by Julia Derek
I had only gotten through four additional pages when the phone rang an hour later.
“Dylan Whitman speaking.”
“Hello, Dylan, this is Leslie Parkinson,” an assertive female voice said in my ear. “I’m calling to talk about my first meeting with Nina. She agreed to sign a consent. Is this a good time?”
“Couldn’t be better.” I barely dared breathing.
“Great. Well, Nina certainly is a very bright girl. Who didn’t have an easy time growing up. It’s easy to understand why she’s developed a tough surface.”
“Okay. Does she seem to have been the victim of abuse?”
“Yes. But not the kind you suspected. As of this session, she hasn’t displayed any signs of ever having been sexually abused. She was bullied in high school, however, and I’m getting the sense that it was very bad.”
“She was bullied in high school? Really?”
“I gather you didn’t know,” Leslie said in a dry voice.
“No, I didn’t. That’s awful. I detest bullies… What did she say that made you think it was so bad?”
“She didn’t want to go into details. And nor will I when she does. She’ll have to tell you about it herself. All I can tell you is that apparently physical violence was involved and that she ended up at the hospital because of it.”
I sucked in a breath. “She ended up at the hospital? Jesus… It was that bad?”
“I’m getting the impression it was very, very bad. Frankly, I’m surprised she hasn’t already seen a therapist to deal with the emotional trauma. The school should have seen to it that she got one. A good one.”
“Do you think the bullying may have something to do with her being so scared of me sometimes? You know, with her suddenly trying to defend herself by pushing me off a mountain.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s too early to say. But I do think she’ll benefit tremendously from therapy. She’s open to it now and those are the patients who do the best. That mountain incident may have been a blessing in disguise.”
“A blessing in disguise?” How could it be a blessing in disguise?
“Yes,” Leslie said. “It made her realize she needs help. It would have probably taken her years to get to that point, otherwise. Maybe she would never have gotten to it.”
“So you think she’ll never do what she did to me again then? I shouldn’t be staying away from her, should I?” I closed my eyes and squeezed the receiver so hard I feared it might break as I awaited Leslie’s answer.
“As of right now, I couldn’t tell you. It’s much too early to make a definite prediction regarding that.”
Too early? But you’re supposed to be one of the best! I clenched my teeth so the thought wouldn’t accidentally slip out of my mouth. I took a deep breath to calm the frustration that threatened to overtake me; I would gain nothing by alienating this woman who had already gone way beyond what was expected of her. I knew I was lucky that she had been so open-minded and cooperative when I’d first explained the situation Nina and I were in.
“In terms of you staying away from her,” she continued, “that would be up to you. If you don’t feel comfortable being around her, you might want to consider not seeing her for a while.”
Another unhelpful answer. I decided to try another approach.
“What do you think it’ll take for her to recover from whatever it is that’s made her this way? Do you think it’s even possible?”
“It would be wrong of me to give you a definite answer to that since I really don’t know. It’s going to be up to her, her willingness to open up. To heal.”
Realizing I wouldn’t get the answer I wanted, I asked when the next session would be and thanked Leslie for her time.
My hand still on the receiver, I contemplated what to do next. The phone conversation with Leslie had been anti-climatic, to say the least, and if I’d found it hard to focus on reading my document before, now it was next to impossible. There was no point in trying to reach Nina and ask her how she felt the session had gone. She’d told me she’d go directly to work her dinner shift at the restaurant after therapy and would call me if she had time before. It was already a quarter past five, which meant she should be at work now.
Feeling the need to move around, I stood up. I should just head to the gym and workout for an hour before my early dinner meeting with a client that evening. Lifting some weights followed by a quick run always cleared my head. Then, when I was done with dinner, I could complete the document.
The health club was located only blocks away from my office. Twenty minutes later, I was in workout gear doing pull-ups on one of the squat racks on the big gym floor. I followed those by a few sets of heavy bench press. Shoulder presses came next, then some abdominals. I moved from one exercise to the next, lifting as much as I could make myself. When I was done with the weights and on my way to the treadmill, I was feeling much better already.
It was in the middle of my run, the time when all my best ideas came, that it dawned on me what I should do. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner. Since I now seriously doubted Nina was behind Emma’s murder, I should do my own little investigation of the matter. For example, I could easily ask around among our many mutual friends and acquaintances to see if I could dig up something of interest. The cops weren’t exactly getting anywhere and could use some help. It wouldn’t hurt them to get some of my inside knowledge of Emma’s life and doings. Maybe there were things going on I wasn’t aware of. No, not maybe. Since I hadn’t been a part of Emma’s life for several months, there were likely tons of things I wasn’t aware of.
Things that had to with one of my bosses and Emma’s boyfriend, the mysterious and tight-lipped Hugo Reiss. Who had after all thrown her out of his apartment, callously dumping her, the night before the murder.
Nina
“Do you want to tell me about it?” Dylan said to me over the phone the next day. Talking about what had happened during my first therapy session with Dylan had been easier than I’d thought. In fact, the more we talked, the more comfortable I felt. Until now, when we’d gotten to the point when Leslie and I discussed me having been bullied. The words were getting stuck in my throat now.
“Um,” I managed to get out. “Didn’t Leslie tell you the gist of it already? I told her it was okay if she did.”
“All she told me was that physical violence was involved and that you ended up at the hospital. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Jesus, Nina! I’m so sorry you had to go through that. That’s just awful. Were… were you at the hospital for long?”
“No. The coma only lasted a day, so I was discharged soon after that.” Please, let’s change the subject now.
“Wait, what did you say? You were in a fucking coma?”
“Yeah…” God, I hated talking about what had happened. Every time the subject was brought up, I just felt like crying and this time was no different. But I thought I owed Dylan some kind of a report of what we’d been talking about during the session, and if he wanted to know more about what had happened after the beating, I should tell him. Even if it sucked.
“Why were you in a coma, Nina? Were… were you beaten?
“Yes.”
I could tell that Dylan was breathing faster, his tension palpable as it traveled over the phone line. Warm tears were streaming down my cheeks now. Why was I crying? I didn’t get it. It was years ago since this had happened. I should be over it by now. I never thought about the actual beating any longer, not even when my eyes found Hannah’s photo. All I thought about then was why we’d ended up getting beaten in the first place. I did my best to make sure Dylan didn’t notice my state of mind by breathing through my mouth. The last thing I wanted was to talk about why I was crying like this.
“I’m so, so sorry this happened to you,” Dylan said finally. “It must have been terrible. I hope you sued Beverly High for negligence.”
As quietly as I could, I took a deep breath to contro
l myself. I hadn’t bothered to tell Dylan Beverly Hills High was only the school to which I’d transferred after my awful year at Harvard Westlake. And, at the moment, I didn’t feel like correcting him. I cleared my voice, blocking the mouth piece of the receiver so Dylan wouldn’t suspect my tears. “We did, but we didn’t win.”
“Really? That sounds unbelievable. You must not have had a good legal team. Or the school must’ve had a great one.”
“I’m pretty sure it was cause the school had a great one.” Okay, that was as much as I could handle for today. We’d have to continue the conversation regarding this subject some other time. Or never. But I doubted that would be the case. The best I could hope for was postponement. I made my voice light. “Did you find out anything about what your boss might have been up to yet?”
Dylan had texted me yesterday that he was launching his own investigation into Emma’s life in an attempt to help solve the murder. He’d mentioned his suspicions regarding Hugo Reiss in the text.
“No, I’ve been slammed at work all day. As soon as I finish the contract I’m currently working on, I’ll talk to some of the people here at the office and see what’s up.”
“I can’t believe she dumped you for your boss. It’s just too much. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to work with him after that.”
Dylan exhaled. “Yeah, it was pretty tough. But I’m okay with it now.” His voice softened. “More or less since I met you, actually…”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Really? Well, I’m glad I’ve been of some help to you, not just a nuisance.”
“Yeah, that part was pretty convenient.” I could hear the smile in Dylan’s voice.
An awkward silence followed that I quickly ended by saying, “So, what exactly makes you think he might have something to do with her death?”
“She said he threw her out of the apartment because he thought she annoyed him. I don’t know Reiss that well—at all actually—but from what I do know, it doesn’t sound like something he’d do. He’s a pretty relaxed person. It seems weird he’d just throw her out—dump her—because she got on his nerves. I’m thinking that she was lying about that last part at least. There must have been more to it.”
“Okay. But didn’t the cops say the murder seemed unplanned?”
“Yes, seemed being the operative word there. It’s been three weeks since the murder and it doesn’t look like they’re getting anywhere. So, if you ask me, they don’t really know what they’re doing.”
“Interesting.”
“Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’m having a meeting with a client in a couple of minutes. Will I see you later?”
“Yes. I’ll be ready for you at nine. Don’t be late, my roommate’s back at ten.”
“I won’t. Well, that gives me something to look forward to…” I could hear another smile in Dylan’s voice. Smiling myself, I said good-bye and disconnected.
Dylan
After my client meeting, I hung around the office to see if I could get a chance to talk to Reiss’s executive assistant, Laura. She was a friendly girl who’d seemed to have a thing for me since the day she started working there. As soon as I became aware of this fact, I’d avoided her as much as possible. But today I would use it to my advantage, flirt with her a little. With the right approach, I might find out all kinds of stuff about Reiss and Emma. What had really gone on between them. I was glad now I’d never told Laura that, practically days before Emma showed up in the office to visit Hugo, she had been my girlfriend.
Seeing Laura sitting at her desk outside Hugo’s huge corner office, I sauntered up to her. The red-haired twenty-two-year-old was as usual wearing a suit that, instead of sharp and professional, made her look like a little girl playing dress-up in her mother’s clothes. At the sight of me, a big grin burst forth on her bright face, charming dimples forming at the ends of the grin.
“Hi Dylan!”
Great. She was clearly into me still. I gave her my best smile.
“Hi there, Laura. Do you mind if sit here?” I touched the edge of her desk.
“No, of course not! Please have a seat.”
I perched at the edge. “So, what have you been up to lately? Going on dates?”
Her porcelain-white skin instantly turned pink and she giggled. “Not really.”
I tilted my head and gave her a surprised look. “Really? I’d think a girl as pretty as you would have a date with a different guy most days of the week.”
She turned, if possible, even pinker. “No, I’m not dating anyone.”
“Wow, guys are missing out… How’s work?” I lowered my voice and leaned toward her. “Hugo getting on your case a lot? I know he can be tough.”
“No, he’s okay. He’s a good boss.”
“I’m glad you think so. How long have you been with the company now? You started at the beginning of the year, right?”
“Yes. So almost ten months now.”
“Wow, that long, huh! Time sure flies. It feels like you started just yesterday. What exactly does Hugo have you do anyway? I’ve noticed you’re in his office a lot during client meetings. His previous assistants were hardly ever in there with him. He must really like you.” I winked at her.
“Yeah, we do get along well.” She smiled prettily. “Mostly, I make sure his schedule is working smoothly. He’s a very busy man, so it’s a lot of work actually.”
I gave her a penetrating glance. “I can imagine… And is it?”
She let out another giggle, more nervous now. “His schedule?”
I nodded.
“Yes, I think so. Though, lately, it’s been a little rougher what with his girlfriend being murdered.” She gazed at me with big eyes. “Did you hear what happened to her, the poor thing?”
I shook my head like I had no clue.
“She was murdered at this club on Sunset. Strangled… Isn’t it terrible?”
Again, I shook my head. “That is terrible. When was this? And is it the same girl that came to visit him many months ago? That tall, blond girl?”
“Yes, that’s her. Emma. She was murdered like three weeks ago. Hugo has been so upset since then. I feel so bad for him.”
I wrinkled my brows. “He’s upset? Really?” If Hugo had thrown Emma out of his apartment, breaking up with her, I didn’t think he’d be all that upset. Especially not if he was the reason she was murdered in the first place. My boss must be a better actor than I had given him credit for.
Laura looked taken aback. “Yeah, of course he’s upset. Wouldn’t you be?”
Realizing my faux-pas, I quickly rearranged my face to appear more sympathetic. “Yes, yes, of course. Those were stupid questions for me to have asked. I suppose I just didn’t think Hugo was the kind of person to display emotions at work. I was wrong.”
“Oh, it’s not that strange. I mean, it’s not like he’s walking around crying openly.” Laura stole a few furtive glances around us before adding in a whisper, “But I did catch him crying when he was reading about her in the news. I think he forgot I was supposed to come back to his office with coffee for him.”
“Really? He was crying? No wonder he’s seemed a bit edgy lately. He must be in a lot of pain.”
“Yeah, it sure looks like it.” Laura’s phone rang then. I used the interruption as an excuse to end the conversation. I’d gotten enough for now, but instead of feeling more convinced Reiss was behind Emma’s death somehow, I was less sure. And that was not good.
Nina
I had asked Ricki to come over to help prepare me for my date later that evening with Dylan. Ricki was a master with curling irons and I had decided I wanted spirals in my hair tonight. Not wanting Ricki to come over just to do my hair, I cooked an early dinner for her—Pierogis. My mother had taught me to make this Eastern European dish to perfection and Ricki, whose parents were from Eastern Europe—Ukraine—loved Pierogis. The fact that we originated from the same part of the world was one of the reasons we had connected so quickly w
hen we’d met at a coffee house a couple years earlier.
Ricki rolled the first of my dark locks around the hot iron rod.
“So you think he’s right?” she said, meeting my eyes in the full-length mirror before us from where she was standing behind me. We were discussing the latest regarding Emma’s murder.
“Let’s hope so,” I said. “He does have a point that it is a bit weird the police haven’t come up with a single suspect yet.” I smirked. “Except for me, that is.”
“Right. That is a bit weird. The LAPD must really suck. I still can’t believe that detective came over to me, thinking you could’ve had anything to do with the murder. That’s like insane.”
“Ouch!” My hand flew up and landed on top of Ricki’s that had taken a firm grip of some of my hair. “Not so hard, please. I’d like to keep all my hair, thank you very much.”
Ricki immediately slackened her grip. “Sorry! Anyway, I definitely straightened him out.”
I grinned at her via the mirror. “I can only imagine.” A beat passed during which both of us were silent. “Thanks for believing in my innocence, by the way. I don’t think I ever thanked you for that. It does mean a lot to me.”
“Don’t even mention it. It’s not a matter of believing. I know you’re innocent. You’re not capable of murdering anyone.” Ricki paused. “Well, except for by accident maybe… But strangling someone with a chain could not have happened by accident. Especially not as drunk as you were. I mean, you could barely stand up! That detective must’ve also realized that, not to mention what kind of a person you are after he spent some time with you. Which is why he no longer suspects you.”
“I’m sure the lack of evidence and witnesses played into his decision.”
“That’s a good point. Which means my conviction is not just based on a gut feeling. But I’m still glad all of this happened since it made you start therapy. After what you’ve been through, you really need it. What’s even better is that you don’t have to pay a dime for it.” Ricki gave a knowing smile and wiggled her eyebrows. “Well, for now.”
