Chapter 37
The sky was crying. Heavy rain splashed onto the pavement where Rebecca walked, soaking her from head to toe. She was carrying a big black umbrella, but the wind and rain were too strong, rendering the piece of circular protection that old man Whitmore had given her useless. Even her backpack which was worn over her chest was wet. It did nothing to protect her from the cold. Her blouse was practically clinging onto her like a second skin.
Not a taxi could be seen on her way back and everyone else had scurried for safety from the heavy downpour. Rebecca regretted not taking up the offer for shelter at the old Whitmore building; she had been far too agitated over the revelation.
There’s a twin. Was he the one William was arguing with?
Thunder cracked above as her phone which was tucked deep in her backpack rang. She did not hear it.
Why doesn’t anyone know about it?
Rebecca saw a pharmacy in a distance. She considered popping in to get a fresh supply of her Ventolin and Flixtotide puffs but decided against it. Her apartment was just another block away and she was sure she had another bottle or two stashed away in her cabinet. She quickened her steps as thunder continued to roar.
Did the twin have anything to do with the murder of Irana Long? Is that why William is keeping silent?
After what felt like forever, her apartment finally came into view. She had never been happier to see her home. Rundown as it was, it was her haven from the blistering cold of the pelting rain. Quickly she rushed inside and in her mad dash for shelter she failed to notice an ominous black Porsche parked just around the corner. The lone driver had been watching her every move.
***
John was angry at himself for having lost his cool earlier. He paced restlessly in his office. Around him, some of his colleagues lamented about being stuck at the station due to the rain.
I shouldn’t have let her go.
He pulled out his phone from his back pocket and contemplated calling Rebecca.
She could be in danger.
He tapped on his phone, his pride holding him back.
She said the rose wasn’t from William Silverman.
He looked out his office window. The rain was splattering against his window, rapping against the glass in fury. Outside the sky had turned dark and it was only six o’clock.
She still needs protection. The rose, who sent it?
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, deciding to call Rebecca. She needed to have someone by her side. It wasn’t safe for her to be alone right now. He couldn’t believe he had not chased after her earlier. Perhaps he could send her to her mother’s?
But just as he was about to call Rebecca, his phone rang instead.
“Hello?”
“It’s me, William Silverman.”
John raised an eyebrow. Well, I’ll be damned.
“What is it?”
“I have something to confess. Are you at your station?”
John’s heart started to race, “Yes. Are you coming?”
“I’ll be there in less than an hour.”
Yes!
“Alright, I’ll be here.”
***
A warm shower was exactly what she needed. As she stepped out of her shower, she took a deep breath of the warm moist air in the bathroom. Her chest still felt tight, and she could not take a deep breath without breaking into a coughing fit but the heat from her shower had helped lessen her coughs to a certain extent.
She quickly toweled dry her unruly hair and put on a body-hugging black t-shirt and a pink pair of micro-mini polka-dotted shorts, courtesy of Jean, again. Her best friend loved gifting her sexy nightwear. Her mirror had fogged up and with her index finger, she drew an angry emoji on it. She was angry at herself for not trying to understand William more.
Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, showing no sign of letting up. Rebecca looked out the little rectangular window positioned at the highest point of the bathroom and admired the flashes of lightning which raced across the sky. Down below, a figure in black stepped out of the Porsche and stealthily headed towards her apartment.
Rebecca slipped on her worn-out slippers and dragged her feet to the kitchen counter as she continued toweling her hair. She eyed one of her wall hung cabinets and pulled at the handle, expecting to see an extra bottle of Ventolin puff. There was none.
Rebecca Grey! Of all times!
Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and she hurried over to her damp backpack. Her favorite army green backpack was a sorry sight, it laid in a puddle of water next to the entrance like an unwanted child. Rebecca would have to blow dry her backpack with the hairdryer later.
She sat cross-legged on the floor with her slippers and fished for her inhaler and to her delight, found that it was still working. She took three puffs from the blue plastic bottle and felt much better. Next, she found her phone and to her solace, found it to be still functioning.
My iPhone, I heart you! At least you never let me down.
She turned it on and was greeted with a string of missed calls and text messages. Her mother had called her twice and left a message after that. It read ‘Are you sleeping with that Silverman guy?’
Her mom must have read the papers. She decided to call her mother later. Next was Jean’s message. ‘How many times did he hump you?’ Rebecca rolled her eyes.
And finally, there were William’s missed calls. He had called her five times. Five times! She checked his message next. He had left her a cryptic one which read, ‘I’ll be at your place by eight. There’s something I need to tell you.’
She thought of the kind of childhood he must have had to endure and felt her heartache. For all the trappings of success, the great CEO of the Silverman company, and the man everyone wanted to be was a man plagued by his family and his past. Pity started to well up within her.
Is he going to tell me the truth?
Right there and then, both her phone and doorbell rang. John was calling her.
She answered it as she got up from the floor, feeling guilty about blowing her lid at him earlier, “John?”
She headed towards her door.
“Becca…where are you?”
“At home,” she said and peered into the peephole. Her heart skipped a beat. She had not expected him that early. It was only half-past seven.
“John? I’ll call you back okay? William’s here. I have something to talk to him about.”
And with that, she hung up and swung her door wide open.
***
“Wait! What do you mean….” The line went dead.
Shit! John’s eyes widened in horror.
Across from him, William Silverman leaned forward the interrogation table, a look of concern crept onto his face, “What happened?”