Shuttered Affections (Cornerstone #1)

by Folsom, Rene

  “So, wait a minute. You mean to tell me that you like to be held down and out of control?” I looked at her incredulously.

  A look of desire flicked across her face before she continued, “Of course. It’s a very exciting and arousing position to be in. Someday, when you find someone you can truly trust, you’ll know what I mean.”

  “Well, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the attention he was giving me. It’s just, when I said ‘don’t’, he just kept going and it caused me to panic and lose my bearings. It was barely a whisper and very likely he may not have even heard me. But, I couldn’t help it. I explained to him why I freaked out though and he seemed to be very understanding. Oh, and he wants me to stay with him tonight. Says he has a guest room I can use. Rob will never know where to find me and I feel safe enough with him to actually sleep, I think. Can you stay at Sean’s tonight so you’re not here alone?” I asked her, begging her to say yes.

  She nodded and said, “No problem at all. He loves it when I stay over. He’s actually asked me to move in with him, but I enjoy my independence a little too much to make that kind of change right now. I worked so hard for what we have here. I feel like I need to enjoy it a bit more.”

  Just then, Sid’s phone rang and it was a number we didn’t recognize. She answered the phone quietly and gave a few yeses and uh huhs before she said we would be there at two.

  “The police would like us all to come down and give statements at two,” she explained.

  I nodded my head, but couldn’t help the frown that overtook my face.

  “Hey, are you going to be able to do this, Julia?” Sid asked, with concern in her eyes.

  I nodded. “It’ll be difficult and I’m sure I’ll need lots of tissues, but I think I will be okay. If it means getting him out of my life, then it’s what I have to do.”

  She nodded her agreement and we sat there, holding hands, watching the muted TV, and listening to the light, purring snores of our dear friend, Pete.

  After a while, I decided I should take a shower and text Aiden with our schedule, not necessarily in that order.

  I moseyed on into my bedroom and sent Aiden a text.

  The police would like Sid and me to come give statements at 2. Pete will be with us until 4 b/c his shift starts at 5. Sid can stay the night at her bf’s house. Text me when you are done with your last class.

  I decided to start packing a bag since I knew he wanted me to stay with him. I was hoping to take a trip out of town with Aiden to that property he spoke of, although I hadn’t had a chance to talk with him about it yet. So, I made sure to pack a few comfortable outfits as well as my work clothes. I had no idea how long I would be staying, but wanted to be prepared.

  My phone buzzed after only a few minutes and the fact that he was able to text with me made me happy. Technology was so wonderful.

  Are you going to be okay to talk through everything with the police? I think you’re strong enough, but worry I can’t be there with you. Is it okay if I pick you up from the station?

  I hated the fact that I made him worry.

  Please, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I would love for you to pick me up, but aren’t you concerned people will find out about us? My friends already know and if it gets out, your job could be in trouble.

  By the way, I’m packing a bag so I don’t have to come back here.

  As I pressed send for the second text, I hoped and prayed he would come pick me up from the station. I really wanted him to, but just couldn’t imagine how I would feel if he got fired because of me.

  Buzzing brought me back from my worry parade.

  I can’t help but worry about the people I care for, Angel. And I sincerely care for you. I will come to the station as soon as I get out of class. If our relationship leaks, then it was meant to. Don’t you worry about me getting in trouble. We’ll still try to be discreet.

  I smiled and gathered my things for a shower.

  As I waited for the water to warm, I thought of how sexy it would be to shower with Aiden.

  Steam rose from the heated shower and I sighed in sheer bliss when I positioned myself directly under the spray. The hot water cascading down my body definitely made me feel better.

  The time to head to the station quickly came and to my surprise, I wasn’t nervous as we walked through the doors.

  Chapter 28

  “Hmmm. How do I say, I’m staying with my sexy professor?”

  Two nice detectives greeted us as we entered the private room, which I assumed was for questioning and interrogations because it had the big mirror on one wall.

  I wasn’t happy when they separated Sid from me. But, I knew why they had to do it. They wanted to make sure our stories were the same.

  Sid gave me her assurances that everything would be just fine and that I needed to have the courage to tell them everything. Then they escorted her into a different room.

  Pete waited for us out in the busy waiting area.

  The detective’s name was Gowan. He asked for my name, date of birth, etc. until he had all my personal information, even my parents’ names and address.

  Det. Gowan then asked, “So, Miss Petersen, can you tell me why you’re here?”

  I brought my purse up to the table, reached in, and brought the small box with all the threatening notes and letters out onto the table.

  “Feel free to call me Julia. It’s going to be hard for me to tell you all this without getting emotional. So, please, bear with me.”

  He just nodded, so I continued, “My ex-boyfriend was very abusive, but thanks to my friend,” I gestured over my shoulder to what I thought was the next room, “I managed to get away from the relationship and started a new life for myself. Just recently, he began making contact again… following me around, leaving me notes, showing up at my work place and my home. I just want it to stop and I don’t know what to do.”

  Det. Gowan looked remorseful, like he had past experiences with battered women like myself.

  Before he spoke up, I continued, “I really like it here. I don’t want to have to leave my life behind again. I want to stay here and finish school. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

  “I know this is going to be hard for you, but can you explain to me the extent of his abuse? We need to know what type of person we are dealing with and any details you can give us will help,” he stated with grief in his voice. It made me wonder if he had a personal experience with such things, like maybe a family member went through this as well.

  I nodded. I was already prepared to spill my guts all over the table and hope Aiden would be here soon to pick up the pieces of a broken girl.

  So, I began tearing out my soul for this stranger and the recording device in front of him. I even gave the detective specific sexual details I did not share with Aiden to spare him from the gore. I also brought my medical records that held reports of my multiple emergency room visits and specifically pointed out the last one. I showed him the notes from my past and then pointed out the four most recent from this week.

  Det. Gowan listened to every intricate detail I gave, taking notes every now and then, even though the session was recorded.

  When I was done, I was sobbing again. He handed me a box of tissues and sat back in his chair, obviously thinking about something.

  “Well, Julia. You seem so much stronger than you let on. I appreciate you sharing your story with me. Your honesty helps me get the facts straight. This entire case concerns me. He definitely sounds like a predator. But, this is where the system gets tricky. We have no proof he has broken the law.”

  He pointed the eraser of his pencil down toward the mess of torn papers and continued, “These harassing notes are borderline. He seems to know not to cross over with clear threats. It’s as if he’s more into demeaning you than he is threatening you with violence. I still consider it a threat, but the law doesn’t.”

  Fingering through the medical records and placing them back in their respective envelopes, he con
tinued, “The ER visits definitely hold a decent amount of evidence he abused you, but they’re aged a few years now and any good lawyer will argue with why you held them back for this long. However, I’m still worried he will eventually cross the line again. And when he does, you need to call us right away. If he breaks the law at all, we can get him,” he said with passion.

  I gently placed my sweaty palms out on the top of the table and braced myself.

  “So, let me get this straight… he has to break the law before I can get help? I’m worried that the one time he breaks the law, I might actually…” I didn’t have to finish the sentence for the detective to understand my fears.

  “I know it sucks, Julia. And we’ll do everything we can to help you get through this. But, as legalities go, we can’t actually arrest him unless he physically threatens you. Or, if he puts a physical threat in writing or gets caught saying that he is going to do something to you. If you ever get a threatening note where he actually says he is going to physically harm you, then with a little handwriting analysis, we might have something. At this point, the only thing we can do is obtain a restraining order against him. You should also set up an alarm system at your apartment as soon as you can. In the meantime, do you have friends or family you can stay with so you’re not by yourself?” He did sound sincere, but the more he spoke about legal crap, the more bitter I became.

  “Um, yes. Well, I live with my roommate, Sid, the one I told you about who is in with the other detective. She plans to stay with her boyfriend. And, I…” Hmmm. How do I say, I’m staying with my sexy professor?

  “You…” he tried to prompt me to continue.

  “Sorry,” I apologized. “I’m in a new relationship and not quite sure whether to call him my friend, or… boyfriend. But, he said he has a guest room I can stay in for the time being. At least until I can get all this sorted.”

  He nodded and continued, “Okay, that sounds good. I’ll need his name and the address you’ll be staying at so we can find you if any new developments arise.”

  I froze. Should I give out his name?

  “Really, he’s already sticking his neck out for me by allowing me to stay with him when there’s a lunatic after me. I would like it if I didn’t have to drag him any further into my mess,” I explained, without trying to sound defensive.

  Just as he was about to argue with me, there was a knock on the door. The detective rolled his eyes and got up to answer.

  I couldn’t hear what the person on the outside was saying, but I heard Det. Gowan say something to the effect of ‘It's fine’ and ‘We're almost done anyway.’

  He left the door cracked as he came to sit down.

  Moments later, Aiden came through the door and closed it behind him.

  I sprang from my seat and sighed in relief as I said his name out loud, “Aiden!”

  He hugged me tight and brought me back to my seat before he pulled a chair up for himself.

  “Wow. Her spirits just lifted one hundred percent since you walked through the door, Mr. …”

  “Stone. Aiden Stone,” he said as he extended his hand for a shake. “I’m glad I could put a smile on her face. Things have been tough for her lately, which is why I wanted to try to be here for her as soon as I could.”

  Det. Gowan raised an eyebrow. “Well, Mr. Stone. I was just discussing with Julia the options she might have to stay with someone until this blows over. She mentioned staying with a new boyfriend, and I am only assuming that is you,” he said as he pointed his pencil in Aiden’s direction.

  “Yes, I offered her one of my guest rooms. At least until I have a security system installed for her,” he added with a wink in my direction.

  “But, Aiden, I can’t ask you to do that. That’s just too m…” He put his fingers over my mouth.

  “No arguments. I want you safe,” he said with a voice that was stern but still full of humor at my failed rebuttal.

  “Well, Julia. I’m very glad to see you have someone who will make sure this psycho stays away. In the meantime, I am going to process all the paperwork for the restraining order. I will call you within the next few days with a court date. I also want to make copies of all these ER reports you brought and the harassing notes. It is important that you hang onto the originals. Here’s my card with my numbers on them. Please program them into your phone so you can call me with any new developments. If you feel threatened in any way, don’t call me, call nine-one-one first. You’re more than welcome to give the dispatcher my name so I can be paged.”

  Then he looked at Aiden, “Oh, and Mr. Stone. Is it okay if I get your address so we know where to find Julia?”

  I tensed next to Aiden, but he just patted my hand to tell me it was all right.

  “Of course. All I ask is that you call Julia or me ahead of time to make sure we are going to be there. I share a house with a friend and would not want to inconvenience her if it can be helped,” he responded with ease and a dazzling smile.

  Then Aiden wrote down all of his contact information, including his phone numbers and address, for the detective.

  “Wow. That’s a nice area. I’m sure anyone lurking around those homes would be spotted like a leopard,” Det. Gowan joked.

  “One more thing, Julia,” he continued. “Can you give us your work schedule so we can possibly keep an eye out for him? I can’t promise anything, but if I don’t have any pressing cases, I’d like to stake the place out for a couple of nights, just to see what his activities are.”

  I nodded, quickly wrote down my schedule on his pad, and then added, “It usually doesn’t change unless I switch shifts with someone. I will just make sure to keep to this schedule and let you know if anything does happen to change. I was supposed to work tonight, but since he was waiting for me to leave the club last night, my boss decided it would be best for me to take tonight off. I will be back to work tomorrow night though.”

  The detective smiled and shook both of our hands. He told me to stay safe and be careful.

  We walked out into the waiting area where only Sid sat.

  “Where’s Pete?” I asked.

  Sid looked a little surprised and said, “You’ve been in there for a really long time. He had to go to work.”

  I looked at the clock and realized it was close to five in the afternoon.

  “Wow. Have I really been in there for almost three hours?” I mumbled. Not really asking anyone, but just showing my amazement at how time flew.

  Sid got up and handed me my two bags. I was thankful she remembered to get them out of Pete’s car.

  “Um, Aiden?” Sid said uncomfortably. “Pete drove us both here and my car is still at work. Is it possible for me to get a ride to the club?”

  “Oh, no,” I exclaimed. “I didn’t even think about us needing rides afterwards and your car is only a two-seater.”

  Aiden began to chuckle at me and I scowled.

  “Don’t worry, Angel. That’s why it took me so long to get here. I figured you both may need rides and possibly have bags, so I went home and got my Jeep before coming here,” he said with pride in his eyes.

  “You never cease to amaze me, Mr. Stone,” I blubbered as he tucked me in under his arm.

  He grabbed one of my bags and one of Sid’s before leading us out to this beautiful, green Jeep Wrangler with the fabric top taken off. The roll bars were bare and I was so excited to let the wind flow through my hair.

  Aiden flung his arm around me and said, “It does have a top if you would like me to put it on.”

  “Oh, never. I love having the wind in my face,” I admitted as he hoisted me up into the passenger seat. “I do want to make a phone call though. Think the wind will be too noisy?”

  “We’ll sit in the parking lot for a few while you make your call,” Aiden said as he climbed into the Jeep.

  “Okay. I want you both with me while I call my mom,” I admitted, feeling foolish but knowing I needed all the support I could get when it came to my mother.

&n
bsp; Chapter 29

  “You can’t put flowers in an asshole and call it a vase.”

  Sid rubbed at my arm as the line rang.

  “What a surprise. My daughter does know I exist,” my mom answered with a snide tone.

  “Nice to hear from you too, Mom. Listen, this isn’t a social call. I just need to ask you something.” I took a deep breath as I gathered the courage to ask, “Has Rob been looking for me?”

  Silence met me on the other end. After several long moments, she finally sighed and said, “Yes, he seemed totally broken over you leaving him. He’s been relentlessly stopping by and calling, asking for your number. At first, I kept your wishes, Julia. But, honestly, he’s a good guy and you would be lucky to have him.”

  “I can’t believe you would do this to me. I just left the police station, Mom. Rob has been making my life hell. Why do you care more for him than you do your own flesh and blood?”

  “Julia, you know that is not true. I just think you don’t realize what is good for you until it hits you in the face,” she said sternly.

  “Well, if he actually gets me alone, that is exactly what will end up happening. I will be lucky if…” I trailed off. I was completely flabbergasted she would deliberately tell him where I was. “You know what, Mom? I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I will be changing my number and moving soon. And I am getting a restraining order against him.”

  “Julia, you’re being way too dramatic. He’s been totally broken since you moved away. You gave him no explanation, no reason for your flight attempt. He deserves better…”

  I cut her off. “Don’t make excuses for him. You can’t put flowers in an asshole and call it a vase!” I yelled, hoping she would understand just how royally she screwed up.

  “Stop it right now, Juliana. You have no right to speak to me that way.”