Past Due

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Past Due Page 19

by Jenna Bennett


  “I’m not sure I understand,” I confessed.

  “He didn’t stop when I told him to,” Darlene said. “But I was there. I let him kiss me and touch me. I was the one who changed my mind about going all the way.”

  “That don’t make it all right.”

  It was Rafe who spoke, and I was glad. Hearing a man say those words was probably exactly what Darlene needed. She looked across the table at him, blue eyes—surprisingly—swimming with tears.

  Rafe added, “If you said no, he shoulda stopped.”

  The eyes overflowed, and she simply nodded, with tears rolling down her cheeks. Rhonda leaned closer to put her arm around Darlene and murmur in her ear.

  I turned to Epiphany, both out of curiosity and because I wanted to give Darlene some privacy. As much privacy as someone can have at a table in the middle of a dining room surrounded by other people. “Did you party with Ethan and Matt, too?”

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head. “I was a nerd. A geek. I didn’t hang out with the cool kids.”

  “Probably safer that way.” Especially considering this latest development.

  Epiphany nodded.

  “Did you know about...?” I glanced obliquely at Darlene.

  Epiphany shook her head. “Not until just now.”

  “She told me last night,” Rhonda added. “After the murder.”

  Yes, I could see why that might spur such confidences.

  “What about Matt?” I wanted to know. “Back then. Did he also...?”

  “Not with me,” Darlene said. “It was just Ethan. And I’m serious. I really didn’t think it was rape at the time.”

  That was hard for me to imagine, but as she continued, I understood a bit better.

  “When I told him I wanted him to stop, he said I was being stupid, and that of course I wanted it. We were going steady, and I’d let him kiss me and touch me, so I thought maybe he was right. That I was just being stupid and scared. It was my first time. And I wasn’t even sure I liked boys, you know?”

  She waited for a nod before she continued. “He didn’t hit me, or hurt me, or hold me down, or anything like that. I didn’t fight or cry. Maybe if I had, he would have stopped.”

  “Maybe he wouldn’t.”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t a very traumatic rape. It took years before I even realized that’s what it was.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  She shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”

  Obviously not so long that the memory had lost its power. Although now that she had gotten it out, maybe that would help. “Do you know if the same thing happened to anyone else?”

  “Not sure,” Darlene said. “I broke up with Ethan afterwards. I decided I really preferred girls.”

  Several eyebrows rose, and she added, “I never was in love with him, even before. But I thought maybe there was something wrong with me because I didn’t like boys. So when he wanted to go out with me, I said yes.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you,” Rhonda said.

  Darlene smiled, but turned to Rafe. “No offense. You’re a good-looking guy, and I’m sure you’re good in the sack, but you don’t do anything for me.”

  “That’s fine by me,” I said. “I wasn’t willing to share, anyway.”

  Rafe chuckled, and Darlene continued. “I didn’t want what happened to happen again, I guess. So I stayed away. But there were other parties. And I guess maybe things happened at them, too.”

  “Do you know who was involved?”

  She shook her head. “There were a lot of people at those parties. Lots of girls. It could have been anyone.”

  “What about Danny Emerson? Would he have been involved?”

  “Oh, no. Danny was a sweet guy. He wouldn’t do anything like that.”

  Epiphany added, “Look at his life. He married Jan and has a couple kids. Ethan and Matt never got married. Or if they did, it didn’t last.”

  No. Willem had tried and, according to Yvonne, failed. Ethan and Matt had never married. Being able to keep a marriage going, with a wife who clearly loved him, argued for Danny being a decent guy.

  “What about the girl? Or girls? Are you sure you couldn’t guess—?”

  My phone rang before I could finish asking whether either of them had any idea who the girls were who had been involved. “Excuse me.” I dug it out of my bag, and looked at the display. And felt my heart sink.

  “This is Savannah.”

  “My partner and I went to check on Mr. Gunther,” Lupe Vasquez said, “like you suggested.”

  I couldn’t get my vocal chords to cooperate in any significant way, but I managed a sort of grunt. It was enough to spur the conversation to continue.

  “He’s dead.”

  God. I’d expected it, or been afraid of it, but it was still a shock. “When?”

  “The medical examiner will be able to tell more exactly, but at least twelve hours ago.”

  So overnight, or perhaps this morning. Long before Rafe and I had realized Willem might be in danger. Before we’d found Matt, and before Danny had been attacked.

  Whoever was doing this, had had a busy time since the reunion.

  Unless I was jumping to conclusions. It was probably naive of me to hope that Willem had slipped in the shower and hit his head, but I thought I’d better ask anyway.

  “How?”

  “Same M.O. as the other two. Multiple stab wounds to the chest and throat, as well as to the genital area.”

  “I’m sorry.” The words were automatic. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the expression, just that I hadn’t expected to hear it mentioned. “What area?”

  “Genital,” Officer Vasquez repeated, enunciating clearly. “The genitalia were mutilated.”

  I focused on breathing in and out as my vision tunneled. Rafe must have noticed—or maybe I was swaying back and forth—because he put out a hand to steady me. His eyes were worried.

  “Thanks for letting me know,” I managed.

  “Thanks for the tip,” Vasquez responded, sounding annoyingly normal when I was but a few seconds away from fainting. “Anyone else whose well-being you’re worried about?”

  “Not at the moment.” My voice sounded strained, even in my own ears. “If I can think of anyone else, I’ll let you know.”

  “You do that.” She hung up. Had her hands full, no doubt.

  There was a pause, while I lowered the phone and stared at it, and while everyone else stared at me.

  “Willem?” Rafe said finally.

  I nodded.

  “Dead?”

  I nodded.

  His hand moved on my arm, going from supporting to comforting. “Sorry, darlin’.”

  “Willem Gunther is dead?” Darlene asked. “Ethan, Matt and Willem are all dead?”

  I nodded, wrapping my fingers around Rafe’s and holding on. “I’m afraid so. Same killer. Multiple stab wounds to their chests and throats and... um...”

  “Um?”

  “Genital areas.” Saying the words made me blush, even under the circumstances. Ladies don’t refer to genitalia in polite conversation.

  Although I suppose it was good I could get the blood up into my cheeks again. For a minute, I’d felt distinctly light-headed.

  Everyone’s eyes widened. “Someone cut off their d----?!” Darlene exclaimed.

  I swallowed. “I don’t know about ‘cut off.’ Officer Vasquez didn’t say ‘cut off.’ She said mutilated. But I suppose. Maybe.”

  “Crap,” Darlene said, which was rather tame under the circumstances.

  I glanced at Rafe, who looked very serious. He might even have looked a little uncomfortable. “Here’s the food.” he said. “Think you can eat?”

  I would have liked to have said I couldn’t, that the conversation had robbed me of my appetite. It’s what my mother would have insisted happened. However— “I’m starving.”

  “Good,” Rafe said, as the Chicken Marsala descended in front of me. He glanced up at Epiphany,
Darlene, and Rhonda. “Maybe we should talk about something else for a bit.”

  There was a pause. They looked at each other. Then Epiphany pushed her chair back. “How about we just leave you two to it? I have some work to do upstairs.”

  Darlene and Rhonda got to their feet, too. “Enjoy,” Darlene said, putting a hand on Rhonda’s back.

  “Nice to see you again,” Rhonda said, and with that they were gone.

  I blinked at Rafe. “Was it something I said?”

  “I imagine it was.”

  “I hope they don’t expect us to pay for dinner.”

  He shook his head. “Looks like they were done before we got here. Just sitting and talking, prob’ly. Eat up, darlin’.”

  He was tucking into his chicken, dexterously handling knife and fork. It didn’t look as if his appetite was suffering. It was rather lowering that mine wasn’t—I’m supposed to be delicate and ladylike—but between you and me, it was all I could do not to fall on my food like a starving beast.

  “I guess it’s just us for dinner.”

  “Guess so. Just the way I like it.” He winked.

  I smiled back, but without some of my usual giddiness. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice that Ethan had been... you know.”

  “No reason why you would,” Rafe said, cutting his chicken. “I don’t imagine you thought to look in his lap.”

  I shuddered. “No. Was Matt...?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You noticed. And didn’t say anything to me?”

  “Didn’t think you’d wanna know,” Rafe said.

  He was right about that. Now that I did know, I found I had a hard time thinking about anything else. Mother would have given me a lecture—ladies don’t spend time thinking about male genitalia—but under the circumstances, it was hard not to. “Who would do something like that?”

  “Someone with a lot of anger.”

  I lowered my voice, in deference to the people at the neighboring tables. “Someone who had been raped?”

  “That’d be my first guess.”

  “Darlene?”

  He shrugged.

  “She was open about it. Would she have told us, if she were going around killing men and cutting their ding-dongs off?”

  His lips quirked. “Ding-dong?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  He grinned. “Yes, darlin’, I do. And I don’t know. She mighta thought it would throw us off if she admitted it.”

  True. “I take it you didn’t know. Back when you were hanging out with them, nothing like that was going on?”

  “You think I’d have put up with that, darlin’?”

  I guess not. He’d never struck me as the type who would need to, or want to, commit rape.

  Then again, I wouldn’t have guessed it of Ethan or Matt, either. I didn’t remember them very well, it was true, but they hadn’t given me that impression. They hadn’t seemed like they had to, you know? They’d been popular, good-looking jocks, and I imagined most girls had been only too happy to put out. Like Yvonne.

  The alternative was that Darlene had lied. But why would she do that?

  “Do you think I ought to call Officer Vasquez back and tell her what Darlene said?”

  “I think you oughta eat your food,” Rafe said. “This ain’t the time or place for that conversation.”

  No, it wasn’t. And in spite of everything, I could still eat.

  We spent the remainder of the meal in silence. I guess neither of us had it in us to make small talk, and the elephant in the room was off-limits. So we ate, and then paid our bill—without being asked to pay for anyone else’s food—and made our way into the lobby.

  It had been a long day, and all I wanted to do was go home—back to the mansion, since that was our only option until the police released us—and to bed. Not that I thought I had a snowball’s chance of accomplishing that goal.

  “Are you sure you have to go to Dusty’s Bar?” I asked Rafe as we crossed the blue-and-green carpet of the lobby. The receptionist who had ogled him earlier was nowhere to be seen, for which I was grateful.

  “Afraid so. The sheriff’s prob’ly getting ready to arrest me as we speak.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “Why would he? There’s no evidence. And besides, you have an alibi.”

  “Not for overnight. I coulda driven here, shot Billy, and been back in Nashville in plenty of time to catch a couple hours sleep.”

  “Yes, but... why would you?”

  “You called and told me they were tearing down the houses and hauling away the trailers tomorrow. Maybe I just wanted to see the place one last time.”

  His words were uncannily like my own thoughts from earlier in the day, and I shot him a startled look.

  He shot one back, less startled and more weary. “If I’d run into him there, I can tell you I’d have been tempted to have another go at him. Specially if he shot his mouth off. And he was good at that.”

  “But you wouldn’t have shot him.”

  He shook his head. “No. I wouldna done that.”

  “Then...”

  “The sheriff don’t know me the way you do, darlin’. He’s gonna think the worst. And if he don’t have another suspect...”

  “I shouldn’t have called you,” I said, biting my lip.

  “You didn’t. Your brother did.”

  “I shouldn’t have called him.”

  He looked down at me. “I wanna be here, Savannah. I just know the sheriff’s gonna need a little help with this one. If I don’t wanna find myself in jail tomorrow, I’m gonna have to go to Dusty’s tonight.”

  “Fine. If those are my only options.”

  He smiled. “Good girl.”

  “You’ll be careful, though, right?”

  “Always,” Rafe said, in blatant disregard of the truth.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Can we swing by the hospital?” I asked when we were back in the car. “Just for a minute. I want to see if Danny’s woken up and remembers anything.”

  “Sure.”

  “You remember where it is?”

  “Course,” Rafe said and turned the car in the direction of the Maury County Medical Center.

  I settled back in the seat. “So what did you think?”

  “About?”

  “What Darlene said. Do you think it’s true?” Not that I had any reason to doubt her word, of course. She’d seemed sincere, and sincerely distraught. But it wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion. Rafe had known Ethan, and had been to some of those parties. He’d probably have a pretty good idea whether it could have happened the way Darlene said.

  “I wouldn’t doubt it,” he said. “Ethan was a cocky bastard. If somebody said no, I could see him brushing it aside as the girl playing hard to get.”

  I nodded.

  “He wouldn’t see it as rape. If she’d made something of it later, he’d have justified it. She was there. She let him touch her. She wanted it.”

  “Bastard.”

  Rafe shrugged. “He’d be right, to a point.”

  “That’s no excuse!”

  “No. But you heard her. She didn’t fight, just let him do what he wanted.”

  “That doesn’t make it right!”

  My voice had gotten higher and higher. Pretty soon only dogs would be able to hear me. Rafe, meanwhile, was just as calm. “I know that, darlin’. All I’m saying is, she put herself in a position where something could happen to her.”

  No arguing with that. But— “That still doesn’t make what he did all right.”

  “I’m not saying it was. I can just see it from his point of view. She was there, and willing. Or so he’d think.”

  I tilted my head to look at him. “You would have stopped, wouldn’t you? If someone asked you to?”

  I expected him to respond with an immediate, “Of course.”

  He didn’t. Instead he was silent. The wheels of the car rotated while I held my breath.

  “I hope so,” he said
finally.

  When he looked at me, there was a soberness in his eyes I hadn’t expected to see.

  I found I had no response. Obviously this required more thinking on my part.

  We’ve all heard the horror stories and the excuses. ‘She wore a tight dress, so she wanted it.’ ‘She went out with me, so she wanted it.’ ‘She kissed me back, so she wanted it.’

  As a woman, I’m very conscious of the need not to blame the victim. No woman wants to be raped, no matter what she’s wearing or who she goes out with, or for that matter how much she drinks.

  And for the record, Rafe would never, ever force himself on a woman. I’d believe Todd capable of rape before I’d believe it of Rafe. The first time we’d slept together, I’d practically had to beg him, because he wanted me to be sure I knew my own mind.

  If he wasn’t able to give me a solid ‘no’, there were aspects of this I wasn’t grasping.

  He must have known what I was thinking, because he smiled. “I don’t think anyone’s gonna come outta the woodwork to accuse me of rape, darlin’.”

  “I’m not worried about that. It’s just... I guess there’s more to this than I realized. It seems cut and dried to me.”

  “It is cut and dried. When a woman says no, you stop. But that don’t mean I won’t ever find myself in a situation where someone says no and I think, ‘I bet if I try, I can change her mind. She’s here; she must like me.’”

  I shook my head. “That won’t happen.”

  “It won’t?”

  “No. From now on you’re mine. The only situation you’ll find yourself in, will be with me. And I don’t see myself saying no to you.” All he had to do was look at me a certain way, after all, and I melted into a puddle of lust.

  His smile widened. “That’ll make things easier.”

  “Yep. So you think she was telling the truth? Darlene?”

  “Seemed that way to me.”

  “And you think Ethan was capable of what she said he did.”

  He nodded. “Sure.”

  “If he did it to her, he probably did it to someone else, too.” Because it didn’t sound as if Darlene had told anyone what happened at the time, and so whoever the girl was that Millie Ruth had talked about, it wasn’t Darlene.

 

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