Chapter 23
*James*
Dear detective Shepherd was like a dog with a bone. It had been a week since we last spoke when he knocked on my door. “Good Morning, Dr. Wilson.” His voice drawled as I opened the door to greet him. “Lovely day today. I stopped by the hospital, but it seems you’re off today.”
“Detective, to what do I owe this pleasure?” I leaned against the door frame, trying to show a relaxed disposition, but also blocking his entrance into the house. The last thing I needed was this asshole poking around the hospital. Things were already shaky thanks to Nick’s bogus accusations.
“Well, I had some follow-up questions. About your relationship with Nick Johnson.” A chill ran down my spine at hearing my father-in-law’s name. “I understand your father and he were close at one point. Is that when the abuse started?”
I clenched my jaw so tight I worried I might crack a tooth. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Surely, your father didn’t know about it. Or are you protecting him, too?” It took every ounce of strength not to connect my fist to his face.
“My father was a good man. The best father any kid could ask for. He was nothing like Nick.” As soon as I said it, I knew I’d over shared. Detective Shepherd knew he’d get a rise out of me by mentioning dad.
“Look.” He held his hands up, palms towards me, a show of surrender. “I’m going to level with you. I know these accusations are bullshit, but Johnson is a real piece of work and he’s got the ears of the right people. The only way we can make this stop is if we have something on him.” For a fleeting moment, I wanted to believe him. I took a deep breath, contemplating my next move.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I held my stance and hoped he hadn’t seen my hesitation. “Is that all, detective?” Now his jaw was twitching in anger.
“I understand why you don’t want to believe me, but I want to help. You know where to find me if you change your mind.” He turned on his heel and walked to his cruiser. Standing in the door, I waited until after he pulled out of the drive and was moving down the street before going inside. There was no way to know if Detective Shepherd really believed the charges were bullshit, and without being able to trust him, I couldn’t risk giving him ammo that could come back to hurt me or Liv. Deciding I needed to let Trav know, I grabbed my phone and shot him a quick text, asking if we could meet later. I didn’t want to go to the office, because I didn’t want Beth to overhear.
We met for lunch at Sorvino’s. I pulled into the parking lot a little past one and walked inside to find Trav already there. “I ordered drinks. I felt like this is going to be one of those conversations.” He laughed, but his voice was strained.
“Thanks, man.” I sat across the table from him. “The good detective paid me a visit this morning.”
“Son of a bitch!” Trav’s response startled me, but shouldn’t have been surprising. “What did he want?”
I took a sip of my drink, a manhattan, to steady myself before I explained our visit. “He says he wants us to work together to take down Nick. He doesn’t believe the accusation that Liv and I were involved years ago when she was underage. I don’t know where he’s getting information or if we can trust him.” The words came out in a rush.
Travis sat back in his chair, contemplating what I just said. “Would Nancy have talked?” His question mirrored mine, but I couldn’t imagine Nancy turning on her husband. He was awful to her, but she’s defended his behavior for years. Their relationship is from a different era, when women expected mistreatment, and tolerated it. I promised myself again to spend every day letting Liv know just how grateful I am for her.
I shrugged my shoulders, feeling both discouraged and enraged. “I guess it’s not impossible, but why? Why now? It’s been twenty years.” My mind was racing with all the possibilities in front of us.
“Maybe, now that Liv is out from under his thumb, she finally feels like she can?” Trav’s words hit like a right hook. Is it possible that now Liv is safe from Nick, his ever faithful bride finally turned on him? It would destroy Liv to know the truth, but maybe Nancy hopes that she and I can get through it together. “Have you told Liv?” His question was inevitable, but I still dreaded it.
I shook my head. “I’m terrified she’ll never look at me the same.” We sat in silence for several minutes. “Talk to me about Liv’s case against Carter. How’s that going?”
Defeated, Travis accepted the change in conversation. “It’s good. We’ve scheduled for Beth and Liv, and the next step will be to get you and Noah to provide statements. We may not be able to submit all four, but I want to get them done in case. The temporary protective order is in place and it’ll be up to the DA to pursue criminal assault charges. I’m sure all this shit with Nick isn’t helping that investigation.”
We ate in silence, sipping our drinks. I hated that Travis was burdened with my secret, but it was nice to not feel so alone. “Are you positive Liv doesn’t know anything about it? How can you just erase a whole person?” Travis was talking softly, being cautious about those around us.
“I don’t know, man. There’s no way she knows, though. She would have told me. I’m terrified of how she’s going to react.” I downed the rest of my drink and signaled for the server to bring another. “You going back to the office, or want to stay for another?”
“I’ll stay longer. I need to go back eventually, but my afternoon is open. No clients or anything.” We had another round and talked about everything except the dark cloud hanging over us. Part of me was surprised he didn’t remember Marcus, but I guess memories are pretty fluid when you’re younger.
“How’s it going with Beth?” We hadn’t talked about his relationship with my sister since I apologized for my reaction to it. He raised his eyebrows and took a sip of his drink before answering.
“She’s incredible. Smart as a whip. She has picked up so much already, almost as good as any paralegal I’ve worked with, and she has no training. If she wanted to go that route, she could be very successful.” My friend had done an excellent job of answering my question without answering my question. I mulled over my next words, deciding how much I wanted to push this.
My lips turned upward in a slow smile, and I asked, “Is that all?” Trav’s face was flushed, and I took too much pleasure in his embarrassment.
“Come on, man. She’s perfect. I’m not trying to rush anything, though. She’s young and relationships aren’t easy for me. You know that.” Trav’s cocky grin turned sheepish.
I had to let the poor guy off the hook. “I’m happy if you two are happy.
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*I had hoped since we were all together, he’d leave me alone tonight. I was completely defeated when we arrived to find two separate cabins. One for them and one for us. He would have complete access. I’d have nowhere to run. No where to hide. When he pulled back the blankets that night, I prayed someone would knock on the door. I was desperate to have a reprieve. I knew I’d never be free, but any relief would be welcome. He took his time that night. I whimpered, begging him not to hurt me. He was smart enough to be gentle, knowing if he hurt me, the others might notice tomorrow. Once he fell asleep, I hatched a plan to suggest the kids camp together in one cabin and the adults in another. If I brought it up in front of the others, he couldn’t say no without drawing suspicions. I’d pay for it when we got home, but maybe, just maybe, I could be free for one night.*
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*“You really thought that would work, huh?” His voice made me want to vomit. I put my plan into action, but he was prepared. He told everyone I needed to be with him because sometimes I had nightmares. Now I was stuck with him and he knew I’d try to get away. I drew my legs upward, again trying to make myself as small as possible. I prayed to go numb until it was over. Then I prayed to die. Anything would be better than this hell. Death is the only way I’d ever be free.*