Torn Away (The Torn Series Book 1)

by Vincent Morrone

“Actually, my Nana thinks you’re kind of cute.”

  Ollie forced himself to stop studying the reflection of his ears. “How bad are your Nana’s cataracts?”

  “Not too bad,” Sam said.

  Ollie scowled at her. “Back when I was younger, I wasn’t the fine specimen of manhood you see before you now. In fact, I was a bit of a geek.”

  Sam put her hand to her cheek and dropped her mouth open in mock surprise. “You? A geek? No. So hard to believe when you’ve got all that cool stuff at your place. Your lightsaber and wand, and what was that big thing on the wall? The sharp thing that looked like it could be used to open a really big bottle of beer?”

  “A bat'leth,” Ollie said solemnly. “A Klingon weapon. A weapon of honor.”

  “Right.”

  Ollie sighed, but continued. “So anyways, back when we were kids, I was also a little on the chubby side. So, I was called fat ass, lardo, doughboy and elephant boy.”

  “Elephant boy?”

  Ollie resisted the urge to study his ears again. “Yeah. A few others I’d rather not repeat. Shoved me all the time. Made me miserable.”

  “I’ll bet,” Sam said. “So, instead of a good guy, he’s coming off as an ass.”

  Ollie nodded. “Exactly. I don’t know if I want someone like him near Ashley or Cole.”

  “You realize that’s not up to you.”

  “No, it’s not.” Ollie watched for more cars, but none were coming. “Then there was what happened with him and Molly Winters at the home coming dance senior year.”

  Sam knew some of the story. Back when this happened, she heard some of it when she’d come to visit Nana. It had been the talk of the town, after all, but she hadn’t lived it, so she let Ollie explain.

  “They came to the dance already hammered. They came from a party at the Brooks house.”

  Sam blinked in surprise. “That’s the big house on Avery. Wasn’t there a Mayor Brooks?”

  Ollie nodded. “At the time. Now, he’s a U.S. Senator with eyes on the White House. Molly Winters knew all the Brooks in school. She’d been the one invited. I’m sure Drew just tagged along.”

  “And whoever threw the party had booze,” Sam concluded. “I imagine that might have been a bit of a scandal.”

  “It was talked about.” Ollie tried to recall the details at the time. “I wasn’t there of course, but from what I heard, the parents were present and no alcohol was served. Nobody else showed up at the dance blasted. Just the two of them. Drew was a drinker. Not as bad as his father, but I know he’d steal beer from his old man. I guess he snuck some along and him and Molly got plastered somewhere between leaving the Brooks and getting to the dance.

  “They weren’t there five minutes before the two of them were going at it on the dance floor,” Ollie continued. “At first it seemed like they were going to just start doing it right there. Then something happened and they started to scream and shout at each other. They called each other a few rather disgusting names, Molly slapped Drew, and after a moment, he stumbled out.”

  Sam tried to picture it in her head. Saw them on the dance floor, making out, getting fresh. She imagined maybe Drew Duncan pushed his luck and set things off. Men could be such idiots. Still, it helped paint a picture.

  “Was she pissed that he’d left her?”

  Ollie shook his head without any hesitation. “Nope. In fact, I’m pretty sure she was screaming at him to go before he turned and left. I tried to ask if she was all right, but I wasn’t on her radar. She just shoved me and called me a fat piece of shit. She had other friends around her, so I let her be. I went off my own way, mostly to stand with my back on the wall and stew about what happened. I’d hoped to…” Ollie trailed off, shrugged.

  “Well, it’s not important. The point is I didn’t see either again all night. People said they remembered seeing Molly around here and there. She apparently had several offers to take her home, but by the time the dance was closed out, she was gone. Nobody really thought much of it. She was a popular girl and everyone figured she’d managed to hitch a ride with someone, but nobody knew who. She just vanished without a trace.”

  “And Drew? Did anyone see him around the dance after he left?”

  “No,” Ollie said. “He didn’t have a car that night, someone else had driven to the dance. They found him in the parking lot of the Wallman’s, the old supermarket. It was never open past nine. He had shot something into his veins. Stupid bastard od’ed and nearly died. They rushed him to the hospital. He recovered, but they never found Molly, but there was blood found in the school basement, so they placed the son of a bitch under arrest.”

  “What did they have on him?”

  Ollie thought about it a moment. “Pretty much what I’d said. He’d had a fight with her at the dance. A lot of people considered him a bad kid. He’d gotten into a few fights. Drug user obviously, although I’d never heard he’d done much beyond drink and smoke before that, but he shot something up that night. He’s lucky to be alive.”

  Sam took it all in, thought it through. Her fingers started to tap on the car door as she imagined if she had gotten the chance to investigate. Man, she’d have loved that. She was tempted to start poking around, but it wouldn’t be right. Why open old wounds now?

  “So, he was charged and acquitted?” She knew very well a not guilty verdict didn’t mean innocent.

  “Never went to trial,” Ollie said. “For a while it seemed like they were determined to. Maybe they hoped for a plea, but he never folded. Then the sheriff had a heart attack and that’s when my mom took over. First ever female sheriff of Ember Falls. I know she didn’t think much of the old one. Within a few weeks, Drew was let go. Charges were dropped, but the case is open and he’s still considered a person of interest.”

  “Any other suspects?”

  Ollie shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. I don’t think they really looked anywhere else.” He looked over to his partner, but she stared out of the window, avoiding eye contact. “What do you think?”

  Sam didn’t answer at first. She was still running through things in her mind. Then she shrugged. Old wounds leave scabs. Pick at them and they can get infected.

  “Sam, you’ve got something spinning in that head.”

  “I’ve been a cop under a year. And you know the players far better than I do.”

  “True,” Ollie said as he watched more cars go by. “Maybe that’s the point. You’re more objective. I don’t like Drew Duncan. I can’t think of him without hearing him calling me a fat fuck, and you’ve got a good cop’s brain in your head. That’s why after you finished your six month probation I asked for them to partner us. I want to hear what you think about all of it.”

  Sam smiled. “Alright, but just remember you asked for it.”

  Ollie nodded. “Deal.”

  Sam pursed her lips and took a moment to gather her thoughts. “It’s hard to say without more info. Yes, he sounds like he was an ass back then to you, but that doesn’t make him a killer.”

  “I realize that,” Ollie said. “It didn’t need to be on purpose. He could have circled back, picked her up and things went bad. Hid the body. Maybe he never meant to hurt her. Or he was so out of it he lost his cool.”

  “Maybe.” It could have happened that way. “She slapped him.”

  “So?” Ollie said. “That doesn’t give him the right to hurt her. He should have walked away.”

  “I agree,” Sam said. “And, according to you, he did. He was pissed, but he walked away. The entire idea that he hurt her is based on the idea that he came back, but there’s no evidence that he came back to the school again that night. Did anyone have to separate them? Did he look like he wanted to hit her?”

  Ollie opened his mouth to respond, and then quickly closed it. He thought back, tried to remember it.

  “No. He was pissed, but he never raised his hand. He walked away. But he was an asshole,” Ollie added.

  There was no doubt in Sam’s mind Drew D
uncan earned that title back then. At least when it came to Ollie, and that irked her. Ollie was such a sweet soul. While he was a good, strong, confident cop now, Sam could easily imagine him as a kid too passive to stand up for himself. She’d seen pictures of him when he was younger. He wasn’t that chubby, but it was enough she could imagine the ribbing he’d have caught from the wrong kid. Apparently, Drew Duncan was the wrong kid.

  She reached out and took Ollie’s hand. “You’re not the same chubby kid you were back then. Maybe Drew Duncan isn’t the same asshole, maybe he is, but whatever he is, you can handle him. And this time, you’ve got me. I’ve got your back, partner.”

  Ollie Miller and Samantha Rossi talked more about Drew Duncan and Molly Winters as they watched a black SUV pass by. Unlike Dwight Logan’s Buick, it kept to the speed limit. While neither Ollie nor Sam recognized the car, they paid it little mind.

  The driver spotted the patrol car, but even past their field of vision, Paul McAlister didn’t increase speed. It was one of the reasons he insisted on driving. If he let Drew do it, they’d be going ninety miles an hour at the very least.

  The General tried to be patient with Drew’s smoking. He normally didn’t chain smoke, but he knew the boy was in a tremendous amount of emotional distress. From the moment he’d shown up at his door, the General could saw grief pour out of him, but the moment they’d crossed into the city limits of Ember Falls, a white knuckled panic had taken over.

  Paul McAlister had seen Drew in many emotional states. Angry, sad, friendly, jovial, and even at times whimsical. He’d never seen him frightened. Drew Duncan came under fire more than once since coming to work for him. He always remained cool under pressure.

  Now, he sat rubbing his hands over his jeans to dry his palms, fidgeted with his phone and took one drag after another.

  “At least open a window,” the General said.

  Drew did. “Sorry.”

  Now the General was worried. No smart-ass answer meant Drew was really far-gone. He understood the sorrow. He’d experienced it himself on more than one occasion. That bitter punch to the gut that comes from finding out someone you loved was ripped from this world. Paul understood the grief, but not the fear.

  For Drew, home was hell. That much the General understood, but he never expected the boy to be this terrified of his home town. There was something he wasn’t seeing, and that pissed him off.

  “You’re going to chew a hole in your lip.”

  After a moment of confusion, Drew stopped biting his lower lip, something he was unaware he had been doing. He took a drag, blew out smoke and tossed away the stub.

  “Sorry,” Drew said. “I know you hate the stuff. I keep meaning to quit.”

  “Sounds like bullshit to me. You want to quit, quit.”

  “It’s not that easy,” Drew said. He resisted the urge to light up another one. He had a fresh pack in his jacket pocket.

  “For a lot of people, you’re right,” the General said. “Not for you. When you find the motivation you need, you’ll quit. You don’t do things half way.”

  Drew didn’t respond. He kept his eyes on the scenery as they drove off the highway and through town. His mouth went dry as they passed the court house and police station. He tried to get his mind off it by scanning faces that passed by, looking for someone he’d recognize. There were a few. None of which were people who he imagined would be grateful to see him.

  Drew did better as they passed into the more business area. It was interesting to see which places were still there, which had closed. Drew noticed a lot more chain places. Olive Garden, Dunkin Donuts, Lowes, a Best Buy, not to mention a least a half dozen Starbucks. There was a small Italian place he’d always wanted to go into that was refurbished. All of the banks were still we’re he’d left them, but they were under a new name. They passed Maria’s Deli and Drew wondered if they still made the potato salad the same.

  When they passed by the local grocery store, he looked ready to heave.

  “Stop it,” the General said.

  “What?” Drew said as he tried to remember exactly where they found him lying in his own vomit.

  “You know what,” the General said. “You’re taking a stroll down memory lane and not a pleasant one. You’re beating yourself up and quite frankly, it’s pissing me off. You’ve got a job to do.”

  Drew forced himself to look away from the parking lot. “What are you talking about? I’m going to see my family. A nephew who’s never seen me, and a sister who’d be happy to never see me again. And I’ve got to help bury my sister, the only blood relative I have who would have wanted me in their life.”

  The General gripped the steering wheel tightly, tried to resist the urge to slap Drew on the back of his head. “You’ve got family issues to sort through. A sister who is hurting and is probably going to take that pain out on you, so you need to deal with it. I’m not telling you to be a punching bag, but be patient.”

  Drew nodded. “It’s been awhile, but I still know to bring a lot of patience when it comes to Ashley. Even on a good day, she’s high maintenance.”

  “And you’re not?”

  Drew didn’t answer. He was too busy trying to bury the sense of dread and panic creeping up his spine as they approached Ember Falls High School.

  “And let’s not forget the big picture.”

  “Huh?” Drew said, forcing himself back to reality. “What?”

  “Your nephew,” the General said. “What’s his name again?”

  Drew pulled out the new pack of cigarettes and began to smack the top of the box, but didn’t pull off the cellophane. “Cole,” Drew answered.

  “I know that,” the General said. “I was just seeing if you remembered. He’s got to be your first priority. He’s going to test you. Push at you. Push back. You’ve got to see him for who he is, not just an obligation to a sister that died. Don’t make him feel that way.” The General glanced over. Drew was pale as a sheet. “You okay?”

  Drew forced himself to nod. “Yeah. I’m fine. Make a right at the corner.”

  The General glanced down at the GPS. “This is the route to your sister’s place.”

  “It’s one route,” Drew said, his face turning pale. “Just make the goddamned right.”

  With raised eyebrows, the General hit the turn signal and turned at the corner as directed. As he did, Drew’s color came back a touch, although he still looked as if he was going to be ill. He wasn’t used to seeing Drew terrified. Normally, he was the definition of cool under fire.

  He wanted to ask what they just avoided, but instinct told him not to. Drew wasn’t going to give him a straight answer right now. The boy had too many other things to deal with.

  So, for now, he allowed the GPS and Drew to take him on the scenic route.

  “You know,” the General said. “Almost anyone else, if I were tooling around their hometown, I’d be hearing one story after another of their misspent youth. That’s where I had my first kiss, that’s where I smoked my first cigarette, that’s the store that sold me my first nudie magazine.”

  At first, it seemed like Drew hadn’t heard him. Then he looked over to the General and forced a smile. “You’re welcome.”

  The General smirked. Good to know you’re still in there.

  Passing the main shopping area, they came to a bookstore. It was a local shop that boasted a café, internet access, and rare, hard to find books. At Drew’s direction, they took a right and headed towards a side road.

  “At the end of the road,” Drew said. “The yellow house.”

  The General pulled up in front of the house, sliding into a space near the front gate. It was a Victorian, corner house with an elaborate front garden. There was a decent back yard encased with a white privacy fence. The front porch was covered by an overhang.

  Directly behind the house was an older home, and to the left was all wooded. A good place, the General thought, for a kid to explore.

  “Is this the house you grew up in?”
The General asked. Drew wasn’t rushing to get out.

  “No,” Drew said. “Lilly lives here, and now so does my sister. This place belonged to Lilly’s grandmother, as did the bookstore. She inherited both. Lilly always had a love for books and she was close with her grandmother.”

  The General nodded. “What are you planning on telling Cole about your past here?”

  Drew ran his hand over his head. “Not planning on telling him anything. It was nearly a decade ago. No reason to bring that up.”

  “You think he won’t hear it from somewhere?” The General asked. “Better you broach it.”

  “He wasn’t even born yet,” Drew asserted.

  The General waited, but Drew, who wanted to get here so fast he probably would have gotten out and pushed the plane if he could have, was now making no movement to get out.

  “Are we having second thoughts?”

  Drew stared at the house. “You should know my home life before the Marines wasn’t anything like the family you came from. I did things I’m not proud of.”

  Drew turned to look at the man who’d become more of a father to him than his own flesh and blood ever was, wanted to look him in the eye as he said these next words.

  “I didn’t kill that girl,” Drew said. “I can’t really remember that night, but that I know. But when I lived here, I wasn’t a very good person. I didn’t know how to be. And I did something that a man like you would never do. I left. I never should have left my sisters, but I really didn’t know what else to do. I was weak and afraid. That’s the bottom line.”

  Drew looked back at the house. “I don’t know what’s going to happen when I walk through that door. I don’t know what you’re going to hear. I’m not that person anymore.”

  The General considered Drew for a moment. He had done his homework on him. While he didn’t know everything, he could guess a lot of it.

  “Son,” the General said. “If you think I was under the impression you were an altar boy before you came to work for me, then you’re even more of a shit for brains than I thought. Nobody is the same person they were so many years ago. Now, maybe you were a bigger idiot back then than you are now. Hard to believe, but I’ll allow for the possibility. That doesn’t matter. You can’t go back and change it. What counts is what you do now. It’s time to step up. I don’t need you to show me you can, because I know what your sorry ass is capable of, even if you don’t. But I think you need to go prove it to your sister and your nephew. And clearly, you need to prove it to yourself. So, why don’t we pull up our big boy pants and get to it.”