After a few movies with Lily and Jessy, in whicAfter a few movies with Lily and Jessy, in which there had been a full argument about Jessy wanting to watch a horror movie with Lily and I refusing, I returned to my room. As soon as I unlocked the door, I knew something was different. The door closed softly behind me blanketing me in complete darkness. There was no other movement as I held my breathe. Slowly I reached up and flicked on the lights which revealed a complete mess. Clothes everywhere; every single item I'd brought with me had been flung across the room. I reached down pulling the shreds of one of my favorite shirts. They'd shredded my clothes. My clothes. Like they'd been hiding Jake in the seams or something.
I carefully stepped around the room checking every nook and cranny for the culprit, as if they'd still be around. They weren't, luckily.
Judging by the total decimation of everything I owned, the lack of a Jake sighting was wearing on their patience. They were getting restless...and for the first time I truly felt like I was in danger. Like they would stop at nothing, even taking someone innocent...well, not innocent, down.
The floorboard I'd wiggled loose in the closet looked undisturbed. Sinking to my knees I pulled it up. Sitting tucked underneath was the black hoodie Jake had worn, and the burner phone I used to communicate with him. I slipped the hoodie on wrapping my arms around myself, clutching the phone. Thank God they didn't find this. It would have been all the proof they needed that Jake had gotten out. I shuddered at the thought. I would not let this phone out of my sight again.
Clicking on Alan's number the phone began to ring. It was late, nearly midnight. I wasn't sure if he was even up. Several rings later I was about to hang up with he answered.
"Charlee. Is everything alright?" Alan's voice was alert, he gave no signs if he had been sleeping. I guess being a police officer you got used to late night phone calls.
"Okay? Well, let's see-I just got back to my room and every single thing I have is ripped to shreds. Does that sound okay to you?" I couldn't keep the anger and annoyance out of my voice. While deep down I knew that it wasn't Alan's fault this happened I found myself blaming him anyway. I shouldn't have been surprised by this; I'd already seen that they would bend the rules to get Jake.
"I'm on my way." Alan's voice also held anger, but there was something else lacing his words I couldn't quite put my finger on.h there had been a full argument about Jessy wanting to watch a horror movie with Lily and I refusing, I returned to my room. As soon as I unlocked the door, I knew something was different. The door closed softly behind me blanketing me in complete darkness. There was no other movement as I held my breathe. Slowly I reached up and flicked on the lights which revealed a complete mess. Clothes everywhere; every single item I'd brought with me had been flung across the room. I reached down pulling the shreds of one of my favorite shirts. They'd shredded my clothes. My clothes. Like they'd been hiding Jake in the seams or something.
I carefully stepped around the room checking every nook and cranny for the culprit, as if they'd still be around. They weren't, luckily.
Judging by the total decimation of everything I owned, the lack of a Jake sighting was wearing on their patience. They were getting restless...and for the first time I truly felt like I was in danger. Like they would stop at nothing, even taking someone innocent...well, not innocent, down.
The floorboard I'd wiggled loose in the closet looked undisturbed. Sinking to my knees I pulled it up. Sitting tucked underneath was the black hoodie Jake had worn, and the burner phone I used to communicate with him. I slipped the hoodie on wrapping my arms around myself, clutching the phone. Thank God they didn't find this. It would have been all the proof they needed that Jake had gotten out. I shuddered at the thought. I would not let this phone out of my sight again.
Clicking on Alan's number the phone began to ring. It was late, nearly midnight. I wasn't sure if he was even up. Several rings later I was about to hang up with he answered.
"Charlee. Is everything alright?" Alan's voice was alert, he gave no signs if he had been sleeping. I guess being a police officer you got used to late night phone calls.
"Okay? Well, let's see-I just got back to my room and every single thing I have is ripped to shreds. Does that sound okay to you?" I couldn't keep the anger and annoyance out of my voice. While deep down I knew that it wasn't Alan's fault this happened I found myself blaming him anyway. I shouldn't have been surprised by this; I'd already seen that they would bend the rules to get Jake.
"I'm on my way." Alan's voice also held anger, but there was something else lacing his words I couldn't quite put my finger on.
Before Jake could respond there were three soft knocks on my door, through the peephole I could see that it was Alan, so I opened the door and ushered him in. His head shook as he took in the absolute carnage of my clothes. The now empty perfume bottles, the broken bites of deodorant scattered and crushed into the floor. At least the floors weren't carpeted, I could imagine that housekeeping bill wouldn't be cheap. His jaw was tight, teeth grinding as he took picture after picture of my room.
He bent over, when he straightened up a tiny silver chain dangled from his fingers. The chain was broken, and the sun and moon charms were now a pile of crushed metal that I cradled in my palm.
Clothes...those I could replace easily enough. What I couldn't replace was this necklace. The last gift my father gave me before he died. I slipped the broken necklace into a plastic bag Alan handed me before slipping it into my pocket.
"Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?" Alan asked as he walked towards me, his documentation of the crime now complete.
I nodded, sending off a quick text letting Jessy know I was on my way back. I knew she'd still be awake; I'd left her and Lily laughing while making a popcorn and chocolate concoction. Sure enough she texted back a minute later with a thumbs up, followed by a picture of her and Lily on the couch.
We exited the motel together, the front desk attendant, a young female with long blond hair, gave us a curious look. No doubt I was going to be part of her, and her friends gossip chain for the next several hours. I started searching for my keys when I remembered my car wasn't even at the motel. Instead, it was parked near Jessy's house. I'd gotten a lift home from Cleo who hadn't partaken in the wine.
It was pitch black out, the streetlamps barely illuminating the sidewalks. While Richy was no longer a threat to me, I still wasn't comfortable walking to Jessy's. Not to mention I'd probably get lost. I still didn't know Duskwood that well.
"Of course, the motel doesn't have any cameras." Alan muttered under his breath as he walked towards his squad car.
The wind whipped around me, I quickly pulled up the zipper of Jake's hoodie and started towards the street.
"You're not walking, are you?"
"My cars at Jessy's." I shrugged, bouncing on my feet. There was a scent of rain in the air, a storm was coming, and I wanted to make it before getting soaked. Jessy would probably have some clothes for me to change into, but I wasn't quite ready to wash this hoodie yet. I could still smell Jake's woodsy scent on it.
He walked around to the passenger side of his car, opening up the side door and gesturing for me to get in. I didn't move. He groaned. "Charlee, I'm just giving you a ride. I told you I'm not here to hurt you."
I believe him. He'd helped me in the mines, helped Jake. Maybe even saved him. Instead of arresting me as soon as I walked into the station, he chose to believe my story and not arrest me for obstruction of justice. He could of. May have even been able to win that fight.
Somehow, for some unknown reason, he was on my side.
That didn't mean that I needed to let him get too close though.
I made the promise, how could I not? I wanted Jake to be free; I wanted to be with him but that wasn't the only reason. I truly believed he deserved to be free, even without knowing exactly what he had hacked into. He was kind, and willing to do anything for someone he cared about. He was good, even if he wasn't perfect.
If Jake couldn't be a free man, I'd run away with him to be with him. I was done playing games, done being unhappy while playing pretend and I was done with the fact that the very people who were supposed to protect us were constantly letting us down. I was done letting them, and anyone else take things from me. This time I was fighting back.
The phone was now going to have to stay on me twenty-four seven. Given the situation it was probably the worst hiding place, but I had nowhere to hide it here. And in a day, I'd be gone. I only had to get through another day. It was unlikely that they would snatch me off the streets of Duskwood in the public eye, but I'd be stupid if I didn't think they were capable of doing just that. Which was why tomorrow, after some needed shopping, I was going to do something stupid.
I had only one more day to convince everyone that I had no idea where Jake was. One more day to play the grieving almost girlfriend. One single day more to spend with my friends...that was going to be the hardest part of running. Weeks of texting, mere days of in person contact and I felt like I was leaving something big behind.
One thing was certain though. I was doing it.
I stood near the police tape that marked the area around the mine. This time I didn't bother to go under it, not when I knew I was being followed. There was nothing really here for me anymore, but I stared longingly towards the waterfall pretending to wipe tears away.
This spot had become a local haunt of mine over the last few days. I'd come back here, over and over again. And I kept coming back here alone. Stupid? Yes. Effective? Well, I certainly hoped so.
The tears eventually became real. Whenever I was here, I couldn't help but be drown back to that night. The adrenaline that pushed through me as I watched everything happen from the small screen of my phone. I'd watched the cameras in the mine as Richy poured gasoline through the mine; watched as the flames licked up the wooden support, all the way until the cameras cut out.
I wanted Richy to pay for what he had done to me. To us. I hadn't wanted him to kill himself. Part of me blamed myself. If I had lied and told him I'd forgive him, maybe he wouldn't have given up. Thoughts like those were dangerous. I couldn't keep blaming myself for his decisions. Even though that was easier said than done.
A twig snapped behind me but I wasn't surprised. At least two men had followed me here.
"Charlee."
"Hello Alan." I replied, not bothering to turn around. He was no threat. "What are you doing here?"
"I believe I should be asking you that question Ms. Rosen."
At that I finally turned to face him. He wasn't in his usually uniform, instead he had a pair of nice jeans and a simple black t-shirt. It was weird seeing him look so...normal. He clearly wasn't on duty, which meant that he was here as an ally. "Why ask if you already know the answer?"
He smiled at me as he turned towards the waterfall. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
The falls weren't huge by any measure, maybe only a hundred feet tall or so, but the water was crisp and blue, surrounded by deep green trees, bushes and it rained down into a small pond. The gentle crashing of water against water was relaxing, so much so that you could almost forget what happened here.
We stood there, side by side, gazing at the waterfall in silence. We were in a truce of sorts, but deep down there would always be the smallest amount of distrust between us. He was a member of the very organization hellbent on taking something from me.
He pulled the crime scene tape up and beckoned me forward, guiding us to a bench that had been untouched by the flames. In fact, the waterfall and it's immediate surrounding area had somehow been completely untouched by the fire below.
"Is this nightmare ever going to end?" It was me whole broke the silence. I was ready to get whatever this was over with. I still needed to say goodbye to all of my friends and I was running out of time.
"In my experience? Yes and no. Some experiences...they never leave you. You learn to cope with them, but they're always there waiting for another shot. But you already know that don't you?"
I did. Sometimes the moments you most wanted to forget, needed to forget, followed you around. Slipping up a hand, grabbing at your ankle hoping to pull you under.
When I'd first received the text from Thomas, I hadn't wanted to get involved. Hadn't wanted to help find Hannah, especially when I'd already faced the horrors of what I could find. I'd stayed anyway. It was funny, though, the one person who wanted the least for me to get involved was the very person who had convinced me to stay.
"I did some research on you, Charlee." Alan leaned over, picking up a flat rock before skipping it across the pond. It only skipped three times before it made it across and to the opposite embankment.
"Find anything interesting?" I said nonchalantly, as if I didn't already know exactly what he had found. Information about me wasn't that hard to find, if you knew where to look.
"Quite a few things." He paused as if contemplating his next words. "You know what was the most interesting thing I found out about you?"
I smirked. "Hard to say. I'm quite fascinating."
A chuckle burst from his lips, and I laughed with him.
His foot tapped as his voice became serious. "Your father was a renowned defense attorney, and your brother..."
"I don't have a brother." I cut him off. "Not anymore." I stared him down, a warning. Under no circumstances was I willing to discuss him. My brother was off limits. He, nor anyone else, deserved to utter his name. Alan had not earned the right to that story.
"I'm sorry." He lifted his hands in surrender. "But I have to ask you one question." He waited for my nod before continuing. "Why would the daughter of a defense attorney not bring a lawyer to a police interrogation?"
His eyebrows knit together; this little fact truly bothered him. Naturally, someone who grew up in the same world that I did would know better. I did know better.
"Any theories?" I asked, sidestepping another one of his questions. Maybe he had been right after all; the night we'd found Hannah, he'd told me it didn't really seem like I was ready to answer questions. Maybe I never would be.
"I have one, but I also have a feeling you wouldn't tell me if I was right."
Maybe Alan was starting to figure me out after all. His phone rang, but he ignored it. Instead, his eyes swept around the forest as if trying to spot something, or someone. He wanted something else, but what was it? I decided to ask, I was getting tired of the charade. Tired of pretending that I had lost Jake, tired of waiting to see him again. The few hours we'd had hadn't been enough.
"What do you want, Alan?"
"The truth? I want to help you."
"Why?" I wanted to trust him, so badly. But Richy had taught me once again that I couldn't trust anybody.
He motioned for me to follow him deeper into the woods. I barely thought about it before I was following him. I could almost hear Jake scolded me for following a near stranger deeper into the secluded woods, but I did it anyway. Alan's steps were quiet and deliberate. How he managed to not snap a single twig as we all but ran away from my little stalkers was quite impressive. Was that something they taught in detective school?
Finally, after surveying the enclosed meadow, he'd brought us too he turned towards me. His voice was low, barely more than a whisper. "The FBI team is leaving tomorrow; the majority of the team seem to believe that Jake died in the mines. It seems they received a letter threatening legal action if they didn't leave you alone." My heart sped up with excitement, they were going to leave me alone. They would leave Jake alone. The plan...it had worked. "However, there is a problem. There are two agents. Agent Collins and Agent Wilder that have decided you're lying, and they don't care what happens if they come for you."
My heart began to pound. So loudly that I could hear it's roar of fear in my ears. I hadn't convinced them after all. I was willing to bet it was these two men who were out in this forest right now. That it was also them who'd torn apart my room. I had to leave. The sooner, the better.
"Charlee. I'd like to say you shouldn't be worried, but you need to leave Duskwood. Tonight." He ordered. "There's a meeting at eight. All of them have to be in attendance so no one will be watching you. You'll have less than an hour before they are on your tail."
I was silent as he led me back to the falls. I had only a few hours to say goodbye to everyone before I had to escape. Escape. Lord, what a ridiculous thought. I was escaping the FBI? The FBI wasn't something you should try to escape- unless you were a criminal. Which, I guess now I was. Or I would be soon.
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Hope you enjoyed the longer chapter! Are you all excited to see Jake again?
I also hope you liked the little text conversations I made. They aren't perfect of course but I wanted them to be a little easier to follow and hated how they were coming across before.
Let me know. XOXO