by Jenni Wilder
“Courtney Savak?” I asked. “Is she the one who broke his window?”
Without answering my question, Murray laid another piece of paper on the table. It was another enlarged driver’s license. This skinny, dark-skinned beauty had gorgeous brown hair flowing over her shoulders.
“What about Kallie Pickering?”
I shook my head in reply to Murray’s question; I had never seen that woman before. Lincoln, however, stared long and hard at the woman’s picture, his good hand gripping the paper so tight I thought he would rip it.
I touched his arm. “Baby, do you know her?”
He exhaled sharply and threw the paper back across the table. “No. I don’t.”
Detective Murray looked at him dubiously. “You sure about that, Mr. Monaghan? Took you an awful long time to answer.”
Lincoln glared at him. “I was trying to remember every crazy fan who has ever been overly affectionate. Every psycho girl who has ever asked for an autograph and then slipped me her hotel room key. Any pathetic chick who has sent me an inappropriate picture of herself. So yeah, it took a while to answer because I want to see these women behind bars. I want this shit over. I want them to suffer for even thinking about hurting Jillian.”
Lincoln’s nostrils flared, and his eyes burned with emotion. I reached over and squeezed his thigh, trying to offer some comfort. He looked down at me, covered my hand with his and held it tight, offering his own comfort in return.
Detective Murray looked surprised at Lincoln’s intensity but ultimately was satisfied with that answer. He set down another piece of paper.
“Jayda Dubois?”
I picked up the paper and held it close to my face, analyzing the driver’s license picture staring back at me. She was younger than me and extremely gorgeous. Recognition flickered in my brain.
“God, she’s so familiar. I think I’ve seen her before.”
Lincoln leaned closer to me. “Can you remember where, baby?”
I closed my eyes and tried to place her into different memories, but she didn’t seem to fit anywhere. Setting the paper down, I shook my head and tapped the picture. “No. But it was somewhere recently.”
“Was she at the game when you were drugged?”
I tried to picture the faces of everyone I had seen in the suite. “No. I don’t remember her being there. I’ve seen her somewhere though.”
“Okay, one more. Take a look at this. Do you recognize him?”
A mug shot was set down in front of us. The man was muscular, but not in the way Lincoln was. This young man was built, but it was a stocky build as if he were a fighter. His buzz cut showed a scar above his left eye. It ran from his temple to above his eyebrow. This man had definitely seen better days.
I pulled the picture closer to me. “Was this taken today? Did you arrest someone else?”
Carter’s voice filled the room. “What is it?”
Detective Murray cleared his throat. “This is Asher Epps’s mug shot. It was taken the last time he was arrested. About eighteen months ago. He’s got an extensive rap sheet. Carjacking, B&E, assault, disorderly conduct…”
Murray read off several more charges, and my mind raced. What did this dangerous man have to do with Daisy and these other women?
“… and finally, aggravated criminal sexual assault.”
“Do you have details on that charge?” Carter asked immediately.
“No. We’re contacting the prosecutor for access to the case record.”
“I want to know what made it aggravated.”
I looked up at Lincoln with confusion, and he leaned forward toward the phone. “You lost us, bro.”
“There are several factors that can elevate a rape charge to aggravated. Use of a weapon, age and mental capacity of the victim, or if the accused delivered a controlled substance to the victim during the assault.”
My breath was heavy with fear. “Controlled substance? Like GHB?”
The detective nodded.
“So he’s the one who drugged me?”
“That’s unknown at this point.”
“Wait. Detective. I’m still confused. I don’t know any of these people. What do any of them have to do with me?”
Detective Murray sighed. “According to Ms. Norwood, Mackenzie McKay recruited Ms. Savak, Ms. Pickering, Ms. Dubois, and Mr. Epps to help her carry out a plan to stalk and harass you. Ms. Norwood claims she was bullied by Mackenzie into helping commit certain crimes against you.”
Silence filled the room as Lincoln and I absorbed this shock.
Mackenzie. Mackenzie. Mackenzie. Not only was she trying to destroy my life, but she recruited others to help! What did I ever do to her?
A small laugh escaped from me followed by another. Detective Murray looked at me with confusion. I’m sure the last thing he expected was for the victim to laugh, but this was beyond ridiculous.
I laughed harder and tears began rolling down my cheeks. Whether they were happy or sad tears, I couldn’t tell you, but now that it started, I couldn’t stop the hysteria from flowing out of me.
I crossed my arms over my stomach and leaned forward until my forehead rested on the table. Lincoln’s hand rubbed circles on my back, and he whispered words of comfort into my ear, telling me the police would catch them and it would all be over soon.
Poor injured Lincoln could not have been comfortable at that angle, and crying wasn’t going to solve anything, so I sat up, wiped my tears away, and offered an apology.
“It’s okay.” Inspector Rollins offered me a tissue.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “She formed a gang.” I laughed humorlessly. “She formed a fucking gang to get me. Who does that?”
Carter’s voice filled the room. “What’s your plan, detective?”
“We’re bringing them all in. Officers have been sent to detain them and bring them to the station for questioning.”
“You’re not arresting them?” Lincoln asked harshly.
“Right now, it’s Ms. Norwood’s word against theirs. We have no evidence to support Daisy’s accusations. We’ll interrogate them and see what they say.”
“That’s it?”
“I’m not saying we won’t arrest them, but we need to hear their side first.”
“Detective?” Carter asked over the phone. “Is this Asher Epps on parole?”
“No.” He held up Epps’s sheet. “Eighteen months ago, he was arrested on a drug charge. Class C misdemeanor. He served his sentence and hasn’t been arrested since.”
I shook my head. “How did Mackenzie get involved with someone like that?”
“That’s also unknown at this point. Ms. Norwood only knew he was involved with Ms. McKay but didn’t know the extent of his participation. That’s our next step. We’re going to determine how everyone is connected.”
I tapped Jayda Dubois’s picture again. I couldn’t get over the feeling that I’d seen her before. “Do you know anything more about her?”
“Ms. Norwood didn’t know the extent of Ms. Dubois involvement, but she has a clean record. She’s a resident of Chicago. Her address is listed as near Little Italy, and she’s a student at UIC.”
“What’s her major?”
Murray flipped a few pages in his folder. “Um… looks like it’s listed in the student database as Computer Science.”
Everything clicked together then, and I smacked the table. “That’s where I’ve seen her! She works at the front desk of the tech department. I took my laptop there when it crashed. I bet anything she had something to do with it.”
Lincoln shifted in his chair. “Detective, if you are bringing these people in, I would prefer to be gone before they get here.”
“Of course, but you should know Daisy has requested to speak with you, Ms. Thompson.”
“Me?” I asked. “What does she want to speak to me about?”
Detective Murray looked uncomfortable. “She didn’t say, but I think she wants to apologize.”
Lincol
n scoffed and was about to say something, but I interrupted him by quickly agreeing to see her. I wanted more answers.
We were escorted to a room similar to the one we were just in. Daisy sat at a table in handcuffs, looking incredibly depressed and downtrodden. She didn’t even look up at us when we walked in.
“Daisy?” I said in my most comforting tone and knelt next to her. Lincoln and Brody stood next to me ready to pull me to safety should she try anything even though she was handcuffed.
Daisy’s eyes met mine, and tears immediately glistened in her eyes. “Jillian, I’m so sorry.” She swallowed hard.
“Can you just tell me why? Why is she doing this? Why are you helping us now?”
Her eyes got wide and she shook her head. “She’s insane. I didn’t know how bad she was at first, and by the time I realized how deranged she is, I was terrified to go against her.”
“What does she have planned?” Lincoln asked.
“I don’t know,” she answered, and Lincoln grumbled in frustration. “I don’t! I wish I did! I told the detectives everything I know. I just know she’s evil and has it out for you. I had no idea how awful she could be. I would have said something sooner if I had known what she was capable of.”
“Why? Why are you coming forward now?” I asked.
“You were nice to me once for no reason. I don’t know anyone else who would have given me money for a taxi after I had treated you so terribly that night. You don’t deserve this kind of treatment. I—I know it’s not an excuse, but I didn’t know anyone could be that kind. I don’t really have any friends. The only girls I know are bitches like me.”
I smiled and patted her leg. “You’re not a bitch, Daisy. This proves it. I can’t tell you how grateful I am”—I looked back at Lincoln—“how grateful we both are that you came forward. That took a lot of courage.”
“My sister is bipolar,” she blurted out and my eyebrows rose. So that was why she had come forward now. “I thought what the tabloids were saying about you was true. That you were bipolar. And I knew that wasn’t right. That was over the line.”
“And drugging her drink wasn’t?” Lincoln said with a trace of malice in his voice.
Daisy shook her head. “I swear I didn’t know about that.”
I patted her leg again. “Daisy, as soon as we can, we’ll pay your bail to get you out of here.”
She gave me a sad smile. “Don’t bother, Jillian. I deserve to be in jail.” She sighed and looked down at the floor. “And in all honesty, I’m probably safer there than at home if Mackenzie finds out what I told you.”
“You really think she’d hurt you?”
Daisy lifted her head, and her eyes met mine. “You really think she wouldn’t?”
She had a point. No longer could I pretend that Mackenzie was simply a harmless nuisance. The evidence was stacked against her, even if it was circumstantial. It was enough for me.
“You should know,” Daisy added before we left. “Mackenzie went thermonuclear when Brit Ambush posted that picture on Instagram. Like scary jealous. I wouldn’t put it past her to do something insanely terrible.”
An ominous feeling settled over me. The last time Mackenzie had been pissed about something, I ended up in the hospital. What would she try this time?
Knowing we needed to get out of there before Mackenzie and her gang were brought in, I thanked Daisy once again and left her to the care of Chicago’s finest.
Lincoln put his arm around me as we walked down the hallway of the police station toward the exit. I looked up in time to see my brother hustling down the hallway toward us with a fierce look on his face. He wasn’t in uniform, so Brody immediately moved to shield me from him, but I grabbed his arm. “Brody, no. It’s my brother.”
Elliot came right up to me and held the tops of my arms, his eyes scanning over my body. “Are you okay? I heard you were attacked in a parking garage.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “Oh God. No. I wasn’t attacked. I’m fine.”
“What’s going on then?” He turned to glare at Lincoln.
“Elliot, we think we might have a lead!” I explained about Daisy and the information she had given Detective Murray.
My brother pulled me into a tight hug. “God, I was so worried. You’re okay, though?”
I smiled and nodded before frowning as Elliot continued to glare at Lincoln.
“This is your fucking fault,” he said as he jabbed a finger at Lincoln. “I will not let anything happen to my sister because some former fling of yours is jealous.”
“Elliot, no!” I grabbed his hand. “This isn’t his fault for dating her any more than it is mine for living with her in college. This isn’t anyone’s fault but Mackenzie’s. She’s the crazy one.”
“And I’m not going to let her anywhere near you. I’m taking you home.”
Lincoln clutched my arm. “No offense, Elliot, but I’m not leaving her side.”
Elliot puffed his chest out. “What the fuck are you going to do, Monaghan? Since she’s known you her tires have been slashed, her computer has been destroyed, and she’s been drugged! You think you’re helping her? She’s lucky to even be alive!”
Lincoln glared at my brother. Anger radiated out of him. “You think she’s better off with you? What are you going to do? Lock her in her house and never let her out again? You think that was living? She was terrified to meet anyone new. To trust anyone. You think you helped her by sheltering her? You enabled her. You allowed her to stay closed off from everyone.”
“At least she wasn’t getting death threats!” Elliot exploded. “She didn’t go through all that shit as a kid only to suffer now. You think she deserves this harassment? You think this is any kind of life she deserves?”
Lincoln got in Elliot’s face. “Don’t you dare try to tell me what she deserves. You think I don’t know she deserves more than this? I would give her the world if she would take it. I’d pack her up and fly her so far away from anyone who wanted to hurt her as fast as I could. Don’t you think I’d do it in a heartbeat if that’s what she wanted? You think that would make her happy?”
Elliot waved his arms out. “You think this is making her happy? Look at her! She’s terrified!”
“She’s stronger than you think, and hiding her away isn’t going to help her!”
“STOP!!” I screamed, and they both looked down at me with surprise. “Elliot! How dare you?! Lincoln isn’t making any bad decisions here. Everything that happens with this is my choice.”
Elliot grabbed my shoulders and gave me a little shake. “Jillian. Think of mom. Do you think she wants to see you lying in a hospital bed? You want to put her through that again?”
I pulled out of his grasp. “Elliot! Do not try to guilt me into hiding. I will not miss my thesis presentation. I will not miss my graduation. I’ve already missed so much. Lincoln is right. I have to live my life. I don’t want to be sheltered. I don’t want a life without Lincoln. It’s as simple as that. I know he will keep me safe and happy.”
My brother closed his eyes and looked as if he was in pain before he pulled out a chair from a nearby empty desk and sat down with his head in his hands.
I knelt next to him and gripped his arm. “It’s going to be okay, Elliot. They just got a big break! This could all be over soon.”
He lifted his head and gave me a sad smile. “Do you know when Frankie left for college he made me promise to look out for you? I was only twelve, and even though you’re my big sister, he said it was my job to watch out for you now that he was leaving. He never said anything about Rebecca or Emily. Just you. And now I feel like I’ve done a terrible job. I couldn’t stop Mackenzie from hurting you in college, and now it’s all happening again.”
“I’m not breakable, Elliot. Yes, I’ve had problems, but nothing will ever get better for me if I stay hidden away from everyone. You can’t shield me from everything.”
“For the record, Elliot,” Lincoln said as he stepped up beside me. �
�You did a great job looking out for her. Every day Jillian amazes me with how wonderful she is. She’s the best person I know, and you were a part of that.”
Elliot sat up and held one of my hands with both of his. “I guess that’s something, huh.”
I rose up and hugged him tight. “That’s everything, Elliot.”
Chapter Twenty
“And so, in conclusion, the similarities between the human dermis cells and the artificially grown dermis cells greatly outnumber the differences. With more time and research, I believe the creation of skin grafts made from these self-regenerating artificial cells would be greatly beneficial to those with fibrous tissue damage. Thank you.”
And that was it! I blew out a huge breath I felt like I had been holding the whole presentation. I had successfully defended my thesis. My professors stood and applauded as they announced my thesis had been accepted. I had done it! My eyes flicked to the back of the auditorium where Lincoln and Brody sat. It was dark all the way in the back, but I could see them standing and applauding.
The professors of the biology department took their turns shaking my hand and congratulating me. It was a shock that I was actually done with school. I didn’t know what I was going to do now. I still didn’t have a job, but I kind of wanted to just relax for a while. And now because of Lincoln, I could do that. I had been so against this idea previously, but it was very tempting to not work while Lincoln was in the off-season. I could take care of him while he healed. Maybe we would take a vacation away from Mackenzie and all our problems.
“Jillian?” My advisor interrupted my musing as I packed up my laptop. “Could I speak to you for a second?”
I bit my lip with worry. “Of course.” What could I have done wrong?
We stepped to the side of the auditorium. “Jillian, I was disappointed to see you hadn’t applied for the McClintock fellowship.”
