by Liz Crowe
“Mom got home early that night. I should’ve known something was wrong because she was drunk. She started arguing with Dad, so Cal and I went to our rooms like we normally did. I fell asleep listening to my radio.
“Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke to voices. I opened my door and peered down the hall. Mom and Dad were screaming at each other, again. Normally I would’ve gone back to my room, but I’d had enough of my mother’s drunken tirades.
“Mom was shouting at Dad about how she was done and she was leaving him for someone else. Cal was standing a few feet away looking shell shocked and Dad didn’t seem to care. I think he knew their marriage was over long before we did. Something inside me broke. I grabbed the closest thing to me, an encyclopedia, and launched it at my mom.
“Before Cal and Dad could react, she lunged at me and started smacking and clawing at me repeatedly. She said cruel and hateful things to me while Dad pulled her off of me and Cal was holding me back; I returned her fire.
“I started screaming at her, ‘I hate you. I want you to leave. We don’t need you. This is all your fault.’ I was sobbing as I hurled my anger at her.
“Everything grew silent, and in the distance you could hear the sound of police sirens. Mom heard them before we did and she grabbed her keys and ran out the door. Cal started to go after her but Dad stopped him.
“Two squad cars pulled up right after Mom pulled out. One car followed her while the officer in the first car came to the door. He said that one of the neighbors reported a disturbance. My dad gave him a rundown and then I noticed the cop looking at me.
‘What happened to her?’
“Cal and Dad both looked at me and Dad rushed to me, pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at my face. I was unaware at the time, but I had a bloody nose, split lip and a few scratches on my chest and upper arms.
“The cop started questioning Dad about my cuts and Cal and I immediately told him that it was Mom, not Dad. They believed us. The cop returned outside where Dad and him talked some more. I went to the bathroom and tried to clean up my cuts with Cal’s assistance.
“We were sitting on the couch almost an hour later when an officer came back into the house and motioned Dad over. Dad walked away from the officer and fell into a chair at the kitchen table and Cal grabbed my hand. Dad told us, with the assistance of the cop, that Mom’s car went off the Reynolds Bridge.
“I broke the silence, ’Is she ok?’ I didn’t understand why we weren’t heading to the hospital. The cop told us she was gone, that she didn’t make it. I don’t remember anything else from that night. I woke the next morning in my bed and soon realized it wasn’t a nightmare.”
~ JAMES ~
She was in a whole other world while the details fell off her tongue like she had told the story over and over again. I didn’t dare interrupt in fear she might have shut down. We were sitting on the couch, her at one end and me in the middle, and she was revealing what had happened over the next couple days.
Cops, family, the funeral, reporters, the list went on and on. She mentioned that they found out her mother was having an affair with the Mayor, Brent Calhoun, and that apparently the affair had been going on all summer. The papers also made this information public knowledge since Mayor Calhoun was up for reelection and later lost.
“Oh, God. I remembered something else. No, that’s not possible.”
“What is it, Cassidy?” She started hyperventilating and I pulled her to me, trying to calm her down.
“Mom and Dad were arguing and I think I remember her saying something about a baby.” Pulling back she looked to me, “Why would she be talking about a baby?”
This was horrendous. “Cassidy, was your mom pregnant?” She looked utterly confused and started shaking her head.
“There’s no way, I mean, I don’t know, she was drunk. Why would she drink if she was pregnant?” She bolted off the couch and grabbed her cell before I could stop her.
“Cal, was Mom pregnant?” She wasn’t waiting long for her answer. She dropped the phone and sank to her knees. I was at her side in a second, picking up the phone.
“Cal, I’m here with her. Yes, I’ll keep you posted. Alright, later.”
Setting the phone down on the counter before pulling her into my arms, I carried her to the couch and didn’t press her for any more details. She’d been through enough for one day, for one lifetime.
She was quiet for a long time, just sitting in my lap like a ragdoll. I began imagining how life must’ve been for her after her mother’s death and the scandal surrounding it all. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she got up and began doing mundane chores around the house.
“Cassidy?” I wasn’t sure what to say or ask, but I knew she was pulling away from me and shutting herself down. She’d had a shock and needed to talk about it.
“Hmm?” She wouldn’t look at me and started sorting laundry.
“Is there anything you need, anything I can do? Please don’t shut me out.”
“There’s nothing to do. It doesn’t change anything except maybe the image of my mother. I just wish it all had stayed dead and buried.”
It was all my fault; if she hadn’t been with me she wouldn’t have been in the limelight like she was. I had to get to the bottom of it all, I owed her that much. “I have to run some errands. Are you going to be alright?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I walked to her and gave her a hug. She hugged me back, but her embrace lacked its usual vigor. Kissing her temple, I gathered my things and headed out the door.
I felt incredibly guilty leaving her and I stood at the bottom of the porch, pacing the short path for several minutes. My gut was telling me there were more details that dealt with Cassidy directly; Cal wouldn’t be so concerned for her if there weren’t. Maybe he was who I needed to talk to. She would kill me if she found out and I couldn’t go behind her back like that.
My phone alerted me of a text. Smith and Annie were at my office waiting for me and I couldn’t keep them waiting any longer. I hopped in the Rover and headed back downtown. The office appeared empty when I arrived, but I recognized the voices of Smith and Annie coming from my office. I closed the door for ultimate privacy.
Annie was looking over some files at the table and Smith was at the wet bar. I dropped my bag on the couch and removed my jacket before joining Annie at the table as Smith handed me a bottle of water before taking his seat.
“Did you have any luck finding out who provided the story to the paper?” I was looking at Smith.
He sighed, “I’m still looking into it. The editor isn’t revealing his source.”
I slammed my fist on the table.
“Dude, I’m not done. I’ve done a background check on all the employees. Turns out one of the copy editors had a kid in the same rehab facility with Dan over the summer.”
“That’s got to be it.” Annie agreed and I thanked Smith. “That douche bag. What is the point of all of this?”
Annie and Smith both dug through their files and each pulled out folders. I set the other files aside as we started thumbing through Dan’s files again. After a good hour or so we were about to go through the files for the third time when Annie gasped.
“Son of a bitch!” Annie started ripping some papers out of Smith’s folder and comparing them to hers.
“What is it? What did you find?”
“Mayor Calhoun had a sister, Hilary Young, who was in rehab when he had the affair with Abigail Charles.”
It only took me a second to register the connection, “Jesus Christ.” I dropped my head in my hands and rubbed my scalp vigorously. “This is beyond fucked up.”
Smith looked confused for a moment then asked, “Are you saying that Dan Young was Mayor Calhoun’s nephew?”
Annie started to talk and I stopped her. “Mayor Calhoun was more than his uncle; he was his guardian and had been for years. Hilary was in and out of rehab programs, all paid for by Calhoun. After Abig
ail’s death, Calhoun died a few months later by accidental overdose if I remember correctly. I remember Dan bragging about all the money he was getting, left to him by his uncle. Well, the joke was on him. Calhoun was in so much debt that his estate was worthless. There was only enough money left for Dan and his Mom to afford a tiny apartment on the other side of town. With Dan’s mom back in the picture, he started using alongside her. I forgot about all this because Jason died a month later.”
“Damn, that’s messed up. But why torture Cassidy?” Smith asked what we all wanted to know.
Annie chimed in, “My guess is he wants to be paid off. He must have known you’d put it together. Or he’s just cruel.”
Annie might’ve been right. Maybe this was all about money, but I was worried that it was more than that. “Dan isn’t logical and he has a nasty streak. Let’s hope I can talk some reason into him.”
“James, should we be looking into Calhoun’s death? Accidental overdose sounds suspicious to me.”
“Smith is right, James. We need to tread lightly. Her brother is a cop, right? Why don’t you start there, maybe he can have some pull to get the case reopened.”
I felt sick but agreed with them both. Cassidy wasn’t going to handle this very well. There was no telling when Dan knew who Cassidy really was. Either way, she would feel like a fool. I would have to talk to Calvin to get his opinion before we made any moves on Dan. Though, I preferred to kill Dan. God help him if he was ever in my presence again. I pulled out my cell and called Cal.
“Cal, its James. Are you free? I need to see you. No, my office would be best and the sooner the better. Thanks, man. See you soon.” I set the phone on the table. “He’s on his way. Smith, can you let security know he’s coming?”
“No problem. Be right back.”
Once Smith left the room, Annie placed her hand on mine and said, “You love her.”
I turned to look at her. She was smiling broadly while studying me. I ignored her remark and started asking her some legal questions about restraining orders and such. We discussed those issues for quite a while.
“James, you love her.”
“What is your problem?” Why did everyone keep saying that? I’d never been in love and probably wouldn’t have known it if it had smacked me in the face.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. She must be pretty spectacular if she’s managed to tame the beast.”
I sneered, remembering her nickname for me.
“Have you told her?”
“Annie, how do you know?”
“That you love her?” She waited for my nod. “Does she consume your thoughts, night and day? Would you walk on broken glass if she asked you to?”
“I’d kill for her, lay down my life if it meant she was safe.”
“You love her.” She patted my hand and smiled, “I’m so happy for you. You need to tell her.”
There was a knock on the door and Cal walked in. He looked at Annie’s hand on mine and raised his brows.
“That’s my cue. I’ll be in touch.” She smiled at Cal before gathering her things and walked out the door.
Cal gave me a questioning look. “She’s my attorney and a friend. Nothing to worry ‘bout.” I sat down on the couch and he did the same on the opposing one.
“Dude, what’s going on? You’ve got me all suspicious.” He was trying to smile while wringing his hands together.
I puffed out my cheeks as I exhaled. “I need you to think like a cop and not like a brother.” He processed my words before nodding in understanding. “You’ve seen the papers.” He nodded. “You know Dan.”
“I know of him and his record of drug abuse. Of course I didn’t find out until after the shooting. Cassidy wouldn’t have been dating him had I known.”
“I’m partly to blame there, too, man. Anyways. This is where it gets messy. Dan is the nephew of Brent Calhoun.” I paused to give him a minute and I saw the change come over his face when he put it together. His jaw clenched as his eyes grew dark. “Calhoun had custody of Dan when this all went down fifteen years ago.”
“Custody? Wouldn’t Dan have been an adult?”
“I believe he was seventeen at the time, a year younger than me.”
He got up and started pacing my office. I understood his frustration completely. “What the fuck? You’re sure about this?” I confirmed. “Is this some revenge plot?”
“Not sure, but it seems that way. There’s more.” His shoulders sagged visibly. “I’m not sure if you know or not that Calhoun died a few months later.” He said he knew. “Did you know his cause of death is listed as an accidental overdose?” That was news to him.
“Holy shit. You think he killed his uncle.”
“Suspect. I’ve known Dan since we were kids. He’s never sat well with me; there’s always been something off about him. Calhoun gave Dan a life of prestige and privilege. I wouldn’t doubt that if he felt threatened by your Mom…”
We both paled as my words resonated with us both. This just got worse and worse. Cal grabbed a bottle of water and started guzzling it down.
“Cal, I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through.”
“No. It’s fine. You think he killed Calhoun and my mother?”
We sat in silence and I could see the cogs turning in his head.
“Cassidy needs to know. As much as I want to keep this from her, she has to know.”
I began to object.
“Dude, you don’t know everything.”
Now I was the one chugging down some water. How could there possibly be more?
“How much did she tell you about Mom’s death and what happened after?” I told him all the gory details as he dropped his head and tilted his neck from side to side eliciting a few pops and cracks.
“It broke her. She blamed herself for Mom’s death for a long time. It was the most vulnerable time in any girl’s life, but to have that guilt on her, too, destroyed her spirit. She was in therapy for years.”
“Nothing wrong with therapy.”
“Did you try to kill yourself?” I was speechless. “She swallowed half a bottle of pills, James. Dad found her just in time. Another ten minutes and she would’ve been gone.”
“I had no idea. I never…”
“Don’t hold it against her. She was so young and lost. She worked really hard for a long time to overcome those demons. If she finds out what we know now about Dan…well…I…she has to hear it from us sooner rather than later. The more prepared she is, the more proactive she can be in dealing with it.”
“Okay, that makes sense. Shit, I wanted to keep this from her.”
“I feel ya, dude. Is she home? I can follow you. Afterward, I’ll call Dad to fill him in. God, this timing sucks; the wedding is less than three weeks away.”
“She should be home.”
“You need to be prepared for firestorm Cassidy. You got a glimpse last weekend, but she’s got one hell of a temper.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
He laughed, “Dude, I’m telling you. Prepare yourself.”
I simply nodded before gathering my things.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Firestorm
~ CASSIDY ~
I was numb and pissed off. Mom was pregnant? I guess she really was planning on leaving Dad, and us. I didn’t understand and I couldn’t wrap my brain around it. I didn’t think I wanted to understand. James must’ve thought I was a total basket case. After checking my cell phone and seeing I had no missed calls or texts, I decided to bake some brownies; chocolate would help. I cranked the stereo, grabbed my laptop and started browsing aimlessly while waiting for the brownies to finish.
The brownies were cooling on the stove when I heard the front door open. I watched as James walked in followed by Cal. Lord help me.
“Ever hear of knocking?” I looked back and forth between the two of them and they both looked guilty. “What the hell is going on? I know what this is and I’m not in the mood.”
> “Cass, we need to talk to you.” Cal walked over to the couch, sat down on the end with his body turned toward me and put his hand on my foot.
“About what?” Looking to James, who was being too quiet and eyeing me suspiciously, I grew nervous.
“I didn’t want to tell you, but Cal said its best that you know and I’m starting to agree.”
“You guys are scaring me. Just spit it out.” I set my laptop down on the coffee table, placed my feet on the floor and started ringing my hands in my lap.
They told me everything they knew about mom, Dan and any other information they had at that moment. I was speechless.
Comatose.
After several minutes, all I heard was the gravely drone of their voices. James was kneeling in front of me with his hands on my calves. I stood up and his hands fell to the side as he let me pass. Cal grabbed my wrist as I tried to walk past him.
“Cassidy…”
“Don’t.” I jerked my wrist violently out of his hand and looked to James, “How long have you known this?” He looked to me and back to Cal. “HOW LONG?”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking. We just put the pieces together today. If you’re asking how long I’ve known Dan is bad news, the answer is since we were in high school together.” He looked as distraught as he sounded.
“That’s what you were trying to tell me that night wasn’t it?” I started pacing between the living room and kitchen. “What did I do to deserve this, what did Holly do? I don’t understand. If you had said something sooner maybe Holly would still be here.”
“Cassidy, he had no way of knowing.” Cal came to James’s defense.
“Cassidy, you have to know that if I could change what happened that night I would.”
Cal was right and I knew James would change it if he could, but I was unraveling, losing control. I was so God damned mad at the universe, Dan and my mom. My blood was on fire and I could feel my body shaking as the anger took over.