Broken Lens

by Shannon Dermott

  With steepled hands, his fingertips tapped together silently in a steady rhythm. “Well, well, well… Mr. Ethan Hart.”

  Maybe I had an obligation to come, but it didn’t mean I had to be cordial. “That’s my name.” I wore a smile only a hooded figure of death could mimic.

  A soft chuckle escaped him as if I were a total amusement to him. “Well, I’m not one of your fangirls, am I?”

  I wondered if I wore a stay calm shirt what it would say. Stay calm and Don’t Murder Him. Or Stay Calm and Think Where to Bury the Body. Or best yet, Stay Calm, He’s Somebody’s Bitch in Jail.

  That last one increased my sadistic grin. Methodically, I said, “Get on with it. Why did you ask me here?”

  His hands parted as far as the restraints would allow him. The inverted triangle shape he created was as if he welcomed something from above to join us. “Why not?”

  My control was on the verge of breaking. His easy expression annoyed the hell out of me. Jaw flexing and tightening, I said through barely parted lips, “Why are you so interested in me?”

  His hand fell back into his lap, and his face darkened. “Because you were born.”

  His voice roughened as if he were mimicking the actor Christian Bale as Batman. Only, he wasn’t doing it for comic relief. He looked like he desperately wanted to kill me. That threw me off because I had no idea why. What had I ever done to him? Being born had to be a phrase he used just to piss me off.

  The chair scraped against the floor as I began to push it back. This was a waste of my time.

  “How’s Allie?” My movement stopped as he intended with those words. “I remember our time together.”

  This was what Mr. Hunt was looking for. I barely breathed and didn’t meet his eyes. He taunted me knowing I was going to leave, but I’d be damned if I’d play into it by asking him any specific questions about her.

  “You want to talk about your crimes?” I prompted.

  His expression held some confusion. “I’m talking about all those times Allie came over to my apartment to talk about you.”

  He’d cast his bait, and I’d taken it hook, line and sinker. Millions of questions buzzed in my head like flies as he continued.

  “Yes, Allie heard about me teaching at your new public school and sought me out.” He waited a second for that to sink in. I didn’t take long. I began to see why Mr. Hunt said their case was unraveling. “At first she wanted to ask if I’d take some promo shots for her.” His face grew pensive. “You’re a photographer, aren’t you Ethan? It was curious she came to me. But then again she eventually wanted other things. From the way she explained it, you’d stopped showing her any attention in favor of a new toy. Jessica Shelby. You blew off Allie for her, although I know for a fact that didn’t stop you from being with other people.”

  Allie had started to become possessive when I told her about my interest in Jess. It hadn’t been what I’d signed up for when we started hooking up. From the beginning, I’d made it clear she wasn’t my girlfriend and never would be even though I’d jokingly call her that on occasion. She’d known what I meant when I said it. A girl who was my friend and it made her laugh to hear me say it, or so I thought. Allie was beautiful, damn beautiful, but there had never been that spark for me. She was fun to be around and a convenient warm body on occasion, nothing more.

  I’d wanted the smart, shy and confident girl who didn’t know just how beautiful she was. Jess. She’d owned me for those very qualities.

  Those thoughts crossed my mind in a nanosecond while Mr. Miller continued as if he hadn’t lost my attention for the briefest moment.

  “She told me all about how you were quite the bad boy when you were with her.” He tsked. “Somethings a boy your age shouldn’t know.” Curious, he asked, “Where did you learn about breath play Ethan?”

  I gave him no reaction. That’s what he wanted, and I denied him.

  He shrugged as if he didn’t need an answer. “She wanted to know what it would be like to be with someone other than you.”

  Detonation. It was the first thing he said that crumpled my façade.

  “Allie wasn’t a virgin.” Although after the words had left my mouth, I had some doubts about my conviction. However, there was no way I would talk about what Allie wanted. How she told me she liked it, just like Carly had. She couldn’t have been a virgin.

  “Wasn’t she?”

  His confidence shook me. Allie had obviously talked to him. And why? Why had she gone to our teacher and not some guy her age?

  His brow arched as he read the puzzlement on my face. I could feel my stony mask drop with a thud as the memory of Allie and my first time together slammed into me.

  It had been a drunken mess. If I’d known, I would have never been the one to do it. Guys talked about shit like that. Some liked popping cherries. Others like me were wary of the consequences of such an action. I had my own horror stories. Girls took that shit seriously. I had one girl go into full out stalker mode believing she owned me for giving me, in her words, her precious gift. I hadn’t wanted that honor any more after that. Until Jess.

  His eyes twinkled in enjoyment of my horror. “But then again as she described that encounter, I guess you had no clue.”

  Of course, I hadn’t. I’d waited a very long time to take that step with Jess. Had I not been so damn eager that day, I would have planned something far more romantic for her first time. Still, I’d tried my best not to ram her home knowing it would be painful at first for her. What had I done to Allie? I closed my eyes. I desperately wanted to cover them. However, I remembered who I sat in front of and cleared my expression, not wanting to show the weakness I felt.

  “I showed her how a real man would take care of such a beauty as herself. I think by her coming back again and again, I was successful.”

  If in fact, Mr. Miller had sex with Allie on more than one occasion and she was of the age of consent, it could mess things up. It would put extreme doubt on the prosecution’s case that he’d held her against her will. I didn’t have to have my law degree to know that.

  “And Lucy…” He let the words hang in the air as if he didn’t have to say anything else. The prosecutor hadn’t been lying to me about the defense putting holes in their case. “Lucy came looking for extra credit. And wouldn’t you know your name came up. Very popular with the ladies aren’t you? You’re what they call a cherry heart breaker. Speaking of, how is sweet Jessica?”

  I lunged out of my seat. The guards moved quickly in my direction, and I sat back down, trying to calm myself. Mr. Miller chuckled, and the guards gave me a questioning look. I nodded to their silent query if I was calm. Under the table, I clenched my fist wanting to bloody his face. Even if what he said was true about Allie and Lucy having gone to him willingly, I knew without a doubt Jess had not. And she was mine. He would never lay a hand on her if I had any say about it. “Don’t talk about her. Don’t think about her.”

  “Or what?” he asked in challenge. Concentrating on slowing my racing heart, I took cleansing breaths. “The way I hear it, you’ve already messed up with her.”

  What the fuck? How the hell did he know what happened between Jess and me? My thoughts raced to the envelopes I’d been receiving. But he’d been locked up. He couldn’t have delivered them. And no one, and I mean no one knew about what happened that day. Except someone did. Someone was watching me and feeding him information. Someone was sending me those notes. Were the two people the same?

  “You see Ethan, my lawyers assure me that this case will be dropped. The prosecution is not in the business of working on losing cases.”

  There it was. What the hell did this all have to do with me and I asked him as much?

  “Everything,” he taunted. “You see if I get out, I will finish where I left off.” He didn’t say Jess, but I knew what the bastard was implying. I would die first before he got his hands on her.

  “Or?”

  “Or you tell the truth Ethan and I’ll throw you a bo
ne about the case.” He paused as if he just heard what he said. “Bone…” The bastard laughed.

  I ignored his pun. “The truth about what?” I was frustrated, and my voice reached for higher decibels.

  He steepled his hands again and began that noiseless tapping. “Oh, I think you know. If you don’t, I’m sure sweet Jessica has need of talking all about her broken heart.”

  That time I was fast and sure with my action. My fist collided with his noise before the guards restrained us both.

  “That’s assault Ethan. But you should know that seeing as you’re in the prelaw program.” Mr. Miller blew out red spittle as blood poured from his nose. He was hauled out of the room, but his hyena-like cackles mixed with bloody coughs taunted me before the door closed.

  The guard that held me let me go, before he spoke. “That little accident doesn’t have to go on record. It was clear he hit his head on the table to make it appear you hit him.”

  It didn’t take a genius to know what the he was asking for. I reached bloody knuckled fingers in my pocket and pulled out some of the cash I had. I peeled off fifty in bills and gave it to the guy. He smiled. There was no way to know if he’d honor his side of the bargain. Those in the business of asking for bribes weren’t exactly honorable folk. But what could I do. If I went down for assault as an adult, my career in law would be over before it began.

  I left the county jail in a hurry. My destination clear.

  twenty-six

  The padded chair provided more comfort than it had earlier. Then again, my morning hangover had clouded my senses. I felt exhausted, and I was pretty sure I’d drifted off for a second before I was roused by a soft voice and a hint of perfume.

  “Ethan.” A hand landed on my shoulder, and I lifted my gaze to stare into green eyes. We were close enough it wouldn’t take much for her lips to meet mine. “Your sandwich,” she offered.

  My gaze shifted to the table in front of me where indeed a sandwich and a bag of chips were laid out in front of me. My hand, however, reached for the indistinct can with no markings on the outside except for three streaks of colored lines that offset the white exterior. The moisture on the outside promised a frosty beverage on the inside.

  I took the straw provided and drank deeply. I hadn’t had anything to eat all day. With my drinking binge and puke fest, I felt a somewhat light headed. When I realized the girl hadn’t left, I turned to face her. “Did I owe you anything more?”

  “No,” she said as color filled her cheeks. She set some change on the table and quickly headed out. I hadn’t meant to be rude. I was just really hungry.

  I took a bite of the hoagie and savored its taste like it was the best thing ever. In reality, anything would have tasted good at that point. Stuck with nothing else to do but listen to my own thoughts, my mind wandered to Allie.

  What had she been thinking? I knew she wanted more, but I’d been clear from the beginning. I’d never lied to her about my feelings. Maybe she felt like what I offered was better than nothing? But was that really my fault? Why then did I feel like such an ass?

  I used my left hand to scrub my face. And then Lucy. She’d practically thrown herself at me on the first day of school as if she were the football and I was what? The quarterback? I hadn’t even played my senior year. I’d left private school to get away from the rumors surrounding Carly’s disappearance. The last thing I’d wanted was to be in the spotlight.

  If Carly hadn’t gone missing, Allie wouldn’t have been an issue. I wouldn’t have been with Lucy because I would have still been at my old school. The only problem with that scenario was I would have never met Jess. Yeah, I might have gone down to Mom’s butterfly exhibit on the Smithsonian Mall downtown from time to time. However, it was doubtful I would have been there that day and crossed her path. I certainly wouldn’t have been forced by court order to do community service. Therefore, I wouldn’t have volunteered there and ended up getting Jess a paying job so I could see her again.

  Was it perverse to be in some small way happy things worked out the way they did so my path crossed with Jess’s? Suddenly, I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t thinking clearly due to lack of eating and sleeping. It certainly would have been better for her if she’d never met me.

  “Am I to assume you would like to talk about your chat with Jeff Miller?” Mr. Hunt asked as he took a seat across from me.

  “Please tell me that you’re not giving up on this case.”

  The guy couldn’t meet my eyes. With sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he folded his arms and rested them on the table. “I’m not going to lie to you. It isn’t up to me.”

  My fisted hand landed with a resounding thud on the surface. “How can this be? You have an eye witnesses.”

  “I don’t like this any more than you do. We believe he’s guilty. We have to find a way to prove it. Did he say anything that would help?”

  I laid my head in my hands and faced the desk while shaking my head. “No, just the opposite. He told me about Allie and Lucy.”

  “So you know?”

  I lifted my head and rested my hands in front of me on the table. “Know what? That he claims they sought him out and didn’t force them into anything.”

  The prosecutor said nothing for long minutes.

  “You’re interested in law. Tell me, in this what if scenario, if the witnesses corroborated the defendant’s story, would you as the prosecutor, put those witnesses on the stand?”

  I shook my head in defeat. There would be reasonable doubt.

  “What about Jess? He can’t claim the same with her.”

  His expression took on a look of pity, and I had no idea what he was going to say next. There couldn’t be any holes in that story. Jess had been in an old bunker in the back of my house that I’d converted into a dark room. She had been there to get my camera as potential evidence to prove I hadn’t kidnapped Allie and another girl from school. Jess had only been there because Mr. Miller suggested the pictures on it could have been time stamped and used as proof she and I had been out of town together the weekend the girls went missing. While Jess was there, Mr. Miller, who’d followed her from school, attacked her.

  “If we drop the kidnapping charges, all we have left to charge him with is the assault on Ms. Shelby. Currently, the defense is claiming that you, the jealous boyfriend, misconstrued his innocent intentions to help her get you out of jail. In the middle of the fight between you and him, Ms. Shelby hit her head. And with the concussion she suffered as a result, her testimony can’t be relied on.”

  “That’s bullshit,” I spat.

  “You know it and I know. But the defense lawyers will spin this to get reasonable doubt with a jury.”

  Rage had me vibrating in my seat. I tossed my hands up in disbelief.

  Mr. Hunt raised a calming hand. “Even if we were to win the assault case, the fact that he’s never been in trouble with the law, he could get time served and possibly parole. It’s doubtful he’ll be sentenced to any more jail time.”

  “So this is it. You’re just going to let him walk free. What about the jewelry they found belonging to Carly in his apartment.”

  “According to him, Allie, who was Carly’s best friend, visited frequently. Allie may have left something she borrowed of Carly’s at his place.”

  I seethed as I realized the smug bastard only wanted to see me so I would know he was coming for me. “I need to talk to Allie.”

  “Ethan,” he said patiently.

  “No, I need to talk to her. I can’t believe she was with that guy. Has she told you this?”

  “We haven’t scheduled her deposition yet. There have been some problems scheduling her.”

  “Please, just get her to call me,” I begged.

  His headed bobbed in small movements. “I’ll relay your message, but that’s the best I can do.”

  I stood up ready to sweep the food in the trash. I certainly didn’t have an appetite anymore.

  “Look Ethan.” He gestured to the ch
air. “Can you sit for a second longer?” Beaten, I sat. “Just tell me what happened at your meeting.”

  I told him most of the encounter. I didn’t share anything about my sexual encounters with the girls. I didn’t tell him about the letters I’d been receiving. It might have been self-preservation. I didn’t want to answer any more questions about that. I also left out the part about punching the guy.

  “What do you think he wants you to say?”

  “I don’t know.” And I didn’t. There was only one person alive who knew my secret, and that was me. It didn’t matter about the letters I was getting. Someone had to be guessing. Otherwise, why hadn’t they taken their suspicions to the police or tried to blackmail me for cash?

  “It sounds like if you give him what he wants, he may help us make a case against him.”

  My hands spread wide. “Why would he do that? What would it be worth to him?”

  “I don’t know. But it would be good if you went back to talk to him.”

  “I can’t,” I said quickly.

  “Ethan,” he pleaded.

  “How long are you going to keep him? He threatened me.”

  “As long as we can. His lawyers haven’t formally asked for the case to be dismissed. The detectives on the case continue to search for clues. As far as the threat, what he said is ambiguous. Finishing what he began? That’s not enough for a restraining order.”

  I didn’t bother getting angry about that. I knew he’d said it knowing he wouldn’t get in trouble for it. A thought that should have stuck, finally did. “Have you guy’s looked at who his parents are?”

  Mr. Hunt looked puzzled. So I continued. “His lawyers look expensive. How can he afford them? I think his only motive may be that his family thinks my father’s private investment company harmed them in some way. With my father dead, maybe he’s taking out his frustrations on me.”

  “We have thought of that. The most I can tell you is that so far we can’t find any links between you and him.”