by Ho, Jo
“Are you able to track a phone number for me?”
Whatever Brad had been steeling himself for that wasn’t it. His shoulders visibly relaxed.
“Do you know whose number it is?”
I had known this question was coming and had toyed with several possible answers. Had even considered telling the truth, but, I knew that would open up a whole kettle of fish that would end badly for me.
“No,” I replied as I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. The lie stuck in my throat, and it was all I could do not to clear it. “I need to know who messaged me from this number and if you pinpoint their location. I’ve been getting abusive messages from them and I need to know if I should be taking them seriously. ”
“Alright.” He slid a notebook to me. “Write down the phone number and I’ll see what I can do.”
I scrawled Emma’s number onto his pad but didn’t give it back to him. He studied me, a questioning expression on his face.
“Is there anything else?”
“I also found something and I want it examined.”
Carefully, I took out the banana clip which I had placed into a plastic bag. I knew my fingerprints were already on it, but I was hopeful that by doing so I would preserve any other identifying information.
“I found this near… my ex-wife’s place. There’s blood on it, I want to know if it’s hers,” I replied. It took a few moments for the words to sink in. When they did, he couldn’t hide his shock.
“I apologize if what I’m about to ask sounds indelicate, but, I was under the impression that your ex had passed away?”
I cringed inwardly. Damn these small towns. Somehow, I had thought I’d get a break, that Brad wouldn’t know about Emma, but of course, I wasn’t that lucky. “She has, but I still need to know about this.”
His eyes suddenly widened. “You’re suspecting foul play?”
I didn’t know how I could possibly answer his question without going into the whole sordid thing so I lied again, then waited for lightning to strike me down. “Yeah. But don’t bring this up with Sam, please. It’s a touchy subject between us.”
“No kidding,” Brad replied.
I had to hand it to him. He was taking this far better than I thought he would.
“Is it possible? Can you identify her using dried blood?”
Brad shrugged. “I have a friend who works in forensics. She was just telling me the other day that researchers for a new study have developed a way of determining a person’s age range from blood samples left at a crime scene. The test works by measuring levels of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase which change in the body between childhood and adulthood. Other than that, the blood should be able to give an indication to sex and race, but I’m not sure it can identify her completely, however.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“We’d have to compare the DNA profile we come up with with what exists of your ex. We can only conclude it is her blood if the profiles match,” he explained patiently.
“So, you’d need a pre-existing profile of my ex?”
Brad nodded. “Yes. We might be able to compare the findings with medical records, I’m assuming she had those?”
Memories of numerous hospital visits and treatments flashed up in my mind, more than I ever cared to remember. I tried to push the unwanted thoughts away.
“Yes.”
“Go ahead and write down her name, date of birth and place of birth. I’ll look into it.”
I scribbled down the information and handed the notebook back to him.
“Thanks for doing this, Brad. I know I’ve put you in a difficult position.”
Brad studied me silently, thoughts going back and forth in his head. Then he sighed.
“Yeah, but this sounds serious so I’ll do it.”
He took the bag with the clip inside and called up a form on his computer. Realizing he meant to get to it now, I pushed back my chair and stood up.
“Thank you,” I said simply.
“I’ll call you when the results come back.”
I left quickly before he could reconsider.
37
Sully
I drove home in a daze.
Whilst I had succeeded in getting Brad’s help I now had the added concern that maybe he wouldn’t keep his promise to me. Sam was his boss, after all, it was very possible that she would find out. My hands tightened on the wheel. Dammit, Sully! I should have thought this through, but what with last night’s restlessness, coupled with the stress of the past few days… I wasn’t firing on all cylinders. I tortured myself, going back and forth with my thoughts until I pulled up outside the ranch. Grabbing the items I had purchased for Pixie, I barely made it to the door before it was thrown open by Chase, looking wild and upset.
“You didn’t call us back!” Chase cried.
I was momentarily thrown before I remembered Gideon’s missed call.
“I was in the middle of something. What’s going on?” Even as I said the words, I noticed that the room was heavy with tension. Gideon sat by Zeb, the two looking like they’d just had a serious discussion. A ways away, Pixie lay on a mat. She seemed to be resting but her eyes kept searching for Gideon, reassured by his presence. Bandit kept darting towards me then Chase, not sure who to go to. I went inside closing the door behind me and dumped the bags onto a table.
“I think we may have a problem,” came my dad’s voice. I was about to ask him what when the front door opened and in came Sam. Seeing us congregated there with our serious expressions, the smile of greeting froze on her face.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“The two of you need to take a seat,” Zeb said seriously. Sam looked firstly at me, then the others, before coming to settle by my side. We sat on the sofa waiting expectantly.
Moments later, we’d been given the whole story. I looked at my dad, trying to keep my face bland even as my stomach began to churn. “But how could she know that Chase was here?”
I felt Sam tense beside me and turned to her, surprised to find a guilty expression on her face.
“I think… that might be down to me,” she said hesitantly.
Shocked, four faces turned to look at her.
“I’m sorry. I never thought she would come here in a million years.” She turned to Chase, eyes pleading. “I’d have warned you if that was the case, Chase. You know I would.”
“You called her?” Chase said in disbelief. “Why would you do that?” She didn’t bother to hide the accusation from her voice.
“I knew you wouldn’t like it, but I’m a sheriff. I have to uphold the law. Although she was terrible to you, you are still a minor and I am legally bound to inform your parent that you are safe. I only called to tell her that you were with us so she wouldn’t worry. I was trying to protect us,” Sam said, a touch desperately.
Though her words made sense, I was feeling betrayed so I couldn’t imagine how Chase was feeling right now.
“And you kept this from me?” I asked her. She looked at me, eyes pained.
“I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want you to have to keep this from Chase. I thought it was better if it was on my shoulders. If you want to blame anyone, then you should blame me.”
“Oh don’t worry, I will!” Chase cried before storming off to her room. Bandit whined, running after her. Gideon and Zeb sat there, shocked, neither of them knowing what to do. Torn up inside, Sam made a move to follow Chase but I stopped her.
“Don’t. I’ll go. You’ve done enough.”
She flinched at my words, and though I felt a jerk for saying them, my mind was on Chase. I hurried after her, ignoring Sam, calling my name.
38
Chase
Tears pricked at my eyes as I stormed into my room.
I let Bandit in, then slammed the door behind me, every cell in my body raging. I couldn’t believe Sam had betrayed my trust like that. This whole time we’d been living together, and she had kept this from me. How could
she do that? And now Mom was here to do God knows what. A chill ran through me as I realized that legally, she could take this to the courts if she wanted. If she were twisted enough, she could try to get me back.
I sat on the bed, the room swimming before me as images flashed up in my mind. Images of court cases and interviews and being dragged away from Bandit (she’d never allow me to keep him). And Sully, staring at my empty room.
A whimper sounded.
I thought it was Bandit before I realized it had come from me. Bandit jumped up, placing his paws on my knees and tucked his head under my chin, trying to comfort me. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his fur.
“No matter what happens Bandit, we’ll never be separated, OK? We’ll always be together.”
He woofed into my armpit which ordinarily would make me laugh, but today, I just felt like crying. A knock sounded on my door. Angrily, I grabbed a pillow and flung it at the door.
“Go away, Sam! I don’t want to talk to you!” I cried.
But the door opened anyway. Sully stuck his face in the gap, concern marring his features. “It’s me.”
Seeing him, I sniffed and nodded, letting him know it was OK to enter. He came in, shutting the door behind him. Silently, he sat beside me on the bed. We stared straight ahead, neither of us knowing what to say.
“I didn’t know, kiddo. Sam didn’t tell me,” he began.
“I figured. There’s no way you would have kept this from me.”
“Yeah,” he replied dully, looking as shocked as I felt. “What did she want, your mom?”
I stared blankly ahead. “I don’t know. Forgiveness? She said she was sorry.”
“And did you… forgive her?” he asked tentatively.
My head spun around to him. “Of course not! I told her to go away! I don’t want anything to do with her. There’s no apology big enough in the world that will make me forget all the crap they put me through.”
He nodded, accepting my answer. I wasn’t sure, but I thought he looked relieved. “We need to think about what to do if she comes here,” Sully began. “What do you want us to do?”
I blinked, startled. “Why would she come here?”
“She’s already turned up in town, and it’s not difficult to find out where we live. I’m sorry, Chase. I know it’s hard, but you have to face up to the fact that she’ll probably turn up on our doorstep at some point.”
“She can say whatever she wants to, but there’s no way I’m going back, that’s all I know.” I expected Sully to back me up on this but he stayed silent. Another chill ran through me as a different, far more worrying thought took hold. “She can’t make me go back… can she?”
Sully stared me dead in the eyes. “Let’s not worry about maybes… We’ll get Sam to look into the legalities and go from there.”
He threw his arm over my shoulders and drew me close. I stared down at Bandit’s face, even as my vision blurred over with tears.
39
Chase
It was a while before I was able to leave my room.
I knew Sam wanted to talk to me, but I just couldn’t face her. Sully must’ve said as much as she gave me a wide berth. Zeb came by a while ago with a tray of food for Bandit and I. He’d brought a bone for Bandit and a bowl of chili with some crusty bread (someone must have made an additional shopping trip since my bread was still lying out on the street). He looked like he wanted to say something to me but then thought better of it. Patting my hand, he gave me the food and left. One thing I was learning about Zeb, he wasn’t one for empty words. It was one of the things I loved most about him.
Hearing a sound outside, I looked out of the window to see Gideon and Pixie outside. He was rolling a ball by his feet. Pixie watched his every move but didn’t chase after the ball. She sat on her haunches, looking like she wanted to pounce each time the ball rolled past her nose, but something stopped her. I was amazed to see how patient he was with her. He never badgered her or forced her to do anything. He just sat there, rolling and re-rolling that ball.
A few minutes later, I went outside to join them, Bandit by my side. Gideon looked up on our approach. Because of this, he missed catching the ball, and it flew past Pixie. Bandit ran after it, caught it in his mouth, then brought it back to Gideon. As soon as he got to him, however, Pixie growled at him.
“Bandit’s our friend, Pixie. We don’t growl at friends,” Gideon told her patiently but firmly. It was like Pixie didn’t understand him, however (which she probably didn’t). The growling slid low down her throat until it turned into a fierce rumble. Bandit whined, trying to let her know he wasn’t a threat, but that just seemed to egg her on as she went CRAZY. She started barking, dancing behind Gideon for safety.
“Shh… it’s OK girl…” He called out, trying to calm her, but Pixie continued. Bandit whined again and backed behind me. Unable to calm her, Gideon shot Bandit a pleading look.
“Can you go back inside? I’m sorry, boy, but she is just too scared of you.”
Bandit looked at me, asking for my command. I nodded apologetically. “It’s only until she gets used to you. It won’t be long I’m sure.”
Bandit woofed unhappily but started back inside. When he was a few yards from the house, I saw him toss a sad look over his shoulder but he continued to go. He cut such a lonely figure, I felt awful for him. In the entire time we’d been together, we’d barely been separated yet here I was, sending him away every time I decided to spend some time with Pixie.
As soon as he was out of sight, Pixie stopped barking and her breathing returned to normal. It really made no sense why she was so scared of him. Bandit was the gentlest dog in the world. “You think another dog attacked her before? One that reminds her of Bandit? Her reaction to him just isn’t normal,” I said.
“Maybe? I don’t know, but she does only freak out when he’s here. It’s probably best that we keep him away from her until she gets over whatever it is.”
I nodded, agreeing, as I lowered down to my knees. Sully had told me a while ago that when a dog is threatened, it helps to make yourself as physically small as possible. Pixie hadn’t shown any animosity towards me, but I didn’t want anything else to set her off so I moved slowly, trying to be as dainty as possible.
Then something amazing happened.
Pixie came over and gave me an all over cautious sniff. Suddenly, without warning, she laid down next to me and put her head on my knee. Gideon’s mouth fell open. I had to force myself not to laugh at his expression.
“She hasn’t even done that to me yet,” he said, unable to hide his annoyance. I know I shouldn’t have, but I shot him a smug grin.
“Clearly, I’ve got the magic touch.”
I lowered my hand to her head and started to pet her, cautious that she could decide she didn’t like me again at any moment. But she just closed her eyes, enjoying the fuss. Gideon blinked at me.
“OK. I don’t feel the least betrayed. Thanks, Pixie.”
We both watched as she relaxed and started falling asleep. Gideon sat down beside me, still playing with the ball absently. We stared out at the field, watching trees sway in the breeze.
“Sam’s feeling awful,” he began. “She wants to apologize to you.”
I’d had some time to deal with my anger now, which wasn’t the red hot burn it had been earlier. Now, there was just a dullness. “I know. I’ll talk to her later.”
He nodded. We sat there quietly, when we heard the front door slam and a car roar away, burning rubber, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. It was Sam’s truck.
“I’m guessing they must’ve had words,” Gideon said.
I nodded, feeling torn. On the one hand, I was glad Sully had spoken to her. On the other, Sam had meant well, and I really liked her. I liked how they were together.
I wasn’t to know that things would only get worse from here on in.
40
Chase
Seems none of us slept great last night.
> Dark shadows ringed Sully and Sam’s eyes. I knew mine hadn’t fared much better. Their body language wasn’t as easy as it usually was either, they kept avoiding each other, dancing around each other in the kitchen as they got their breakfast ready. I fed Bandit but even he didn’t seem interested in his food, pushing it around the plate with his nose. Poor guy really wasn’t happy with the way Pixie was with him. We’d talked about it last night. I’d told him that it wasn’t anything he had done, but he didn’t believe me. He genuinely believed the dog had something against him.
Who’d have thought Bandit would be so sensitive? I guess he’d never experienced being unliked before. Even back in the lab where he escaped from, they had celebrated his cleverness, so he wasn’t tortured like the rest of the dogs were. But Bandit heard their cries, watched them trembling in their cages. Though he himself hadn’t been hurt, he had hurt for them, so whatever Pixie had gone through, Bandit would get it. Of all dogs, he would understand. I told him that when she finally was able to be calm in his presence, he should just tell her all that. He seemed happier after our talk now that we had a plan.
Sam was in civilian clothes this morning which meant she wasn’t working today. She stood by the toaster, waiting for her toast to be done, but I saw how she purposely didn’t look my way — giving me the space I had asked for yesterday. I felt like a heel suddenly, for causing all the tension around the place, so I poured a glass of juice and looked at her.
“You want some OJ?” I asked. She looked up at me, surprised, then her eyes softened gratefully.
“Yeah. That’d be great, thanks, Chase.”
I poured her a glass, handing it to her and suddenly we were friends again. I knew I could have done a whole big spiel but truth was, I’d missed talking to her, and avoiding her was both awkward and impractical. The toast finally popped up from the toaster. She took two of the slices, put them on a plate and offered them to me. I took the plate and dumped a great glob of peanut butter onto it when there came a knock on the front door. Immediately Bandit started whining and pawing at me. We’d left his iPad in my room so I couldn’t figure out what he wanted. Moments later, Gideon came inside a sick look on his face.