by Chanel Ivy
“The only part you have to tell is the truth. Everything that happened that morning between you and Stuart is it. As far as they’re concerned, you never saw Stuart after that.”
I took a deep, cleansing breath and wiped away my tears. Emma handed me a tissue, and I cleaned my face off.
“I think I can do that.”
“I know you can.”
The rest of the morning was spent talking with Emma’s attorneys over the phone. They were drafting a statement from our discussion, then meeting us at the office to review the final document before we would all head over to the police station together to meet with the detectives.
I was never so nervous in all my life. My stomach cramped, and I felt like I was going to vomit constantly, but Emma held my hand through everything, making me slightly less apprehensive.
We walked into the police station with our entourage of lawyers just after one o’clock, and I missed Emma’s hand in mine already. She said it would be better if her presence there came off as professional to not raise any red flags. I agreed, but I still craved her comfort desperately.
The two detectives looked utterly surprised when I introduced myself, and they quickly put up their defenses at the sight of the attorneys. We were escorted to a conference room that could accommodate our group of seven, including the detectives.
“Miss. Blackburn, I’m Detective Nash, and this is my partner Detective Paulson. Do you mind introducing us to the parties you have brought with you, so we know who we’re speaking with?”
Emma jumped right into the conversation for me.
“My name is Emma Cross. I’m the CEO of Cross Financial. Miss. Blackburn is an employee of mine, and the two women and one gentleman around the table are attorneys for Cross Financial. We’ve prepared a statement detailing Miss. Blackburn’s last interactions with Mr. Stuart Hodges, who is a terminated employee of mine. Please review the statement and let us know what questions you have.”
“Well, Miss. Cross, we appreciate the statement, but we do have some questions for Miss. Blackburn,” Detective Nash replied.
Emma was clearly annoyed that Nash was not understanding her intentions and took a deep breath before speaking again. “I understand you have questions, sir. But our council has advised us that the statement is the best possible way to provide you all with an accurate account of Miss. Blackburn’s interaction with Mr. Hodges, so I would greatly appreciate it if you read the statement, and if you have any questions that are not answered by the detailed document, then you may proceed.” Emma’s voice was stern but not harsh. She got her point across that we were here to help, but on our terms and not theirs.
The officers were clearly frustrated but nodded in agreement and began reading the papers the lawyers handed them.
After a few minutes, both detectives put down the pages and looked at one another. Nash spoke first. “Miss. Blackburn, The first question that jumps out at me is to ask you how you got those cuts along your eye? They’re not fresh, but they look like they were fairly deep.”
One of the attorneys spoke, “Miss. Blackburn had an unfortunate tumble down a flight of stairs a few weeks ago, requiring medical attention, but with all due respect, that’s unrelated to your questioning, sir.”
Nash never looked away from me, not even when the lawyer was responding to his inquiry. I focused on a mole Nash had below his left eye and stared blankly at it, trying my best not to provide him any emotional response even though I was full of flustered anxiety inside.
Detective Nash waited a few moments before speaking again. The seconds of silence were agony on my overactive brain. “Miss. Blackburn, is there any specific reason that you came here with the CEO of your company and three lawyers?”
Emma spoke for me again. “Mia is currently in my employ. Stuart was previously in my employ. The only interaction they had together was in my building, and therefore both of them were my responsibility. I know the Chief of Police very well, and I know you all take care of your own. That is simply what our attorneys and I are doing here. Taking care of one of our own.”
Detective Paulson finally broke his silence. “You mean we should expect to see you and these three lawyers every time we ask to interview someone from Cross Financial?” he asked flatly.
Emma smiled a dangerously sly smile at the two officers. “As long as I am made aware of your request to interview one of my employees, I will be by their side with council just as I am now. I want to make it known here and now, for the record of course, that if you do request to interview any of my employees, you do so directly through my office. This way, I may make those arrangements with council,” Emma said sternly as she slid each detective one of her business cards. “While Stuart’s disappearance is tragic for his family, I assure you Cross Financial, and our employees had nothing to do with it. Stuart Hodges is a troubled man, which is why he is no longer an employee. I may suggest that you dig into his past transgressions and see if that leads you anywhere. As you are aware, we had some sexual harassment issues with him in the past, and I doubt he only acted that way at work. Frankly, I’d be astonished if you didn’t find other issues in his private life within the same parameters. If there’s nothing else, gentlemen, then we really must be going. We have business to attend to,” Emma replied as she stood. The lawyers and I followed her lead as well.
Nash spoke up again before I was out of the door. “One last question, and if Miss. Blackburn can answer for herself, that would be incredibly helpful. I know the statement says it already, but are you sure you didn’t see Stuart any other time after the day he was fired? He wasn’t hanging around your house. He didn’t show up while you were shopping somewhere at all. It just seems likely that he may have blamed you for getting fired, and he might carry a grudge against you for it.”
I was frozen at the unexpected question. I wanted to tell the truth so badly. I wanted to spill my guts right then and there, but I thought of the brutality of what Stuart had done to me. Then I thought of my son. What good would it do my son to have me in jail for defending myself against a womanizing rapist? None. “No, sir. I haven’t been home for the last few weeks, and I haven’t seen him at all since the morning he was let go.”
Nash didn’t seem to be satisfied with my answer, but he wasn’t going to stop me from leaving either.
“Well, we thank you for your time and the statement. This will undoubtedly prove useful in some capacity. But please be sure to be careful, though, Miss. Blackburn. We found some unsettling items in Stuart’s apartment that would lead me to believe if he had any animosity for you or if he blamed you for his termination in any way, he might be capable of violence. Be safe out there.”
I stared into Nash’s steely grey eyes before turning to leave. His expression told me he was unsure of my involvement, but he knew something didn’t add up. His last statement was almost a threat, but it also told me that the police thought Stuart could still be alive and might be dangerous. One takeaway from the meeting with the police was that I should watch my back, I knew Stuart wasn’t an issue, but the detectives might prove to be. I had a feeling we had not seen the last of them.
Chapter 8
As we walked through the police station, we passed an older woman who was crying dramatically, almost as if she was faking it for sympathy. As soon as she saw Detectives Nash and Paulson, the older woman cried out for them, asking if they had any news about, ‘her baby Stuart.’
The woman had to have been his mother. She seemed needy and whiny enough to have raised a vindictive, angry, woman-hating psychopath like Stuart. He did complain about never being good enough for someone in the warehouse; I assumed it had to have been her.
I couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of compassion for this woman, but not much. Her son was certifiable, and I held her partially responsible for his actions. I made it my top priority to be sure that my son, even growing up with a dirt-bag of a man for a father, was still turning out to become a decent, caring young man.
We dropped the lawyers off back at the Cross building. Emma and I headed back to her home. It had been a busier Saturday so far than I had expected, and I was looking forward to some additional downtime before going back to work on Monday.
We walked into the foyer, and Todd was standing in the middle of the room. He was looking around in wonder at the large house and its ornate furnishings.
Tears filled my eyes at the sight of my son. “Todd! What are you doing here?”
He ran to me and gave me a great big hug. “Emma thought it would be nice to surprise you, so she had someone pick me up and bring me over. Surprise!” he yelled jokingly as he released me from his strong arms. “You look much better than I expected. The way Emma made your fall down the stairs sound, I was expecting you to look like you were dragged by a truck. You’re healing nicely, though, Mom.”
“Thanks, sweetie. It was rough right after it happened, but Emma took good care of me.” I looked at Emma, and she had a gigantic smile on her face as well. “Emma, thank you. This is perfect. I’ve got my two favorite people in the whole world in one place. What should we do?” I asked, instantly forgetting the stress from earlier in the day and Nash’s parting warning to me.
Emma stepped forward. “I thought since it’s such a nice day, we could go swimming, use the water slide...”
“You have a water slide?” Todd yelled out. “That’s so cool!”
“Yes, we have a water slide, and there’s a lazy river around the pool for us old folks,” she laughed.
“Speak for yourself,” I joked. “I’m going down that damn slide.”
We all had a good laugh and changed into our bathing suits to enjoy a day of fun in the sun. We were in and out of the pool and the hot tub. We played volleyball and basketball in the water. Then we barbequed with Todd manning the grill. He was surprisingly pretty good at it. He said his father usually got distracted when grilling and always burnt everything. Todd said he had to learn so they didn’t have to eat hockey puck burgers or charred, chewy sausages.
It was a fantastic day that turned into a wonderful evening. We sat out by the fire pit and roasted marshmallows making smores and chatting about school, life, cars, and anything Todd wanted to talk about.
“Hey, Emma, can I ask you for a favor?” Todd asked.
“Yeah, anything, buddy. What’s on your mind?”
“Can I, by any chance, have my birthday party here in a few weeks?”
“Todd!” I scolded him.
Emma laughed. “Mia, leave the kid alone. He obviously has good taste. Of course, you can. How many friends are we talking?”
“Like ten, maybe twelve,” Todd responded.
“Emma, he doesn’t...”
“Now, now, Mia. Todd is my new best friend, right?”
“Ugh, duh!” Todd replied happily.
Todd’s face could have lit up the night’s sky without the fire blazing in front of us, he was so pleased.
“So, my new best friend here would like to have a few friends over to celebrate his birthday, and I think he should be able to do that. Look at this place, Mia. It was made for parties. Let the kid have his birthday here.”
Emma looked at Todd, and they both looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes as they pleaded.
“You two ganging up on me isn’t nice! It’s just that it’s a long way to travel for your friends, buddy. It’s like a four-hour drive one way.” I countered.
Emma smiled her sly up to no good smile at me. “Well, I’ve got the perfect solution to that. It’s called a Eurocopter EC 155.”
Todd jumped out of his chair, grabbing Emma by the hands. “Like a helicopter?” he yelled out. Todd shook her hands up and down like they were going to fly away together, and I just sat there laughing, almost spilling my Moscato.
“Yes, like a helicopter. And it seats thirteen passengers, so it’s perfect for you and twelve of your friends. Now, I’ll host the party, but on one condition,” Emma said, getting serious.
“Anything, anything at all. You name it, and it’s yours,” Todd responded immediately.
“You have to let me invite two of my friends, other than your mom, that is.”
“Absolutely! It’s your house. You can invite anyone you want. But who were you thinking, just because you’ve got me curious now?”
Emma smiled at him. “Good. Always be curious, Todd. Never be afraid to ask any question you think of in any situation you find yourself in. It’s always better to have more knowledge than not enough. That’s an honorable trait you should carry with you for life, my friend. But I was thinking of my two good buddies, Jordan Staal and Haydn Fleury.”
Todd nearly shit a brick. His mouth gaped open, and he stood staring blankly at Emma for a few moments before he responded. “As in Staal and Fleury who play for the Carolina Hurricanes... in the NHL? You know them?”
“Yes, they’re pretty good friends of mine, and I happen to know they’d enjoy hanging out with you and some of your friends. I know you love hockey as much as I do, so I thought it could be my present to you.”
Todd didn’t say anything. He just grabbed Emma in a tight hug. She must not have been expecting it by the look on her face, but once she realized it was happening, she softened and embraced him back tenderly. I started tearing up before I waved my overload of emotions away.
“All right, all right, that’s enough excitement for one night. Todd, let’s get you to bed before you have Emma buying you a car next.”
Todd smiled up at me. “Now, that would be awesome too.”
Emma laughed and hugged him again quickly. “Maybe next year, little man.”
I huffed at both of them. “Oh my goodness. You two are going to drive me insane. I’m separating you both, no more planning for either of you,” I chuckled as I pushed Todd into the house.
Emma had Todd set up in one of the extra bedrooms, and I waited as he got changed in the bathroom. I know he’s a little old to be put to bed by his mom, but I missed so much time with him that I wasn’t going to waste a single second. Life is fleeting, so you have to make sure the ones you love know you care for them every chance you get. I wasn’t missing any of my opportunities with Todd.
He snuggled under the covers, and I was brought back to when he was younger, and I used to tuck him in every night and read him a bedtime story. I brushed the hair from his forehead, kissed him, and told him that I loved him before turning to leave.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Yeah?”
“You and Emma are really good together. She brings out a happiness in you that I haven’t seen in a long time, and I’m happy for you.”
“What makes you think we’re together?” I asked.
I quickly tried to think back through the events of today. We didn’t hold hands, we certainly never kissed in front of him. I never said anything, and I didn’t think Emma would have either.
“I see the way she looks at you and you at her. Don’t worry, Mom. I think it’s cool. She’s an awesome chick, and so are you. It doesn’t matter that you’re both women. All that matters is that you care about each other. You’re actually kind of perfect for each other.”
“Yeah, and what makes you say that?”
“I dunno. You balance each other out, I guess. Emma’s quick to think with her head, and you’re quick to think with your heart. You make the perfect team,” he chuckled. “Either way, I wanted to let you know I think it’s great you finally found someone. You deserve to be happy. I love you, Mom. Good night.”
“Good night, sweetie.”
Chapter 9
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nbsp; I closed the door to Todd’s room and felt a weight lift from my shoulders I hadn’t even known I was carrying. After everything that was going on in my life, I didn’t even think about what I was going to tell Todd regarding mine and Emma’s relationship. Todd’s reaction showed me his level of maturity, reminding me that he wasn’t a little boy anymore. In a few short weeks, he was going to be sixteen, almost a man.
Man does time fly.
I stepped back outside, where Emma was waiting for me by the fire with a blanket and my favorite Moscato. I curled up next to her on the couch, taking a gratifying sip of my drink before setting the glass down. I laid my head on her shoulder as she wrapped the blanket around the two of us and her arm around me.
I felt so safe and unfettered with Emma. It was like nothing mattered when I was with her.
We sat in peaceful silence for a while, but I knew there was much we needed to discuss. I figured I’d start with the positive stuff first.
“So, Todd loves you, and he thinks we’re great together.”
“Really? He said that?”
“Yep. He said we make the perfect couple. You think with your head, and I think with my heart, so we balance each other out,” I giggled softly.
“You’ve got a great kid there, Mia. He’s smart, incredibly observant, and he’s got such a kind heart. I’m pretty sure he gets that from you and not his father.”
“Oh, most definitely from me. He said he’s happy for us, and he’s glad I found you. I am too,” I said, nuzzling my head into her neck.
“And here I thought I had just found a new fuck buddy when a beautiful woman popped her pretty little head into the sauna one morning before work. Little did I know you were going to turn my entire world upside down,” Emma replied, kissing the top of my head.
“Yeah, I thought you didn’t do relationships,” I joked, poking her in the hip, making her squirm.
“Yeah, well, I guess people can change.”