Dream Date

by Ivan Kendrick

  “I don’t know.”

  Ashton sighed.

  “Since there’s the evidence, Officer Velásquez and a private investigator will be working together. They’ll find out who might want to kill you.”

  “Wait. The NYPD is investigating a trivial car crash?”

  “Don’t ask me. I don’t know how or why the guy got involved in this.”

  “Have you heard anything from Amanda? She won’t answer when I call.”

  “I have no idea, man.”

  “Is she okay, at least?”

  “I’m not sure. I…you know I don’t talk to Judith anymore.”

  Nathan sighed.

  “It would be convenient if you’d ended up with her.”

  “What, you’re not happy that I chose Grecia?”

  Nathan raised his eyebrows.

  “Are you guys together now?”

  “Not that way,” Ashton said. “But things are getting better. I want to gain her trust, to show her that I can desire no other woman.”

  Nathan thought for a moment.

  “I wonder why Amanda hasn’t even talked to me. I thought she’d given us a chance.”

  “Don’t think the worst, bro. Amanda must have her reasons for not seeing you.”

  “I wish I knew those reasons.”

  After Amanda finished classes that day, she walked to the parking lot with Kellan. When they got to the car, they found Hayden waiting for them.

  “Ms. Tilley,” Hayden said, bowing slightly. “I got your call, and decided to wait for you here. If you don’t mind, I’ll be escorting you both home.”

  “We don’t mind at all, Mr. Hayden,” said Amanda, walking to the passenger-side door. Kellan opened it for her and she sat down. He then opened the backseat door and let Hayden in.

  As soon as they were back in the apartment, Hayden had them sit down in the sofa.

  “What is this new information you have for me, Ms. Tilley?”

  Kellan shot Amanda a quizzical look. She hadn’t told him anything.

  “This…what I’m about to tell you is about that day you found me in my car. It was Hilbert who took me.”

  Hayden didn’t look surprised. He appeared to have been waiting for Amanda to tell him what he was almost certain had happened. He pulled out his legal pad from his messenger bag.

  “Why didn’t you tell me this then?”

  “I confess that I was afraid. Hilbert…he threatened to kill both Nathan and me. I don’t want him to be hurt because of me.”

  “Wait—Mr. Melendez threatened to kill you?”

  Amanda nodded.

  “That’s a serious accusation, you know, Ms. Tilley.”

  “I know. I’m afraid I can’t prove it.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m here to investigate.”

  Hayden wrote on his pad.

  “There’s something else, Mr. Hayden,” Amanda said. He looked up.

  “When I tried to make Hilbert confess that it was he who sent men to kidnap me, he not only denied it. He gave me the name of the person he claims actually did it.”

  “Who?”

  “Hilbert only told me the person is named Rebecca. He didn’t give me a last name or anything else.”

  Hayden wrote that down.

  “That’s something, at least. I’ll try to find out who this Rebecca is.”

  “Is this everything you had to tell me, Ms. Tilley?”

  “Yes, Mr. Hayden,” Amanda replied.

  Hayden nodded, and closed his legal pad.

  “I also have information for you both.”

  Amanda and Kellan turned their attention to Hayden.

  “First, I understand that you have two bodyguards, right, Ms. Tilley?”

  “That’s correct. Hughes and Grayson alternate turns. The former protects me during the night.”

  “Mr. Hughes, you’d do well to share the information I’m about to give you both with your superior.”

  “I’ll do so, Mr. Hayden.”

  Hayden paused for a moment to think about what he was going to tell them. He sighed, and then spoke.

  “Officer Velásquez found out that the NYPD has been investigating Mr. Melendez. They’ve been at it for the past three weeks.”

  Amanda looked dumbstruck. Kellan, who was good at keeping a poker face, managed to hide his surprise.

  “Why is he under investigation?” he asked.

  “Three weeks ago, a witness filed a complaint with the 25th Precinct. The identity of the person is kept secret, for safety purposes. However, I can tell you this much. The witness is a woman who, like Ms. Tilley, works for Hilbert.”

  Amanda frowned, not understanding.

  “Do you mean that she’s a model?”

  “Yes. In the complaint, the witness accused Mr. Melendez of sexual harassment…and of rape.”

  Hayden paused to let that sink in. Amanda was still working on believing what she had just heard.

  “The witness was unable to provide any compelling evidence. All she told the police is that she was on her way to speak to a friend of hers. This happened during a fashion show last fall.”

  Amanda’s eyes widened.

  “New York Fashion Week?” she asked.

  “Yes. The witness searched and searched for her friend. A model finally told her that her friend left with Mr. Melendez to the Phillips Club. The witness knows that he keeps a place there, so she went.

  “When the witness was outside the door, she waited. Seconds later, two voices came from inside. One was from Mr. Melendez, and the other from a woman. The witness recognized it as her friend’s.”

  Hayden paused so Amanda could absorb the news. Her face looked appalled.

  “You can guess what went on, right?” he asked. “The witness heard Mr. Melendez sexually abusing her friend, a fellow model. It was then that she understood. The witness recalls that Mr. Melendez had started coming on to her for a while.”

  “Hilbert raped the woman?” Amanda asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But—I’ve been working with Hilbert for years! How come I haven’t noticed anything illicit?”

  “It appears he’s been very careful.”

  Amanda’s eyes started glistening with tears. She was having trouble assimilating everything.

  “Why isn’t he behind bars yet?”

  “The witness didn’t linger long enough to collect any proof. She was just as shocked as you are now.”

  Amanda shook her head in disbelief.

  “It’s been long since New York Fashion Week took place! Why are we finding out about this just now?”

  “Because the witness was afraid. She…she’s only been a model for a few months. She was still too new to have heard of the rumors she began to come across. So she started focusing on gathering evidence.”

  Amanda arched her eyebrows.

  “What rumors are you talking about?”

  Hayden let out a sigh.

  “I’m told that Mr. Melendez requests…sexual favors from the models the agency represents.”

  The revelation made Amanda blanch. She covered her face with her hands.

  “I’m an idiot!” she yelled, standing up. Her hands were clenched into tight fists. Amanda started pacing. She ran her hands through her hair. “No wonder Mr. Melendez has been trying to seduce me all along! He just thought of me as yet another conquest. No, his biggest conquest, his freaking crown jewel! Is there a bigger prize than Amanda Victoria Tilley?”

  “Calm down, Amanda,” Kellan said. He stood up and placed his arms around her. She was crying.

  “Has the police made any progress on this case?” he asked Hayden.

  “Officer Velásquez told me that the investigation has been a bit slow-going. Mr. Melendez knows how to cover his tracks.”

  Kellan got Amanda to sit back down. He handed her a napkin from his pocket. She thanked him, and cleaned her tears.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked. Kellan looked at her in confusion.

  “
The police are already taking care of this. There’s nothing you can do to help.”

  “I want to do something. Anything that will help bring this bastard down.”

  “Trust me. They’re doing everything they can. They almost have enough evidence for the agency to suspend Mr. Melendez. I’m sure he’ll get a memo really soon.”

  As he had recovered from his injuries enough during the weekend, Nathan returned to school on Monday. The first thing he did was to go to Starbucks. He had hopes that Amanda would be there, waiting for him.

  Nathan bought his breakfast and walked over to a table. Just then, he heard voices calling to him.

  “Hey, Nathan! Come sit with us,” Ashton said, waving over from a table. He was sitting with Oswald and Claire. Nathan walked towards them.

  “Hi, guys,” he said as he took a seat and sat down.

  “You’re feeling okay?” Oswald asked.

  “Yes, just a little sore.”

  “Thank God it wasn’t worse,” Claire said.

  Nathan looked around.

  “You’re looking for Amanda, right?” asked Ashton.

  “Yeah. I can’t believe she hasn’t even called me since the accident. Hasn’t anyone seen her, or her friends?”

  “No.”

  “I can’t fathom why she’s decided to forget me. And there I’d thought she had finally given us a chance.”

  “Don’t be pessimistic, Nathan,” Claire chastised.

  “What else could I think? Amanda shouldn’t be avoiding me after that wonderful night we spent together, even less when I almost get killed.”

  “She must have her reasons, bro.”

  “No, Ashton. There’s no reason why Amanda should be doing this after all that’s happened. I never thought she could be so cold, so…cruel.”

  Claire and Ashton looked at each other. It was clear Nathan was too disillusioned to see sense.

  Just then, Kayla walked in view of their table. She saw them and waved. Claire waved back, smiling. Nathan and Ashton turned to see who it was. They saw Kayla walking to the line to order her food.

  A few minutes later, Kayla sat down next to Nathan.

  “Hi, guys! How are you all doing? Are you better?” she asked Nathan.

  “Physically, yes,” Ashton commented.

  “What does he mean?”

  “Amanda is being a no-show,” Oswald explained.

  “What? But I thought you were—” Kayla started to say. Claire’s look quieted her. Nathan looked like he didn’t want to hear anything more about the subject.

  “Let’s talk about your book trailer,” Oswald suggested. “How’s it coming along?”

  “It’s finished. I haven’t been able to tell you guys because of all that’s happened. Days have flown fast. I’ll give you the YouTube address later.”

  “Why don’t you just tell us what keywords to search for?” asked Ashton.

  Kayla told him to search for her book title plus “book trailer”.

  “I’ve also done promotional posters to, well, make my book known,” she added, reaching into her backpack. She pulled out her iPad and switched it on. After some clicking, an image of two amateur models covered the screen. They were portraying the main characters of Kayla’s novel. She showed it to her friends.

  “Looks a bit like a movie poster, but not quite so pizzazz-y,” Claire remarked. “You’re taking the cinematic stuff seriously.”

  “Maybe you should get advice from Judith. She’s studying film special effects, and some cinematography,” Ashton told Kayla. “We didn’t end up on good terms, but I still remember that.”

  “Are those the same amateur actors who are playing your characters in the trailer?” Nathan asked.

  “They are.”

  “Is that the only poster you have?” asked Oswald.

  “No. I have two in portrait orientation and one in landscape,” Kayla replied, showing her friends the other two posters.

  “Who designed them?”

  “The guy who’s directing the book trailer knows a guy who’s a whiz at computers and graphic designing.”

  “You’re assembling a big promotional campaign,” said Nathan, looking at Kayla. “That’s pretty significant for a self-published author.”

  “I love what I do,” said Kayla, switching off her iPad and putting it back in her backpack. “And I can’t wait to see my novel in e-book stores.”

  Nathan smiled at Kayla, thinking about all the things about her that made him fall in love with her. Then he thought about Amanda.

  Has she given up on me that easily?

  Ashton broke Nathan from his reverie.

  “Hey, bro, by the way,” he said, “I’ve checked your car. The damage isn’t too severe. I’ll be able to help fix it.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And while I’m at it, may I give the car a shiny new paint job? In a different color, I mean. That could really make it stand out.”

  “I like it the way it was. Leave it the same color.”

  “Okay.”

  After the first class ended and they were walking on the hallway, Emmy spoke to Amanda.

  “Amanda, when are you going to put Nathan out of his misery? He loves you. Nathan’s already seen me no less than twice today, and he wouldn’t stop asking questions I couldn’t answer.”

  “I can’t see him. Hilbert will kill both of us if I do. He has us watched. Remember I told you that Kayla said something about a blonde guy who claims he’s in love with me? That must be Hilbert’s informant.”

  Emmy shook her head in indignation.

  “That creep. I can’t believe he is bold enough to claim he loves you, when he’s doing this to you.”

  Amanda said nothing, continuing to walk.

  “You have to stop Hilbert pretty soon, or you might lose Nathan.”

  “That’s not going to happen, Emmy. Nathan loves me more than anyone else. He waited almost four years for me. He’ll wait a little longer.”

  “I don’t mean to give you any doubts, but Kellan told me he saw Nathan this morning. He was with his friends—including Kayla. They acted just as they always do with each other, sans the kissing and couple stuff.”

  “Emmy, they’re best friends. What’s wrong with it?”

  “Aren’t you afraid they might reconcile?”

  Amanda took some time to answer, thinking over the question carefully.

  No, Nathan wouldn’t return to Kayla after what we had that night. Not while I’m alive.

  “They won’t.”

  “They were intensely in love. It could happen.”

  “Nathan may have loved Kayla with all his heart…but not a day passed without him thinking about me. I’m confident we’ll be together again when this nightmare is finally over.”

  Emmy smiled, looking at Amanda in admiration.

  “What?” Amanda asked, fighting a smile.

  “You guys are so sweet. The way you have so much faith in each other. It’s so The Notebook.”

  Amanda broke out laughing.

  “Emmy. You were always the most romantic of us,” she said, referring to both of them as well as Judith.

  “What? Love’s the best thing in the world.”

  Amanda thought she didn’t disagree. Yet, love could sometimes be a torture, too. She hoped that Hayden and the NYPD would be able to stop Hilbert once and for all.

  Over the following days, Nathan continued being unable to find Amanda. Thanksgiving was only a few days away. Nathan had figured out how to make her believe in him again, but it wouldn’t work if she kept hiding. Nathan’s frustration grew, but every time he started losing faith, he remembered that wonderful night that Amanda had shared with him. No one could possibly sweep that away as if it’d meant nothing.

  The following weekend, Rachel Edwards flew to Ithaca for Amanda’s latest photography session. The latter had already done photo shoots in Manhattan. Rachel thought that something different would be great. Amanda had never done a photo shoot there.

>   Rachel knocked on Amanda’s apartment door. Kellan answered it.

  “Hi, I’m Rachel Edwards, photographer,” she said, looking up at him. He nodded in salute, looking down at the two bags she was carrying.

  “Ms. Tilley’s expecting you. Come in.”

  Rachel waited in the living room. A few seconds later, Amanda walked in.

  “Good afternoon,” she greeted.

  “You must be Amanda,” Rachel said, her eyes lighting up in recognition. “Gosh, you look a lot more gorgeous in person.”

  Thanks,” Amanda replied, offering her hand. Rachel shook it. “You must be Rachel Edwards.”

  “The one and only.”

  “Marissa’s told me quite a bit about you. She says you’re a very promising photographer.”

  “I’m flattered.”

  “Sit down. Do you want anything?”

  “I’m okay,” said Rachel, sitting on the sofa and setting her bags next to her. Amanda sat down too.

  “I’m glad to be indoors,” Rachel added. “In the short time I was outside, I felt really cold.”

  “Tell me about it. It’s the middle of November. How’s New York?”

  “It’s a little colder. I was freezing at the airport.”

  “You sure you don’t want something? Coffee?”

  “I’m fine. But if you have a bottle of water, it would be great.”

  Amanda stood up.

  “Room temperature or cold?”

  “Definitely room. I don’t want to freeze any further.”

  With a laugh, Amanda went to the kitchen. She opened a cabinet and grabbed a bottle of water. Then she went back to the living room and handed it to Rachel.

  “What do you have there?”

  “These bags? It’s my photographic equipment. I also brought clothes for you to wear. Don’t worry,” Rachel added after she saw Amanda’s expression. “You won’t be cold when we shoot outdoors. Not too cold.”

  The clarification made Amanda laugh.

  “You can start putting them on. I’ll set up my stuff and then we’ll go outside to see where to shoot.”

  Amanda went to the bedroom with the smaller bag Rachel had brought. There, the former took off her jacket, sweater, and pants, leaving only her undershirt. She then put on a pair of new charcoal pants, a turquoise turtleneck blouse, and a chocolate brown jacket. Amanda kept her Ugg boots on.