by S. E. Lund
“Let’s hope the police figure it out.”
“Richardson was a decent guy,” Drake said. “He didn’t deserve this. He tried to help me. Maybe he contacted her and told her to stop, and she killed him.”
I turned to Drake and ran my fingers through his hair. “Don’t worry about it. If she killed him or if she had someone else kill him, the police will find out. She may be smart, but she was caught right away after the attack. If she did this, the police will know.”
Drake leaned his head into my hand, then took it and kissed my palm.
“I could have stopped all of this if only I’d quit back in September.”
He looked in my eyes, and his were so pained that his expression brought tears to my eyes.
“Oh, Drake,” I said and turned to him. “Don’t put this on your shoulders. It was her and her alone. You did everything you could to placate her. She’s crazy and that’s all there is to it.”
He closed his eyes and then moved closer, taking me and Sophie into his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “You were almost killed. Sophie was almost killed. Derek is dead…”
We kissed briefly and then he kissed Sophie’s head.
“If you had quit, there’s no certainty that Lisa wouldn’t have stalked you anyway. She could have still done harm.”
Drake shook his head. “No,” he said. “Everything I did encouraged her. You can’t encourage a crazy person. They don’t react the same way that a sane person does. We were assuming she was sane and that she’d get the message, get the picture, but she couldn’t. Derek broke up with her and said she had become a switch. That means she discovered her dominant side and enjoyed using it. I think she’s probably bi-polar and once she gets an idea into her head, she can’t let go and becomes obsessed. When she finally realizes she can’t have what she wants, she becomes violent.”
“Do you think she actually killed Derek?”
Drake shrugged. “She would have the element of surprise. Derek probably wouldn’t expect that she’d be violent.”
I sighed and turned back to the news, which was now on a different story – thank God.
“We have to let the police figure this out.”
We sat there and watched the news for a while, but a darkness descended over Drake that threw a damper on our evening together.
I hoped the police would soon discover who killed Derek, and if it was Lisa, perhaps they would finally realize that Drake was totally innocent when it came to Lisa’s lies about him.
I hoped that would be the case, but I had a bad feeling about the whole business…
Chapter 19 : Drake
The news over the next few days kept getting more and more morbid.
I tried not to watch except in private, when Kate was sleeping, but she was as interested as I was in the murder of Derek Richardson and whether Lisa was involved.
On the following Wednesday, my cell phone rang while I was sitting in my office reading news headlines while Kate and Sophia slept.
I checked the caller ID and saw that it was McDonald.
“Hello,” I said and braced myself. “Drake Morgan speaking.”
“Hello, Dr. Morgan,” Richardson said, his voice sounding calm but firm. “Detective McDonald here. I take it you’ve heard about Derek Richardson’s murder?”
I sighed. “Yes,” I said and rubbed my temple. “I’ve seen the news coverage.”
“We were wondering if you could come down to the station, give us a statement about your whereabouts the week before your wife was attacked.”
A surge of adrenaline went through me, making my heart pound.
“I already gave a statement about that week.”
“Yes, but we want to check out a few details that were a bit confusing. Can you come down this afternoon?”
“I’ll have to check to see if my lawyer is available.”
“If you insist. Call me back when you have a time.”
I hung up and dialed Lara. Luckily, she wasn’t in court and answered on the second ring.
“Drake,” she said, and I heard papers flipping in the background. “What’s up? Everything all right?”
“The police want me to go to the station and go over my statement,” I said with a sigh.
“When?”
“This afternoon,” I said and checked my calendar. Of course, it was empty. I hadn’t planned on doing anything but stay home with Kate and Sophia for the next month.
“It’s your lucky day. I’m free from 3:30 until the end of the day.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go there for 4:00. Then we can go for a drink afterwards.”
“Sounds good. Will you pick me up?”
“Yes. See you at 3:30.”
“And Drake?” she said, her voice sounding firm. “Don’t worry. You had nothing to do with this. There’s no evidence that you were involved in any way. This is routine.”
“I know,” I said. “You’d think they would have cleared me by now.”
“They will. I’m certain of it. Maybe even today, after they talk with you.”
“I hope so,” I said and exhaled at the thought of being cleared once and for all. “I don’t want anything to worry Kate. She’s still a bit delicate because of everything she’s be through. I want her to stay as relaxed as possible.”
“Me, too. I’m glad she finally came clean about her depression.”
“I think she’s better now. It was temporary, due to the trauma.”
She said nothing for a moment and then spoke once more. “If she has PTSD, this could be a longer-term thing.”
“I know,” I said, remembering my training in psychiatry and psychology. “I’m on top of it.”
“Good,” Lara said. “I’m extraordinarily fond of Kate. She’s such a sweet loving person. I hate to see her suffering.”
“I’m doing everything in my power to make her happy.”
“I know you are,” she replied. “I knew you two were perfect for each other the day I met her at the café. Just your type.”
“Exactly my type.”
With that, we ended the call and I returned to the living room. I clicked on the television, keeping the sound muted, so I could check the headlines. There was nothing on Derek’s murder, so I went upstairs to the bedroom where Kate and Sophie were napping. I set my watch so that I didn’t oversleep and crept in beside Kate where she dozed, Sophie asleep beside her. Luckily, I didn’t wake her. Instead, my body gradually warmed as I lay spooned against hers.
As I lay against her, I thought about the whole situation. Part of me kicked myself mentally for becoming involved in BDSM in the first place. I knew it was a risk when I met with Lara that first time and we talked about me training to be a Dominant. She told me as much, advising me to keep that part of my life completely and utterly separate from my public persona.
“Don’t ever become involved with anyone from the hospital,” was her first bit of advice. “Even when things are consensual, people change. They change their mind about kink and what’s acceptable. If you become involved with a colleague, you run the risk of losing reputation if they ever turn on you or betray your privacy.”
How I wish I had been more careful. It was a total coincidence that Sunita was involved in the lifestyle and that we met at a dungeon party where there were no masks. She was already involved in the lifestyle, but was looking for a partner at the time I became involved with her. I was a new Dominant, still learning, and she was a willing participant, but she wanted more pain than I was willing to give. I could happily administer a spanking for punishment if needed, to reinforce the submissive’s sense of submission – which is what they desired after all. However, I could not go into inflicting real pain for pain’s sake. I was into pleasure and control. I liked the way women looked when tied up and helpless before me, allowing me – wanting me to do what I would with their bodies and mostly give them intense pleasure.
Sunita and I did not work out, but she felt cheated
and held a grudge. A grudge that almost caused me to lose Kate. It was likely Sunita who fed information to Lisa about me, and the media, sharing the video she made of us. How much I regretted allowing her to make a damn video! Live and learn… When I made my photo albums of my submissives, I made sure to hide my own face so that I couldn’t be easily identified. There was nothing particular about my body that could be used to identify me so I felt secure. The only people identifiable in the photos were the submissives themselves and they wanted the images.
Finally, I gave up thinking about everything, and beating myself up, and tried to count my blessings instead of all the negatives. I had Kate. I had Sophie. I still had my license to practice medicine. I was still a top surgeon in my field. My services would be in demand once all this cleared up.
Soon, I began to relax. It was a good thing, because I was stressed about the case, and the fallout for my reputation. I yawned and pulled Kate closer, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.
I woke up to my alarm, surprised at how fast thirty minutes passed. Kate woke up as well and rolled over onto her back to look at me.
“There you are,” she said and smiled, rubbing her eyes. Beside her, Sophia rustled, and sucked at her pacifier with her eyes closed. We were all warm and snug together, and I felt my heart swell. If only the three of us – and maybe Liam – could be happily together like this all the time, my life would be perfect.
Then, reality crept back in and I exhaled.
“What’s the matter?” Kate asked and brushed hair off my forehead. “That sigh means you’re stressed or unhappy.”
“McDonald called and wants me down at the precinct this afternoon. I’m going with Lara.”
"Drake!" she said and frowned. "What the hell is going on with the police? How can they still think you have anything to do with this? Why are they still calling you down to the precinct over this? You're as much a victim as I am."
"As Lara told me months ago, the police always consider the husband for any harm that comes to the wife. Always. They're usually right. It's the rare case when a wife is attacked or killed and it was not the husband."
"But there should be evidence," she said, her voice rising a bit, making Sophie squirm beside her, her eyes still tightly shut, the pacifier still in her mouth. "There is no evidence."
"There's he said – she said. Lisa claims we met in secret and planned the attack. How can I prove we didn't? We were alone together a few times – in the car when I drove her home, in her apartment when I attached the flat screen, in the hallways at the hospital. In my office. According to her, we were apparently at the same social functions at the same time. She could claim that we talked when we were alone and I encouraged her to kill you so we could be together."
"Anyone who knows you, who knows us, knows that's full of bull." Kate shook her head and sighed. "The police will figure it out."
"I'm neat and tidy. Who else do they have to go on?"
I stretched and lay on my back, my arm around Kate's shoulder, pulling her against me. We lay in silence for a few moments, both of us no doubt thinking about the case, about Lisa, and how we got into this mess.
Beside Kate, Sophie rustled, changing position, her eyes still closed. After a brief stretch, she went back to sucking on her pacifier contentedly.
"We're damn lucky she's such a good baby," I said and kissed Kate's forehead. "What if she'd had colic or some developmental delay? All the rest of this BS would be even harder."
"We are lucky," Kate said and squeezed her arm around my waist, smiling up at me. "We have to forget the case and let it play out. You'll be cleared, Drake. They'll figure it out."
"I hope so," I said and kissed her again. "I'm not as confident as you are. Even if they do clear me, there's still a lot of fall out for me in terms of reputation. I've already removed myself from the Foundation board of directors. What's next? Will I lose my surgical privileges at NYP?"
"Over your sex life before you were married? Are they that small?"
"Who can say?" I shrugged, not having a clue about why a surgeon could lose their privileges. I didn’t have any plans to do surgery during the coming year, but what about when I felt able to start practicing medicine again? Would NYP take me back?
"Maybe you could talk to the head of neurosurgery at NYP and see what he has to say."
I took in a deep breath and rubbed Kate's shoulder affectionately. "Don't worry about it. You have enough on your plate to think about."
I checked my watch and saw that I should get up and start getting ready for the meeting.
"Will you be all right while I'm at the police station?" I asked and looked into Kate's eyes for a clue about how she was feeling. "I wish you would keep Karen on for a while longer. I hate to leave you alone."
She smiled and squeezed her arms around me again. "I'll be fine. I don't need Karen any more, except for date nights. Sophie and I will cook supper while you're out. I'll put her in her Jolly Jumper swing and she can watch me in the kitchen."
"She loves that thing," I said and smiled back. "Before we know it, she'll be rolling all over the place. Then, we'll have to be on our toes. Baby-proof the place."
"We will," Kate said. "I already ordered those safety plugs for electrical outlets and those plastic thingies to keep the cabinet doors closed."
"Thingies?" I said with a grin, squeezing her again.
She grinned back. "That's scientific terminology, I'll have you know."
I laughed and pulled her over on top of me, and we lay for another few moments like that. Of course, I couldn't help but think of fucking her later, after we put Sophie down for the night.
"This is nice…" I murmured against the skin of her neck.
"It is," she said and let out a long sigh.
We remained like that for another minute or two. Finally, I realized I had to get going.
"I better get ready," I said and rolled her off me. I sat up on the side of the bed and adjusted my clothing. "Don't want to keep Lara waiting."
"Thank God for Lara," Kate said with a sigh.
"That's for sure." I rubbed her knee. "Will you be okay by yourself?"
"Of course," she said and sat up, running her hand through her hair. "I have everything under control. I have the best baby in the world and a wonderful warm home. I'll rustle up some grub for you while you're gone fighting battles…"
"Rustle up some grub, huh?" I said and grinned at her.
"I watched True Grit while you were out yesterday," she said and laughed lightly. "I always wanted to use that line."
I stood and left the room with reluctance, enjoying the quiet domesticity of the scene. I went to the bathroom and combed my unruly hair, tucked my shirt back into my slacks, and gave my teeth a quick brush. Finally, I went back to the bedroom and saw that Kate was propped up in bed, a Kindle in hand, reading.
She smiled up at me when I came over to the bed.
"Gotta go," I said softly, noting that Sophie was still sleeping, on her back, her hands in tiny fists, her pacifier in her mouth. I bent down and kissed Kate and then touched Sophie's plump cheek, which was soft and warm to the touch. Her cheeks were a bit flushed, but she was sleeping soundly, so I didn’t kiss her.
"See you later," I said and Kate nodded and blew me a kiss.
I left the apartment after getting my coat and scarf, and took my car to Lara's office to pick her up. I texted her once I arrived and she was down in a flash, dressed in her wool coat with a fur collar.
"Hello," I said when she slid into the passenger seat. "Thanks for this.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied. “Anything for you and Kate.”
“So,” I said and cleared my throat, trying to be nonchalant. “Do police always interview the husband three times in a typical investigation?”
“It depends on the investigation and the detectives,” Lara answered. “They interview you once to get down your basic account of the event. They may interview you again if and when new evidence
arises. They may interview you once more to push you for inconsistencies in your story, before letting you go and clearing your name or arresting you. In fact, they can interview you as many times as they want.”
“So what is the purpose of this interview?”
Lara smiled. “I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that they’re going to clear you and maybe inform you of how the case is going, seeing as you’re innocent.”
I nodded. “I hope so. I like the precinct and all, but I’d rather be at home with my wife and child.”
We drove in silence and although she had tried to reassure me about the purpose of the interview, I couldn’t help wonder.
“What’s the chance they arrest me?"
"Drake!" she said and frowned at me. "Of course they won't arrest you. They have absolutely no evidence except the hearsay of the accused."
"I was joking," I said and laughed ruefully, although there was this tiny part of me that imagined everything going sour. I did not want to spend any time in jail, even if I ended up being found innocent of accessory to attempted murder.
"No, you weren't," she said and gave me a scolding look. "Don't worry. I'm serious. There is no way you are on the truly looks-guilty list. Most women who are victims of an attack or are killed, it’s by the hands of their partners, husbands, current or ex. They have to give you a good look or they wouldn’t be doing their job."
"So you keep saying." I stopped the car and glanced out at the grey sky.
She reached out and squeezed my arm. "Trust me. In a few days, maybe even today, you'll be officially cleared. Then, we'll go out for a drink and celebrate."
"We will for sure," I said. "Now that we have a babysitter that Kate trusts, we can go out once in a while."
"It’s a deal."
Finally, we arrived at the precinct and I parked in the visitor's parking lot. I opened the door for Lara and we walked into the building. I glanced around and decided that once this was all over, I’d send Lara on a trip to Bermuda, which was her favorite vacation spot. A week in the sun would be a nice treat and a way to thank her for everything she had done to help both Kate and me during our crazy time both before and after the attack.