’s really no stopping what he might say
or do.

  “Let me guess. He told you that you were different and special and more than just a fuck around to him, right?” he smirks, taking another mouthful of drink and standing, while pointing an accusing finger over in my direction. “If I didn’t know you any better, Alex, I’d say you remind me a lot of Lisa!”

  “That’s enough!” Ryan stands, speaking angrily over towards Neil, who is still wearing a wicked smirk over his lips. I already see the overprotectiveness showing on Ryan’s face. “I thought he’d changed.” Ryan mumbles, glancing between the two of us as Alyssa sits by his side, and for once, she remains quiet.

  Not being able to deal with the words Neil’s spitting out, I stand and leave the room.

  I leave the dorm.

  I leave the building.

  He didn’t fuck me. He didn’t. It was much more than that, I know it was.

  6.

  Mom

  Neil was drunk. He was completely and utterly wasted, but the words he’d spoken hurt. He said I reminded him of Lisa. Lisa of all people. I haven’t been compared to anyone before, and now that I have been, I’m damned sure I never want to be again.

  I went for a long walk last night, not getting back to the dorm until around two this morning. The three of them had already gone to bed, which I was pleased about if I’m completely honest. I don’t think I could have handled another round with Neil shooting his mouth off.

  The early morning sun is shining through the living area’s window from behind me. Pulling one of the blankets over my head when I hear a door beginning to open, I hear footsteps as they draw closer, and stilling when they’re right beside me.

  “Alex.”

  It’s Neil and he sounds rough. Really rough. Although it’s hardly surprising considering the amount of alcohol he consumed last night. I turn onto my side and pull the blanket half way down my face, so only my eyes are visible.

  “Hey,” I mumble, not really knowing what to say to him. I know he wasn’t … him last night, but I’m still wary as to whether he’s going to start another argument with me. I really don’t have the energy to fight with him, or anyone else come to mention it. I’ve only had a couple of hours sleep and I feel emotionally, physically, and mentally drained.

  “I think I might owe you an apology …”

  “You’re entitled to your own opinion, Neil,” I sit up and wipe my eyes, feeling as though I could sleep for another few hours. “Listen I’m tired. Can we do this later?”

  Nodding his reply, he goes to walk away, but pauses and turns back around, seeming just as confused as I am from the sound of knocking over on the main door, again. It has only just turned seven o’clock in the morning.

  Watching as he walks passed me, I pull the cover back up and hope the peace and quiet will soon resume.

  “Again?” Neil sounds pissed with whoever decided to drop by so early.

  “Again, it seems,” I recognize that voice. “We have a search warrant, so if you could step aside for us Mr. ...?”

  Bolting upright and off of the couch, I wrap the blanket around me and come face to face with the same female cop from last night. The same cop who came in throwing around all of those ludicrous accusations.

  “You have a warrant?” This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. “How? I mean, why?”

  “Some more evidence has come to light overnight. Some very serious information,” she answers as she steps towards me, this time her face softer and in some strange way, she seems a little more compassionate. “Maybe it would be best if you sit down so we can go over a few things.”

  Glancing over to the other detective, I see him nodding once, with a slight smile appearing over his lips, “Miss. Harper.”

  Taking a seat, I wait for them to join me, noticing Neil still standing over by the main door and watching them with speculative eyes, before slowly walking over to where we’re sitting, “If you could excuse us,” she turns and speaks to Neil.

  “Can he stay?” I ask, my voice almost pleading. If it’s as bad as they’re making it out to be, I at least want someone here with me. “Please?”

  “Very well,” she agrees while removing her jacket, only this time I don’t see a notepad or pencil in sight.

  Neil sits down beside me, takes a hold of my hand, and rests them interlocked on his upper thigh.

  “Alexis,” she says, holding a piece of paper towards me. Taking it from her, I see they’ve been granted permission to search anywhere throughout the whole dorm. Anywhere they wish in order to help further their investigation. “Before we begin our search, we need to ask you some more questions.”

  She looks over to her partner, who then clears his throat as he appears to be getting ready to take over. Did they really have to come by this early? Did they really need to come by at all?

  “We’re not one hundred per cent certain as to what exactly it was that he was looking for, but we have managed to piece together a link between Mr. Taylor, and your father’s property on Sunday,” the male detective begins, his eyes darting between both Neil and I before they land back down to his file.

  “A link? What kind of link?” Neil asks, sitting forward, but never once letting go of my hand.

  The female detective takes a moment before directing her gaze on me again, this time with a look of sympathy crossing over her features, “Did Brandon ever mention your mom, Alexis?”

  “My mom? We talked about her but not in a lot of detail,” I answer, wondering where on earth this conversation is heading. “He lost someone, I lost someone. I guess that’s one of the bonds we have … we had. We both lost and missed someone who meant everything to us.”

  “Were you aware that your mom was working on Mr. Taylor’s case before she died, Alexis?” she asks, hesitating from saying anymore, but I notice her watching both myself and Neil, as though she’s looking for some sort of a reaction from either one of us.

  Feeling Neil’s hand gripping mine firmly, I glance over to him, stunned by this information and see his mouth dropping open slightly from her words. So is that what my father meant when he said in the voicemail that he recognized the name?

  “Did he ever mention that he wanted to seek revenge, or … how can I put this …?”

  Interrupting her, I sit forward, making sure I’m in her line of sight, “He wanted to clear his name. He said he would do anything and everything he could to do that. He said he’d stop at nothing until he finished it,” the words fall out of my mouth before I can even think about what I’m saying.

  “Even you?” she raises her brow as she asks, keeping her eyes firmly trained on me, and for some reason, she appears happy by my small outburst.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “You said he would do anything and everything,” the detective answers, as though those are the only two words she needs to say in order to explain what she meant.

  “Are you implying Brandon used Alexis so that he could gain the information he needed?” Neil asks, with shock entering his tone and mortification written across his features. At least I’m not the only one who is finding all of this a little too much to handle.

  “Perhaps Mr. Taylor saw Alexis as a ticket. A ticket leading him to the information he needed. You see, Alexis, if it was really his goal, the only thing he could focus on, do you think that it may be just a little too coincidental that he ‘fell in love’ with you, the daughter of the cop who worked on his case? The person who could lead him to the critical information he wanted so badly, the information he so desperately needed?”

  “No, I don’t believe that for a second,” I snarl at her, although honestly, I have no idea what I believe anymore. Brandon never told me that it was my mom who had been working on his case, which makes me think he didn’t know, but he must have, surely?

  The detectives both stand, and after several moments of silence, I watch as they make their way over to my room, “Are you okay?” Neil asks quietly, still holding my hand firmly.

  “They think Brandon was using me,”
I turn to face him, a feeling of nausea washing over me from everything they said and implied. “You don’t honestly believe that he would …?” I can’t even finish my sentence, though it doesn’t look as though I need to. I can see from the look over his face that he thinks it’s a possibility.

  After spending over an hour in the dorm, the cops finally finish turning my room and the living area upside down, before making their way over the main door, empty handed.

  “Miss. Harper,” Detective Gil addresses me, turning around and leaning in towards me. “It really would be in your best interests to face the facts and accept things for what they are. If you think of anything, anything at all that will help us with this investigation, I suggest you call us.”

  Ryan and Alyssa walk out from Ryan’s room just as I close the door after showing the cops out, seemingly curious to know exactly what has been going on while they spent time back in Olympia.

  “It’s bullshit, all of it,” I say, standing and crossing my arms over my chest. “She was only saying those things to try and get something from me. She wants me to think he used me so I would talk to her and admit that he came here.”

  “She does seem like a manipulative bitch,” Neil adds, throwing me a small smile. “Alex, what I said last night. I didn’t mean it. I’m just angry at the guy for what he did to you, that’s all.”

  Watching him for a moment, I can see he’s being sincere. He looks upset with himself about it, “Do it again and I’ll kick your ass, Neil. I mean it.” I answer, and pretend I didn’t just see the snicker he gave me as a way of response.

  “Maybe you should have told her about that guy you saw. What was his name? Harry? Maybe he has something to do with all of this? It seems like a more plausible explanation. Your car, being in Salem, asking you questions … Maybe we should try and find out who he is. It’s a little strange he shows up all of a sudden and then all of this crazy ass shit starts happening.”