by Aven Jayce
“So you went to Strozki’s Fine Chocolates at what time?”
“I have the receipt in my wallet at home. I’d say around eleven-thirty. It took a while to pick something out because I’d never really done anything like that before.”
“Like what?”
“Buy my wife chocolates.” Fuck. That sounds awkward as well. Like, I did something wrong and felt like shit, so I bought my wife a gift to cover my feelings of guilt. Fuckin’ A.
“Then?”
“Home. Got there after twelve.”
“Did you shower when you returned home?”
Fuck. I swallow hard. “Yes,” I respond in a dry voice.
“Do you normally shower in the afternoon?”
“You don’t have to answer that question,” my lawyer finally jumps in. Goddamn, I feel like he could’ve said that a few more times during this process.
“Mr. Everton, do you know if anyone saw you today during your drive through the city? Can anyone account for your whereabouts between the time you left your business and the time you arrived at Strozki’s?”
“No.”
“Hold on,” my lawyer turns to me. “You don’t know if anyone saw you or not. It’s possible. There’re a lot of people in this city.”
“Then yes, it’s possible,” I respond to the detective.
“I have one more question for you. Can you tell me what door your father used when he left the Scarlett this morning?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see him leave.” The words get caught in my throat and I expel a cough.
“But you were standing out front talking to the glass company. Correct?”
“Yes,” I take a sip of water, my hands still shaking like a scared dog.
“Is there another door he could’ve used besides the one in the back of your business? Or is that the only other way out?”
“Cove. Let’s stop here,” my lawyer says.
Thank God. Where the fuck did my father go earlier today, and why?
“What now?” I ask.
Detective Menendez gets a text and flashes a smile for the first time since she entered the room. Her front teeth are huge and remind me of Bugs Bunny. “Hold tight. I’ll return in a few minutes to discuss how we’ll proceed from here.”
She leaves and I exhale deeply.
“You did well, Cove.”
“What the fuck was that shit about? The questioning about my father?”
“I wouldn’t think too much about it. These were fairly standard questions. They want to know if anyone saw anything, and your father may have witnessed something out back without even knowing it.”
“This is completely ludicrous. Why would she do such a thing?”
“Cove, Ivy was raped by someone. She’s just not telling the police the truth about who it was.”
“I guess I’ll think twice before firing anyone else at the Scarlett. Jesus. I mean; I am truly sorry this happened to her, but this is my life she’s fucking with, and Sophia’s life as well.”
“Slow down and breathe. You haven’t been arrested and you’ll be home soon.”
Detective Menendez walks in and sets a file on the table as she shows her buckteeth with a scheming smile. “Well, the rape kit will take days before we have results, but we had someone use our new rapidHIT machine on the buccal swab taken from Ivy earlier. Results of swabs only take ninety minutes. We have a match with your DNA in our database, Mr. Everton.”
“No fucking way, I didn’t do this,” I push the file away and start to panic as my lawyer picks up the manila folder and opens it.
“Oh, shit,” he whispers and looks up at the detective then back to me. “Cove...”
“No way,” I shake my head in a panic, about to throw up. “No fucking way.”
The detective sits before me and takes my hand. “It’s not what you think. Miss Moore changed her story once we presented her with this information. She now says her attacker was a former boyfriend who followed her to the Scarlett this morning. He thought the two of you were together and went into a jealous rage. Ivy said it was him who shattered your front window.”
My head’s spinning. What’s happening? I can’t speak and my heart’s pounding. The only thing I can do is reach out to my lawyer for the folder. He places it in front of me and sighs. I open it. Slowly. I’ve done this hundreds of times at this station. Opening one folder after the next, seeing photos of myself, of other teenagers who worked for Paul, emails about hits on people, brutal sex videos, and other things from the porn industry which made my skin crawl, but nothing could prepare me for this. There are two pages. One contains lines... a bunch of dashes, set up in columns. I can’t read DNA samples, but someone has circled areas of the columns in pen. The second page...
“FUCK!” My hand grips my chair and in a split second it hits the wall, shattered to pieces. My lawyer stands and tries to calm me down, but I push past him and leave the room in a rush. There’s a hand on my shoulder as he catches up to me before I reach the lobby.
“Stop and calm yourself. Don’t do anything foolish.”
“Foolish? What the fuck does that even mean? Foolish?”
“Mr. Everton,” the detective cuts in. “Ivy deliberately made false accusations against you, which means you can...”
“Oh, shut the fuck up! Am I free to go? Are we finished here?” Two officers stand and prepare to take me down. I pant and pace, then apologize and continue out. I’m not about to get into a discussion about pressing charges or suing her, not after what I just saw.
I take the elevator down to the front check-in, huffing like a wild boar the entire way. My teeth grind... just wait, when I see my father... there, in the lobby... with my mother next to him and Sophia out front on her cell. How the fuck am I going to talk to him with them around? Fuck, shit, ass, piss, and hell.
I push forward, my legs shake and my hands tremble, I’m on fire and now we’re face-to-face.
“Cove, darling. Are you okay?” my mother kisses my cheek and wraps her arms around me, as my eyes stay glued to my father; not a blink or a smile sent his way.
“Fine mother,” I grumble in a sad attempt to hide my feelings. “Excuse us for just one moment.” I take my father by the arm and drag him down the hall into a private restroom. He takes a step away from me, scared shitless, as he should be. I’m livid.
“Do you know what the fuck I just saw?” I yell, as he raises his hands in an attempt to block my looming swing. “You do, don’t you? You motherfucker!” I’ve never acted or spoken to my father in such a way, but I’m sick to my stomach that he would do this to my mother and me, and he deserves far more than just a shout in the face.
“Keep your voice down, what’s going on?”
“Don’t fuck with me! I saw the fucking birth certificate, Dad. The detectives must have pulled it when they saw the DNA results. Your fucking name is on it! You fuck!”
“Cove, calm down. Please. Does Ivy know?”
“Goddammit!” I take him by the collar and push him into the wall. “Yes, she knows, why do you think she changed her story!”
“I didn’t know that was what happened. You have to calm down, son. Please. Your mother may hear.”
“How could you do this to her?” I repeat in an all-out rage. “How Dad, how could you do this?”
There’s a knock on the door and I hear my mother’s sweet voice. “Are my handsome men doing okay in there?” I release his shirt, run my hand through my hair, and take off in a quick pace through the small room. I want to slam my fist into something, and if the walls weren’t concrete, I would.
“We’re okay, Leondra, be out in a sec.” He tries to reach out for me, but I push his arm away.
“So, I was like, what... four? five? when you had a kid with Kaitlyn? You were cheating way back then? We weren’t good enough for you?” I lean against the wall and slide to the floor with my hands over my face. “Get out.”
“Cove.”
“Get the fuck out!” I shout a
nd push his hand away again. “How dare you act like you gave your entire heart and soul to me as a child when you had another family.”
“I didn’t see them. I never saw them,” he whispers.
“You make me sick. Don’t.” I raise my hand as my eyes well with tears. “Just don’t.” A tear rolls down my cheek, and then another.
“Cove?” Sophia’s voice echoes into the room with a light tap on the door.
“Go. Just go. Tell Sophia I’ll be right out,” I sniff. “We’ll have Haverty pick us up. I just need you far away from me.”
“I’m sorry.” His voice is soft as he unlocks the door and heads out.
I start to sob; unable to comprehend that this is happening. I’d never cheat on my wife. How could he lie to me and to my mother? How could he have a child and ignore her? I can’t believe I have a sister.
Tears continue to stream down my face as my chest heaves in a fight for air. My body is in a fit. I’m suffocating.
“Cove?” Sophia whispers. “Your dad left in a hurry; he said you weren’t feeling well. You okay? Can I come in?”
“No, give me a sec.”
“Are you sick? What’s going on?”
My hands cover my face in a sad attempt to get my shit together. I wipe my eyes and inhale, holding my breath for what seems like an eternity. But my emotions overpower my mind, and my chest convulses. I have a heartache that’s fiercer than the day my father was sentenced to twenty years in prison. I feel as though I’ve lost him again, only this time he’s the one who’s been deceptive.
“I’m coming in,” Sophia whispers.
“Just give me one more minute.”
There’s silence from the other side of the door. Fuck she’s been good lately. I long for her embrace, and yet I don’t want her to see me like this. She’s heard me break down before, but she’s never physically seen me lose my shit. How am I going to talk to her about this if I haven’t even had time to process it myself?
I splash cold water on my face and try and wipe my eyes free of tears. I look like hell. These emotions aren’t something I can suppress. Not this time. “Soph, call Haverty to pick us up, I’ll be right out.”
“Are you throwing up? Do you need some water?”
“Just call Haverty,” I say, as calmly as I can back to her. My hands clutch the porcelain sink and I take a moment to halt my erratic breathing. How could he do this? Breathe in. How do I keep this from my mother? Breathe out. What do I do about Ivy? Breathe in. Stay in control.
“Stay in control,” I whisper, as I open the door.
“Jesus, you’ve been crying. What happened? No one will tell me what’s going on.” She wraps her arms around me, and I kiss the top of her head, inhaling her scent as a way to pacify my soul.
“We need to talk, but in private. Can you wait ‘til we get home?”
“Only if you tell me everything’s okay.”
“With the accusation, yes. I’m not being charged with anything.”
“Oh, thank God,” she sighs a breath of relief. “But there’s something else?”
I close my eyes and nod.
“Are you okay?” she says softly. “Are we okay?”
“Yeah. You and I are fine. Let’s go home for a while and talk. The Scarlett will be open soon and I need to get my shit together, and this isn’t the place to do it.” I kiss her lips so she feels comforted and doesn’t push the conversation. I can tell she’s distraught over the allegation from Ivy, and the thought of losing me to a system she’s often heard me say can fuck an innocent man in the ass.
We wait outside for Haverty in an unfamiliar state of silence. He senses our discontent as soon as we enter the vehicle, and mentions only that the cops stopped by to speak with him, not pushing for any further information.
It starts to rain as he stops in front of our building. He helps Sophia to the front door, holding an umbrella over her head for the five second walk.
“That was nice of you, thanks Haverty.” My eyes close and I tilt my head back to feel the cold drips on my face in an attempt to clear my head. How am I going to start this conversation with Soph? My fists haven’t relaxed in hours and my knuckles are bone white.
“I have a feeling the two of you had a rough afternoon. You alright?” he asks.
“Yeah. Do me a favor and keep an eye on the Scarlett tonight. I may be a little late.” I reach my hand to him and he pulls me a step closer to his body.
“You off the hook?”
I nod and look back to Sophia who’s waiting in the lobby of our building.
“Listen, Buddy,” his tone serious and direct. “Don’t fucking think about heading to Kaitlyn’s place tonight. Not after this thing with Ivy. Give it a rest for a while.”
I nod again and he releases my hand.
“My mother will be around this evening, and I’ll send Sophia in as well. I need some time alone after I talk to her.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He stares into my eyes, which are probably still red from tears.
“Someday, maybe.”
“Well fuck. Just let me know when I can call you a dickhead again. The past twenty minutes have been hell.” He taps me on the shoulder and I send him my most appreciative smile; then head inside to my wife. I think both he and Soph can sense the severity of whatever happened at the station, but I’m stunned that they haven’t put my hand in a vice to get me to talk. My entire day feels like I’m trapped in another dimension.
With my arm around Sophia, my head in a knot like a twisted piece of metal in a tornado, and my palms still sweaty, we ride the elevator never saying a word. Thank God we don’t run into my parents along the way. I held back from hitting my father, and I cringe just thinking it even entered my mind; that I could be in such a rage that I would actually punch him, and yet the thought is still foremost in my mind.
I head straight for our kitchen and down a shot followed by a cold beer from the fridge.
“Cove, I can’t wait any longer. My stomach hurts and I’m having panic attacks trying to figure out what’s wrong. Talk to me, please.”
“Take a seat by the window and I’ll be right over.”
“Are you leaving me?”
“Soph, don’t be stupid right now. Sorry to be so blunt but you know I’d never leave you, and again, this isn’t fucking about you. What’s with the lack of confidence all of a sudden? It’s driving me mad, and I’m furious with my father right now, but also trying my best not to take it out on people around me, so do me a favor and don’t give me any ammunition for flying off the handle, alright?”
“Sorry,” she whispers. It’s clear by her body language as she drags her feet to the sofa that she’s concerned and hurt, and I could kick myself for being a dick to her. Plus, I think she’s got some PMS going on, at least it seems that way.
I hand her a beer and we take a minute to view the St. Louis Arch from our corner window sitting area. My fingers interlace with hers, and I kiss the back of her hand as an apology.
Haverty’s voice enters my head as I stammer to find a good way to begin. Fuck. Just grow some balls and say it. “My father cheated on my mother,” I whisper.
“What? You mean again? You told me he confessed his infidelity to you years ago, but it was just that one time.”
My eyes blur. I was strong the entire drive home; not wanting to be a pussy in front of Haverty, but if Soph and I are gonna spend a lifetime together, I’ll need to subject her to my weaker, lesser self from time to time.
“Cove?” she says, wiping my cheek. “Babe, please don’t cry.”
“This was years ago. Probably when I was just a little kid.”
“Whoa. What? I don’t understand. Why did this come out today?”
I chug my beer in a pathetic effort to halt my feelings. No fucking luck. I’m shattered.
“Hey... hey,” she kneels on the floor between my legs, sets my beer down, and takes both of my hands in hers. “Look at me. Stop drinking and talk to me, or I’ll act
like a bitch and piss you off to get you to open up. I know you talk non-stop when you’re angry at me, so if I need to...”
“Ivy dropped the charges because the DNA sample from her rape kit matched mine. They pulled her birth certificate and it had my father’s name on it. My fucking father’s name, Soph. Goddammit, that fucker,” my tone changes from a whimper to a rage as I stand and pace.
“What?” her voice barely audible as the words escape her mouth in a ghost-like puff of air. “What?”
“Ivy’s my half-sister.”
“What?”
“Exactly. What the fuck? Right?” The fury that builds inside feels bottomless, as though I could scream at the top of my lungs for days and still never feel any respite from the pain.
Her face changes quickly from one emotion to the next. Confusion... disbelief... sadness... and finally an eruption as crazed as mine. She’s at our main door in less than a second, and by the time I process her target, she’s halfway there.
“Soph, don’t.”
She races to my parent’s loft and bangs on the door.
“Wait.” I catch up to her, and clutch her wrist before she has a chance to knock again. But it’s too late. My mother opens the door and stands before us, appearing as bright and welcoming as ever.
“Sophia? Oh, Cove. Honey. It’s all over; everything’s going to be okay. You look so upset, both of you, get in here and talk to me.” I watch Sophia’s eyes soften as she realizes her mistake. She’d never hurt my mother, and now we’re in a tight spot.
“We had a difficult day,” Sophia whispers. My mother frowns and nods, then pulls her into a hug.
“I know, sweetheart. But, it’s over. Ivy came forward and did the right thing in the end. Poor girl. She must have been scared to death.”
“I just wanted to ask for some tissues. We’re out,” she requests. Good save. I’ve taught her well.
