The officer comes back in and sets a photo in front of me. "Ever seen this girl?"
I instantly recognize her. It's the girl who came to the house that day, looking for Rob. The one who slashed my hand and took pills from Rob's suit jacket.
"Yeah. I met her last year. She came to Rob's house." I explain the story.
"And you haven't seen her since that day?" the officer asks.
"No."
He nods. "She passed away a couple weeks ago. We've been looking for her dealer ever since. Sounds like we may have just found him. Are you willing to testify against him?"
I glance at Miles. He doesn't say anything. He's letting me decide.
"Yes. I'll do it."
The officer nods and jots something down.
"Were they really, um, dating?" I ask. "That girl and Rob?"
"Her texts make it appear so. We'll find out for sure when we run some tests."
"What tests?"
"She was pregnant. We think it was his. If it was, we just added statutory rape to Mr. Marchisis' charges."
"How old was she?" I ask.
"Sixteen. Damn shame. She had a lot going for her. Good student. Head cheerleader. Star of her soccer team. Then some man comes along and ruins her life."
He almost ruined mine too. But he didn't. He tried, but he didn't succeed. I have a second chance. That girl didn't. And because of that, I'm not going to spend another second feeling sorry for myself. No more waiting to get my life on track. I have a second chance and I'm not going to waste it.
Miles and I go back to his apartment. When I get in the door, I stand there, suddenly realizing what just happened. It didn't seem real until just now.
"Come here." Miles pulls me farther into the room and into his arms. "You did great today. Why don't you go take a long hot shower and then we'll go get something to eat."
"I'm not hungry." My head falls on his shoulder. "I'm so tired."
"You want go up and sleep?"
"I can't. Every time I close my eyes I see Rob there with that look on his face. The same look he had that day he tried to kill me."
"He's never going to hurt you again. He has multiple charges against him. He'll be locked up for a long time."
"But he has money. He'll hire the best lawyers. They'll find a way to get him free."
"Not if there's enough evidence against him." Miles looks me in the eye. "No matter what happens, he's not getting near you. Never again. For now, let's try not to guess what's going to happen."
I nod. "I'm going to take a shower."
The hot water feels good, but it doesn't feel hot enough to wash away Rob's touch on my skin. I used to think I loved him and now he repulses me. How could I have been that wrong about someone?
"Raine, you okay in there?" Miles asks as he knocks on the bathroom door. I've been in the shower forever and am just now toweling off.
"I'm fine." I open the door and see he's changed out of his suit, wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
"You want to shower?" I ask.
"I will later. We need to get going."
"Miles, I don't want to go anywhere. I'm tired and I just want to—actually I don't know what I want to do. I'm still worked up from what happened. I can't seem to relax."
"That's why we're going. You'll feel better when we get there."
"What are you talking about? Where are we going?"
He smiles. "To see Gladys."
I smile back. "Really? You called Zoe?"
"I told her what happened. Well, not everything, but she knows the basics. She invited us to dinner. But we need to get going if we're going to make it there in time."
"I'll go get dressed." I dart past him, then turn back and hug him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Everything. I know I always fight you when you try to help me but I'm starting to see that I can't do it all on my own. Thanks for not giving up on me."
"I never will." He kisses me. "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll be right back." I race upstairs and get dressed, then meet him by the door.
A half hour later, we arrive at Zoe's. Her house is small and old but she keeps it nice. She decorates with antiques and quilts and uses old wooden crates to store the girls' toys. Zoe seems young and hip. I didn't think she'd decorate that way, but it's perfect for Gladys. She loves that stuff. She used to tell me about all the antiques she had when she had a house.
"Hey, Gladys," I say when I see her.
"Oh, how I've missed you." She hugs me really tight, then hugs Miles. "Hello Miles."
"Hi. Good to see you again."
Gladys looks even better than the last time I saw her, and she's wearing new clothes.
"I like your sweater," I tell her. It's a pink cardigan she has buttoned to the top and her pants are brown polyester.
"It's from the ladies at the church," she says. "They gave me a whole closet full of things."
"That's nice."
Zoe appears. "Welcome." She points to the man coming up beside her. "This is my husband, John."
We do the hand shakes and introductions, then Zoe leads us to the dining room. The girls are already there, but they jump off their chairs and run up to me.
"Hi Gladys' friend," the little one says.
"Her name is Raine," Gladys says. "Remember when I told you about her?"
"She said you're really smart and really pretty," the older girl says.
"That's nice," I say, smiling at Gladys.
"And true," Miles says, pulling my chair out for me.
"Why are you named after rain?" the little one asks.
"I don't know. My parents never told me."
She wrinkles her face up like she's thinking really hard. "Maybe it was raining when the stork brought you."
I laugh. "Yeah, maybe."
"Girls, sit down," Zoe says. "It's time for dinner."
The girls talk a lot during dinner. Most of what they say doesn't make sense but it's funny and keeps my mind off what happened today. And it's good to see Gladys, and see how much she loves her new home.
I love Gladys but I no longer have to worry about her. I can worry about myself now, and what I need to do to get my life back.
"What'd you think?" Miles asks on the drive home. "I thought she looked really happy."
"I did too. She loves those little girls. And her room is perfect. It looks like Gladys decorated it herself. She really fits in well there."
"You know I was thinking...I could try to get out of my lease so we could move out of downtown. Or maybe we move out of Denver. Start somewhere new."
"What about your job?"
"I've been looking for something else. I can't stay there. I hate every minute I'm there."
"I think we should stay where we're at for now. I'm not ready to leave Gladys."
"We could still get out of downtown. It's a constant reminder of your old life. You might feel better being somewhere else."