Chad looked back at Bearns. “Excuse me one second, Detective. Can I have just a moment?” Bearns nodded, and Chad crossed the room to Brandy. “Brandy, I’m sorry. I know...” He sighed, then spoke low so only she could hear. “You know how Michelle is, Brandy. Now tell me...” He lifted her chin, compelling her to look at him. “If I didn’t hurt her, would I hurt Cassie? Cassie is a saint. And I know you don’t believe this, but I’m positive one of them had something to do with her disappearance. Don’t lose faith in me, Brandy. You’re all I have right now.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The words on the page blurred until all Tom saw were black dots. He had read the same chapter repeatedly, and still he hadn’t a clue about what he was reading. He couldn’t think.
He flicked on the TV as a distraction. Walk away from the puzzle, his grandmother had always said. You’ll return and find the missing piece if you clear your head.
“Crap,” he shouted, seeing the headline story. “Crap, Crap, Crap!”
He didn’t want to call, but he knew he had to. “Why was this happening,” he seethed. He didn’t have time for distractions. “Why now?” he exclaimed again, for no one to hear. He dialed the phone despite his better judgment. Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone? He didn’t have time for this, he reminded himself again. The bar exam was in just a few weeks, and this was the last setback he needed on his mind.
A woman’s voice answered. “Brandy? Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me, Tom. It’s so terrible.” Brandy started crying. “They … they found —”
“I know. I just saw the news … the reason I called. Where’s Chad? Is he okay?”
“They called him in for questioning —”
“Crap! Why? I’ll be right there, Brandy. He’s in Bryson?”
“Yeah … but, Tom … what —”
“He needs an attorney,” he interrupted Brandy, hanging up.
God … had they found her body? This couldn’t be happening. Not now.
Tom pulled into the parking lot half an hour later and ran inside the building, carrying his briefcase. He wasn’t the proper attorney for the case, but maybe he could at least get him released. Chad was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a killer. Even in passion he couldn’t have hurt Cassandra; he was nuts about her, and he’d wanted to be a father for years.
Brandy ran up to him as soon as he walked through the door. “He’s been in there for over an hour, Tom. I’m so scared. He tried to kill himself tonight.”
He pulled her to the side, away from the officer behind the glass window. “What? How?”
“I gave him Valium the first night so he could sleep. I left the bottle.” She grimaced. “I didn’t think he’d …”
“Brandy, where was your head? He’s lost his entire family, and he tried to kill himself when he was a kid. Do you have any idea what he must be going through? What were you thinking?” He held her at arm’s length, so he could see her face. “First night? How long has she been missing?”
“Three days.”
“What?” he shouted again. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Then it dawned on him. “That’s why you came to my place. You weren’t interested in taking me up on my offer. You thought —” He huffed, shaking his head, and then let go of her arms. “I need to find out what’s happening. Go home, Brandy. I’m sure Chad will call you when he’s released.”
Tom turned his back to her and approached the counter. He should have known better. She was obviously more interested in Chad than she was him — just like all the girls. He didn’t get it. What was so special about Chad? He took in a deep breath. He did know. He just didn’t want to admit it. Chad was good through and through. He would do anything for the woman he loved or even a friend for that matter. He’d deserved the punch; he shouldn’t have said those things to him. It’d been none of his business.
The woman at the front desk had him escorted to a room, and after a few minutes, a plain-clothed officer strolled in. He assumed a detective. “You’re Walter Wilkinson’s attorney?” the man asked in a guttural growl.
“One of them,” Tom answered. He did work at the law office, but he wouldn’t be able to take the case. He wouldn’t want to. But this was just the kind of thing they would send a newbie on. He would find out who was the best defense attorney in the morning.
The officer grunted and motioned his head to the door. “Come with me.” Obviously, the cop didn’t like defense attorneys.
Tom followed the officer down a hallway. Through a large glass window, he saw Chad’s back against them, his face buried in his hands.
The detective motioned to the closed door. “Help yourself.” And with that, he walked off.
Tom opened the door hesitantly. Would Chad hit him again? Maybe he was the last person he wanted to see.
Chad glanced up when the door opened. He looked horrible. He must have lost ten pounds in just the three days since Tom had seen him. His normally clean-shaven face was scruffy, and there were dark circles under his eyes. His cheekbones looked even sharper than they normally did due to loss of weight. He was a mess.
As soon as Chad made eye contact, he dropped his head again. Well, he wasn’t upset at seeing him anyway. Actually, he didn’t look as if he had the strength to even be annoyed.
He lifted his head again. “They think I killed her. For money … they think I killed Cassandra for money,” he groaned, his head falling back against his chest. His hands went to his face. I just want to die, Tom. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want anything without Cassandra. They didn’t find her body … but …” He mumbled on for a few seconds, then finally looked up at him again. “Why are you here?”
Tom shook his head. “I’m an attorney, and I’m your best friend, idiot. And I’m not going to allow you to die.”
“Why would you even care?”
“Chad, can we stop with the suicidal talk and the antagonism against me for a moment? Let’s get this out in the open so I can help you. Okay? Yes, I’m crazy about Cassie, but it’s your fault. If you’d told me that first night at your house, I wouldn’t have fallen for her. But then I realized … it’s not about her. You are married, and you are having a baby. You’re my best friend, Chad, at least you were. But now I’m trying to begin a relationship with Brandy, and you keep getting in the way. I asked her to move in with me … did she tell you that?”
Chad looked up at him again, his eyes widening. “No … but see that’s your problem —”
Tom took a seat across from him. “I’m not the one with the problem, Chad.”
Chad nodded. “Yeah, I am … but you don’t understand women. Brandy doesn’t want to move in with you. She’s a good girl. She could have run off with any man if there was one who wanted her for more than just bedding her. She hasn’t slept with you, has she?”
Tom shook his head. “She wanted a commitment first.”
“She wants a commitment, all right, but it’s not moving in with you. I’m not getting in your way with Brandy, you are.”
“Okay.” He waved him off. “Enough about Brandy and me, this is serious. Are we friends again?”
Chad stared him dead in the eyes. “I think I need a friend, Tom.”
Tom opened up his folder. “Start from the beginning, and tell me what you’ve told them. Then, I’m going to have you released in my custody. But not if I think you are going to just go home and kill yourself. In that case, I’ll have you committed myself. What proof do they have?”
Tom sat back and listened to Chad’s story from the beginning. After Chad detailed the entire story from start to finish, including the fact that he’d told the police of his attack on him, Tom sighed. “You didn’t have to tell them that, Chad. I never would have brought that up. You should know me better than that by now; we’ve been friends for years.”
“I know and I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. Cassandra knew I was wrong … I don’t know why I can’t seem to control my emotions when it comes to her.”
“You probably shouldn’t admit that either. This is why you need an attorney. But the good news is they have no reason to hold you whatsoever. The only reason you are still here is that you agreed to be. It sounds as if their strongest piece of evidence is the fact that they have a logged entry from a florist, indicating a husband sent flowers to his wife, saying that he wanted her to bring a sleepover bag with her so they could go to a bed and breakfast. From what you told me, they don’t even remember who paid for the flowers. Even if you had sent her the flowers and wrote the note, it means nothing.” He looked down at his notes. “So, you left the Cheoah outpost and headed directly to the clinic. We can probably obtain proof of that timeframe. Then you contacted your business and went immediately there, correct?” Chad nodded. “Then you went home, and when she wasn’t home, you called the police. There really isn’t much downtime for you to have backtracked to the house, or the store, and then manage to take her car to the lake and somehow get back home to call the police. They haven’t placed you under arrest, have they?”
Chad shook his head. “I don’t think so. The detective asked me to come in for questioning. Then, he drilled me for over an hour. I swear … at one point, he even made me think I’d done something to Cassandra.” He dropped his head again. “I didn’t … I could never …”
“You would know if they arrested you. Haven’t you ever heard the words, ‘You have the right to remain silent.’ You do, you know. You should never speak without an attorney present.”
Chad didn’t lift his head. “I have nothing —”
“They have nothing, Chad, so I’m going to get you out of here immediately.”
Tom pushed back from the table, expecting to get some kind of reaction from Chad, but there was nothing.
He rested his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “And … I think you should come back to my place. It’s too late to drive home. And then tomorrow, we’ll have to do a little more research and see what we need to do to clear you completely.”
Still nothing. Not a grateful look, nod, comment, nothing. He looked completely torn apart. It didn’t matter if he was free; it didn’t matter if he was alive even. The only thing that mattered was if Cassandra was alive.
“I’ll be right back, Chad.” He squeezed his shoulder, not knowing what else to do.
Tom opened up the door to his apartment and directed Chad to one of the spare rooms across from his. Chad had literally only said two words since they’d left the police station, ‘Thank you’, and then he had pretty much buried his head into his arm the entire drive.
At least he wasn’t arguing with him about staying at his house. Maybe he knew he shouldn’t be alone, which made it even worse for Tom. He couldn’t babysit Chad every day. If he truly planned to take his life, there would be no way anyone could stop him, anyone other than Cassandra, that is.
Tom turned on the light. “Help yourself to anything you need in the bathroom, and you should probably eat something. No offense, but you look like the walking dead.”
Chad nodded, but said nothing as he sunk down in a chair across from the bed.
“Oh, and you probably shouldn’t watch the news. I thought it would be a good idea to leak how distraught you were.”
Chad tilted his head in question. “What?”
“I sort of leaked to reporters that you were so distraught, that you had to be given Valium to calm down. I thought it would bode well with the public. You know the general public doesn’t always adhere to the innocent-until-proven-guilty position. They tend to convict a person before they even have a chance to go to trial, so I thought it might help.”
He shrugged as he dropped his head against the back of the chair, his eyes closing. “I don’t care,” he muttered.
Tom sighed and exited the room. There really wasn’t much he could say or do for Chad other than just be here for him.
He walked across the hallway to his bedroom, closed the door, and went directly to the shower. He needed to relax. He needed to get back to studying. He didn’t have time for this.
“Oh!” He jumped. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t know you were bringing Chad back here.”
“I didn’t really have a choice,” he whispered. “He’s sort of a mess.” He walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m glad you came. Will you stay tonight?” Suddenly his need for studying took a backburner. He would rather be held by her than go to bed alone.
She nodded.
“Good —” There was a knock, and then his bedroom door creaked open. Tom quickly left the bathroom, closing her inside.
“I was just wondering if you had an extra toothbrush —” But then Chad lifted his head in the direction of the closed door. He didn’t miss anything. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. Yeah, I have one, hang on a sec.” Tom walked into the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind him. He came back out, toothbrush and paste in hand, shutting the door again.
Chad chewed the inside of his cheek, narrowed his eyes, and nodded toward the bathroom door. “Who’s in there, Tom?”
Tom sighed deeply. “No one, Chad. Relax.”
“I don’t feel like relaxing,” he snapped. “Who were you whispering to? Who’s no one?” Chad pushed past him, slamming through the door.
Tom could see Brandy over Chad’s shoulder, sitting on the edge of the tub, completely embarrassed.
“Oh?” Chad said, surprised. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He turned to leave.
Tom grabbed his arm. “I love her, Chad. As I told you earlier, I asked her to move in with me. She refused. It wasn’t what she wanted, but I gave her a key. I love her. I swear I won’t hurt her. I’ve changed. You have to stop thinking I’m the same kid I used to be. I really think we may have a chance, and obviously Brandy does too, or she wouldn’t be here.”
“It’s none of my business, Tom. I’m not her father. I’ll see you in the morning.” Chad turned and left the room.
Why had he felt that he needed to explain everything to Chad when he clearly still believed that maybe Cassie was in his apartment? Chad was losing it, he realized. How could he possibly think that Cassie would let him go through all of this? He hated to admit it, but three days with no word, no credit card purchases, nothing to indicate that she was anywhere could only mean one thing. Cassie was either dead or kidnapped. Chad was correct; she hadn’t left him. And he would have no closure until they figured out which one it was.
Brandy stepped out of the bathroom once Chad left and walked across the room to stand in front of him. “You love me?” she asked, the shock clearly lighting in her eyes.
“Does that surprise you? Do you think I ask every woman to move in with me? Did you decide?”
“Yes, and I really don’t think I can do it, Tom, but I didn’t want to be alone tonight.”
“I can respect that, Brandy. I’ll be gentlemanlike, I promise, whether you want to stay here or in the other room. But can you answer one question?”
“Yes.”
“You aren’t interested in Chad, are you? I mean, if something were to happen and Cassie didn’t return … I don’t want to play second fiddle to him —”
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Shh. I’m worried about him. I’m glad you brought him back here. It tells me something about you. You’ve changed. It took a lot for you to forgive him … to be a friend again.”
Tom pulled her into his arms. “Thank you, Brandy … I’ll wait. I won’t pressure you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chad fell back against the headboard. What had he been thinking?
How could he have still thought that it could have been Cassandra in there with Tom? Why in the world would he think that she could do something like that to him? She wouldn’t allow him to suffer like this.
He wished he could sleep. Anything to get away from the walking nightmare he was in. That’s why he wanted to die, he realized. He just didn’t se
e how he would get through another day without her. Not knowing was the worst. He needed closure. But then again, if they hadn’t found her, maybe she could still be alive? But then that brought on another wave of grief. If someone had her, what were they doing to her? He couldn’t stand the fact that she could be in pain right now. She would be deathly sick again without her medication too.
Chad moved to his knees. He’d asked God to help, but he hadn’t really trusted Him. If He could only keep her safe … that was the least he could request, wasn’t it? To give her strength to carry on … to give him strength. Was that too much to ask of God? Although God had never brought his brother or mother back, and then He’d allowed his father and Jasmine to die, He’d helped him to heal the broken child that he was, the one who couldn’t forgive himself.
Then He’d sent Cassandra into his life. As much as the pain of losing her hurt, he wouldn’t trade his months with her for anything. He’d discovered what true love really meant. Not that he would ever find it again, nor did he ever want to find love again, but just to know that someone loved him completely once in his life meant everything.
Cassandra hadn’t left him; she’d loved him … just as he was.
He thought back to their last morning together. It felt like forever, though it’d only been a few days.
She’d woken him up all excited about their day. “What do you really want, Chad?” she asked when his eyes opened up to see her staring at him, her head propped up on one hand. Her other hand traced patterns on his chest, the action that had awoken him in the first place.
He smiled. “Right now … I think I would like it very much if you crawled on top of me and took advantage of me.”
“I’m serious,” she whined.
“So am I …”
She smacked him lightly on the chest. “Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“Do I have a choice?” He chuckled, pulling her body on top of his since she hadn’t.
“Why won’t you be serious?”
“I am serious. I told you, I don’t care. If our baby is a boy, I’ll teach him how to hike and kayak and — well, actually, if she’s a girl, I’ll probably teach her the same things.” He grinned.
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