Startled at this, I let out a loud scream as I am being dragged across the floor before he finally lets go of me. Ryan bends down and is hovering above me now, placing his face close to mine as I sit up, trying to gather myself. He’s very obviously drunk. His eyes are blank, his breath stinks, and his speech slurred.
“You think I’m a murderer, huh? You think I killed my friends? You think I killed Sandra and Ted, huh? Is that what you think?”
I don’t speak. I am scared, terrified, and I don’t know what to say. He is yelling at me as he says next, “How can you think that, Laurie? We love each other.”
The blood is leaving my face fast. “Ryan…I…”
He has tears in his eyes. “All this…us…is it all just a lie?”
I shake my head. “N-no, Ryan.”
“Because I love you. And I am fighting to get back to being the husband you deserve—to be me again. And all this time, I thought you were with me, that you were on my side, and then I realize that you…you think I’m a murderer?”
I swallow. I can’t think straight.
“Is that what you think, Laurie? Is that what you think about me?”
My breathing is shuddering; I have no idea what to think or say. I feel so confused.
“Tell me, Laurie. Because that’s what you were implying earlier, wasn’t it? That’s what I heard clearly. You think I killed them, or at least drove them to suicide, don’t you? But how, Laurie? How could you possibly think that about me?”
“I don’t…I don’t know, I just…well, you were hiding things, and when you left Ted’s house and didn’t call the police, I…”
“You wanna know why I didn’t call anyone?”
“Yes, please.”
Ryan snorts. He is so angry that he’s spitting when he talks now. I recognize that anger in his eyes from the day he tried to strangle me. He’s out of control, and it scares me like nothing else. I want to cry, but I’m too afraid even to do that.
“I thought I had dreamt it,” he says. “That’s why. I was in a bad place, Laurie. I had been drinking. I was very drunk and out of my mind. When I woke up the next morning, I thought it was something I had dreamt about. I blacked out that night and have no idea what I had done or where I had been. I had these images in my mind of Ted, but I was so sure it had to be something I had seen in a dream because it didn’t feel real. I pushed it back and didn’t want to think about it anymore. That’s why I didn’t go to the security forces. I was too drunk, Laurie. That’s all it was. Once I realized it was true that Ted was dead, I couldn’t tell anyone I had seen him. I could have lost everything if they found out I was driving around drunk in my truck. Don’t you see?”
I stare at him. He’s crying, his mouth frothing. I don’t know if I believe him. It makes sense, yes, but can I trust him?
I shake my head.
“No,” I say.
“No, what?” he asks, surprised.
I push him away and get up on my feet.
“You don’t believe me?” he says with a scoff.
I am standing in front of him. He can barely stand still and is swaying from side to side. “What about Sandra?” I ask.
That sets him off. I see it immediately in his eyes as a spark of fire that is lit. His jaw is clenched, his teeth gritted. He doesn’t take the time to answer; instead, he pulls out his gun. He points it at me, his hands shaking.
“I thought we loved one another. I thought we trusted one another. But I guess I was wrong.”
I stare into the barrel of the gun, thinking, this is it. He’s gonna pull that trigger and then end me.
“Please,” I say, trying to calm him. “Please, don’t…”
I don’t get to say anymore. A voice stops me. It’s coming from behind Ryan.
“M-mom?”
It’s Isabella. She’s woken up from our yelling and is standing in the doorway right behind Ryan. Ryan is taken by surprise and reacts the way a soldier with PTSD would. He screams loudly, turns around, and fires a shot.
Isabella doesn’t even realize what’s happening. The bullet hits her in the stomach, and she goes down immediately. Her body tumbles to the carpet with a thud.
I scream.
“ISABELLA!”
I rush to her and take her in my arms. She’s just lying there, lifeless, while blood gushes out of the wound, soaking her shirt. I lift my gaze, completely in shock, and look at Ryan. I am struggling to breathe, a scream caught in my throat. He stares down at her in complete shock as well.
“Oh, dear God. No. Please…please…” he mumbles under his breath as he approaches her. He reaches out his hand toward her.
“My...my baby…”
“Don’t you dare touch her,” I yell at him. “Don’t you dare touch her!”
I am screaming at the top of my lungs, spitting, tears and snot running down my face. Ryan looks startled, then says, “You made me do this…if you hadn’t…”
“Get away,” I yell at him while holding my bleeding daughter in my arms, rocking her back and forth.
“GET AWAY FROM US!!”
Chapter 28
“I’m sorry, but it’s soon lunchtime, and then the patient needs to rest.”
The nurse comes in just as Laurie wipes away a tear from her cheek after telling them about her daughter. Jonathan sends her a smile, even though he is annoyed that they’re being interrupted at this very moment, just as Laurie was getting somewhere with her story.
“We’ll take a break then,” he says and looks at Detective Grande next to him. “Maybe go find ourselves a lunch?”
Detective Grande looks at her watch. “Sure. Why not?”
“We’ll be back later in the afternoon,” Jonathan says and sends Laurie a reassuring smile. He can tell she is exhausted from talking about all this, and even though he would have liked to dig in a little deeper, he’s sure rest will be good for her right about now.
They leave her room and walk out into the parking lot of the hospital through the sliding doors. Detective Grande sighs deeply as they go back to the Everett Street Diner and sit down in a booth. Joanne is still there, and she still smiles at Jonathan in that way that makes him want to order more food than necessary just to get to see it again. He decides to leave her a rewarding tip afterward when they’re done. Jonathan has always been a firm believer in tipping well.
“I’ll have the soup of the day and the Reuben sandwich,” he says.
Grande orders a salad. She sighs, annoyed, as she hands Joanne the menu.
“I take it you’re not satisfied with this morning’s testimony,” he says and leans back in his seat.
“I feel like we’re not getting anywhere,” she says. “I would like to get to the point.”
“She’ll get to it in her own timing. Don’t be in such a rush. I know you’re young, and you think you’re in a hurry to get somewhere, climbing the career ladder, or whatever young people dream of these days. But it’ll all come, don’t you worry. In due time.”
“Well, I’m not sure I have that much time. I mean, she hasn’t even told us what she was doing in the cabin with Frank yet.”