Free Falling

by Moseley, Kirsty

  “I know who it is,” I replied confidently. DI Neeson’s eyebrow rose in question, her pen hovered over her paper. “Sandy Watson.” Luke let his breath out in a slow sigh, his hand stroking the side of my hip.

  DI Neeson scribbled down the name on the paper as she spoke, “And what makes you sure that it is Sandy Watson?” she questioned, studying me carefully. I sighed deeply and launched into telling her everything – Luke cheating, me calling Sandy a dirty tramp at the party, us arguing in the school hallway, her wanting Luke for herself and her admitting that us breaking up wasn’t nearly enough for her. Throughout the whole thing the inspector looked from me to Luke. She didn’t look overly convinced, and I grew more frustrated with every passing second. It seemed that no one was going to take my suspicions seriously.

  “So you didn’t see her write on your locker or post the note through?” she asked. I shook my head in answer. “And when you confronted her about the note, she didn’t confirm that it was her that sent it?”

  I frowned. “Well no, but she’s the only one that has an obvious problem with me. You asked if anyone has a grudge against me and she’s the only one,” I countered defensively. Somehow I felt now that she was thinking I had some sort of grudge against Sandy instead and was trying to get her into trouble. I hated that no one was taking it seriously just because she was a silly teenage girl. Yes, it did seem a little farfetched that the head cheerleader would be starting this hate campaign against me, but there was no one else, so it had to be her.

  DI Neeson nodded thoughtfully, seeming to be choosing her words. “We’ll look into it. At this stage there is nothing but guessing involved so we have to tread carefully. I’ll look into everything, you can rest assured on that.” She motioned to the box and contents that sat at her side having already been placed in clear plastic bags when they arrived. “We’re going to take the notes, box, card and flowers in for evidence. I’d like you to have a think about who may have touched the items. We’ll have to take fingerprints from anyone that has come into contact with the items so we can rule them out of any evidence we collect from the box.” She stood up and ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook, holding it out to me with a pen. “I’m going to bag the rest up and also take prints from the front and back door handles, and also your bedroom. While I’m doing that I’d appreciate it if you could compile the list of names that have had contact with each item.”

  “Okay.” I looked down at the paper, my mind a blank as to where to start.

  Luke was obviously more on the ball than I was because he took the pen and paper off of me, immediately sectioning it off into columns and then looking up at me expectantly. “So, other than me and you, who touched the box? You said that Alex signed for it, so obviously he touched the outer wrapper. Did you show the box to anyone else?”

  I smiled gratefully because, yet again, he was being my rock and making everything easier for me. I sat back against the soft cushions of the sofa, and together we drew up a list of anyone that had touched any of the offending items.

  Alex came back with the male cop a few minutes later, announcing that the spare key was actually missing. The perpetrator had obviously used it and then kept it after. That knowledge made a little shiver tickle down my spine. Sandy was obviously unhinged at the moment to have taken it this far, who knows how far she would take this and what else she would do. Her having the key meant that she could come back at any time. Maybe this time she’d hurt my brother, parents, or me. I’d never felt so vulnerable and exposed as I did when that thought occurred to me.

  When the police lady was told about the key being missing she immediately put in a call to have the locks in our house changed. After they finished dusting the doors for prints and bagging everything up in clear plastic bags, Alex, Luke and I had our fingerprints done to rule them out of whatever they found on the items.

  Finally, after almost an hour of going over everything, I was physically and emotionally exhausted.

  DI Neeson smiled softly, raising one eyebrow. “Is there somewhere else you two could stay tonight? The locksmith can’t come until morning. Maybe it’s best if you make alternative arrangements.” She finally clicked the lid of her pen so I knew that they had everything they needed. “Stay with relatives perhaps?” she continued.

  Luke smiled at me sadly, squeezing my hand gently. “They can both stay at mine.”

  Alex seemed to stiffen at Luke’s words, a frown covered his forehead as he grunted what I assumed was an agreement.

  I let out a deep sigh as a wave of gratitude and love crashed over me for Luke. “Thanks,” I mumbled, stroking his knuckle with my thumb.

  The police lady stood up and shoved her notebook into her pocket. “I’ll put in a call to the veterinary clinic and put a rush on the toxicology report for your dog.” She shifted on her feet as Alex stood up, holding out a hand for her to shake. “I’ll be in touch tomorrow. If you or your parents have any concerns then call me. You have my number. Call me any time if you think of anything else.”

  I nodded in agreement and Alex showed them out, leaving me with Luke in the lounge. I sighed. My eyes were already getting heavy. The emotions of the day were weighing down on my and all I wanted to do was sleep.

  “You want to pack a bag to bring to mine?” Luke asked softly.

  I forced a smile and nodded, but in reality I didn’t want to. Packing a bag meant going into my room, and I didn’t really want to do that. Knowing that someone had been in there was a little unnerving and I didn’t really want to have to face that again. I knew I was just being silly, I knew that no one was in the house because Luke and the police had searched every nook and cranny of it, but just the knowledge that someone had been in my room kind of made the space seem a little sinister to me.

  I gulped, hoping Luke wouldn’t think I was being stupid. “Will you come with me? I don’t really want to go in there on my own,” I mumbled, glancing towards the stairs as dread settled into the pit of my stomach.

  Luke didn’t say anything, just stood up and took my hand, pulling me gently to my feet. Sighing deeply, I let him lead me out of the room. Alex was just closing the front door as we stepped into the hallway. “We’re gonna go pack an overnight bag of Maisie’s stuff; maybe you could do the same with your things?” Luke suggested.

  Alex nodded, his shoulders stiff, obviously not liking the fact that he had to accept help from my cheating ex-boyfriend. I had a feeling that if there were any other choice that Alex would insist we take it so that he didn’t have to play nice with Luke.

  As my weary legs carried me up the stairs, I purposefully kept my mind preoccupied with what I would need to pack so that I wouldn’t think about the sound that Chester’s dog tag had made when it slid out of the card and hit the floor, or the fact that the intruder had kept the key – possibly with the sole purpose of coming back at a later date.

  When I stepped in my room my eyes darted to my bed as if I was expecting the card to still be there or something. My breathing faltered as my heart seemed to stutter in my chest. It was all a little overwhelming. The emotions and fear were all bubbling up to the point where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to smash my room into pieces out of anger, or curl into a ball and cry until I had no tears left.

  I gulped, my eyes prickling again as my chin wobbled. Luke’s hand tightened on mine as his other hand slipped under my chin, pulling gently and forcing my face round to meet his. His soft brown eyes were kind and caring as he looked at me. “Everything will be fine, baby. Let’s just grab your things and leave. You’ll feel better once you’ve had some sleep, you’re exhausted,” he cooed, bending and planting a soft, tender kiss on my forehead.

  I closed my eyes and nodded, knowing he was right. I was dead on my feet and just longed for this day to be over with. I forced myself into action, grabbing my pyjamas and a change of clothes for the following day, while Luke went into my bathroom and collected my wash things. We were done within a couple of minutes. Alex was done a li
ttle while after, and so we locked the house and headed to Luke’s house for the night with Alex following behind in his own car.

  As the automatic wrought iron gates of Luke’s house rolled open, I hugged myself against the cold night. “Your parents home?” I asked, frowning up at the dark house, not seeing any signs of life there.

  He shook his head. “Nope. They’re in Germany. They won’t be back for another two weeks.” He shrugged, not seeming bothered by the fact that he spent weeks and weeks alone with only his housekeeper to keep him company.

  He pulled his car up in front of the expansive house and cut the engine. Alex’s car rolled up behind us and stopped too. My body was so tired that I didn’t really want to move, but I had to. I forced myself out of the car, smiling at Alex’s awed expression. He had never been to Luke’s house before and was clearly impressed at the sheer size of it.

  “This is where you live?” Alex asked as we made our way up to the front door.

  “Yeah. It’s a little small, huh?” Luke joked, pulling out his keys and letting us into his house.

  Alex chuckled quietly. “Not small, more… poky,” Alex replied. His eyes went wide as we stepped into the house and he caught his first glimpse of the high ceilings, the expensive wood floors, and the original art on the walls. No doubt I’d had the same shocked and awed expression when I first stepped in here a couple of years ago too. At first this house impressed me, but the more I came here, seeing it empty and devoid of any life and loving memories, the more it felt like just bricks and mortar. I could easily understand why Luke preferred to spend time at my house that was always filled with people, chatter and laughter.

  I stifled a huge yawn, looking longingly at the stairs, desperately needing to lie down because my legs were going to give out any minute. Luke noticed my yawn and placed his hand on the small of my back. “You can take my room. I’ll sleep in the green room next door, and Alex can have the blue room,” he suggested, raising one eyebrow as if asking if that was alright.

  “I don’t want to kick you out of your room,” I muttered. In reality, actually, I did want to kick him out of his room. His room was familiar to me, it was comforting, I needed that comfort and reassurance right now.

  He smiled and leant in, planting a kiss on my forehead. “Just go to bed, baby.”

  I nodded, not having it in me to argue with him about it. My weary legs carried me up the familiar stairs and down the hallway until I got to Luke’s bedroom door. Behind me and down the stairs, I could hear Luke showing Alex where the kitchen was obviously giving him a little tour so he could get his bearings.

  I didn’t hesitate before twisting the handle and stepping into the bedroom. It was just as I remembered it. The pictures of us together were still dotted around every surface, the chair in the corner of his room was still covered in books and magazines, like usual. The deep red throw and plush cushions that I had helped him pick out, still lined his bed. With everything crazy that was going on around me, I loved that the room was practically the same as when I’d last stepped into it. It seemed to be one of the only things that hadn’t been changed recently. I loved his room.

  After switching the lights so that his bedside lamp was on instead of the ceiling lights, I slipped out of my clothes and pulled on my pyjamas. Exhausted, I climbed into his bed, carefully folding his throw back to the foot of the bed. Settling back into the pillows, my hand hesitated as it reached out to turn off the lamp. I hadn’t shut his drapes so it wouldn’t be completely pitch black in here, but I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to turn off the light. I had a feeling that I would start to imagine things, not nice things, about Chester, and about Sandy sneaking into my house, touching my things, leaving me that horrible card.

  I gulped, deciding to leave the light on for the night. I rolled over, seeing a photo frame holding a picture of me and Luke from a school dance last year. The smiles in the photo made my heart ache. The way he was looking at me in the photo was pure adoration, happiness and love. A smile crept onto my face as memories of us dancing, kissing, talking and laughing came back to mind. I missed the way his arms were wrapped around me in that photo.

  Sighing, I forced myself to close my eyes and tried to sleep. It was after midnight already and today had felt mind-numbingly long. Unfortunately, I couldn’t switch my mind off. Memories started to haunt me. Chester as a puppy, Chester yapping excitedly as he ran up the hallway, him chewing up my socks and chasing a ball. When my thoughts turned to someone sneaking into my house, a shiver ran down my spine that made me clutch the sheets tightly in my fists and grit my teeth. Although I didn’t want it to, my overactive imagination was already playing out scenarios of someone, either Sandy or some other deranged person, wanting to hurt me and my family. I started to wonder if the person who had snuck into my house, had maybe stayed, hidden in the shadows while the police were there. Had they followed us to Luke’s house? Were they outside watching the house right now, maybe plotting to hurt Luke in some way too?

  Before I knew what I was doing, I’d thrown back the sheets and climbed out of the bed. The thoughts were making my head spin, and I needed a distraction from it. Being on my own wasn’t helping at all. I’d barely managed to make it an hour on my own before I was slipping out of the room and creeping towards the green bedroom that was right next door.

  Luke sat up in bed as I opened the door and stepped into the room he was occupying for the night. A worried expression crossed his face. I didn’t speak as I closed the door and made my way across to the bed, slipping in next to him and pulling the sheets up around my shoulders.

  His eyes were tight as his hand reached out to caress the side of my face. “You okay?”

  I shook my head, fighting against the tears that pooled in the corners of my eyes. “No,” I muttered. “Can I sleep in with you tonight?”

  A sad smile crossed his face as he laid back down, spreading out his arm so that I could cuddle up against him. I smiled gratefully because he wasn’t asking me to explain anything; it was like he understood how I was feeling, deeming words unnecessary.

  I snuggled against his side, letting his warmth cover me in a cloak of safety and protectiveness. His familiar smell made my skin prickle as I pressed myself against him, hiding my face in the crook of his neck. His arm wrapped around me, clamping me tightly at his side as I closed my eyes, already feeling sleep pulling at the edges of my system.

  I focussed on his breathing and the feel of his fingers as they ran through the back of my hair. Just as sleep was about to take over, he spoke, “Baby, do you really think it was Sandy?” he asked quietly.

  I frowned and tilted my head back so that I could look at him. I didn’t really know how to answer that question. On the one hand, yes I thought it was her. She was the only one that I could think of with a grudge against me. But something was nagging at me, some part of me that doubted that she would take it that far. Would she seriously be this unhinged just because she wanted my boyfriend? The police had seemed to think my concerns were nothing much to go on either, which didn’t help with the certainty I felt earlier in the day. Maybe it was finally time for me to admit that this may be more serious than just a silly little girl who was jealous of the fact that I was dating someone that she wanted. The more I thought about it, the more I started to doubt that it would be her. But somehow it made it easier for me to cope with if I had a face to put with the anger and fear. It made it a little more bearable to think that it was just a jealous schoolgirl that was doing all of these things. A silly, jealous schoolgirl was far less frightening than admitting that a faceless, nameless, someone was trying to hurt me, and possibly my family.

  I nodded awkwardly, not liking that I was suddenly starting to doubt my instincts. “Yeah.”

  Luke chewed on his lip, seeming to be choosing his words carefully. “But she wouldn’t though, surely,” he mumbled. I shrugged, not wanting to talk about it anymore. I was eager for sleep so this day would be over with already. “I was thinking e
arlier… what about that Zach guy?” Luke asked, raising one eyebrow.

  I snorted and chuckled at the absurdity of his suggestion. “Zach?”

  He nodded, his nose crinkling with distaste. “Yeah, I don’t like that guy. There’s something majorly wrong about him,” he muttered.

  I grinned and rolled my eyes, already knowing what this was about. “You’re just being jealous.”

  “No I’m not,” he scoffed, shaking his head in rejection.

  I snuggled up against him again, laying my arm across his chest. “Yes you are,” I mused.

  It was quiet again for a few seconds as he obviously pondered on that thought. Finally, he sighed. “Okay, I’m jealous,” he admitted. “I don’t like him. I don’t like the way he’s just waltzed in here and carved out a place in your life. I don’t like you spending time with him.”

  I sighed deeply, knowing he was being honest and that I should appreciate that rather than scolding him for it. “You don’t need to be jealous,” I assured him truthfully. There was nothing romantic between me and Zach at all.

  He frowned, wrapping a lock of my hair around his finger. “This isn’t just about me being jealous though, I was being serious. I mean, how much do you even know about him? He came out of nowhere, and everything was fine before he showed up. This all started after he arrived. That can’t just be a coincidence,” he countered. His brown eyes bore into mine, reasoning with me silently. I gulped, swallowing the lump that was rapidly forming in my throat as Luke carried on speaking. “You told the police that you didn’t go to Zach’s place until four and that you were in the library before that. Well, what was he doing while you were there? He could have,” he swallowed loudly, “poisoned Chester, and then came back to pick you up after. He had time to do that,” he explained. “Did he know about your spare key?” he asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

  My mind was racing. Luke was right, Zach had said that there was something he needed to do straight after school and that our tutoring would have to wait. What was so important? Was it poisoning my dog? And the key question… he did know about the key because I’d used it while I was with him on Friday night. Luke’s question was ringing in my ears – how much did I know about Zach? The answer was not much. He was an incredibly mysterious person; he was sometimes a little weird and evasive. And yes, he did have the time and the knowhow to get into my house…