Page 79 of Embers of You
When I ask what happened, Stu shakes his head, and I think he’s not going to tell me anything.
“I got a message from Jonathan to meet him at the motel outside town, only when I got there he was nowhere to be seen. I was just about to head back to my car when someone hit me over the head. Next thing I know, I’m waking up strapped to a damn chair in the site office as…” His words trail off, and I don’t need him to say anymore. I heard enough in that cabin.
The cops come by to get his statement, and I leave him to it and head back to Asher’s room.
Another message comes through on my phone from my mom. She’s on her way home, of course, but has been delayed. She wants hourly updates despite both Stu and I telling her we are fine. I’m just replying to her when there’s a knock on the door a second before Dom walks in.
“How’s the patient?” he asks, striding straight over and leaning down to kiss my cheek.
The move elicits a growl from Ash, followed by a warning. “Hands to yourself, fucker.”
“My hands didn’t go anywhere near her,” Dom jests, feigning ignorance.
“Hands, lips, especially another appendage that has a wandering eye, keep them all away from my woman.”
Dom winks at me as Ash finally decides to open his eyes and look this way.
“You good?” Dom asks seriously, all signs of humor now gone.
“Yeah. Thanks, man.” Ash tries to sit up, but I put a hand on his arm to stop him, then place the control for the bed in his hand. Sitting is going to be painful for the next few weeks.
Dom taps the bar at the end of Ash’s bed, and though I don’t know him well, I know that it’s usually a nervous gesture when someone has something to say they aren’t sure is going to be received well.
“Spit it out, Dom,” Ash says, finally in a more upright position and wearing a pinched expression, which he tries to hide behind a smile when he looks at me.
Dom looks to me. “Preston Thomas is missing. When Peters came out of the cabin, I was able to grab him, but I saw another figure exiting the cabin just after him. I didn’t know at the time who it was, but seeing as there’s no body, I’m guessing it was him. The cops have put out a description of him and as he’s on foot, I doubt it will take long for them to catch up to him.”
“What else?” I ask, knowing that’s not what he really came here to tell us—me if I’m reading him right.
“Your friend Charlie is here. She wanted to surprise you.”
“Okay.” I look between Ash and Dom and wonder if this is code for wanting to chat in private, but then he continues.
“You asked Tripp to look a little deeper into Calvin’s background. He did. He discovered that aside from the allegation of grooming ten years ago you already know about there was a second incident a couple years before that. He settled out of court, offered the mom a big payout, money he didn’t have.”
“Yeah, okay, but what does this have to do with Charlie, Dom?” I ask, suddenly not liking where this conversation is going.
“The later incident didn’t get anywhere because there wasn’t enough evidence. The girl didn’t want to or wouldn’t make a statement, so they couldn’t charge him with anything. That girl was Charlie.” Dom ignores my gasp and carries on. “When her mom took that job with Titan Industries she knew Calvin Carmichael worked there.”
I stare completely dumbfounded at Dom as my mind races to catch up with what he’s saying.
“So, Charlie’s mom purposely took the job there because she knew—or she hoped—she could get close to Calvin? She was seeking revenge?”
“Looks that way, yeah.”
“Do they know what happened to her then?”
“No, not for sure, but my guess is Calvin either knew or when she tried to kill him, he got her first.”
“Oh my god.” I can’t believe it. Then something occurs to me. “Does Charlie know?”
“I have no idea. That’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself.” Turning to Ash, Dom says, “All charges against you in Owen’s murder have been dropped. It looks like Robert Peters or Liam Carmichael, whatever you want to call him, will be spending a lot of time surrounded by bars. And Luca Santos was stopped at the border after Tripp sent his photo out all over the police computers, but you didn’t hear that from me,” he says with a wink.
I excuse myself leaving Ash and Dom to chat knowing he’ll fill me in later. I find Charlie in the waiting area, chewing her fingernails, something she does when she’s anxious.
“Charlie,” I say, as I near her. She looks up, startled at first then gets to her feet to greet me, and we wrap each other in a hug.
I’m not sure where to start, to even try to explain what’s going on, but it seems I needn’t have worried because Charlie talks for me. She manages to add a few minor details to my evidence against Calvin, Peters, and Titan Industries.