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Chapter Twenty Three - Addy

I followed Detective Quinley back to a small room that contained one a table and two chairs.

“Coffee?”

“No thank you,” I said quietly. I felt like every ounce of energy had been sucked out of my body the last two days. I hadn’t felt so weak and drained since…since…

Well, you know.

I sat down and stared at the table. Deep scratches ran into the table with initials and gang signs. Detective Quinley sat down across from me.

“We’d like to know about your relationship with Toby Davidson.”

An acidic taste rose from my throat. I was sick of hearing his name. I hated him more than I thought I could ever hate anyone in my entire life.

The sight of Kevin lying on the floor bleeding was still burned into my mind. He had taken a bullet…

For me.

I knew the least I could do to pay him back would be to give a truthful statement. For the second time that day I unleashed the memories I had bottled up inside me for so long.

Detective Quinley took notes, but she also turned on a tape recorder. I didn’t notice the recorder at first, but the third time I fell silent I heard the metallic whirl of the machine.

“And you didn’t go to the police?” the detective asked when I had sufficiently finished my retelling.

“No.”

“You mentioned one of the men said ‘This makes up for what you did to Denise.’ Do you know what that meant?”

I licked my lips. “There were rumors….rumors about Toby assaulting another pre-med.”

“Did you know a Denise?”

I racked my brain; I couldn’t conjure up an image. I shook my head.

“We had such a large class. I…I don’t remember.”

“Did you recognize any of the other men that assaulted you?”

I shook my head. “It’s was dark…I was…I was scared,” I said in a small voice.

Detective Quinley sat back. I detected a note of sadness on her face.

“The statute of limitations has run out for your case, but the evidence that you do give help establish criminal motive as far back as ten years ago.”

“He’s going to jail right?” The thought that he’d be sent free sent shivers down my spine.

“This investigation has been going on for over a year and he’s involved in a lot more than assaults. I can guarantee you Dr. Davidson won’t be walking free for a very long time.”

I let out a little sigh as I stood up.

“Can I go?”

“You’re free to go,” the detective said. Before I reached for the door handle, I felt her hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her; she placed a card in my hand.

“It’s never too late to start over,” she said quietly as she brushed past me out the door.

I stood in the empty room and looked at the card. It was for a Rape Crisis and Recovery Group.

I closed my eyes. Maybe it wasn’t too late.

-----------------------------------------------------

December 19

“You’re flying to Florida? But you’re injured!”

I was in Puck’s stall, giving him a thorough brushing. It was freezing cold but it felt right. Kevin sat on some frost covered haystacks. By doctor’s orders, he wasn’t to use his arm until his wound had healed.

“The bullet just grazed me,” he reminded me calmly. “I have to go.”

I looked over at him. A wash of sadness crossed his face.

“What happened?”

“The brother of one of my best friend’s jumped off a lighthouse in Cozumel a week or so ago. The funeral’s tomorrow."

I rested the brush against my hip. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

Kevin nodded. “I don’t know what it is about these guys. I leave for five years and they just keep getting into trouble.”

“Do you miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“Being a rock star.”

He threw back his head and laughed.

“I don’t know that I’d call me a rock star. The Backstreet Boys are a pop group, after all.”

I shrugged. “I guess I don’t know a lot about it.”

“Well, I didn’t think you even knew anything. This is the first town where I haven’t gotten recognized by one person.”

“Give Tina Wilcox some time,” I warned. “She was the biggest boy band junkie around when we were in school. She did say you looked familiar.”

Kevin laughed. “She thinks we’re married, remember?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah about that…”

“Of course, now that you’re back at your dad’s house I’m sure rumors will fly about what a horrible husband I was.”

I looked at his in exasperation. “You took a bullet for me!”

He smiled and shrugged with his good shoulder. “I know. That should count for something.”

In the back of my mind, I had this strange feeling that there was a little flirty going on, but I pushed that thought away.

“Thank you for risking your life for me,” I said. Kevin grinned until he saw the seriousness on my face.

“Hey,” he said softly. “A little nick to my shoulder was a helluva lot better than what you went through. I wish I could do more.”

I had forgotten I was standing next to Puck. He leaned down and nudged me as if to say ‘Hey, c’mon. Ask already.’

I took a deep breath. “Actually, I was wondering how often you have to go back to Lexington to check on things.”

“I’m going to try to go every two weeks or so for meetings with the lawyer, family, and business things. Why?”

“I was just wondering…” I took a deep breath. “If maybe I could ride with you.”

“Really?”

I returned to brushing Puck just so I had something to do. There wasn’t a speck of anything on him, but I didn’t care.

“I…I’ve been thinking about going to this group thing. To talk about...things.”

I was waiting for him to ask me a question that I didn’t want to answer. Instead he came up to the stall door and held out a carrot stick. Puck grabbed it greedily.

“That’s fine with me. Just let me know what time your thing starts.”

I looked over and met his gaze. We smiled. Outside the snow began to fall.

Maybe it was beginning to seem a little like Christmas, after all.