by Alice Ward
Ethan collapsed by my side and pulled me into his arms. I curled around him, my muscles still uncontrollably clenched.
“That was incredible, baby,” he said, still struggling for breath.
“Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe it,” I corrected him. “You may have to move me to bed later. I’m not sure my legs will ever work again.”
Ethan laughed and sat up. He massaged my thigh and a look of shock crossed his face. “You weren’t kidding. Your legs feel like rocks. Are you okay?”
I smiled and ran a finger through his damp hair. “I’ve never been better.”
***
“How’s Ethan holding up?” Uncle Walt asked. “I’m glad his name has been cleared. But I don’t imagine all of the press his parents are getting has been easy.”
“It’s been rough,” I agreed. “But I don’t think the news stories are bothering him as much as the calls from his mother. All of the Montez’s bank accounts have been frozen. Marsha expects Ethan to help her leave the country before she’s indicted.”
“That woman has some nerve,” Walt said, gritting his teeth. He took a long sip of his chai and stared out the café window. Ethan was at practice and Claudia had been called into the ER, so my uncle and I were having an impromptu early dinner.
News of Victor’s arrest spread like wildfire. Several twenty-four-hour news stations had already done hour long specials on the story, recounting all of the past crimes Victor had been suspected of but never charged for. Pundits were in agreement that Marsha Montez was just as guilty as her husband. The FBI had taken control of the investigation, and they were much more closed lipped than the local PD. Ethan and I didn’t know for sure if Marsha was being investigated. But by her frantic voicemails, it was clear she expected to be arrested at any moment.
“She really does,” I agreed. “I spoke to Dickson yesterday. So far, they haven’t been able to ID the female suspect. She’s much shorter than the man and she was wearing a ball cap in the surveillance video, so they weren’t able to get a clear picture of her face. But the Dallas PD thinks they’re closing in on Rhoads.”
“I know you really want to see Marsha pay for what she did to your student. Personally, I’ll be happy just to see her locked up and out of your life. If the feds take her down before Dickson, so be it.”
Our waitress arrived at the table with our food. She set a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup in front of me. Walt opted for pastrami on rye and fries.
“Would either of you like another drink from the coffee bar?” she asked.
We both shook our heads. “No, thank you,” Walt replied.
She refilled our water glasses and moved on to another table. I dunked the corner of one of my sandwich halves into my soup and waited for the toasty bread to soak it in.
“I agree that putting Marsha somewhere she can’t hurt anyone is best for everyone. And ultimately, I don’t care how or why it happens. I just want the Hollis case solved for the sake of the family. They went through hell and they deserve to understand why. However demented the motives were.”
“That’s understandable. How close do the Dallas boys think they are to bringing Rhoads in?” he asked, popping a ketchup-drenched fry into his mouth.
“They’re pretty sure he’s working under the table at a mechanic’s shop in North Dallas. They haven’t pinned down his schedule yet and they don’t have enough manpower to keep a stakeout team nearby. But they’re driving by a few times a day, looking for signs of him.”
“If manpower is a problem, we’ll hire someone,” Walt insisted. “Or I’ll fly down to Dallas and stake the place out myself.”
I shook my head, a small smile playing on my lips at the image of Uncle Walt with binoculars glued to his face. “Ethan suggested hiring a PI, but Dickson said it wasn’t a good idea. He said it’s critical that this case is handled by the book. Ethan promised to hold off on the idea for a few more days.”
“Well, if there’s nothing we can do about it for the moment, let’s change the subject,” Walt suggested. “I can hardly remember the last time we talked about something other than police investigations and criminal charges. Let’s talk about something normal, something happy.”
“Ethan and I set a date,” I told him with a grin. “We’re getting married on June eleventh at the Portland Botanical Garden.”
Walt let out an impressed whistle. “Wow. That will be beautiful, Emily. Does this mean you’re going with the big, extravagant wedding Ethan wanted?”
When Ethan and I started planning our wedding, I was shocked to hear some of his ideas. His guest list looked like a who’s who of the most influential people in sports, and he suggested we hire the recent Best New Artist recipient to perform at the reception, which he expected to last two days. I’d immediately reined him in, reminding him that the day was supposed to be about us and our future. I wasn’t interested in throwing the Wedding of the Century. I wanted to celebrate becoming his wife with the people who actually mattered to us.
“Sort of… we compromised. Ethan has a lot of friends on the team, and I understand why he doesn’t want to leave any of the other Stallions out. So he cut the list to the team and other friends. It’s still going to be five times bigger than I pictured, but Ethan gave up on the two days after party idea.”
“I have news on the wedding front as well,” Walt shared. “Claudia and I want to keep things as stress-free and fun as possible. We’re older, and neither of us is interested in having a big formal affair. We’ve decided to get married in Vegas.”
“That’s perfect,” I agreed with a smile. “In fact, I’m jealous.”
“Well, we’re planning to do it over your spring break, so you and Ethan can come with us. Maybe you can talk him into it while we’re there.”
“I can’t wait. But I’m not sure Ethan’s parole officer will give him permission to fly to Vegas. Which is a shame, because I’d honestly love nothing more than a quickie elopement.”
I spooned another bite of hot soup into my mouth and my phone started chiming from my purse.
“That’s Frank’s ringtone,” I announced. I retrieved the phone and answered it on speaker.
“Hey, Frank. You’re on speakerphone. Walt and I are having an early dinner.”
“Walt, you were my next call. I just got off of the phone with Dickson. The Dallas PD picked Rhoads up outside his place of employment early this morning. He postured for a few hours and insisted they had the wrong man. But it didn’t take them long to break him. He gave a full confession. Dickson’s willing to talk us through it if we want to drop by the station. He’ll be there late processing Rhoads’ extradition paperwork.”
I breathed a deep sigh of relief. “Did he tell them Marsha was involved?”
“I don’t know any details, Emily. Dickson didn’t want to get into specifics over the phone.”
“How far are you from the station?” Walt asked him.
“I could be there in twenty minutes.”
“Emily and I are a little farther out. Meet you there in half an hour?”
“Sounds good to me,” Frank agreed.
The line went dead and Walt met my eyes with a wide smile. “It’s finally over, kiddo. The Hollis family will have their closure and you and Ethan will be safe from his monstrous mother.”
“Ethan… I have to call Ethan. He’s still at practice, but I should probably leave him a message.”
I was surprised when Ethan answered his phone on the first ring. “I was just about to call you.”
“I’m with Uncle Walt. Frank called and—”
“Asked you to get to the police station,” he finished. “I know, I’m already here. Detective Dickson called me out of practice about an hour ago.” Ethan sounded defeated, and panic rose in my chest.
Not again. This is supposed to be the end of the nightmare. I swear to God, if Marsha has framed him for something else…
“How bad is it, Ethan?”
“It’s not bad… it
’s surprising. We were way off track, Em. It’s over now, but we were way off track.”
Ethan was silent for a moment and I heard Dickson’s muffled voice in the background.
“I need to go, but I’ll explain everything when you get here,” Ethan promised.
Walt paid our bill and ushered me out of the café as I spoke. “You’re making me nervous, Ethan. You sound upset.”
“I am upset, Emily,” he agreed. “But everything will be okay, and that’s all that matters. I love you and I’ll see you soon.”
Walt opened the passenger door of his car and I dropped my phone back into my purse as I buckled my seatbelt and he took his place behind the steering wheel. He peeled out into traffic and got us to the station in record time. We found Ethan and Detective Dickson in the same room we’d met in for our last round of questioning. I took a little comfort knowing that this time, Dickson was the one responsible for giving answers.
“Hey, baby.” Ethan rose from his chair and gave me a half hug, extending his other arm to shake Walt’s hand.
“Walt, I’m glad you’re here. The fewer times I have to tell this story, the better,” Ethan said, cringing with dread.
Walt took a seat at the head of the table while I settled in beside Ethan. Before Detective Dickson could begin his explanation, Frank stepped through the door.
“Perfect,” Dickson announced as Frank sat down. “Everyone’s here. As you all know, Kelvin Rhoads was arrested in Dallas early this morning. After a few hours in custody, he broke and gave a full confession. He admitted to breaking into Emily’s classroom and tampering with the snacks. He also gave up his boss.”
“Marsha?” I asked.
Detective shook his head and looked to Ethan. Ethan took my hand and turned to me with sad, guilt-ridden eyes. “The woman Ben met outside the gym… she was Susannah Cross.”
I tried to process the news, not knowing how to feel. “Susannah? But why? You said you were never involved with her.”
Walt stiffened his shoulders a bit and I knew he was ready to come to my defense, if necessary.
“I wasn’t,” Ethan assured me. “Our relationship was exactly how I described it. She had a tough breakup with one of my teammates. We were friends, and I tried to help her. I never realized her feelings went deeper.”
Detective Dickson cleared his throat. “Susannah checked herself into a mental facility this afternoon,” he explained. “I spoke with her mother, who told me Susannah’s had a very difficult time adjusting to life in a new city. For a while, she seemed to be doing better. Then, a little less than a year ago, she became withdrawn again.”
“She did better after we became friends,” Ethan explained. “She backslid when I moved to Portland.”
Dickson nodded. “My guess is that she got even worse once she found out Ethan was involved with you, Emily.”
I sat silent, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. I couldn’t.
“I pushed you at her over Christmas,” I remembered out loud. “I actually asked you to spend time with that terrible woman. I can’t believe she’s responsible… but this doesn’t make sense. If she wanted me out of the way, there were tons of things she could have done that didn’t involve endangering an innocent child.”
“Alfie was never supposed to be involved,” Ethan explained, nearly choking on his words. His eyes were watery, but his jaw was locked.
“When the Dallas PD interrogated Rhoads, he swore up and down that he’d never heard of Alfie or any of the Hollis’s,” Dickson explained. “Later, when he confessed and gave up Susannah, he explained the full story. Susannah broke into your classroom to learn more about you. When she found the snacks in your drawer and saw a list of allergy cautions, she assumed you were the one with the allergies. You were always the target; Alfie was an innocent bystander.”
“Do the Hollis’s know all of this?” I asked, barely able to breathe let alone ask the question, but I needed to know.
Dickson nodded. “I went to their house this afternoon and explained everything. They’re relieved Kelvin and Susannah have been caught. But I doubt they’ll be letting their kids out of sight anytime soon.”
“I don’t blame them,” I agreed, thinking of that sweet little boy. “So Susannah tried to kill me?”
Ethan nodded, his jaw still tight. “I’m so sorry, Emily.”
“This wasn’t your fault, Ethan,” Walt assured him. “You didn’t realize Susannah was so troubled.”
“I know,” Ethan agreed. “But if something had happened to Emily… I don’t know what I would have done.”
“It’s a good thing we pretended to break up,” I realized out loud. “If we hadn’t, she probably would have made another move after her first attempt didn’t work.”
The detective nodded. “We’re lucky the Dallas PD caught up to Rhoads when they did. He was supposed to meet with Susannah tomorrow to discuss the next job she had for him.”
“What happens to them now?” I asked.
“That depends on the Hollis family, to an extent,” Frank broke in. “As the parents of the victim, the prosecutor will take their feelings into account before brokering any plea deals.”
Dickson nodded. “I don’t think they found any comfort in the fact that Alfie wasn’t the intended target. But I imagine they’ll agree to a certain amount of bargaining to avoid a trial. The prosecutor will likely offer to let Susannah serve her sentence at a mental health ward in exchange for a guilty plea.”
“I don’t know about the Hollis’s, but I’d be okay with that. I hate what she put us through, and I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive her. But if she’s sick, she deserves treatment.”
“That’s very big of you, Miss Kinkaid,” Dickson told me.
Walt cleared his throat. “Is there anything else we need to know?”
The detective shook his head. “Not at the moment. I’ll keep you updated on the prosecution, but this investigation is officially closed. Miss Kinkaid, you are officially free to come and go from Portland as you please. Mr. McAlister, good luck on Sunday. We’re all counting on you to bring home a win.”
***
“I can’t believe these amazing seats,” Linda gushed, staring down at the field. “And look at Melissa over there in the middle of everything.”
I followed Linda’s gaze and spotted our friend. The hottest boy band in the country had just played the Super Bowl halftime show, and Melissa was interviewing them on the sidelines.
“You and Ethan giving her that interview was the best thing that ever happened for her career,” Linda continued. “You know she has national networks calling her?”
I nodded. “She deserves it. She’s fantastic at her job.”
As promised, Melissa was the only reporter Ethan and I spoke to after the truth came out. We sat down with her the morning before we left Portland, and her station aired the segment that evening. Within an hour, the parent affiliate called and requested Melissa cover the game. It was her first national broadcast, and she was killing it.
“Melissa’s not the only one,” Walt broke in. “Ethan is on fire tonight. If the defense can get their heads out of their asses, the Stallions are going to take this. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m having the time of my life. And I’m so damn proud of him.”
Watching my uncle take such pride in Ethan was the cherry on top of what was quickly becoming my perfect life. Ethan and I had faced hell together and come out stronger on the other side. But it wasn’t just our relationship that thrived. Everyone I knew was happy. Walt was more at peace than I’d ever seen him. He and Claudia were shopping for a new home, and they were both helping Ethan and me plan our wedding. Henry was finally settling into life in Portland. The night before, he showed me pictures of engagement rings and asked my opinion. And Melissa and Ethan’s careers were taking off right before my eyes.
The players filed out of their tunnels and the crowd erupted. I spotted Ethan on the field; his eyes were narrowed with focus and he moved w
ith confidence.
“He’s got this,” I announced.
“I think you’re right,” Henry agreed.
The Stallions started the second half with possession of the ball. Ethan moved for the middle of the field and the crowd started chanting his name. The electrifying excitement of the crowd washed over me, making my pulse race even faster. I kept my eyes fixed on Ethan as the team broke from their huddle.
The second half of the game went much better than the first. Ethan and his offense scored on three possessions in a row. The defense held Philadelphia to less than ten yards per possession.
“This game is over,” Walt announced two-thirds of the way through the last half. Ethan had just run in another touchdown, bringing the Stallion’s lead up to forty-nine points.
Henry nodded. “Philadelphia doesn’t have time to come back from this,” he agreed.
“I don’t think anyone told them that,” I said, staring down at the field. Ethan and his team hadn’t let up, but their opponents weren’t backing down either. Ethan snapped the ball and seconds later, a pair of enormous linemen tackled him to the ground. I didn’t bother to watch where the ball went. Panic washed over me and all I could think about was Ethan’s last bad tackle. I held my breath and gripped Walt’s arm, my eyes locked to the pile of bodies on top of my fiancé. One by one, they rolled off of him and Ethan sprang to his feet.
“Thank God.”
Ethan’s eyes found me in the crowd and he gave me a quick thumbs up before joining his team in the huddle.
“Getting knocked down is part of Ethan’s job,” Walt reminded me. “You’re going to have to get used to watching it.”
“I’ll never get used to it,” I insisted.
“I wouldn’t either,” Claudia agreed. Her face was as white as I imagined mine was and I realized I wasn’t the only one who’d panicked when Ethan went down.
“He can obviously handle it,” Linda observed.
Ethan faked a toss to one of his receivers and ran for another touchdown, mowing down every opponent in his path with the help of two of his teammates.