“I’m sorry, but I’m going to get a bit more personal now. Is there anything else I need to know? Have you been involved in any relationships where you have spurned someone in the last few months?”
I have to laugh at his question. Jake’s the only person in my world. I have never let anyone else ever get that close. The only other person I remotely let in was John, and surely, he would have nothing to do with this. I shake my head.
“Is there anyone—either now or in the past—who has pursued you in any way? Has anyone acted suspiciously around you, made you feel uncomfortable, or attacked you?” I immediately tense up at his words as the memory of Alan rises to the surface of my mind. I suddenly feel nauseated, and Agent Marcos, being the detective that he is, notices it straight away.
“You have to tell me. This could help us to nail this asshole.” I wince, and he places a hand on mine. With a soothing voice, Marcos pleads with his eyes. “We will do our best to catch him, but you must help us with whatever information you can provide. The more we know, the more we have to go on.”
Feeling deflated, I begin my story. “Almost ten years ago, I was attacked by my stepfather. He abused me for a while, and shortly after my thirteenth birthday, he decided to take things further. I screamed, and he knocked me out. Luckily, a neighbor heard my screams and pulled him off me before he could take it too far. I was hospitalized for a couple of days. They never have caught him. My mother and I moved after that. She changed our last name from Jacobs to Sinclair. Apparently, my grandmother’s maiden name was Sinclair. She said we needed to change it to protect me. The police helped out as far as that was concerned. He is the only person I can think of.”
I watch him scribble away in his notebook for a minute before he looks up to me. “I’m sorry I made you bring up those memories. You can understand why this is an avenue we will have to explore, right?”
I nod my head, and it’s then I realize that things are never going to be the same. Everyone will know about my horrible past. It’s no one’s business but mine. Yet soon, it will be everyone’s business. Damn that arsehole for always being inside my head! Even now, ten years after the fact, he is still screwing with my life.
“Can you remember Alan’s full name?”
I nod. “It’s Alan Martin. He was born in Pennsylvania, I believe. At the time, he was thirty-four years old. We were living in New Jersey back then.”
He takes all the information before smiling and telling me he has enough to go on. He gets up suddenly, and I quickly grab his arm. He swings around to face me and winces when he sees the tears in my eyes.
“Please don’t tell the people I work with what I just told you. I have to see them every day, and I don’t think I could ever make eye contact with any of them ever again if they knew about this. The last thing I want is their pity.”
He stares at me for a brief moment, but then his features soften as he gently grabs my shoulder. “This is not something we would normally hide, but it’s not like we haven’t ever withheld information before. I will try my best to keep this a secret for you, but you have to understand that at some point, it may become necessary for them to know. Can you understand that?”
I nod, knowing full well that if Alan is behind this, then my past will soon be brought to the forefront.
As I let go of Marcos’s arm, I notice a presence in the room. I look towards the kitchen entrance and find Jake staring at us. He looks at me and then at Agent Marcos. He notices his hand on my shoulder, and I can swear I see his fists clench a little. My caveman has certainly not disappeared on me yet. Under his glare, Agent Marcos releases his hand and turns to face him.
“Is everything okay here?” Jake asks.
Marcos nods. “I think I have what I need. Thanks, Mr. Bennett. Is the forensic team on its way?”
Jake curtly nods back. “I just got off the phone with them about five minutes ago. They should be here any moment.” Michael and Tom follow Jake out of the kitchen and make themselves at home on the sofa. Tom leans forward, grabbing a couple of peanut M&M’s from the bowl on the coffee table before slouching back down and throwing them into his mouth. I watch them as they watch me take a seat. I’m becoming the focus of everyone’s attention, and I absolutely hate it.
“Okay. Well, I’m going to wait outside and get them up to speed when they arrive.” He walks out of the room, allowing Jake to come over and sit next to me. He places his arms around me. Both Michael and Tom notice, but they wisely keep their mouths tightly closed. I notice when Tom stops chewing for a moment, but he quickly regains his composure and is now back to eating the M&M’s.
“So what did that old ball grabber want?”
I look to Tom. “Ball grabber?” I ask.
Tom laughs. “He likes to grab balls. The guy’s a real asshole.”
I grin at him. “This has nothing to do with the fact that he’s an FBI agent, does it, Tom? I thought he was nice.” I feel Jake’s arms stiffen. Is he jealous?
Jake looks at me expectantly. “Can you tell me what he asked you?”
“He just wanted to know the same things you asked before he came. The questions were like whether or not I had any idea who it could be and if anyone had been acting suspiciously around me. I told him no, and then he just wanted to know what my involvement with this case is … if any.”
I hate the fact that I’m lying to them, but I don’t want to be pitied. It’s none of anyone’s business anyway. I don’t want Jake to feel any different towards me for it. He already thinks I’m a trouble magnet. He may think I’m more trouble than I’m worth if he finds out about my past.
The door swings open, ending our dreamlike states, and in walks forensics. They head straight into the kitchen for the note where they’re all discussing something.
After a while, Agent Marcos walks out. “We will need to take prints from all the doors for elimination purposes. We’ll also obviously need to take this note back to be examined.” Marcos looks directly at me. “We need to go into your room if that’s okay? We will need to take prints, since that was where you found the note. There is one more important thing I need to ask you. You found this note just before you called, right?” I nod. “Based on that, we have to assume that whoever left it must have come in while you were out with Mr. Bennett.”
I immediately stiffen in Jake’s arms, and he senses what I’m feeling. I haven’t been in my room properly since Friday afternoon. “This note could have been there any time since yesterday afternoon,” I finally admit. Agent Marcos looks at me expectantly, and I know I can’t keep it hidden. “I wasn’t in my bed last night.” My face immediately flushes red in embarrassment. Both Michael and Tom straighten their posture. They’re both edging towards the end of their seats, eager to hear the rest. Tom looks like he’ll burst if he doesn’t get the gossip soon.
“So were you staying at someone else’s house? A friend perhaps? We will need their name.”
I’m unsure of what to say, but then, thankfully, Jake beats me to it. “Jake Bennett. That’s whose bed she was in, okay?”
Marcos blushes, and Michael and Tom nearly fall off their seats at Jake’s surprise statement. If we were worried about gossip getting around before, our fears will certainly be realized now. I have no doubt that Michael and Tom are itching to go back and tell everyone about what happened last night in the Bennett household. I can see it in their faces … just how eager they are to know more.