Framed ✅

Chapter 2: Being a Friend

Tuesday, October 26 – Hendrick Motorsports

"So tell me how NASCAR'S Most Popular Driver, the person everyone calls the biggest sweethea-" Kyle Larson starts as he gets comfortable in the chair. There certainly had to be a good reason for everything here.

"Except for Harvick," William cuts him off, to which Kyle has to laugh back in response. It wasn't often that William snuck a good comment in their meetings together, but that was worth it.

"The Georgia Peach, the darling, everything that you are, is supposedly caught up in the midst of this and suspect for murder."

"It's a bit of a long story," Chase admits as he tries to get comfortable, at least glad the ice pack was taking the edge off the bit of pain he was feeling.

"We've got plenty of time," Alex shares, which wasn't the full truth. Admittedly, he knew he should be heading over to Millbridge shortly as the team was set to debut a new midget with CJ behind the wheel. He knew his guys could handle things, but it was different with a brand new piece. "It's a girl that you are suspect for. What's her name?"

"Annabelle Gortez." Everybody around the table admittedly felt no connection or relation to the name, never ever heard it mentioned or seen her around Chase in the past. "We grew up together in Georgia, went to high school together. We've remained close frie-"

"Did you ever hook up, or have a crush on her?" Kyle wanted to smack Alex at that point, knowing this wasn't probably the right time for jokes and such. Besides, he still hadn't heard anything that had him as curious as the officers were in Chase's involvement.

"Absolutely not as you do realize boys and girls can be friends and not have sex, right Alex?" The straight faces fell immediately in the room as the chuckles soon to followed. "She moved out of state out to California about four years ago. Her body was found..." Chase's eyes fall on the table, as he takes a deep breath, feeling the tears that had been reoccurring every day since he learned the truth. "They found her two weeks ago."

"May I ask where?" Kyle questions, still trying to connect the dots more so than probably the others around the table.

"In her home in California," Chase answers quietly, as he takes a couple calming deep breathes. Alex reaches over, rubbing his shoulder in an effort to comfort, having seen the emotions on his face.

"So how do you become a suspect then?" Chase understood the questioning based on the circumstances, but they somehow made sense in his mind.

"I had been flying out to see her – as a friend Alex, about twice a week for a while now. It started out here and there, and became more frequent. She was going through a rough patch so I wanted to be there for her as a friend. I was one of the only people that she could turn to. So therefore, they can place me in the state and in her neighborhood in the time surrounding when it happened. Secondly, my fingerprints are on the gun that she kept in her safe at the house that supposedly was used as the murder weapon. I never shot it, never thought of using it. My fingerprints got there from her showing it to me one time when we were there talking about stuff. There are other fingerprints on the gun, but combined with the flight records, it matches together for them to have me on their list with others."

"And there's no way that you did it?" William questions, causing both Kyle and Alex to look over at him completely shocked. They thought that was already clearly established, and whey they were trying to figure things out – and be a good friend right now.

"No, I could never ever do that to her – or anyone for that matter," Chase answers as he looks William straight in the eyes, hopeful of making his point clear, even shocked in hearing the question himself.

"You mentioned she was going through a rough patch, and you were one of a few that she could talk to," Kyle starts, having tried to follow every bit as closely as he could in putting this together. "I imagine there's other suspects based on that."

"Her boyfriend, some others that were around her neighborhood come to my mind, but mostly her boyfriend." Chase takes a deep breath, not believing he was saying it out loud for the first time amongst friends.

It was also shocking to be saying it out loud for only the third time since she told him; after she was found and evidence came to light, he had told his parents and the police. If only he had said something sooner, perhaps he could have truly helped her. He was trying to do what he could, with what she would allow, but what if he did more?

"He was abusive, physically and mentally," he starts very quietly and slowly. "He controlled everything that he could about her. He would hit her, say things mean to her, steal money from her, control what she was able to do. Like, when I would go, she would have to make sure that he was at work and no trace was left because he would get mad. He attacked her, smacking her across the face like five times because I visited. I was trying to convince her to get help, to go see someone, to go tell police. I tried to convince her to leave one day, and fly back to Georgia with me to get away. But she was afraid, and for some reason, she didn't want to leave...."

"It's not your fault," Alex says quietly as he pats his shoulder, feeling the tears come to his eyes in realizing everything that had been going on. "You tried to do what you could as a friend. You tried to be there and help her. It's not your fault that it didn't pan out, bud."

"If he's the one that did it, then he will be caught and pay for what he's done," Kyle added. "Though frankly, he should pay no matter what.."