by Sienna Grant
After ten minutes, the door opened, and Summers came in with Reynolds and a guy I didn’t know.
“Calindra, do you know why you’re here?” Summers asked as he pressed the button on the machine that records conversations.
I shook my head, and he sighed. “With words please?”
“No,” I said in a shaky voice because I knew something wasn’t right.
“Okay, you’re here because we suspect you had more to do with Louisa’s assault than you admitted before.”
My ears started to ring as I took in their words. “What? What are you talking about?”
My eyes darted around the room, and I saw the new guy nod when Summers met his eyes.
“Do you know what this is?” the new guy asked as he produced my laptop from an evidence bag.
“Yeah, that’s my laptop.”
“So you admit this is your possession?”
I knew they were leading me into a trap, but I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t lie, so I nodded. “Yes, that’s mine.”
“Okay, well, we’ve had our tech guys comb it, and we found some startling things that were hidden in the encrypted files.”
I felt sick as he began placing image after image in front of me. They were images of me in bed with someone, but they all looked like Finley.
“These are time stamped over the past eight months. Do you recognise anyone?”
“I, uh… that’s me.”
“No one else?” Summers pushed, and I stared at the image from July. The date was familiar. I remembered I’d slept with Brandon Clarke. He was a friend from school who’d come to London for a few days before he moved abroad.
“That looks like Finley Brown, but it’s not. I slept with Brandon Clarke that night.”
My eyes met theirs, and I was pleading with them to believe me, but they all shook their heads.
“They all look like you and Finley Brown.”
My eyes darted to each image, and they were right, but I’d never slept with him.
“That’s not all. Our tech guys combed the images, and we can’t find any evidence of tampering, but that’s beside the point. Take a look at these.”
He handed me a pile of printed papers, and I sat staring at them. It looked like a sick email conversation between [email protected] and [email protected].
My eyes widened as I read the emails, each worse than the last until the final one, dated the night Lou was hurt.
Lou’s upset. Why did you hurt her?
Then the reply read,
I’m sorry. I lost my temper. I’ll come over and make it up to you.
The next one made my stomach churn.
I’m going to sleep in Lou’s bed. I want you to fuck me while she’s beside us. We’ll screw her too and then I can show her who has your heart.
My stomach rolled and my eyes started to water so badly I could barely read the next email.
She woke up and I panicked. I was trying to protect you. I’m sorry I hurt her.
The final email slipped from my fingers and I sat staring at it.
It’s okay. You did what you had to do. I told the cops I didn’t remember anything. I’ll protect you. Love you, Fin.
I could feel their eyes on me, and my stomach clenched as I read over and over the words.
“I don’t… I didn’t send those. I…”
My eyes darted around, and I could see the disbelief on their faces as they watched me, but I had to say something.
“I swear. I’ve never communicated with him. He’s fucking lying. He’s trying to turn you against me. He’s trying to… to make me look guilty to get me away from… people who are protecting me… You have to believe me.”
My gaze landed on the documents, and I saw the last one with the time and date stamp on it. It completely wrecked me, and I knew what he’d meant when he said he had something that would turn them against me. My heart burned as the nausea rose in my throat.
“Can I go to the bathroom, please?”
My voice shook, and when they nodded at me, I got up and left, collapsing on the floor of the bathroom as my stomach emptied violently down the pan.
After a few more minutes of retching, I sat back and leaned my head against the tiled wall.
I didn’t know what to do. How did I even go about proving that this was all a lie? How did I make them believe me?
I didn’t know the answer, and I couldn’t ponder it because Reynolds came in and asked me to come back to the interview room. I splashed my face with cold water and followed her numbly back.
Once I was inside, they read my rights to me before they arrested me on suspicion of withholding information and colluding with a criminal. My whole body shook as they took me to the cells and left me inside until an arraignment hearing could take place the following day.
My head was spinning as I sat down on the bunk, but one thought stung. Chris. He’d believed them again. He hadn’t even asked me about it before he decided I was guilty, and I’d never forgive him for it.
I’d spent the last three days trying to get to the bottom of all this. I was no further forward than I was when we had the tip-off.
That morning when I left her room, I wanted to turn around and go right back to her. It killed me to leave her. Everything was just so fucked up.
As soon as those words fell from my lips, I knew I had to pull away from her until this mess was sorted, but I wasn’t prepared for what happened at work later that day.
Summers burst into the office I was working from. I’d already told him I’d work in the background, but since she was stalked, I’d barely left her side, but I knew I had to get back to work. I had to get to the bottom of this.
He set a large anonymous package down on the desk and stepped back with his hands on his hips. I looked between him and the box for a moment before concentrating on the box. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous about a package, but something wasn't sitting right with me. Why was my name on it? I hadn’t ordered anything to be delivered there, and I certainly hadn’t ordered anything for work. HR did all that. It wasn’t going to open itself by me staring at it, and it certainly wasn’t a damn jack-in-the-box. I glanced up at Summers again, and I knew I was frowning. I sighed before dropping my gaze back on the cardboard box and asked the obvious question, not that he’d know anyway.
“What’s this?”
“I have no idea. It came by special courier, same day delivery. I guessed it was important.”
“Okay.” I nodded so he could leave me to my work. Summers and I hadn’t said much to each other since we had that run in a week or so back. It was one of the main reasons for me taking a step back, other than protecting Callie. But it was obvious I couldn't do that either. I pushed the package to the side and carried on with some reports. Summers left me in peace, but the curiosity was killing me, and as the saying went, curiosity killed the cat.
I grabbed the box, got the letter opener, and slid it down the middle of the tape as I opened the two sides of the box. I saw a briefcase inside. I grabbed the handle and pulled it out. It was a laptop case, and as I unzipped it, I found a laptop inside with a note.
My stomach churned. Knowing the feeling in my gut was right, I grabbed some latex gloves and opened the note that sat on top.
Thought you might want to see what your girlfriend had been up to. She’s not all sweetness and light and not quite as innocent as you thought.
I lifted the lid, pressed the power button, and waited for it to come on. When it loaded up, I felt sick. The image on the screen was of Callie and Beth. I leaned back in my chair and gave myself a minute to prepare for what I was going to see. Putting my face in my hands, I scrubbed them down my face, took a deep breath in, and first went to her emails, but I couldn’t see anything that stood out. I then went to her folders and clicked on her photos, a ton of photos, and if I wasn’t wrong, that was Finley Brown.
I shoved my chair out from under me, pushed myself up, and paced the small office. I needed to
speak to her, but I wasn’t sure I could bring myself to do it. I wasn’t sure what the fuck was going on, but I had to have my facts right before I went thundering at her. But right then, the evidence was stacking against her.
I needed space. I needed to investigate, and that meant stepping back from the mutual ground we’d just found.
I called technical assistance and asked them to come down to my office then called Summers and Reynolds in.
As they all piled into the small office, I rested my arse on the desk and rubbed the stubble on my chin, thinking how to word what I was about to say.
I picked up the laptop and held it in my hands.
“There’s been a revelation in the Beckett case.” Sounding so formal was off, but I had to be. “There’s photos of her and someone else. I’m assuming it has something to do with the case, but as yet, I don’t know what else could be on here.” I looked at the tech guy next. “Can you get into this and tell me if you find anything?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“It's time sensitive though, so as quick as you can.”
“Course.”
“Can I see the photos?” Summers asked.
I placed the laptop on the desk and clicked the arrow button. Callie in bed with someone in all kinds of positions had me feeling sick to my stomach. After our short time together as a couple, neither of us wanted anything serious. But seeing her there the way I’d seen her in my own bed and the fact she’d been photographed had bile rising up in my throat.
“This changes things. We have to find out who that is.”
“That looks like Finley Brown.” I shut the lid so I didn’t have to look at it anymore. “Can you take it away and do what you’ve got to do?”
Summers lifted an eyebrow and nodded, taking it from the desk, and tucked it under his arm.
“Until we know what else is on that computer, we keep it between us. I want strong evidence before you go charging in there and make wrongful arrests.”
I dismissed them all and sat back in my chair.
What the fuck had she got herself into?
There had to be something else. That gut feeling was strong, but I wouldn’t succumb to it until I had something concrete.
I spent the next three days going home late and sleeping on the couch. My back was killing from being curled up. For a big guy like me, I needed room to stretch out. I couldn’t sleep in my bed because I knew Callie would be in there, and I couldn’t face her. Not yet. As soon as the tech guys came back and said they’d found something, my heart sank. I’d spent hours reading statements over and over again in case I’d missed something and listened to interview tapes. What the hell was going on?
What had I missed?
I’d promised I wouldn't get involved in the interview process, but I wasn’t sure I’d be much help anyway.
I watched from the back as they brought her in. Her head hung and her shoulders were slumped like she’d given up the fight.
As much as I wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be okay, I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen or whether everything would be all right. When our eyes met, I looked away; it was for the best. I went back into my office and slumped into the chair, putting my elbows on top and running my hands over my short hair.
I grabbed the name of the delivery company and Googled the phone number. I rang them and asked if they could give me a sender address, but they told me all information was strictly confidential, that we would need a warrant, and they wouldn’t be able to pass private information over the phone anyway.
I went to my super’s office and told him the new revelations that had come to light and asked if I had permission to go down to the company and get that information.
I had to wait a couple of hours to get the warrant I needed, but it would be worth it if I could just get an address.
As soon as I had the relevant information I needed, I headed out of the station, passing Reynolds on my way. Callie had been taken to the cells, and I knew I only had a small window of opportunity if I was going to solve the pieces. “I’m on my way to the delivery company. Wanna tag along?”
“I sure do.”
Unlocking my car halfway across the car park, we get in at the same time and I punch the address into my satnav.
We didn’t speak in the car. Reynolds knew Callie was a friend, and I refused to say anything until I had the evidence pinning this to her.
I pulled up at the delivery service and parked up. I went to the reception desk and showed the girl on the desk my warrant card.
“Hey. I had a parcel delivered by you guys the other day and I want to know where it came from. I spoke to someone on the phone, and they said I’d need to come down here.”
“If you’ll just give me a moment, I’ll need to speak with my manager.”
“Go for it.” Looking around me, I saw three chairs against the wall, and I took a seat to wait. Reynolds followed me over, sitting down at my side.
“What do you think they’ll come back with?” Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, I kept looking forward. A guy came from out of the locked door and came to greet us.
“Detective Chris Farmer.” I thrust my hand towards him, and he took it. “I’m after some information. I had a parcel addressed to me that came to the station. I could do with knowing who sent that parcel. You’d be helping me massively.”
“Detective Farmer, you have to understand confidentiality in your job, and we have to abide by it too. Maybe the person sending whatever it was wanted to stay anonymous.”
My mouth flattened into a tight-lipped grin and I tried to stay polite. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name?”
“David Maguire.”
“Okay, David. I understand your policy, but I’m investigating a serious case, and honestly, you don’t have a choice. I’ve done everything that’s been asked. You’ve got the warrant, and I’m here in person, so if I could get your co-operation that would be great.”
I tried hard to keep the sarcasm from my voice, but it was a struggle as I looked at the nerd standing in front of me.
“Fine.”
He walked around the desk and asked for the date it was delivered and the particulars.
“Okay, so it was delivered on special delivery. The sender was a Mr Finley Brown of 13 Griffin Avenue.” He reeled off the rest of the address and wrote it down for me before passing it over the counter. “Would there be anything else, Detective?”
“Not right now, but I’ll be in touch if there is.” I swiped the warrant from the counter. “Have a good day, Mr. Maguire, and thanks for your co-operation.”
“Finally,” I muttered on my way out of the door. When we were back in the car, I looked at Reynolds. “Now, we just need to find Mr Brown.
My head spun the whole night as question after question played out in my mind. What was his goal? What was he trying to achieve? Surely me getting locked up would ruin his plans and mean I wouldn’t be free for him to toy with anymore. Why me? Why was this happening to me?
I needed to get a lawyer, a good one because there was evidence that he’d drugged me, evidence of saliva inside me and DNA, and they hadn’t even questioned him yet. He admitted hurting Lou in his emails, but was anyone going to believe me when all the evidence was mounting up against me?
What was I going to do? How could I make them see that it wasn’t me?
I spent the night in the uncomfortable bunk, staring into space as my thoughts darted around like mice, jumping from one to the next. Maybe Charlie could help me, but he was in LA. Maybe I could call him and get him to recommend a good lawyer. He’d surely know someone who’d know someone.
What was going to happen to me? How was I going to pay for this fancy lawyer? Would my parents help, or would they believe I was guilty?
How was he doing all this? Why hadn’t they caught up with him yet? And how did he constantly keep himself one step ahead of the authorities?
Fuck! My head was overwhelm
ed and when eight a.m. rolled around, I’d had about two minutes sleep the whole night.
I barely flinched when the door was opened, but I watched from my spot in the bed as Summers and Walker came into the room.
Walker was the guy who’d been in the interview room when I was re-arrested.
“Can you come with us, please?”
I nodded and stood up, glancing down at my creased outfit as I stepped out of the room. They took me outside to a large truck, cuffing me inside it.
The drive was short, and I was shown into a small courtroom where a judge and some lawyers were. There was a brief discussion, and I stood, confirming my name and Beth’s address as my place of residence.
The judge stared at me and pursed his lips as he listened to the court appointed defence lawyer explain that I wasn’t a flight risk or a danger to anyone.
“That’s not a certainty. I would prefer to remand her in custody until the trial.”
“We would be happy for her to be let out on bail with an electronic tag and curfew, Your Honour.”
“Okay. She will need to attend weekly meetings at the police station, and an officer should check in with her at least three times per week.”
My head was spinning, and when I was taken into the back, Officer Reynolds handed me my things. My mobile, house keys, and my cash card were there. After that, I had to sit for a while before I was led into the office and fitted with an electronic tag. They explained that I couldn’t leave the house before ten a.m. or after ten p.m. They also told me it was an offence to try and take it off, and that I’d have it on until my court date in one month.
Everything was fuzzy, and I was taken back to Beth’s flat, where they fitted sensors at the door and in the back room.
I let them get on with it and ignored everyone until Reynolds arrived. She barely spoke to me and checked the equipment before leaving, but as she left, Chris arrived.
He waited until everyone was gone and rocked on his heels, but I couldn’t even look at him. His cool demeanour hurt, and I couldn’t take it anymore.