by Alice Ward
“You think this was Ben,” I realized out loud.
“Who else would have done this?” he snapped. Uncle Walt stiffened his back and Ethan quickly dropped his tone. “I’m sorry. But he cornered her at the school when the team and I were there speaking to the kids. Did she tell you about that?”
Walt shook his head and turned his disapproving gaze to me. “No, she didn’t.”
“I haven’t heard this story either,” Frank announced. “Is this something I should know? Who is Ben? And why do you think he’d do something like this, Ethan?”
“Ben is Emily’s ex-boyfriend,” Ethan explained. “He teaches PE at The Day School. Their relationship ended—”
“My relationship with Ben ended when I caught him in bed with one of the student’s mothers,” I interrupted.
I didn’t relish recounting the story, but it wasn’t Ethan’s place to tell it.
“Ben was a cheating shithead,” I continued. “And yes, he cornered me at school after Ethan and I started dating. I think he was jealous. But he’s not sadistic. He’s not capable of hurting a child. And even if he were, he wouldn’t risk his career. He cares way too much about himself, and he’s terrified of failing again.”
Walt turned back to Frank. “Will you have access to these surveillance videos? The cops might not recognize something suspicious the way Emily would.”
“We’ll get copies, but it will take time to review them,” Frank warned.
“I seem to have an abundance of that at the moment,” I replied dryly.
“I can help too,” Walt offered.
“Great. I’ll let you know if and when they’re turned over. In the meantime, I’d like you all to start thinking of other people who may have a motive to set Emily up. I know you don’t want to believe your ex is capable of something like this, but I’m going to check him out anyway. What’s his full name?”
“Ben Simmons,” Walt answered for me.
Frank scribbled the name onto his notepad. “Does anyone else come to mind?”
“Not at the moment,” I answered. “I get along with everyone at work.”
Frank looked from Walt to Ethan and they both shook their heads. “Alright. If any of you think of someone else, let me know. I’m going to head home for the night. Emily, I’ll check in with you tomorrow afternoon.”
He stood up and the rest of us followed suit.
“You look exhausted, kiddo,” my uncle observed. “I think Claudia and I will head out as well so you can get some rest. Promise you’ll call if you need anything?”
“I promise.”
We stepped into the living room and found Claudia on the sofa reading a magazine. She slid it into her purse and looked up with a warm smile.
“I got everything squared away in the kitchen. I couldn’t find the detergent for your dishwasher, but it’s ready aside from that. The leftovers are in Ziploc containers in the fridge.”
“Thank you, Claudia. You didn’t have to do that.” I gave her a big hug and resisted the temptation to ask about Alfie. I knew she couldn’t give me any information, but I would have traded anything to hear that he was still improving.
“Thank you for having us, Ethan,” Walt offered as everyone moved to the door. “We’ll talk to you tomorrow, kids. Try to get some rest.”
Ethan opened the door and our guests filed outside. He shut it again a little too forcefully, returned to the living area, and collapsed into an armchair, leaving me alone on the sofa. He let out a loud sigh and stared blankly at the coffee table.
“Okay. What’s going on?” I demanded.
“What do you mean, what’s going on? You lived through the same day I did, right?”
“No, not at all. I was arrested and accused of being a psychopath who poisons kids for kicks. And then I came home to a stiff, distant boyfriend who seems terrified to touch me. What the hell happened, Ethan?”
“I know this is difficult for you,” he began with an air of annoyance, not looking at me. “But it’s frustrating for me too. I know you didn’t do this. But you and I both know that so far, the evidence looks bad. And that’s all people who don’t know you like I do have to go on when they’re forming an opinion. And… well, that puts me in a pretty difficult place.”
“So your mother is what happened.”
His face flushed red, but he didn’t deny it. “She and Victor are concerned about what the allegations against you will do to my reputation.”
I started connecting the dots. “Is this why you were late to the courthouse?”
He nodded. “It’s also why Frank is your attorney. I arranged for one of Victor’s lawyers to handle the case. He called Victor, who put an end to that plan.”
“They’re pressuring you to break up with me, aren’t they?”
He still didn’t look at me. “Yes. Victor even mentioned something about the morality clause in my contract.”
“So they gave you an ultimatum? Me or the team?”
“They haven’t pushed it that far yet. And I don’t think they will, as long as we lay low and this case is wrapped up quickly. Once we figure out who actually tampered with the food, I’ll hire a PR rep to make sure your exoneration gets three times the attention as your arrest. But until then, it’s probably best if we aren’t photographed together.”
The suggestion stung like a slap in the face. It was like someone had taken my boyfriend’s body and dropped a stranger’s brain inside. I shook my head and let my rage boil over.
“I’m sorry my current problems are such a damn inconvenience for you. A six-year-old child is lying in a hospital bed. At best, my career is over. At worst, I’m on my way to prison as someone who assaulted a child. But please, Ethan. Please tell me more about how terrible this could be for your fucking football team.”
The muscle in his jaw worked, then he blew out a breath. “I’m sorry, Emily. I wasn’t trying to make this about myself. I just want to handle this situation correctly, and it’s not like anyone’s printed a manual.”
“Well I hate to break it to you, but you’ve blown your chance to handle this the right way,” I snapped, digging through my purse for my keys. I’d just had the worst day of my life and Ethan’s attitude was the last thing I felt like dealing with.
“Enlighten me,” he demanded just as haughtily. “What the fuck was I supposed to do?”
“You could have walked up to any of the reporters outside of that hospital, looked straight into their cameras, and told them that I’m innocent. You could stand by me instead of insisting that we not be seen together. You could tell your parents to fuck off—”
“They aren’t just my parents,” he growled. “Morality clause or not, all Victor has to do is say the word and I’m cut from the team. He’ll do it in the middle of the season, just to spite me. He’ll ruin the team’s first season just to make a point, Emily. The other guys don’t deserve that. They’ve worked too hard.”
My hand finally closed over my keys. I rose to my feet and stormed toward the door, slinging the purse strap over my shoulder.
“What are you doing? Come back here, Emily. You’re overreacting.”
I leaned against the door and faced him, keeping my voice as calm as possible. “I think you’re the last person who should be telling me how to act right now. You know, I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I should have never expected to have an adult relationship with a man who’s spent his life playing a game and calling it a career. It’s nice to know where your loyalties lay, though. I mean, who gives a shit if my name is dragged through the press? It doesn’t matter what people think of me as long as you and your friends get to throw the ball around on Sunday, right?”
He stood and took a few strides toward me, then stopped a few paces away. “Emily, that’s not what I meant and you know it. Look, we’ve had long, emotional days. And you’re absolutely right. Yours was worse than mine. Put your purse down. I’ll run you a hot bath… or maybe we could get in the Jacuzzi again.”
You�
��re really going to hint at sex right now?
“You know, they say that everything happens for a reason,” I said, my voice sounding as helpless as I did. “Maybe this, what’s happening between us now, is the reason fate, or God, or whoever threw this mess at me. We can’t work, Ethan. I need someone who’s instinct is to be there for me. I need to know that whatever comes my way, I don’t have to face it alone. And I deserve that. So I’m going home.”
“Emily, you’re making a mistake,” he argued.
“I made the mistake weeks ago. This is me fixing it. I’m sorry, Ethan. I’ll call you in a few days and arrange to come pick up my things.”
I opened the door and rushed outside before he had a chance to reply. I was flooded with emotions but didn’t let myself feel any of them until I was safely home. I stripped out of my clothes on my way to the bedroom, crawled between the sheets, and cried myself to sleep.
CHAPTER 9
“Emily…? Emily, we know you’re here. Open the door,” Linda insisted from my hallway. I dragged myself off of the couch and padded to the front door in the teddy bear house slippers I’d had since I was twelve. I turned the knob and my friends pushed into the living room.
“We have takeout,” Linda announced, lifting a bulging white plastic bag.
“And booze,” Melissa added. She set a brown paper sack on the coffee table and set off for the kitchen.
I brushed my fingers through my greasy hair. “I really appreciate this, but I really meant it when I said I wasn’t up for company.”
Three days had passed since my arrest and subsequent breakup. The first day, Ethan had called every hour on the hour. The second, I downloaded an app that blocked his number. I’d ignored my friends’ calls but returned their texts, promising I was okay and insisting I wanted to be alone. They didn’t listen.
“You’ve been locked up in this apartment all week. You don’t have to entertain us or even talk to us if you don’t want to. But we’re not leaving until we’ve at least seen you eat something,” Linda insisted.
Melissa returned from the kitchen with three plates and three tumblers of ice. Linda loaded lo mein and lemon chicken onto the dishes while Melissa poured three rum and cokes. They carried everything to the coffee table and sat down on the floor in front of me. I wanted to stay in my pouty mood, but the food smelled too delicious. I took a plastic fork from the bag and swirled a bite of noodles around it. The three of us ate in silence for a while before Melissa cleared her throat.
“So how are you holding up?”
I shrugged. “How do I look?”
She studied me for a moment and frowned. “Awful, if I’m being honest.”
At that point, I considered awful a compliment. I’d been wearing the same sweatpants and t-shirt for days, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d run a brush through my hair, and I knew I probably didn’t smell fantastic.
“Well, that’s how I feel.” I took a long drink of my cocktail and stabbed a piece of lemon chicken.
“Have you heard from Ethan?” Linda pressed.
“No. I don’t have anything to say to him.”
Linda and Melissa exchanged a knowing glance and Melissa turned back to me.
“Emily, I know that this is an impossible time. But are you sure you didn’t overreact, just a little?”
“I’ve been accused of attacking a child, Melissa. Reporters were crawling all over the hospital when I was arrested. You saw the footage of them swarming him when he left. And all he said was ‘no comment.’ He’s supposed to love me, but he can’t be bothered to defend me? That’s not the kind of man I want. I can’t believe you’re defending him.”
“I’m not defending him,” Melissa assured me. “I’m just not sure you fully understand things from his perspective.”
“Ethan has a lot of people depending on him, Emily,” Linda added quietly. “We all know he loves you. It’s all over his face anytime you’re in the room.”
“This is the Stallion’s first season, Emily. It’s almost unheard of for a brand new team to get this far in the playoffs. They’re primed to be one of the best teams in the league. But they won’t survive an ugly scandal. I think Ethan felt he was choosing the lesser of the two evils… and I’m not sure he wasn’t right.”
“You honestly think it’s okay that he chose the team over me?” I snapped. I tossed my half eaten dinner on the coffee table and reached for my drink. I needed to calm my nerves before my anger got the best of me.
“I think that Ethan knows you’re innocent and knows it’s only a matter of time before everyone else knows that too. I think that there are a lot of players, trainers, groundskeepers, and countless other people depending on the Stallions’ success. And I think Victor Montez is a big enough ass to follow through with his threat to terminate Ethan’s contract midseason. They won’t win without him, Em. They proved that while he was injured.”
“So I’m supposed to let Victor and Martha hold my life hostage because they disapprove of me? I’m supposed to be satisfied with Ethan supporting me behind closed doors but not speaking a word in my defense to the people calling me a monster?”
“Well… yes,” Melissa agreed. “Honestly, Emily. I’m in this business and I’m telling you, the less this is talked about, the better. If you don’t feed the story, it dies. One five-second sound bite and it’ll keep going for at least another week.”
“And with any luck, this will be over in less than that,” Linda added. “Have you heard anything from the police?”
I shook my head. “I talked to my lawyer today. He said the police are still looking at the surveillance footage. The prosecutor’s office is investigating every aspect of my life. You should probably both expect a call.”
“I hope they call,” Linda insisted. “I’ll tell them you’re the last person who’d ever hurt a child.”
“Personally, I think Ben was behind it,” Melissa suggested. “I mean, think about it. How many people even knew that those snacks were there? And out of those people, who knew what Alfie was and wasn’t allergic to?”
“We sent home a list with the parents. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been hard for someone else to get their hands on it. As for the snacks, Ben, you guys, and Ethan were the only ones who knew about them.”
“So it had to be Ben,” Linda said matter of factly. “I don’t know how I’m going to send the kids to PE on Monday.”
“I know Ben being behind this makes sense. But I just can’t believe he’s capable of hurting a child. You’ve seen him with the students, Linda. He really cares about them. If he wanted to hurt me, he’d hurt me directly. Someone else is behind this. We just have to figure out who. Do you have any other ideas?”
They shook their heads in unison. I took another bite of my lo mein and chased it with the rest of my rum and coke before turning back to Linda.
“What’s the theory going around the school? Does everyone think I’m guilty?”
“If they do, they’ve been smart enough not to mention it to me. No one’s really talking about it at all, actually. But everyone’s taking extra precautions. The janitors changed out all of the classroom locks this week and a security company was there today adding more cameras. I think everyone’s assuming this was an outside job.”
“It had to have been,” I agreed. “We just have to figure out how everything connects.”
“That’s a chore for another day,” Melissa said, pouring us all another round. She passed me a drink and then reached for her oversized purse. She pulled out a gallon sized Ziploc bag full of every beauty product you could imagine.
“I know you feel like shit,” she explained. “I know because you look it. Maybe if we do something about that, you’ll start to feel better. We’re going to have a spa night. But first, you’ve got to take a shower.”
“You’ll feel so much better when you get out,” Linda insisted, a hand covering her mouth.
“Okay. I’m not the best at taking a hint, but I understand blunt sta
tements. There’s some precut cookie dough in my fridge. Why don’t you guys pop them onto a cookie sheet? I’ll go wash off this smell and then I’m all yours.”
***
My night with my friends made me feel better. But when I woke up alone in bed the next morning, the cloud of depression consumed me again. I’d started the school year feeling nothing but optimism about my future. And before the end of the first semester, my entire life had crumbled around me. Without my job or my boyfriend, I had no real reason to get out of bed. It didn’t help knowing I wouldn’t be able to make it down the block without someone snapping my picture. I spent another week hiding out at home, leaving only to meet with Frank. So far, there were no new developments in my case.
I forced myself to shower, do my hair, and put on makeup every day for the sake of not seeing the looks of concern on the faces of my family and friends. Everyone had taken to dropping by unannounced, and pretending to be fine was easier than telling the truth. Inside, I felt like I was dying.
Melissa’s advice kept echoing through my head and my heart ached to call Ethan. I compromised with myself and unblocked his number, but it was too late. Three days passed without a single call from him. I decided that as much as it hurt, it was probably best to let him go. But the thought of never seeing him again was more terrifying than anything else I was going through.
I was popping a single serve pot pie in the oven when the doorbell rang. It startled me and the top of my hand brushed against the hot rack.
“Son of a bitch,” I hissed, waving my stinging hand in the air. I rushed to the sink and ran my hand under cold water as panicked knocks filled the air.
“Emily?” Ethan called out. “Emily, are you okay?”
My heart raced as I turned off the faucet and grabbed a dishtowel. “I’m fine,” I called out. “I’m coming.”
I answered the door, still in shock that he was on the other side. His eyes lit up when he saw me, but then quickly shot to the cardboard box in his hands.
