I have no idea why I’m telling him any of this. I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me or for Caleb, but it’s starting to grow old, always being on the wrong side of the argument.
“Yeah, it seems that way, but if it’s any consolation, I believe you. We all do, actually.” He now looks back over his shoulder as if the other guys are in the house. “Professor Keller is a dick. You know he failed my ex-girlfriend a few semesters back. She claimed it was because she wouldn’t sleep with him and at the time, I just thought she was being dramatic. I feel pretty shitty about that now.”
“Does your ex still go to school here?”
“No, she graduated last year, but if you want her number, I can give it to you,” he replies, pulling his phone from his pocket.
“Hang onto it for now, but I might need it later.” I smile gratefully, keeping the idea in the back of my head if I need it. “I’m gonna go. I want to check a few more houses.”
We say our goodbyes, but as I’m walking down the steps of John’s house, I realize I don’t need to ask every house that lines our alley. I have Meagan’s number and she might know what kind of car Professor Keller drives.
I scramble across the grass and up the front steps, realizing I left my phone on the kitchen table, I fling open the front door. Caleb is sitting on the couch and gives me a strange look as I fly through the house as if this is an emergency.
It feels like everything is time sensitive these days, and in a way it is. The pending civil suit is looming over our heads and the only way to get it to end is to find some damning evidence against Professor Keller. If I can prove he was stalking me, it will be something we can build from.
“Ruby, you okay?” Caleb asks, following me into the kitchen.
“You know, we can just ask Meagan if Professor Keller drives a silver Audi. She would know and it would—”
“You don’t have to do that,” Caleb interrupts. “You’re going out of your way to try and help me and I’m worried it’s putting a lot of pressure on you.”
“Stop it. I’m here to help because I love you and if that means asking everyone on campus what their experience with Professor Keller is then I’m doing it.”
I text Meagan, hoping she answers me. I know it was hard for her to talk about what happened and now with Ed contacting her, she may be rethinking her involvement.
Me: Hey Meagan, it’s Ruby. I was wondering if you know what kind of car Professor Keller drives? Is it a silver Audi?
Caleb shakes his head, smiling a little as he pulls me into his embrace. He kisses the top of my head, mumbling something into my hair, but I don’t ask him to repeat it. He doesn’t need to, because he’s been saying it since the day we met.
“You do deserve me,” I say, and I feel his lips curl into a smile against the top of my head.
“How do you know I said that?”
“Because you won’t stop saying it. How many times do I have to tell you that you do deserve me? When are you going to get it through your head that you’re deserving of me, of me loving you, of me taking care of you and of me just being here with you? It’s not going to change.”
Caleb doesn’t have a chance to respond, my phone chiming out and interrupting our conversation.
Meagan: He does drive a silver Audi. Why?
I flash my phone to Caleb, not saying anything as he reads the message. And when he’s done, we spend a few seconds just looking at each other, wondering what the hell we do with this information.
Me: Because I think he was stalking me.
Meagan: I’m sure he was. Scary, right?
Me: Scary for you because it went too far.
She doesn’t answer me after my last text and I don’t blame her. Her situation isn’t the same as mine. She is now forever stuck with the trauma Professor Keller put her through. Like Caleb, she’s struggling to feel safe, to live a normal life. But I’m hoping Caleb and I can give her back some security by having him arrested for what he did to her and for what happened outside my bedroom window.
“What did Ed say?” I now ask Caleb, everything happening at once.
“He asked me to make a copy of the security footage and bring it over to him. He also said he’s going to get a PI friend of his to run a trace on the partial plate and the make and model of the car. He’s hoping to get a solid return on the owner.”
“We know who the owner is, Caleb. It’s Keller. Meagan confirmed that.” I stomp my foot a little, wanting all of this to move much faster. It feels like it’s happening in slow motion and we’re just standing by and watching.
“Yeah, I hear you, but right now the police aren’t going to believe her. They didn’t believe her when she told them Keller raped her. What do you think they’re going to say when we tell them she’s our witness as to who’s driving the Audi?”
I hate that he’s so logical and everything he says holds the truth. The police won’t care and will probably look at her as a jilted ex who didn’t get her way. I don’t want her to be put through that all over again. I’d like to minimize the amount of contact the police have with her.
“So we just let Ed and his investigator figure this all out,” I say, feeling a little defeated.
“Yes, Nancy Drew. We need to leave this to the professionals.” He’s teasing me now and it feels good. It always feels good when I hear him joke about something. It gives me hope that he’s finding the humor in a flawed situation. Something I haven’t been able to do lately.
He smiles at me, but it feels weak, his face not lighting up the way it does when he’s truly happy. I understand he has a lot weighing on him and it’s a struggle.
“You okay?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer me right away, a bit of worry pulling at his features. We know each other too well now to keep secrets and after I kept being run down by the car from him, we agreed we wouldn’t do that anymore.
“Seriously, Caleb, what’s worrying you?” I rest a hand on his cheek, urging him to tell me.
“I got a text from my boss. I think he’s going to fire me,” he admits.
“What makes you think that?”
“He sent me a text telling me he needed to talk to me. Asked if I could come in a little early today.” He lets out an exhausted sigh, the defeat finally taking its toll. He had been doing so well, but it does wear thin quickly.
“What did Ken say?” I ask, probing for more and wondering if this is just Caleb feeling like nothing good can ever happen.
“Just that he needs to talk to me and he added that I didn’t need to worry.”
“Well, if he said not to worry, then why are you?” I ask, pinching his side, trying to pull him out of his funk.
“Because it feels like I can’t catch a break.”
“How about I give you a break right now?” I ask, winking at him as I pull him toward our bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Caleb
I head over to work to talk to Ken, every possible worst-case scenario running through my mind about why he suddenly wants to talk to me. What else could it possibly be other than he’s heard about what happened, what’s still happening and has decided to fire me.