by Tessa Walton
“What for, chief?”
The chief seemed to flounder for a moment, then said, “Stalking.”
Nate nodded. He hoped such a charge could stick. He walked over to Trevose. “Hands behind your head, Trevose.”
“What?” the man asked with a laugh.
“Just do it,” Nate said, and his voice had the commanding presence he heard from other cops when they dealt with hardened criminals. Trevose listened. Nate grabbed his hands and pulled them back into the handcuffs. “Greyson Trevose, you’re under arrest for stalking. You have the right to remain silent.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter
Dove walked out of the room and saw Office Trevose being arrested. She made a face. “But that’s not him!”
“Trust the process, Ms. Babcock,” Lieutenant Leslie said, but she seemed just as surprised as Dove. Dove wondered if the surprise was real. She felt like Leslie could hear of all sorts of crimes and feel nothing about it.
“What do I do now?”
“I’d go home and try to relax. We’ll call you if we need anything from you.”
“Right,” Dove said. She was distracted, though, hardly listening, instead watching Nate arrest Officer Trevose. He had a son in her classroom. She had held him back the year before for social issues. She wanted to ask if that had anything to do with it, but she knew it wasn’t her place to get involved. She turned and walked out of the station, and began walking home.
As she was walking, Teressa pulled up beside her in her car, apparently having just finished her breakfast shift. Dove couldn’t believe it was only lunchtime. “Hey, you hitchhiking?” she called out.
“Only if you’re the one picking me up,” Dove said, and hopped in the car.
“What were you doing at the precinct?” she asked.
“Guess.”
“Well, it must have something to do with your stalking. Unless you went just to flirt with Nate.”
“Ha,” she said. “Very funny.”
“So, what was it?”
“We caught my stalker.”
“Oh, that’s so awesome! How did this happen?”
“Well, he broke into my house and found me hiding in the closet.”
“Oh, that sounds so scary! I’m so sorry, Dove. Do you want to go back to my house? I’ll make lunch. I’m sure you don’t want to be back in your house right now.”
“I don’t know if I even can. Is it considered a crime scene?”
“I have no idea. Let’s just go to my place.”
“They arrested Officer Trevose.”
“But it wasn’t him.”
“I know. I don’t know what’s going on. But he was arrested, and the guy that broke in. He was the same guy, at least.”
“Did he have a weapon?”
“No. That’s the stupid thing. I hid and cried and all that and he didn’t even hurt me.”
“That’s not stupid at all,” Teressa said. “He could’ve hurt you without a weapon. Besides, you couldn’t have known he was unarmed. You had every right to be scared.”
“Nate saw me cry.”
“And if he thinks any less of you for that, I’ll kick him in the particulars,” Teressa said. Dove laughed. Teressa was such a great friend. She didn’t understand how she could ever be upset with her. “So, are you going to go on a date with him?”
“Well, what about court and all that? It’s not really over yet, is it?”
“Are you going to go out with someone else, then?”
“No … No, I think I’ll wait for him,” Dove said.
Nate sat with Jessica in their squad car. The decision had been that interrogating a cop was a little above Nate’s pay grade. He supposed he couldn’t really complain; everything needed to be done perfectly if they were going to convict him. “Do you think we’ll get him?” he asked.
“It could go either way. He’s going to have a great lawyer. Besides, has anyone ever been arrested before for hiring a stalker? Certainly not in this town.”
Nate considered that. In some ways, wasn’t hiring a stalker worse than being a stalker? He didn’t know what type of man he was hiring. Who knew what this “Ice Tea” could do? And he purposely tried to get her out of school. He wanted to ruin her career. On top of that, he used his police connections to help her be stalked more efficiently. Something about that was gross and negligent. Nate hoped, if nothing else, he had to be kicked off the force.
“I made two arrests today,” he said, quite amazed. He hardly ever made arrests.
“Yeah, I’m not sure I can call you rookie anymore. Arresting a cop certainly isn’t a rookie move.”
“Do you think Dove saw?”
“I’m fairly certain she saw both arrests. But don’t get your hopes too high. The case isn’t considered closed until there’s two convictions. We’ve got one once the DA approves, but I think Officer Trevose—just Trevose soon—will be taking it to court. He’ll probably argue that hiring a stalker isn’t exactly a crime or at least say he didn’t hire Stottlemeyer to break in, just to stalk. He may have a hard time making the argument, but he’s going to try.”
“How long will that take?” Nate asked with a sigh.
“You really want to start something with her, don’t you?”
“Did you see her today?”
“Yeah, she was a scared, crying mess.”
“Exactly! I thought of her as constantly brave, never bothered by anything. But that’s not the case. She’s scared. She has emotions. She’s human. She’s not perfect; that’s not what I want anyway. We can help each other grow. Besides, she had every right to be scared and crying. A stalker broke into her house and chased her to her bedroom. It’s good that she was scared. Maybe it was perfect.”
“You’re not making much sense.”
“I don’t care. Point is, she’s the one. At least for now. She’s the one.”
“Then you better hope this is a fast trial.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter
Dove got a call the next day. She answered it on the first ring, figuring it was the police. She hadn’t tried going home yet; she was happy to spend the day with Teressa. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Lieutenant Monroe. We need to go over your statement. Trevose is hoping to go to court.”
“What does Trevose have to do with it?” she asked.
“He was the one who hired Stottlemeyer, your stalker. We’re trying him for stalking and breaking and entering.”
“Will that work? He didn’t do either of those things.”
“We can surely try. And at the very least, we’re making sure he loses his badge.”
“Why did he do it?”
“Trevose says it’s because you held his kid back. But remember, this isn’t your fault. You could never have known this would happen, and if he truly loved his kid he wouldn’t be leaving him without a father by going to jail.”
Still, Dove couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed. Maybe she should’ve pushed the boy on. His father clearly thought so. It was never an easy choice to hold back a kid. She remembered Trevose being upset, more than upset, and taking it up with the principal. But the principal had trusted her and decided that it was up to her in the end. She was thankful for having someone who had her back, but look what it had caused.
“But I should be able to go back to the classroom now?” she asked.
“I don’t see why not, though I suppose that’s up to the school officials. Do you want to wait till tonight to practice your statement?”
“Yes, please,” Dove said.
“See you at seven, then,” Leslie said.
Dove jumped in her car and drove straight to the school. She walked in and knocked on the principal’s door. Principal Lestrade opened the door.
“Come in,” he called. She did so. “Dove! I’m so happy to see you here. I heard your stalker was caught yesterday, but I didn’t want to force you back in before you were ready. That must’ve been traumat
ic.”
“I’m ready,” Dove answered.
“Well, then, we’re happy to have you back. Why don’t you come in tomorrow?”
“Can I drop by my class today?” she asked.
“I don’t see why not. But try not to stay too long; you know you’ll distract from the lesson.”
“Thanks, Principal Lestrade!” she said. She turned and walked out of his office. She went to her classroom and knocked on the door.
Her regular sub, Mrs. Granger, answered the door. She smiled at her. “Why don’t you come in, Ms. Babcock? I’m sure the kids would be happy to see you.”
“Ms. Babcock?” one of them squealed, and Dove laughed. She walked in and all the kids cheered, speaking over one another.
“Hey, everybody. I can’t stay here long, but I wanted you all to see that I’m fine, and I’m done helping the police, and I’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Ms. Babcock, we made you a card!” one of the girls screamed.
“Ruth! You weren’t supposed to tell her!”
“Thank you, guys. That sounds nice. I can’t wait to see it.” She knew she was getting in the way of the lesson. “Well, it’s nice to see you all, but I better go. Mrs. Granger will take good care of you, and I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
“Do you have to leave?”
“Yes, but it’s only for one more day. Goodbye, everybody.” Different people were screaming “bye” around the room, and Dove waved to all of them before walking out. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so happy.
Dove called Nate that very same night. “So, lunch?” she said as soon as he answered. “I could make you lasagna.”
“Sorry—uh, this is—This is Dove, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Yep. I figured now that you caught the guy we should talk.”
“Well, Dove, it’s not that simple. There’s still a court case.”
Dove sighed. Was he just looking for an excuse not to go out with her? Though with the last kiss, that seemed pretty unlikely. “Fine. I can wait till after that. What are you up to?”
“Dove, I’m not sure now is the time to talk.”
“Why not? Are you around cops?”
“No, but—”
“But the case isn’t over yet,” Dove sighed. “I suppose I can wait. It won’t be much longer, will it?”
“Just a few more days,” he answered.
“A few days,” she echoed. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you then.”
“Over lunch?” he said.
“That sounds nice.”
“I look forward to it,” he answered.
She hung up. She wanted to talk to him now, but she knew he was probably right. She didn’t want him losing his job. But she wanted to be able to eat meals with him. Her family was always okay when they ate meals together. On her mother’s bad days, she had to force her to eat. There was no way they would partake in a meal together. Harold stopped eating dinner with her when the affair started, always claiming he had to work late. She thought that was the point when she knew the truth, but she wasn’t really certain. She would know she and Nate were fine when she could eat meals with him.
Nate sat at the speed trap with Jessica. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Am I allowed to set a date with Dove for as soon as the trial is over?”
“Well, that’s kind of a gray issue. Why do I have the idea that you’re asking for forgiveness and not permission?”
“Well, we didn’t call it a date. Just said we’d get lunch together.”
“That’s a date.”
“Will you keep it to yourself?” Nate asked. He hadn’t meant to risk his job; it had just happened. He thought maybe Jessica understood that.
“Of course. Partners are supposed to have some secrets.”
As they sat, watching, a car went speeding by out of town. Nate turned on his lights and began driving after him. The car slowed down and pulled to the side of the road. Nate parked behind him and got out, walking up and knocked on the window.
Greyson Trevose rolled down the window, and Nate found himself face-to-face with a pistol. He wondered what to do next. Everything seemed slow and silent.
“Let me go on. Don’t call in my position. Don’t grab your weapon. Just let me go on. If I have to take you with me for this to work, I will.”
“You know I can’t do that, Trevose,” he said.
“I’ll shoot you in the face before Jessica can do anything to stop me.”
“Perhaps, but you do you know how much time you’ll spend in jail if you’re a cop killer?”
“Do you know that the inmates will be lining up to kiss my hand? Besides, there’s plenty of ways out of jail.”
Nate wondered where exactly Jessica was. It didn’t seem like a good idea to turn and look behind him. She could be anywhere. He doubted she could get anywhere to get a good shot though, or even take out her gun. He didn’t know the protocol in these situations. It seemed like no move would be the right one. “We can’t just let you go.”
“Then I’m going to shoot you, then shoot your partner.”
“Guess that’s the way it’ll have to go,” Nate said. He had never had a gun to his face before. He wondered if this was how Dove felt. He was vaguely aware that he was shaking. He had never shaken so much before. He wanted to go for his gun. That was how he had been taught to answer fear. But he knew now that would be a mistake. He just had to figure out how to get out of here alive. “Fine. Listen. I won’t report it.”
“For some reason, I don’t believe you,” Greyson answered.
“Are you going to shoot me or not?” Nate asked. He heard the safety click off and decided he had made a big mistake. Where was Jessica? Was backup coming? What was he supposed to do?
He heard sirens in the distance. “I thought I told you not to call backup!” he screamed.
“I didn’t! I’ve been right here with you the whole time! When would I have called backup?”
“Your partner must’ve.”
“I can’t control what she does! Listen, you know if you shoot me, they’re going to shoot you.”
“Maybe that’s what I wanted this entire time.”
“No! Suicide by cop is no way to go! Just let us take you in. Life in prison is better than no life at all,” Nate argued.
At that, Trevose took a deep breath, and tossed his gun on the seat next to him. Nate yanked him out of the car and put the cuffs on his hands.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter
“I’m sorry I didn’t visit you Sunday,” Dove said, patting her mother’s hand.
“I’m just glad you called. I would’ve been afraid something was wrong.”
“To be honest, something was wrong. And I didn’t want to tell you till it was taken care of.”
“What is it, honey, honey, honey?”
“Well, I was being stalked. But they found the guy who did it, and he’s going to jail. I just didn’t want to bring him here. He’d be following me, after all.”
“Your bike was never stolen, was it?”
“I don’t even have a bike, Mom.”
“A bike? That’s what I figured.”
Dove felt slightly bad for lying to her mom. She should’ve known her mother would never believe it. But it still seemed best. She knew what stress could do to her mother. She didn’t regret it in the slightest. “Well, it’s all taken care of, so you have nothing to worry about.”
“Can I ask you something else?” her mother said, grabbing one hand between both of hers.
“Of course. What is it?”
“It—it—is there a man in your life?”
“Sort of. How did you know?” Dove asked, more than surprised.
“I may not know much, but I know my little girl.”
“I think you know more than you think you do.”
“You know it all makes me confused sometimes.”
“You can be confused and smart,” she answered
. Dove hated when her mom talked down about herself. She knew she was an incredibly intelligent woman, and she wanted her to see it. Particularly when she was in her good frame of mind like lately.
“Will you tell me all about him? Who is it?”
“Nate O’Bannon.”
“Nate? Nate! Oh! He’s a good kid. You’ll be very happy with him.”
“Well, nothing has happened yet.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s not going to. I’m sure everything will be great. I hope you know I still expect him to come see me.”
“Mom! Of course I’d bring him to come see you.”
“It wouldn’t embarrass you to bring your boyfriend to a group ho—home?”
“Nothing about you embarrasses me,” Dove answered. “Now, I need to get back home. There’s a lot going on, and tomorrow the trial starts. I need to practice my statement.” She had gone over it a hundred times, but she wanted to go over it a hundred more. What if she was the difference between a conviction and letting him walk? She couldn’t very well just let him go free.
“Statement? Statement. Will you be back Sunday? Even though that’s less than a week away?”
“Of course I’ll be back Sunday. I only miss for very big occasions.”
“I expect more information about this Nathaniel then.”
“I promise,” she said, and gave her mom a hug before letting herself out.
“Nate!” Jessica said, two days later, as they sat in the precinct.
“Yeah?” he asked, looking up from his report.
“The jury is in.”
“Well?”
“Well what?” Jessica said, with a wicked grin.
“What did it say?”
“Open-and-shut case; nothing for you to worry about.”
Nate jumped out of his seat. “Cover for me!” he said, beginning to run out of the room.
“What?”
“Cover for me! I think I’ll be back soon.”
He jumped into his own car and sped down the back roads towards Dove’s house. Every muscle in his body was taut. His knuckles were white on the black steering wheel and he considered stopping for flowers. He didn’t think he had the time, though. Not when he needed to feel her soft, smooth lips on his as soon as possible. Not when he needed to be trying her lasagna, and tell his friends she was his girlfriend, and show her off in the precinct when he kissed her goodbye before a big day of work.
