“Now, that that’s been established, the evidence is still the same. There are photographs of her at your construction properties, images of you two together looking very cozy, and this one of you looking very aggressive toward her just a few days before she was attacked. Statements from hospital staff about the bruising and abrasions on her body are consistent with an attack. There is also video footage from security cameras outside her home of a car similar to yours, as well as a man similar to your height and build on the night of the attack. It looks like Mindy is telling the truth.”
“But there is no shred of DNA evidence,” I point out defensively. “No proof that I am the one that gave her those bruises.”
Tony ponders this and nods. “Yes, that works in our favor, but there is a great deal of circumstantial evidence that works in her favor. Look, first we are going to get you released and then we’ll go back to my office and begin handling this. You’ve got a team of money-hungry, pit bulls for attorneys behind you. We’ll handle this,” he reassures me.
It takes another hour for the police to process my release. By the time I exit the interrogation room where they have held me all day, it’s mid-afternoon. As we exit the police station and make our way down the stairs, one of the officers that had shown up at my home this morning to arrest me, approaches Tony and me.
“Mr. Rogers, I know this is bit awkward, but I’m a huge fan. Do you think…” he trails off.
I notice the pad of paper and pen in his hands. Un-fucking-believable, I think for the umpteenth time in a matter of a few hours. This guy is really asking for an autograph after I’ve been questioned and all but accused of a crime I didn’t commit. It’s so bold, I’d almost respect it, if I wasn’t the one who’d just been held at the police station for hours. “If you don’t get the ever-loving fuck—”
“Okay, Landon, the car is here. I’m sorry, officer, Mr. Rogers is not doing autographs at the present time. Thank you,” Tony smoothly intervenes, stepping between the officer and me.
I continue to glare at the officer even as I enter the waiting Town Car.
“How’s Mel?” I ask Tony as soon as we pull off.
“Frantic. According to my assistant and Walt, she’s been calling every ten minutes. She’s pissed you wouldn’t let her wait at the station with you or meet you down at my office.”
“She doesn’t need to be involved in all this,” I state.
Tony shakes his head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. It was my duty as a husband to protect my wife at all times. But early in our marriage, Beth set me straight. One day, Mel will do the same to you,” he comments.
Beth and Tony have been married for over twenty years. Tony and I are a lot alike, which is why we’ve worked well together for so long. But he’s not always right. I will not let Melody become more involved in this anymore than she already has become. It’s my job as her husband to keep anything from hurting her, and I take my job very seriously.
“You let me worry about my marriage. Let’s discuss how you are going to resolve this and the type of lawsuit we’re going to file against Mindy,” I retort.
I see Tony shake his head before he finally begins discussing how we are going to approach this problem.
Chapter Seven
Melody
“Landon! Thank God!” I squeal as I launch myself into his arms before he’s even able to get the key out of the lock of our main door. “Are you okay? What happened? What did Tony tell you?” I can’t stop the barrage of questions that spill out of my mouth. It’s well after eight o'clock at night, and I have been cooped up in our condo all day unable to speak with my husband save for a few minutes when he called me after being released to tell me he was okay.
“Walt, thank you for staying with her all day. I’ll call you if I need anything else.” Landon’s voice is calm and steady as usual, except when he’s angry. It anchors me back to reality, where I remember Walt is still there in our home.
I clear my throat. “Thanks, Walter.” I smile at him.
“Anytime,” he returns, gives Landon a nod and collects his things to leave.
“Landon, please tell me what is going on. You wouldn’t talk to me all day and Walt wouldn’t tell me anything.” I know Walt was only following Landon’s instructions.
“It’s all over the news too,” I say.
“You watched the news? Damnit, I’m firing Walt’s ass. He should have known better than to let you see that shit.”
“No, Landon, you will not be firing Walter. He did his job. Now I want you to tell me what’s going on please,” I beg.
He sighs, running his hand through his thick brown hair. “All right, sit down,” he tells me, pulling me toward our huge couch.
“First, I need you to know none of this is true. I would never—”
I cover his hand with mine, “Landon, I know you would never hurt a woman or do what you’re being accused of. You don’t have to tell me that.” The words aren’t even fully out of my mouth before he pulls me into a long, deep, hard kiss. I can feel his gratitude and relief from the way he is kissing me. He ends the kiss and cups my cheeks, bringing us forehead to forehead.
“Thank you,” he whispers.
“Don’t thank me. You’re my husband,” I reply.
He swallows deeply before he begins. “Mindy and I dated months before I even met you. We had a thing. It was casual…nothing serious. I broke it off due to my training and traveling schedule. I just didn’t feel enough for her to keep it going with my career being so busy. Anyway, a few months later I went to Puerto Rico for the off-season and met you. When we became serious and the public started finding out about us living together, Mindy started sending me text messages. They started off casual enough; asking about the upcoming season, how my day was, you know nothing even sexual or suggestive. I replied every now and again, but when I felt she was doing it too often, I stopped responding. Then she’d pop up at the sports arena under the guise of working, and accidentally bump into me. She works as a producer for the Channel 10 News, so she was given access by her company. This went on for months. I didn’t think on it too much. I’ve dealt with enough pushy women and groupies to think I could handle it. Anyway, once we got engaged, she upped the ante.”
“How so?” I ask.
“She began to threaten to tell you that she and I had carried on an affair. She began calling my manager’s office and coaches when I would ignore her. She showed up at my construction sites a few times. Under Tony’s advice, I did my best to ignore her antics. I stayed completely away from her, but she kept coming. This is her big attempt to get my attention. She’s intent on breaking us up. I don’t even think she wants me back. She just wants me to be as miserable as she is.”
“Did she find out we got married? Is that why she went to this length?” I question.
Landon shakes his head. “No one except my attorney, our families, and close friends know and they are legally bound to keep it to themselves. She’s just reached the point of desperation.”
“So, what does Tony say? How are we going to handle this?”
“We,” Landon emphasizes motioning back and forth between him and me. “Aren’t going to handle anything. I am going to light a fire under Tony and his team’s ass to get this shit over with as soon as possible and draw up papers to sue Mindy for defamation.”
“Landon, you don’t need to handle this on your own. I—”
“Mel, did you just hear me? I have this handled. I don’t want you worrying about anything.” His voice is stern, and unflappable.
I know I’m not going to get anywhere, so instead I just ask him to fill me in on the details of what Tony has told him so far. For the next hour, he tells me what type of evidence the police have in favor of Mindy’s claims, and whether or not he believes charges will be filed. My heart rate speeds up when I hear him say possible charges for this type of crime could land him in jail for up to five years.
“It won’t come to that,” he says, soothi
ng me when he sees the look of alarm on my face. I quickly steel my face and try to look as neutral as possible. I know Landon is already reluctant to share everything with me. I know he’ll be even more reclusive with the details of this case if I freak out. I remain quiet as he tells me about the times Mindy popped up unexpectedly at his construction sites. How there is photographic evidence of him pulling her arm as he tries to escort her out of the sport’s arena after she showed up yet again. Apparently, her story is that she and Landon were having an affair for months while he was with me, and when she threatened to leave him, he became obsessed with getting her back. She claims that when she threatened to tell me to get him to leave her alone is when he became violent and attacked her.
My insides recoil as I hear the words spill out of Landon’s mouth. My stomach rolls with nausea, thinking of the horrible things she has accused him of. I’m all too familiar with the type of person who would do something like this, and Landon is not that. I know the man I married would never do those things, but now the whole world is questioning whether the man they revere on the football field is a monster in real life. I hate this Mindy for these false accusations, not only because they are hurting the man I love, but for reasons I won’t get into now.
“Maybe I should take some time off from work,” I suggest, more because I want to be around for Landon during this time, than because I want to avoid the media and scrutiny from coworkers.
“Absolutely not,” he states adamantly. “You will not be affected by this. Your life will not be impacted by this.”
“Landon, this is not—”
“No!” he fiercely declares, standing. “I said you will not be impacted by this. You will go to work and live your life because I will make all of this go away.”
I don’t even have time to respond before he storms off. I don’t take his anger personally, because I know that he is doing what he believes is protecting me. Landon can be a hard-headed mule when it comes to keeping things from me for my own good. I blow out a breath and rise from the couch, going to the kitchen and begin preparing a late dinner. I haven’t eaten since this morning, feeling too anxious throughout this crazy day, and I doubt Landon has eaten. I’m hoping a hot meal will soothe his ruffled feathers at least for now. Thankfully, it’s Friday so I don’t have to face work for the next two days.
****
“What happened here?” I ask as I notice the quarter-size purple and blue bruise on Gabriella’s wrist. I squint in confusion when she hastily covers her wrist with her long sleeve and avoids eye contact. It’s strange enough she’s wearing long sleeves this time of year, as it’s early May and the weather has warmed considerably.
“It’s nothing, Ms. James. I was cooking dinner for my mom the other night and the dog got in my way and I tripped and hit my arm on the counter,” Gabriella states.
I tilt my head to the side. The story sounds suspicious enough but coupled with Gabriella’s reluctance to even look at me, I am getting a strange feeling. Over the last few weeks I have noticed Gabriella’s usual flare is gone as well. She’s usually introverted around others, but once comfortable, her bubbly personality shines through. Lately, even in our one-on-one sessions she’s more sullen, keeps her head down, and even her style of dress is different, choosing to wear her long hair in ponytails or buns with few of the hair bows she usually wears.
“You sure it wasn’t another fight?” I question.
“Yeah, Ms. James, I ain’t been in no fights recently.”
“Okay. I’m just making sure. You know if something is going on, I’m here, right? And if you really need me you have my cell to use in case of an emergency, okay?” It’s not something my school administration encourages, but I have given out my personal cell phone number to students and their parents to use if they need something or if there is an emergency.
“I remember.” Gabriella throws me a half smile, but it’s missing its usual sparkle, and my heart aches.
I want to help, but I can’t if I don’t know what’s going on. Strangely enough, this mirrors what is going on in my own home. I’m surrounded by people who refuse to let me all the way in. I sigh, ridding myself of the thoughts of Landon and those false accusations while I am at work.
“Okay. Well, you only have a few more weeks here. You should be starting to prepare your graduation speech,” I say with enthusiasm. Gabriella is highly ranked in her class, and while the final ranking is dependent on finals, it’s pretty much set that Gabriella will come out as either number one or number two in her class, both of which make speeches during graduation. She is slated to attend one of the most reputable high schools in the city, and that is no small feat considering where she comes from.
“I’ve been practicing a little,” she says shyly, but the sparkle that returns to her eye when she says it, reminds me of the Gabriella I’m used to.
“Well, how about we start talking about it a little more next week? I can be a listening ear if you want me to or I can wait until graduation like everybody else to hear it.”
“Okay, Ms. James, I’ll think about it,” she says, picking her book bag up off the floor as the bell rings. “Bye, Ms. James.” She waves as she heads out the door.
I barely have time to say bye before she is out the door and heading out of the main office to her next class. I’m still left with that strange feeling concerning Gabriella minutes later, even as my next student enters my office door. I quickly switch gears and greet this student, pushing thoughts of Gabriella to the back of my mind.
****
“How about we do some shopping and then grab some lunch?” Paulette suggests early Saturday morning during a phone call.
“I guess,” I say as glumly as I am feeling. “Landon’s gone to an early morning workout and then will likely have to meet with his lawyers this afternoon,” I state. It’s been two weeks since the day Landon was questioned, and so far he has been consumed with meeting lawyers and discussing with his manager on how to make this go away. He still refuses to tell me everything that is going on, which leaves me feeling helpless as to how I can help him. He’s still been loving and attentive toward me, but I feel like I am unable to return the favor and support him the way he needs, because he won’t let me in. Thankfully, the media has stopped showing up at my school, trying to interview me, but that doesn’t mean they’ve let this go. It feels like almost every other day there’s some sort of new information coming out in the news about Landon and Mindy. Most of my coworkers have offered words of support and disbelief that this is happening, but I also see the look of suspicion from some of them. Their suspicion only bothers me because I hate that people think Landon could do what he is accused of.
“Well damn, you could at least sound happy about spending the day with me. I have a day entirely to myself for once, and I’m choosing to hang out with you,” Paulette grumbles, causing me to laugh. I know she’s trying to bring me out of my funk.
“I know. I’m sorry, girl. Of course, I’d love to go shopping and have lunch with you today.”
“Cool, I’ll be there around eleven. Be ready.” She hangs up and I force myself to get up off the couch and go get dressed. I still don’t feel like doing more than curling up in bed, underneath my husband’s strong arms, but that’s not going to happen today, so shopping it is. I’m hoping my mood will have improved by the time I get back.
Chapter Eight
Landon
“What the hell do you mean there’s good news and bad news?” I grumble at my manager, Michael. We’re sitting in his office with Tony and Walt, discussing this bullshit with Mindy. The police and prosecutors aren’t letting this thing go, they are planning to get a court order to swab me for DNA to try and link me to the attack. There is no fucking way I’m going to admit to doing some shit I never did. I have never and would never strike a woman.
“Well, there are some major flaws with Mindy’s case. Statements she made to the police about meeting with you don’t correspond with times you were ev
en in the city. In fact, in her initial statement the day she said you attacked her, is the same day you and Mel flew to Puerto Rico to get married.”
I sit up a little straighter in my chair, hearing this news. “Well, that proves she’s lying. There’s no way I could have attacked her and been on a plane at the same time.” The look Michael gives me tells me this is not the good news I was hoping for.
“Landon,” Tony take over for Michael, “While that sounds good, Mindy later goes on to say she was confused and changes dates to a day before when you were in town. One of the social workers went on record claiming that this sort of thing does happen with victims of some sort of trauma. They lose track of dates and times, so Mindy’s statements can be construed as a mix up of someone who has been traumatized, instead of the lie we know it is. But that’s not it…”
Tony’s words already deflated the small sense of victory I was starting to experience. Now the way he said that last sentence, I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever he had to say next.
“There may be another accuser.”
I don’t even have the energy to feel the outrage I should feel at that statement. I thought I was in disbelief, but this is truly the kicker. “Another woman is saying I had an affair with her?”
“Not quite,” Tony answers. “There is a woman you went to college with. She’s claiming she was sexually assaulted at a college party and…” Tony trails off.
I look between Tony and Michael and brace myself for whatever it is he has to say next.
“She was impregnated by the rape. Even though the statute of limitations is far past expired, the prosecutors are thinking of requesting a DNA test of this woman’s son to finger you as her attacker. They believe it speaks to a pattern of violence against women by you.”
Forever: a standalone, interracial romance Page 6