Sheriff Stevens nods and leans back in his chair again. “This is a bit unconventional, but I’d like to take you to the crime scene, and I want you to tell me what you see.”
“I’d like that,” I say without hesitation.
“Good.”
“Just let me in there. I don’t give a damn about your Podunk protocol.” Matthew pushes his way through the door past the receptionist and a police officer. I turn around and immediately when he sees the bandage on my face, he knows nothing is what it should be.
“I apologize. My colleague, Matthew, came with me today.”
“What did they do to you?” Matthew practically runs to me. He examines my head and shoots a sinister look at Sheriff Stevens. “She’s a lawyer. She’ll sue you—and I know people so powerful, they’ll bring this whole town to its knees.” He constricts his eyes and then returns his attention to me. His face softening as he looks me over.
“I’m fine. I will fill you in.” I give him a reassuring look. Matthew has always been protective of me.
15
Adam Morgan
I awake in a hospital, my left hand cuffed to the bed railing. My head is pounding, but not nearly enough from the beating I remember receiving. There’s an IV hooked up to me. Ah, that’s it. A nice drip of painkillers flowing right into my bloodstream is why I don’t feel the full ramifications of the thrashing I took. There are no windows in this room, so I have no idea what time of day it is or how long I’ve been out for. This is precisely what I expected it to be—a small hospital room, with sterile white walls and white floors. The heart rate monitor beside me beats at an even pace, reassuring me that I’m still alive. I feel my face with my fingertips noticing ridges, bumps, and things definitely out of place. I can’t see out of my left eye, and I bring my fingers to it feeling the swollen bumpiness of my eyelid.
I’m about to call for a nurse when I remember something, something from when I was lying on the floor of the interrogation room writhing in pain, dipping in and out of consciousness. I remember Deputy Hudson’s voice, the words that left his mouth. He called the officer that attacked me Scott. Kelly’s Scott. He’s Kelly’s husband.
Things just got a whole hell of a lot more complicated. How did I not know he was a cop? How did Kelly never tell me? No wonder she was scared. No wonder she felt like she couldn’t get away. Look at him. He was massive. I’m not a small man, and I didn’t stand a chance against his gorilla fists. Imagine what Kelly had to go through. Just imagine. Poor Kelly. I know Scott did this. He could have easily pulled this off, and with him being a cop, he would have known how to. That’s just it. He’s a cop. He couldn’t have made any mistakes, right? I’m completely screwed.
A nurse enters nonchalantly. She’s thumbing through a clipboard of papers. She glances at me, notices that I’m awake, and it startles her. “Oh heavens, you’re awake!”
I try to sit up, and she runs to me, telling me to stop. She readjusts the machines hooked up to me and then scurries out.
A few minutes later, Sheriff Stevens enters. He kicks his feet a bit as he walks in. I can tell he’s not happy, but that unhappiness isn’t with me. “How you holding up?”
“Fine, I guess.”
“Listen, Adam. I’m sorry that went down the way it did. It wasn’t right, and I want you to know that Officer Summers has been suspended.” He runs a hand through his hair as he speaks.
“He should be in jail!”
“I know you think that, but you have to understand that he just lost his wife. Nothing excuses his behavior, but you have to at least get where he’s coming from.”
The beeps on the heart rate monitor speed up intensely as I try to keep the rage inside me in check, but I can’t. “That motherfucker killed her, I know it!” I sit up halfway. Instantly, drops of sweat form at my hairline. My breath quickens as my heart pounds, and my hands shake.
“Now, wait here a minute, Mr. Morgan. What makes you think that Scott had anything to do with the death of Kelly Summers? That was his wife, and she was found in your bed in your home.” He doesn’t say it to challenge me. He’s inquisitive. He’s entertaining what I’m saying, and I don’t know if it’s because some small part of him believes me or if he’s just trying to rile me up.
“He knew about us. About the affair. He was texting her the night she died. He was threatening her. He was abusive. Whatever you think he is, he’s not.”
Sheriff Stevens pulls a chair beside my bed and sits. He takes a deep breath and looks me up and down. He’s evaluating me, trying to understand me. He wants to know the truth—maybe not my truth, but the truth.
“There have never been any allegations of abuse made against Scott Summers by Kelly Summers nor any other person in this town,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Kelly was too scared to come forward. She just wanted to run. Now, I know why. I understand now.”
“What do you understand?”
“Scott’s a cop… She knew there was no chance of her getting away from him or him paying for his crimes.”
“I’ve never liked Scott,” the sheriff admits.
“What?” I’m making sure I heard him right. Why is he telling me this? Why is he here? Is this a game? Or is he actually trying to help me? I don’t know what’s happening or why it’s happening to me.
“You heard me. I shouldn’t tell you that, I know that. But to me, something has always been off about Scott. He has too much of an all-American boy persona in this town, and I’ve learned that everyone has skeletons in their closet and that the people who appear to be good are usually the worst of them all.” He leans back in his chair.
I don’t know what to say to that. I don’t break the silence until I realize that I had forgotten about Sarah. She was hurt, or at least I think she was. I think the blood I saw on her face was her own, but it could have been mine. “How is Sarah? Is she okay? Was she hurt?”
“Sarah is fine—just a small cut on her forehead, but that girl’s a fighter. Not even a six-foot man could take that woman down,” he says with a smile.
I nod, knowing that’s true. “Where is she? I want to see her.”
“I told her to go home and take care of herself. She’ll be back in the morning. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.”
“Now, I’m going to look into Scott because it’s the right thing to do. I’m not convinced that you’re the one that did this, but I’m also not convinced you’re innocent either.” He stands up.
“Okay,” I say because there is nothing else I can say. He knows what I think, and I’m not going to sit here and try to convince him that I didn’t do it. I know at the end of the day it’s the evidence that matters; at least that’s what I’ve learned from Sarah. I trust her to find that evidence, and I think I almost trust Sheriff Stevens to help her find it.
“There’s an officer stationed outside your room. I’ll bring Sarah back tomorrow to see you.” He hesitates for a bit. “I’ll get to the bottom of this. You have my word.” He walks out before I can respond.