Before We Fractured: Books 1-3

by Bradon Nave

“We can’t.” Sarah stepped forward, hands up as she attempted to calm the situation. “We’ll go to jail for trespassing and breaking and entering for sure. And who knows. They might not be able to use what we’ve found as evidence if it’s recovered without a warrant.”

  “Andrea!” Without another word, Lily’s phone was out and she was calling.

  “Andrea! It’s Lily…listen to me! I need you to come to Dr. Cline’s house now!” Pacing with her phone in hand, Lily shook as she spoke. “I know that! But we had to! No…just listen to me! It doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t find here. I’m calling you because we did find something and I need your help! Please!” Sarah and I stared as Lily turned her back to us.

  “Yes…we did, ma’am. It’s bad…it’s really, really bad.” Lily broke down into the phone, wailing. Walking to her I took it from her.

  “Hello?”

  “Who is this?”

  “It’s Duke. Ma’am, please help us. We need help with something—”

  “What did you find, Duke?”

  I wasn’t able to tell her. I couldn’t formulate the words. “It’s awful. It’s completely horrible.” “Oh my god…it happened again, didn’t it? It happened again! That sonofabitch! I knew it!” “Again?”

  “Stay there!”

  ***

  Even I was in tears as we sat on the floor in Dr. Cline’s bedroom in front of Andrea. The woman was above us in the office chair. The information she’d disclosed regarding Kacey and her grandfather was heart wrenching. It was something I couldn’t even attempt to relate to. I couldn’t imagine a grandparent deceiving me like that…and now this. I knew there was more to this entire story, but I had no idea this would be what we uncovered.

  “She’s the sweetest girl…she’s always been my sweet little Kacey. I’ve always been her Aunt

  Andy.”

  Andrea seemed nice enough. She had this genuine quality to her that made her easy to trust, even though we didn’t know her…perhaps it was just because we were desperately running out of adults to turn to.

  “I don’t know what we do next, ma’am. We can’t just tell the police we broke into this dude’s house and found this.”

  “No, Duke, you can’t. And you don’t have to. You kids are going to leave here. I’m going to call Grace. She isn’t really capable of getting out of bed right now, but we’re going to tell the police officers we found the evidence while tending to Patrick Cline’s house. There’s no need to implicate yourselves.”

  “What…what do you think will happen now? What do you think will happen now that they know why they did what they did?” My excited words left my mouth kinda choppy.

  “I can tell you for certain that this changes everything…but I don’t know to what degree until we know the details. We won’t know the details until we find Kacey and Jessie.” Andrea’s proclamation came with a quivering lip and additional tears.

  Lily stood suddenly, her eyes wide. “Unless that sonofabitch was recording whatever happened when it happened! He has to have a recording device in his office somewhere. Jessie wouldn’t have attacked him unprovoked. What if he walked in on something? What if Jessie walked in and the entire attack…everything…is there, just waiting to be located.”

  “Holy shit.” Andrea covered her mouth as she spoke. “You’re right. You’re so right. I wasn’t looking for a camera or anything like that when I was in the office. I was looking for charts. It has to be there, the file on this drive isn’t even a week old.”

  “Oh my god…we have to act now. We have to get the word out now!”

  “Calm yourself, boy. I’m about to make the call.”

  Inhaling deeply, Andrea lifted the phone to her ear. After several seconds, there was constant flow of tears steaking down her face. “Grace…sweetie…we were right. Yes. Yes, we were right.

  It happened again.”

  Wiping her face, Andrea shook her head. “No, honey, the bastard recorded it. We have it right here. The kids did this because of what he was doing to her.”

  Kacey’s mother was screaming so loud from the other end that she was entirely audible from where we were.

  “Grace! Calm yourself! You need to get it together! We knew it was something…and now we know what. I’m getting these kids out of here and reporting this.” Andrea looked to us as the three of us paced in front of her.

  “Okay. Get dressed. I imagine it’s going to be a long night.”

  Hanging up her phone, she smiled at us. “You three did good. You did damn good. Now get the hell out of here, okay?”

  With this, her phone was raised once more to her ear. “I need an officer to Patrick Cline’s residence at…” The woman’s words faded behind me as I fled down the stairs. This was really happening. This only happened on Hallmark movies that Mom made dingle-Larry watch with her. How could this be my life?

  Discretion was the least of my concerns as I tore from the house and through the gate, down the street. Both girls had no issue keeping up with me—I’m built to lift, not sprint.

  Reaching the car, we piled in and then we were still. For an entire minute or more we remained still. No words, just open mouths and wide eyes.

  “Dammit! How the hell could this happen!” My voice cracked as I shrieked.

  We left the scene in the hands of Andrea. I was thankful this stranger had stepped up to help us out. Nothing could help my head out. So many things rushing through my mind.

  ***

  Walking up the steps to my home, Sarah and Lily behind me, I was actually thankful to see my mother and Larry’s vehicle’s there. Once inside, the entire house was dark—pitch black. “Mom!” Not even five feet in the door I was yelling for my mother. I didn’t care how weak I appeared. I needed her. The day had been long—too long. “Mom! Come here!”

  My mother tore from her bedroom, flipping on the living room light in her night robe with Larry right behind her in his underwear. “Duke! What is it! What’s wrong, Babyboy?”

  She ran to me, grabbing my wet face.

  “Mom. It’s all screwed. Everything…it’s all screwed.”

  Hugging my mom tightly, I could feel her heart racing in her chest.

  “Duke, boy, whatever it is we’ll get through it.” Larry’s words were raspy. The man’s eyes squinted as he attempted to see in the light.

  Pushing off of me, my mother’s concern grew even more once she saw Lily and Sarah—both as upset as me. “Duke! Please, what is going on?”

  “Sit down, Mom. I gotta tell you something. I have to tell you something and I need you to listen and just hear me, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “I know…I know why Jessie did what he did. I know why Jess and Kacey did what they did.”

  “Oh my god, Duke, Babyboy, just tell me what is going on; you have me so worried.”

  “Please, Mom. Sit down.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  The morning came with no sleep and only after a night of tears and a simple text message from Andrea to Lily saying it was done.

  After filling my mom and Larry in, I called Joe, only to find he was en route to the police station with Jaxon in light of the new evidence.

  Heavy and scratchy, my eyes were begging me to turn in. I couldn’t. My head was racing. I had to get away. With Mom and Larry finally back in bed, Sarah at her house, and Lily asleep in my room, I made my way to my car. I probably smelled like total ass—unbathed and sporting the previous day’s clothes, but I was going to school anyways. I had to get away.

  The drive to the school left me emotional. Jessie wasn’t in the passenger seat. My friend needed me more than ever and I didn’t know what to do to help him.

  Walking inside the school offered a small reprieve. No one else seemed to notice. No one else cared. I was absent my squad of Jessie and Lily but at least I could I could attempt to clear my brain a bit.

  Davenjer’s class had already started. Opening the door, I was met with every glancing eye in the room. They stayed fixed to me
…they did notice…they did care. Even Davenjer seemed concerned.

  “Mr. Austin?”

  “Davenjer.”

  Walking through the aisle to my seat was literally like cutting through tension. No one said anything. Surely, they weren’t aware of the evidence we’d uncovered. They were only concerned by the situation as a whole.

  Taking my seat, I stared at my thumbs—fat and shaky as I pressed the tips of them together.

  And then Davenjer was standing over me. “Duke. Come with me to the hall, please.”

  Irritated, I followed the woman to the hall, closing the door behind her. Before I could offer protest, my teacher was hugging me…I couldn’t be mad at her.

  “You look like hell, Duke. Have you heard anything? Have you heard from either of them?” “Nope.”

  Pulling away, Davenjer appeared genuinely concerned. “Why are you here? You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I can’t be home anymore…I’m driving myself crazy. I gotta get out of that house and out of that room.”

  “Okay…okay.”

  As we walked back in the classroom, whispers shut off. My glance met Tamara’s from the corner of the room. I wanted to hug her. I wanted her to know I cared about her as a person and that she was going to be okay. Before I even got my butt back in the chair, there was a knocking on the door of the classroom. In walked the sheriff and our principal.

  “Ms. Davenjer, we’re going to need Tamara Salizar and Ashley Evans to come with us, please.”

  “Yes, Mr. Wiggon.”

  My heart began racing as I stared at my thumbs once more.

  “Duke.” The sheriff’s voice cut through the class as Tamara walked past me.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Come to the station after school, son.”

  “Yes…yes sir.”

  As the officer and my classmates left and the door closed behind them, I felt the morning’s coffee working its way back up. My nerves were shot. It felt like right before a basketball game, the jittery bullshit—but in bad way—the worst way.

  I moved past the desks and out the door. Racing down the hall and past Coach Danes, I made a dash for the first stall in the guy’s room. Coffee came erupting from my mouth and nose. After a few moments, I heard the bathroom door open.

  “Duke? Boy, you okay?”

  “Does it look like I’m okay?”

  “Just checkin’. You came rushing in here like—”

  “I’m fine.”

  Staring at the tea colored toilet water just inches from my face, I instantly got grossed out thinking of all the dude’s asses that had sat just where my arm was resting.

  Then I heard water running. Danes handed me some warm, wet paper towels.

  Standing to take them, I was irritated. “I said I’m fine.”

  “I had so many opportunities to talk to him…to talk to Jessie. I just…I just didn’t say the right things. I didn’t say the right things and I wasn’t there like I could have been.”

  “What? What the hell are you talking about, Coach?”

  “I realize more and more everyday how much I let you kids down. I should have recognized the signs. I should have been able to help Kasper.”

  “Nah…Coach. There’s more to it. There’s so much more to it.” Putting my head down, I began feeling queasy again.

  “More to it? Duke, that man might die.”

  “I hope to hell he does.” My sharp tone caught the coach of guard.

  “Duke Austin…what the hell is going on?”

  Breathing heavily through my nose, I looked to my coach. “I trust you. I need to tell you something.”

  “You can tell me anything.”

  “Lily, Sarah, and I broke into Dr. Cline’s house last night.”

  “Duke!”

  “Listen, Coach! We…we found files. We found video files.” My voice gave out on me as my eyes began flooding. Coach’s horrified expression gave me the impression that he knew what I was going to say. “Coach…we found files of Dr. Cline messing with Kacey.”

  “Oh…my…god.”

  “Not just Kacey, Coach. There were other files too. There was one with Tamara.”

  “Tamara Salizar?”

  “Yes. And there were more that we didn’t open on the computer.”

  “I’ll kill him…I’ll…I’ll kill him. Did you call the police?”

  “We didn’t. Mrs. Monroe’s friend is in town. We called her. She came over and told us to leave. She called the cops…holy shit. Coach the police came to Davenjer’s class and took Tamara and Ashley Evans. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what the hell to do! Don’t you get it? That’s why Jess and Kacey did what they did. He’s not crazy, he was protecting her!” “Austin…calm down.” Coach grabbed me and squeezed the hell out of me. What I was saying sounded crazy to hear out loud. My actual life, and it sounds crazy to verbalize.

  “It’s all screwed up, Coach. How did we get here? I don’t understand how we got here.”

  “Hey. Look at me, Duke. What’s important is we figure out how we get back, okay?”

  “’K.”

  “How ’bout you come to my office and calm down.”

  “’K. I gotta go to the police station this afternoon…I don’t know what they’re gonna say or want or do or—”

  “I’ll be with you so you don’t need to worry about that right now.”

  “Thanks Coach.”

  ***

  “Duke, did Jessie or Kacey mention the interaction during the appointments with Dr. Cline?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. Only that he was making progress.”

  The station was busy. I was crammed in the sheriff’s office with him and Coach Danes. I’d gotten there right after school, but it was nearly an hour and a half before I was able to actually talk with the officer.

  “Your classmates. Have any of your classmates ever mentioned anything about Dr. Cline?” “Nah…no sir.”

  “Your mom and Larry are on their way here now, is that correct?”

  “Yes sir. Am I in trouble?”

  “No, Duke. You’re not in trouble. There’s always room for speculation in any situation. This particular situation has had nothing but speculation up until recently. Now we have definitive leads and hopefully with those will come answers.”

  “What…what good do answers do you if you can’t find him? How do you plan to find them? What are you doing to find them?” My soft and defeated tone had the sheriff looking at me curiously.

  “There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that you aren’t privileged to, young man. My men have uncovered new evidence that has set this case in an entirely different direction. We have to move forward—”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Austin?”

  “Your men didn’t uncover shit. Your men are good for shit. It was Mrs. Monroe’s friend that called you and gave you the evidence prepackaged. Don’t tell me about what’s going on behind the scenes. You have no freaking clue what’s going on behind the scenes.”

  “Is that right?” The officer leaned forward, looking at me heavily.

  “Yeah, it is. This entire time you all have been convinced my friend is some deviant psychopath, and all he was doing was protecting his girlfriend. The psychopath was right under your nose for years and didn’t a damn one of your finest ever notice him. Did you? Hell no. You assumed the worst of Jess and this entire time you’ve been investigating the wrong person!”

  “I don’t like your tone, young man.”

  “Duke…” Coach Danes attempted to calm me from the chair next to mine.

  “No, Sheriff. Don’t you get it? You and your idiot patrolmen have failed this entire community. Not just Jess and Kacey. And I don’t give a damn if you like my tone or not. This isn’t a manhunt, it’s a rescue mission! And the more time you spend in here on your lazy ass, the less likely we are to find them alive and well. We need to act, now!”

  “We are acting, young man. We’re not the only ag
ency involved. Those kids nearly killed that man.”

  “I hope to hell that sonofabitch does die. It was self-defense and you know it! How many were there total?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “How many girls? Kacey, Tamara, Ashley…”

  “This is an open investigation, Mr. Austin. I can’t discuss that with you but I would love to know how you know about those details.”

  “Small town I guess.”

  “That right?”

  “This isn’t fair. Right now, I should be stressing tests, and…and gas money to go cruise around with my friends. I should be stressing college next near and stuff like that. Not this…this is too big. This is just too much. We’re just kids. We’re just high school kids. You all are the adults…this shouldn’t have happened…this was avoidable.”

  The office fell silent as Coach Danes stood solemnly from his chair, walking to the only window in the office.

  “You’re right, Duke. Young man…you are totally right.” Danes’ words were nearly inaudible.

  The sound of the front office door opening brought with it my mother’s voice. It was welcome. I was ready to get the hell out of there.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The following morning I found myself wide awake at nearly five. Each morning I woke up without word from Jess was another day in hell. I hated not knowing. An avid watcher of Unsolved Mysteries reruns, I always wondered why loved ones were happy when they found the remains of their deceased relatives and friends. It was because it came with closure. Jess was alive, I knew without a doubt he was alive, but I needed closure.

  Showered and shaved well before five thirty, I’d decided to drive to the school and watch the sun come up from the football stadium bleacher. It was always so peaceful there—a good place to clear my head.

  The aluminum bleacher was cold and numbing as I sat on it in the brisk air with a cup of coffee. My breath was visible in the rising sun. Six or seven fat rabbits chased each other on the football field—cottontails. This was the closest to relaxation I was going to get to.