by Adele Huxley
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I shouted. “He and Rick, the guy who’s been stalking me and who you’re going after right now? Yeah, they were threatening me and my friend. Bryan stepped in and saved us. Look,” I said presenting my various wounds as proof.
The cop stepped around the counter. “I’m sure we can clear all this up, but I’m gonna have to put you in one of the cells, alright? Am I gonna have to use these?” he asked putting his hand on the cuffs at his hip.
“Come on, this is ridiculous!” I screeched.
Bryan ran his tongue along the edge of his teeth and shook his head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll follow you.” I looked at him incredulously.
“Is there anyone you want me to call?” said Officer Dylan.
“Actually, Liz,” he said, finally turning to me, “could you call Walt for me? Let him know what’s happened.” It broke my heart to see such a mixture of unease and anger there, especially after the warmth of the previous night. “I don’t know what good it’ll do, but I feel like he should know. Other than you, he’s the only person I know in this town that can help.”
Choking back tears of anger, I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go over right now. He lives above the shop right?” Bryan gave me a tight smile as the cop put his hand on his shoulder and started to lead him away. “Wait!” I cried. “Can’t I just...”
Dylan almost rolled his eyes but took a step back. “Honey, I’m not executing him or anything, but since it’s Christmas...”
I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing him as tightly as I could. I quickly nuzzled my face into his neck and breathed in his scent. “I’ll get help, okay? I have money to post bail. Don’t worry.”
He pushed me away and looked earnestly into my eyes. “Don’t you dare use that money. I’ll be fine, just call Walt. Here,” he said handing me the keys to his truck. “I’m sorry.”
I stood and watched as Bryan was led down the hall and out of sight, deciding that out of all the days in my life, this was definitely the strangest.
——————
“Come on,” I grumbled to the ringing phone. I’d been trying Walt for ten minutes and he still hadn’t picked up. I felt weird about leaving Bryan at the station but knew I had to get help. I grunted in frustration and jammed the key into the ignition, but paused just short of turning it over.
There were so many things going on at once. Rick was still out there, possibly hurt. Would the policeman sent to get him be in danger? Should I go inside and warn Dylan? We hadn’t imparted how dangerous Rick actually was. Should I call Bryan’s mom or something? Someone in his family must care if he’s in trouble, right?
I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. “One thing at a time, Liz. Go get Walt.” The pep talk did enough good to turn the key and get the truck into reverse. I consoled myself with the fact that the store was less than five minutes away. I’m not going far.
I’d expected something like this to happen. Not Bryan getting arrested exactly or Rick appearing with a shotgun, but something. Anytime I find a bit of happiness and contentment in my life, something comes along and turns it to shit. An inevitable condition of being Liz Croyden, apparently. Maybe that makes me bitter, but I can only work with what life has given me.
The main street was completely deserted, of course, close to 11 a.m. on Christmas morning. All the kids would be unwrapping presents, parents sipping coffee, the magic of the morning just unfurling across the sleepy town. I swung the truck in front of the shop, disregarding all the parking spots. There was a little door just to the side of the main entrance that looked like it led to the apartment above. With no doorbell or name, I pounded my fists on the cold wood until I heard movement inside, specifically someone swearing up a storm as they shuffled down the stairs.
The old man whipped the door open ready to shout. He wore a battered, patchy blue bathrobe and thick slippers, his hair a disheveled mess. I cut him off before he could start his tirade.
“Are you Walt?” I asked in a breathy, panicky voice.
He squinted at me. “It’s my day off. Shop’s closed.”
“Jesus, I’m not here to get my skis sharpened. Bryan sent me. He’s in trouble.”
The old man’s expression changed at that. “What’s he done?”
“Nothing. He hasn’t done anything wrong. Noah Richards is pressing assault charges and the police are holding him. He told me to come tell you.”
“That fucking Richards family,” Walt said as he spit on the sidewalk. He studied my face before adding, “Alright, come on in, missy. We’ll sort this all out. Sounds like I got some phone calls to make.”
“I’m just gonna put you in the cell until we can sort through this whole mess, alright?” the cop Dylan said as he led me down the hall. “I don’t feel like going through all the paperwork just to have you released. But I will need to take your phone,” he said holding out his hand.
I tried to stay as pleasant as possible but internally, I was absolutely fuming. I’d instantly recognized him as the same cop I’d seen writing Noah a ticket when I first pulled into town. He already knew what a dickhead Noah could be. Plus, he recognized my name so it was obviously better to keep hold of my temper. “Sure thing, boss. I’m not gonna cause you any trouble.” I placed my phone in his hand with a sigh.
He opened up the closest of the two cells and gestured inside. I walked in and sat on the cold metal bench, wincing as the door clanged shut. That’s a sound I could’ve gone my entire life without hearing, I thought. He paused with his hands on the bars, peering in, giving me The Look.
“Real shame what happened to you and your pop.”
I nodded, my eyes pinned to the ground, hoping my disinterest could push him away. I really didn’t feel like talking about the accident or my dad.
“What was that? About two years ago now?” He leaned against the bars, squinting as he tried to pull the memory up.
“Yup, a little over.” I was fighting to keep my mouth shut. I could feel this guy about to go tripping down memory lane but he was the one literally holding the keys to my freedom. The entire day felt like some kind of test, this moment being no exception.
“It’s just crazy, ain’t it? First you wreck on the mountain—and you were good, man. So good. Bode Miller good. Weren’t you on the cover of Sports Illustrated? Well anyway, first you crash on the slopes and then your dad crashes following you—”
My head shot up, hands balling in my lap. “Yeah, it was a really crazy how that happened. Please, let’s keep talking about the the worst day of my life? I love it. Favorite thing in the world,” I finally snapped.
His eyebrow twitched but otherwise, I couldn’t read his expression. To his credit, Dylan simply nodded and tapped his wedding ring against the bar. He didn’t seem put off by my outburst but I certainly hadn’t won any favors. “I’ll let you know when anything changes,” he said and walked away.
Aside from the faint Christmas music echoing along the corridor, the station was totally quiet. I lay back on the bench and bent my knees, slipping my arm over my eyes to block the glare of the overhead lights. I caught a waft of Liz’s scent on my jacket, bringing forth a whole host of new emotions.
How could a day go from so incredibly amazing to terrifying to infuriating in a matter of an hour? For the first time in years, years, I’d been happy when I woke up. Having Liz curled against my chest was everything I could’ve ever wanted. I’m sure she didn’t know it at the time, but the night we spent together went a long way toward healing all that was wrong in my life. She didn’t care about my scars, trusted me enough to open up about her past. Yeah, but you still haven’t done the same for her, a voice in my mind said.
I sat up, resting my head in my hands. I hated that I’d given in to my physical desires before I’d told her the truth. I vowed that the minute, no, the second this was all cleared up I’d sit her down and tell her everything. It was the least I could do.
I’m not sure how long I ended up sit
ting there, but it started to feel like Liz had been gone for some time. Maybe she’s having trouble finding Walt? Maybe he went to be with family at the last minute? I paced around the cell, almost laughing with how stereotypical the movement was.
There was a bit of a commotion down the hall out of sight, elevated voices echoing against the walls. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but the tone spoke of urgency and a bit of panic. Shuffling footsteps approached and I expected to see Walt’s angry face turn the corner. Instead, I was confronted with Rick’s.
His arm was slung over another policeman’s shoulders. Blood trickled down from a large gash on his forehead, nearly matching the one he’d given Liz a few days before. A broad sneer spread across his face as his eyes landed on me. He quickly assessed the situation and obviously thought he had the upper hand standing on the other side of those bars. To be honest, I was thankful they separated us. They were probably the only thing stopping me from lunging straight for his throat.
“Alright, you just take it easy here, Steve. We’re gonna try and get hold of Linda and see if she can come take a look at ya,” the new cop said. He helped Rick sit down on a bench a little way down the hall from my cell. The cop, a blond guy who didn’t look a day older than eighteen, squinted as me as he walked past. Aside from a few drunk and disorderlies, I’m sure these cells were rarely used.
I stood in the middle of cell listening to the footsteps disappear down the hallway, my eyes locked on Rick. When the cop was out of earshot, I spoke. “Steve, huh?”
Rick leaned back against the wall, crossed his arms and cocked his head. “That’s right, Steve. It’s my name.” I would’ve given just about anything to wipe that smirk off his face.
“Steve,” I repeated through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, if you can just hold on a second.” He held up his finger while digging through his jean pockets. “I just have a phone call I need to make.”
I turned my back in disgust, not willing to let this asshole see that he was getting to me in any way. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but listen to his side of the conversation.
“Hey man...no, I ran into a bit of a complication. I’m actually at the police station now looking at the creep that jumped you.” I spun around in surprise. He was talking to Noah. The smirk grew into a full smile as he continued. “Yeah, he went after me, too. Barely got away with my life,” he said, flashing his teeth at me. “Listen, I know you’re probably with your family and all but would you mind coming—oh great, good. Then I’ll see you soon.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket and crossed his ankle over his knee. “You were saying?”
I should’ve just ignored him. I should’ve laid back down on that hard bench, closed my eyes, and forgotten the guy existed. A part of me thought I could talk a little sense into him, or at least figure out a way to get him to leave Liz alone. All the background information she’d told me should come to some use. I opted to pose a question that’d been bothering me for a couple days.
“I couldn’t care less about how you managed to get out of jail, but how—”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never been to prison,” he interrupted. The guy was good. Well-aware that the police could be listening, he was smart enough to stick to the story. He gingerly touched the blood on his forehead, rubbing the liquid between his fingers before wiping it on his jeans.
“Right, Steve.” I looked him straight in the eye, “How did you find her, exactly?”
“We have a connection, wasn’t difficult,” he said flippantly.
“The other night at the party, Noah said he called you. Given what I know now, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”
“I’m not sure what you think you know, but Noah and I go way back. We’ve been friends since college.” He leaned back with a shrug, as if the truth were so obvious.
It shouldn’t have bothered me. With the countless hours I’d spent in therapy, I was supposed to have a better grip on my emotions. At the very least, I should’ve been able to see that he was trying to get a rise out of me, but I couldn’t resist. He pulled me along with the juiciest piece of bait he knew he had; his relationship with Liz.
“What’s your end game here? What exactly are you hoping to accomplish?” I squeezed the bars with my hands only because I couldn’t get them around his neck.
Rick shrugged. “You don’t know Beth like I do.”
“Her name is Liz,” I grumbled through my teeth.
“A rose by any other name...”
“She doesn’t want anything to do with you! She hates you!” I shouted. My temper hit the boiling point. This guy, this asshole had taken such advantage of her. Maybe he knew about her past, maybe he didn’t, but he didn’t deserve to even utter her name.
“She will. She doesn’t have anyone else,” he said with another shrug.
“She has me.”
His laugh came out in a loud whoop. “Yeah? And what exactly can you offer her? A girl like that, she has needs that I don’t think you can meet.”
I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself in check. I knew exactly what he was trying to do and I’d be stupid to fall for it. Releasing the bars, I took a few steps back, clenching and releasing my fists at my sides. “I’m done.” I said it to myself as much as I was saying it to him.
“Wait, that was it? I’ve won? Well, that was easy. Guess you were all bluster after all,” he chuckled. I ignored him and sat down on the bench, all the terrible things I wished I could say to him running through my mind.
After a couple minutes of silence, I glanced up and saw Rick looking at me with a smile on his face. Even though I didn’t want to engage, there was no ignoring it. “What?” I spat.
“I know who you are, you know. Big time skier boy.”
My heart lurched, though I’m not sure why it mattered. Unfortunately, millions of people knew my story. It was the way he said it, like it was a threat. I did my best to not respond in any way but Rick could tell he’d found a crack to slip the blade into.
He chuckled, apparently appreciating my resolve. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think she knows who you are.”
This guy was good. I was either incredibly transparent or he was one of the most insightful people I’d ever met. Maybe it was the fact I didn’t go screaming about my fame that he figured out I was trying to keep it secret. “She knows who I am,” I whispered.
“Naw, she don’t,” he scoffed. “‘Cause if she did, she would’ve milked you dry and moved on to the next sucker. It’s practically her MO now, right down to leaving you cold and angry in a prison cell.” He shook his head, as if we were bonding. “You and I are more alike than you know.”
____________
They kept me waiting in that cell for the longest time. Rick rambled on and on, trying to break through my defenses. I’d managed to find a comfortable position leaning against the cold wall, his voice droning on in the background, when I heard light footsteps coming down the hall.
“Where’s my sexy little Christmas present?” Liz said with a laugh as she bounded around the corner. I opened my eyes just in time to see her happy expression crumble to pieces when she spotted Rick.
With an unamused look on his face, he sat up and smirked. “Somehow, I don’t think I was the present you were hoping to unwrap.”
She stared at him then at me, almost amazed that we were occupying the same relative space. If it weren’t for the bars between us, I’m sure one of us wouldn’t be able to claim that for long. I stood and approached as far as I could, wishing I could pull her into my arms, put myself between the two of them.
“Steve here apparently thought you were in danger with me,” I said with a nod towards Rick. “That’s why he came looking for you in the forest with a hunting rifle.”
“Steve, huh?” Liz repeated. She looked at him with revulsion. “And what exactly were you planning on doing once you found me? Were you going to shoot him or me? Maybe both of us?” I hated the casual
way she said it, like attempted murder was common in her life.
He put a hand over his mouth in mock surprise. “God no. Beth, I was just so worried about you. We all were, especially Kayla.”
“You were worried about me?” she repeated. “Are you kidding? You’re screwing with my head right now, aren’t you?” She glanced at me as she walked past, storming towards him with her hands clenched at her sides. “Is that why you pushed me out of a fucking moving car two days ago? You could’ve killed me!” Liz’s voice had risen to a shout, the sound amplified by the brick walls and tile floors.
“Liz, you gotta calm down,” I urged her with no affect.
“Sweetie, is it my fault you aren’t smart enough to stay inside of a moving car?”
By this point she was within his reach, close enough he had to look up to meet her gaze. I genuinely thought she was going to attack him and a big part of me wanted to see it.
“Steve, huh? Well, seeing as though I don’t know anyone named Steve, it seems odd that you’d be so concerned with my safety.”
I heard the slap of shoes on tile as Dylan appeared, drawn by the shouting. “Hey,” he yelled. “You can’t be back here.”
She spun as he touched her lightly on the shoulder. I could see the anger, fear, everything that man had done to her...including the wounds she still bore from his last attack. It just about broke my heart. Rick had the nerve to sit there and smirk like it was nothing. She gave Dylan a small smile and nodded, pulling her composure together with amazing speed.
“I’m sorry, of course. I’ll go back out front.” As she passed my cell, she gave me a sideways glance and mouthed, “Sorry,” before walking away.
He turned to Rick with a look of concern. “Steve, we haven’t gotten hold of Julie yet, or anyone really. Christmas and all, you know? Are you feeling alright?”
Rick made a show of hesitantly touching his forehead, checking his fingers for blood. “I think so. I feel a little dizzy but it could be because I haven’t had anything to eat yet today. And the head injury...” He glanced at me and I got the distinct feeling I was about to be thrown under the bus.