“Hello Miss Green, I’m detective Case and this is detective Brady,” the blonde said. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thank you.”
“I’m sorry to have to disturb you while you’re recuperating, but we need to find out what happened last night.”
“It’s okay,” Chloe said. She looked at Jake. He smiled. “Where do you want me to start?”
“What was your relationship to the deceased, Jesse Donavan?”
“He used to be my boyfriend...until he tried to kill me.”
The dark man grimaced. The blonde looked unaffected as he said, “So how long have you and Mr. Donavan been apart?”
“Almost three years.”
“Miss Green, after speaking to your attorney we did some investigation into the case where Mr. Donavan was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. The complainant is named as Kelly Ward.”
“Yes, I left the state and had my name legally changed. I knew that he would come after me. I was hoping he wouldn’t be able to track me down.”
The detective nodded, wrote something down and said, “How did Mr. Donavan find you?”
“I ran into his father, Vince Donavan at a fundraiser. I was with Mr. Stark here who the elder Mr. Donavan was acquainted with. Not long afterwards, my best friend was nearly killed and Jesse was stalking me.”
“What evidence did you have of his stalking?”
“He told Chantelle he was going to kill me. My boyfriend’s brake line was cut and while he was recuperating in the hospital, Jesse showed up on the pier while I was there with Jake...my attorney.”
“Did he speak to you?”
“Yes. He said something about being sorry Derek was in the hospital...he could have only known that if he was following me...and if he’d been the one to cut the brakes.” The detective didn’t look convinced.
“Did you notify the police?”
“Yes. They were looking for him because Chantelle told them it was him who beat her. There was a warrant out in New York for his arrest. We called them that day at the beach but by the time they got there, he was gone.”
“Okay...let’s flash forward to last night. You were at your condominium...alone?”
“Yes. My roommate is out of town. My boyfriend,” she looked at Derek and he winked at her. “He was still recuperating from his accident...he was at my parent’s home in New York. My attorneys were also out of town. I needed to pick up a few things and take care of some business in Rhode Island. I was going to spend the night at the condo and go back to New York today.”
“Did you let Mr. Donavan into the house?”
“Of course not. You should be able to tell that the lock was tampered with on my front door.”
“So he broke in the front door. The lights were out, the fuse had been thrown...did he do that?”
“I’m assuming so. Suddenly everything went dark and I heard him at the door.”
“What did you do?”
“I got ready to fight.”
“You were expecting a fight?”
“Detective, this man tormented me for years. He tried to kill me. He told me he wouldn’t stop until I was dead. He tampered with the brakes on my boyfriend’s car. He stalked me...yeah; I thought there was a pretty good chance I would have to fight for my life.”
The detective took her through the fight and Jesse cutting her and then he had her tell him about Jesse falling through the door. Chloe looked nauseous as she described the sound of the glass shattering and the back of Jesse’s head hitting the table. Derek wanted to make the detectives leave and take her into his arms. He knew how relieved she was that Jesse was out of her life forever...but he also knew that she had to be dealing with emotions over taking a life. Even seasoned cops had a hard time with that one. He had to fight through his urges and let her go on. They were almost finished...he hoped.
“What did you do after you realized he was dead?”
“I went out front and sat in the pick-up and called 911.”
The detective read through his notes. His partner still hadn’t said a word. He asked a few more minor questions and then he said, “I think that’s it for now, unless you have something else to add Miss Green?”
“No, nothing I can think of.”
The small man said, “I have one more question.”
“Okay.”
“Did you fear for your life that night?”
“I’ve been in fear for my life for three years,” she said. He nodded. Derek got the impression that he was very much on Chloe’s side.
After they were gone Jake said, “You did good, Chloe.”
She smiled, looked towards the door and said, “I am the one that flipped the light switch. I was waiting for him. I didn’t think that would sound good...but just in case it comes out, I thought you should know.”
“I figured that much out,” he told her with a grin. “I think you did everything right...I do wish you would have let someone help you.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve gotten used to doing things for myself.”
Derek reached out and took her hand, “You better get un-used to that. I don’t intend to take away your independence completely, but I do want you to learn how to let me help you.”
“All of us,” Jake said.
******
Later that afternoon when Jake was gone to pick-up Roxi, Samantha and Trevor and Kevin came in. Kevin carried a gigantic bouquet of roses and Trevor had a bouquet of orchids and a handful of balloons.
“Oh my goodness, is there anything left in the gift shop?” Chloe asked.
Kevin smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “This wasn’t half of what they wanted to buy you,” he said. Chloe’s room already smelled like a florist shop. Besides the two new bouquets, there were already several that had been delivered from Roxi; Derek...who must have went online on his phone, because he never left her side...and Jake. There technically weren’t supposed to be so many people in the room, but the nurse was kind and willing to look the other way as long as they visited quietly.
“Oh Chloe, I was so worried.” Samantha hugged her, almost too tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay, honey.” Trevor hugged her next and said,
“You should have called me. I would have gone with you...”
“I’m sorry that I worried you both, but I didn’t want to bring any more pain or drama into your lives. You’ve both been through too much.”
“You need to stop thinking that way, honey. You are the most important thing into the world to us. We’d rather worry than not know what’s happening. It’s a parent’s prerogative to worry,” Trevor said with a smile.
“Things went okay with the police?” Kevin asked her.
“I think so. I just told them what happened. Do you think the D.A. will file charges?”
“I doubt it,” Kevin told her. “It’s an election year and it would look really bad for him to try and prosecute a woman who was nearly killed by her boyfriend once, and then attacked and fought back. When you add in that this guy was wanted for the savage beating of another woman...your friend...He’d be a fool to touch this one.”
“Hopefully he has more sense than New York’s D. A.,” Derek said.
Jake and Roxi walked in then and Jake said, “Apparently, he does. I just got a call from his office. Due to Jesse’s history with both Chloe and Chantelle and the fact that he broke in and he had a weapon...they’re very likely going to call it what it was...self-defense. They’re not going to arrest you, and as long as nothing else comes up during the autopsy, they will very likely not be filing charges.
There was a collective cheer in the room. That netted them a “Shh!”From the nurse that poked her head into the room. In a whisper Derek told her, “I’m so happy baby. Now we can really get on with our life.” He looked around the room and said, “Can we tell them our news?”
Chloe smiled through the tears in her eyes and nodded. “You tell them,” she said.
“Chloe and I have news,” Derek s
aid with a big smile. Jake and Roxi and Kevin of course already knew, but none of them let on. Derek was just about to make the announcement when the door was pushed in wildly and Vince Donavan appeared in the doorway.
Chapter 5
“What are you doing here?” Derek was instantly on his feet.
“I wanted to see the woman who murdered my son.” Trevor was closest to the door. He stepped into Vince’s face and said,
“Get out.”
“No wait,” Chloe said. “Let me talk to him for a second.” Reluctantly, Trevor stepped out of the way. The men were all staring at Vince with hostile looks, but his eyes hadn’t left Chloe’s face. “I didn’t “murder” Jesse. He was attacking me and in the process, he fell and hit his head.”
“So that’s what you’ve told the police, I hear. You’re making yourself out to be a victim when my son is the one who is dead.”
“He wouldn’t be dead if he had left me alone. He was there to kill me. I had to protect myself.”
“He was broken and confused. He’d just spent two years in a hell hole for crying out loud!”
“Because he tried to kill me!”
“And because you made sure he was out in two years, he once again had the opportunity to try and kill her. If you had let him pay for his crime in the first place the way he should have, he would still be behind bars and none of this would have happened,” Kevin told him. Vince pulled his head up then and looked at Kevin. He narrowed his eyes and said,
“How dare you accuse me of this being my fault? You used to be my friend. You’re a defense attorney for Christ’s sake. You’re the one who is always championing the wrongly accused. How would you feel if this was one of your children?”
“I would feel sad...and ashamed and repulsed at the same time,” Kevin said. “Sometimes we have a hard time facing that anyone we love and care about are not what they seem to be. I’m sure Chloe went through that when she first realized that Jesse wasn’t the man she thought she fell in love with. I am truly sorry that you lost your son, Vince...but you didn’t lose him last night, you lost him a long time ago.”
“You think you’re an expert on child rearing suddenly? Don’t kid yourself, Kevin. I lost him because of her! She’s told you her side of the story. Jesse never got to tell his. He was brilliant...did you know that?” Vince had tears sliding down his face and his body shook as he talked. “He had a bright, shining future. It went down in flames because of her. Jesse was raised in a good home with nothing but the best examples...if he snapped...it was because she pushed him into it somehow. You better keep a close eye on your own boy.” He glared at Chloe and he was becoming more agitated quickly. “I lost him because she drove him to do something desperate and stupid that landed him in prison and now he’s dead! I keep hearing “self-defense,” but I’m not going to just let this go. She needs to pay for what she did to my son. My wife is devastated.”
“Get out!” Derek had heard more than enough. “You do what you have to do and we will do what we have to do and keep Chloe safe. You raised an animal...a monster...he did things to her that would be low by animal standards. She shouldn’t have to suffer through your tirade as well...get out!”
“Derek’s right. You can be as loud as you want about this, Vince...but this isn’t your jurisdiction, thank God. The D.A. here is impartial and he could easily see who the aggressor here was. Now do as Derek said, Vince and leave. At least you can walk out of here with a little bit of dignity. Otherwise, we’ll have security show you the door.” Kevin walked over and opened the door. Vince was still glaring at Chloe. Trevor stepped in between him and his daughter and said,
“You’ve been told what to do, now do it.”
Vince left and after he was gone Derek turned to Chloe and said, “You don’t believe any of that crap, right?”
Chloe reached out and took his hand and said, “No. It took me a long time to get past the lies that I was spoon fed my entire life...but I got there. I’m getting even better with all of you. Thank you...all of you.”
Derek smiled and said, “Now can I tell them our news?”
She smiled back, “Definitely, I think we could all use some good news.”
Derek looked like he was about to burst as he turned to face the little family and said, “Chloe and I are going to have a baby!”
There was a collective celebration. Samantha and Trevor were in tears. They had been given a second chance with the daughter they thought they’d never know, and now a second chance at the grandchildren they thought they would never have.
*****
Chloe was discharged the following day with all of her follow-up appointments with the surgeon that worked on her arm and the plastic surgeon who will consult on the scarring issue once it had healed. Jake got permission from the authorities in Rhode Island for her to go back to New York while the investigation was technically still pending. He told her that the D.A. assured him once more that no matter how much noise Vince Donavan made, he didn’t plan on filing charges. He was sure to point out that this was not Vince Donavan’s jurisdiction.
Derek arranged for his helicopter to pick them up at the private airport not far from the hospital so that she didn’t have to endure the long car ride back to New York. She was feeling quite spoiled as they left the hospital. It took the staff several trips to retrieve all of her flowers, balloons, cards and stuffed animals...Lexi and Brock had sent her a large, stuffed bear and a note that said,
“I was so shocked to hear what happened but I am so glad that you’re okay. Roxi told us about the baby. I can’t even begin to tell you in a note how happy I am for you that things are finally going so well. You deserve it more than anyone I know. I will be home soon and I can’t wait to see you! Congratulations to you and Derek both! Love you.”
Roxi came to see her off and while the men were loading her things into the car that would take them to the airport, Chloe said, “I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I am about the damage to the condo.”
Roxi shook her head. “You’re too much, you know that? I wouldn’t have even given the “mess” a second thought yet if not for your boyfriend.”
“What do you mean?”
“He apparently called a service that his company uses yesterday. Once the police were finished with it, they went to work. I went by there this morning...it looks brand new. I am just so relieved that you’re okay, although you still need your ass kicked for taking that kind of risk.”
Chloe smiled and squeezed her friend’s hand. Roxi wasn’t one to show her feelings in a “normal” way, but she had been there every step of the way and that spoke volumes to Chloe. Once again, she had to take stock of how lucky she was. She looked back over at Derek. Even after all he’d been through himself, he was still thinking of everyone else. She watched him and Jake who she was also feeling grateful for as they talked and laughed near the car. She loved Derek’s smile...it still took her breath away but his gorgeous looks were just a bonus for the man he was inside. Every day...sometimes every hour, he did something to prove once again what an amazing person he is. It was so surreal to her to think about how much her life had changed almost overnight. She would be forever indebted to her friends and her new family, and even to the man she never met who snapped her photo that day in the club and showed it to Derek.
Chapter 6
Samantha had a whole spread set out for them by the time they arrived home. She had apparently been in the kitchen all day cooking.
“You shouldn’t have done all of this,” Chloe told her.
Sam just waved her palm at her and went back out to the kitchen. When she was gone, Trevor looked at Chloe and said, “This is how she deals with stress, she either works, or cooks. She wasn’t going to go in to the office since she knew you were coming home today, so she cooked...all day long.”
“The poor thing. I feel so bad that I’ve brought so much stress on to her...on to all of you.”
“She’ll be fine,” Trevor said, “We
all will. She’s just still processing how close we came to losing you again.”
Chloe nodded. The next time Samantha came into the dining room and tried to bustle back out Chloe said, “Samantha sit with me, please.”
Samantha looked reluctant, but she took the seat next to Chloe at the table. Chloe looked at her with soft eyes and said, “I appreciate everything you’re doing, and everything you’ve done...but it’s time for you to relax now. I’m safe...I’m home. We’re going to have a baby!”
Samantha’s face brightened automatically. She was silent for a few minutes and then she swallowed hard and said, “I’m so happy! I really am. I just can’t seem to shake this anxiety. It’s clinging to me even though I know that everyone is okay.”
Chloe nodded and turning her chair towards her mother, she took her hand. “I know that feeling and I hate knowing that you’re experiencing it. It’s like you jump out of your own skin at the slightest sound because you’re just waiting around for something else to happen. I wish I could tell you that was never going to be the case...but I’ve learned the hard way...and I’m sure you have to, that life doesn’t work that way. There’s no “fair share” as we as humans like to believe...if there was, everyone in this room would be exempt from anything bad ever happening again. So, in my humble opinion...and bear with me, I’m new at this...We need to concentrate on the positives. We found each other. We’re all alive and well, getting stronger every day...and guess what?”
“What?”
“You’re going to be a grandmother!”
Sam squealed. “I know! I’m having such a hard time believing that’s true!”
SCARRED - Part 6 (The SCARRED Series - Book 6) Page 3