This Is Why I Hate You Too

18. Patterns, Patterns, Patterns

"Holy shit," Ana remarked.

"Yeah, I almost killed myself too," Ashley remarked. "I think I should cover these up with a tattoo someday."

"Are you really sure about this?"

"About what?"

"About reporting Arthur to the FBI."

"Well, yes, I mean, he's still alive. I have a good amount of evidence. Matt just needs enough material to prove that he was never meant for the Air Force. Besides, we just started this investigation."

"Well, that's pretty noble of Matt to do such a thing. And. . good on you for keeping that evidence. Did you tell the police what happened to you?"

"I told them everything. I gave them all the evidence they needed, and for some reason, they closed the case."

"Hm, funny. When I found out that Arthur remained in the Air Force after killing that cat in front of you, I wasn't surprised. I mean, he got a pat on the back for burning my arm."

"O. . . kay? What do you wanna say here?"

"Well, I've got to ask. . . do you really think this investigation's gonna be in any way effective? Cause, if it's not. . . you're gonna need an alternative."

Ashley didn't answer her.

"Anyway," Ana said, unlocking her bike. "I gotta go. See you someday."

Ana then rode off, saying goodbye to Ashley, who walked back into the library to find that old man talking to Matt as everyone else watched.

"Who is this?" Ashley asked Rachel.

"That's Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Hoss," Rachel answered quietly. "He was Arthur's commander back in South Korea."

"Now, Arthur says that you did not punish him for breaking Martinez' ankle," Matt said to the lieutenant. "Is that true?"

"I was about to," Hoss replied. "But. . . ."

"But what?"

Hoss sighed.

"But what?" Matt asked again, his tone rising.

Hoss didn't reply to him.

"Lt. Col., this is serious," Matt continued, urging him. "The Air Force allowed a felon on its premises. You and several others enabled him. Tell me—what stopped you from getting him discharged? You're a veteran! You served in Iraq! You could've just. . . why?"

"Listen, Matthew, you don't understand. I've seen things. That boy. . . I had to keep him." Hoss took a deep breath. "I. . . I was sitting down that night, and I was just about to get him fired. . . that was before I got that call. That was a bunch of people calling me; it was one person, but it felt like a whole organization was talking to me."

"What did they say?"

"They were threatening me not to do anything about Arthur. . . they kept telling me. . . "If you ever bother this man, we are going to make sure that you'll be dealt with.", and in the beginning, I thought, "Screw it! Who even are these people anyway?". I told them to go to hell and that I was going to get him discharged. I was so close to going through with it—we all were! And then. . . Tomlin died."

"What?"

"My friend Errol Tomlin died a day after that call. He got poisoned the night before and. . . I just know it had to be those people."

"Was an investigation ever pursued into his death?"

"No. Somehow, no one thought to consider who would've killed Errol. Probably because he was sixty-one at the time. You can tell me anything you want—but those people killed him. I don't know how, but they did. His blood is on their hands, and that boy Lindfelt had something to do with it."

"What makes you say that?"

"Arthur sometimes would take these. . . leaves during his service, sometimes without telling anyone, and I remember that one day, he was gone. Completely off-base. Didn't tell anyone. Didn't say anything. Just. . disappeared! He came back almost two days later and asked me if he could leave to see his girlfriend, and I assume he meant this young lady—" he motioned to Ashley as he said that— "because her brother died and he really wanted to console her, so I let him, even though he probably doesn't get that pass."

"Do you remember the date of that. . leave?"

"Hmm. . ."

"He left on April 9th," Ivy concluded. "Osan Air Base is located in Pyeongtaek. That's a thirteen hour flight to Seattle plus almost a half hour drive to Southfort, so he left on April 9th and arrived in Seattle on April 10th, which is. . ."

"The day that he raped me." Ashley covered her mouth with her hand.

"And he disappeared two days before," Andrew chimed in, "so that would mean. . ."

"He actually left on April 7th!" Ashley realized. "Oh my God!"

"But why would he leave on that day?" Matt thought. His eyes widened, realizing something.

Something clicked in Ashley's mind. A realization struck her as she wandered around the room, muttering "Oh, no. ." with every step. Arthur left before the eve of April 8th, his birthday and. . . the day of the Southfort massacre. The day that her brother got shot in front of her. Why? Because he was about to teach her a lesson. Because he wanted to remind her that he'll never go away, no matter how many times she tries to escape him. Because he was about to burst into that school and kill her his goddamn self—

"Wait," Matt remembered. "I don't think we should be jumping into conclusions like this. He could've gone anywhere that night."

"Where?" Ashley blurted out. "Where the fuck would he go?"

"She has a point," Ivy thought. "Why would he go anywhere else but Southfort?"

"We can consider that, but that's just being hasty," Matt pointed out. "After all, we don't have the evidence to prove that he was involved."

"So that means. . . we have to go back to Arthur's house."

A few minutes passed. Hoss left the place, then Ivy, Andrew and Matt started discussing going back to their hometown. And the whole time, Ashley stood there, frozen in place, taking it in. She never allowed herself to consider who would've killed Tommy, and now that Arthur turned out to be the main suspect. . . oh, if only she could've died before this day came.

The other three had their doubts about it, but Ashley was certain of it: Arthur Lindfelt could've killed her brother Tommy Chu.