Home to Whiskey Creek (12 page)

12

T
he game was packed. Friday-night football was a big deal in Whiskey Creek, especially
this
year. After a decade of losing seasons, they finally had another good team.

Addy had done what she could to conceal her black eye and bruises with makeup, but they still elicited comments from almost every customer. She told herself that would end once the whole town had a chance to express their surprise and dismay, but repeating the details of her abduction, and insisting she didn’t know who was responsible, grew old quickly—mainly because everyone told her that Shania couldn’t provide an alibi for Aaron. Shania wasn’t saying she
hadn’t
been with him, but she wasn’t committing to any particular hours on any particular night.

Addy wondered if Chief Stacy was going to arrest him. She hoped not. There was no forensic proof.

After the first hour, Gran told her she should take a break and go watch the game for a bit, but Addy wasn’t about to leave the booth. Savannah and Misty Busath were smart girls, plenty capable of handling any business that came their way while she was gone, but circulating would only make her more vulnerable to the curious.

“I’m fine,” she told her. “No problem.”

“I don’t want you on your feet too long,” Gran said. “I just thought it would be fun for you to get out of the house.”

“It
is
fun.” Addy sent another surreptitious glance through the crowd of people passing by. She was so busy studying every male face that Noelle Arnold was standing right in front of her before she realized who it was.

Of course, she might not have recognized Noelle even if she
had
been paying more attention to women. She guessed Noelle had had a nose job, at the very least. Somehow, her whole face looked different.

“So you like the necklace?”

Addy’s hand went to the Courage pendant hanging from around her neck. “I do. Thank you. I’ve been meaning to call. But my life’s been crazy the past couple of days, what with—”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she broke in. “You don’t have to explain. I understand what it’s like when you’re dealing with personal problems.” She lowered her voice for emphasis. “
Believe
me, I’ve been there.”

Everyone blamed
her
for her own problems. They blamed her for Kyle’s problems, too. But Addy was trying hard not to judge. Whatever had happened between Kyle, Olivia and Noelle was none of her business. “It was nice of you. Truly.”

She smiled. “Actually, I can’t take all the credit. Derek bought it. I just picked it out.”

Addy’s breath caught in her throat. “Derek?”

“Rodriguez. You remember him, don’t you?”

Addy’s nails cut into her palms. “Not really. We weren’t friends.” And they never would be....

“He says he knows
you.
” She leaned over the counter as if she had a juicy secret to share. “He’s hoping you’ll go out with him sometime.”

“Why would he want that?”

Noelle blinked at Addy’s deadpan tone. “Because he thinks you’re hot!”

No one had found her particularly attractive in high school. She’d been so shy that she’d hidden behind her hair, her schoolbooks and plain, unremarkable clothing. He couldn’t have been referring to the Adelaide he’d known back then. So when would he have seen her since?

Kevin was the only one she’d run into since coming home.

Unless...

Noelle was still talking. “He asked me to tell you about the calendar we’re doing. I’m on the cover. But he said you could be Miss June, if you want.”

Sudden nausea made Addy long to sit down. “What calendar are you talking about?”

“You know...one of those sexy swimsuit issues.”

“And why would he want
me
to be Miss June?”

“He said it’d be cool to have you pose in a guy’s baseball jersey—and nothing else,” she whispered with a wink. “He says all the guys who used to play for Eureka High will want one.”

Addy grabbed the support beam to steady herself.

“Noelle, we have customers here,” Gran said. “Can’t you see we’re trying to work?”

The interruption saved Addy from having to come up with a response.

“Sorry.” Noelle passed Addy a card. “Here’s the URL where you can see the calendar so far.”

Addy glanced at it, expecting to see the URL from her attacker’s sweatshirt. It wasn’t there.

Gran frowned at the fact that Noelle had passed her something but she didn’t comment. She was trying to help the man behind Noelle, since Noelle didn’t seem to care that she was holding up the line. Thanks to a sudden flurry of traffic, the Busath girls were also busy.

“Derek’s number’s on the back,” Noelle called as she moved away. “Feel free to contact him. He’s not paying for talent this time around. But...it’s a start. And it’ll give you something for your portfolio, in case you’d like to do some modeling.”

Noelle blended into the crowd milling about the snack bar and Addy, too shaken up to bother with the clasp, yanked on the necklace she was wearing in an effort to get it off as soon as possible.

“I’d like a chocolate chip cookie, please.”

Addy had Derek’s gift in her palm, the chain now broken, before it registered that she had a little boy staring up at her. “What did you say?”

He looked at her as if she had to be crazy to break her own necklace and picked up a chocolate chip cookie wrapped in plastic with a Just Like Mom’s logo on top. “I want one of
these.
”

Unable to bear the idea of touching anything that had come from Derek, she tossed the Courage necklace in the garbage.

“You don’t want that?” the boy asked.

She didn’t answer. “That’ll be two dollars,” she told him, and accepted his crumpled bills.

She was glad when he was gone, but there were others behind him. She served several people, moving mechanically while asking herself if Derek was the one who’d broken into her bedroom.

“Hi, Addy!” A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Eve Harmon, whom she’d spoken to earlier at Black Gold Coffee.

“Hi, Eve. What can I get for you?”

Eve seemed slightly disappointed that Addy was all business. Addy had been so eager to become friends when they were teenagers that Eve probably wondered why she was so distant now. But Addy wasn’t about to form any more ties to this place, especially with someone so tightly connected to Noah.

“I’ll have a couple of lemon bars, three cookies and a popcorn ball.” She glanced wistfully at the long line curving around the snack bar. “Ted wanted me to get a hot dog, too, but...it’s almost half time and I don’t want to miss the show.”

“They have quite a celebration planned,” Gran said. The crowd, which ebbed and flowed, had dwindled enough that Savannah and Misty could handle the line.

“What are they doing this year?” Addy asked.

Eve paid Gran for the treats she’d ordered. “You didn’t see the paper?”

“Not the last one. I was too busy moving.”

“It’s a special tribute to the team that took state fifteen years ago. Coach Nobis is leaving for Arizona. They want to recognize him before he goes.” Her voice softened. “And they’re retiring Cody Rackham’s number. That’s why I came.”

“Is Mayor Rackham here, too?” Addy asked, but not because she wanted to see Noah’s father. She’d been dreading the moment she’d have to face him and his wife almost as much as the moment when she might be confronted by Kevin, Derek or her other rapists.

“He’ll be saying a few words. So will Noah.”

“I must’ve read the paper too quickly,” Gran said. “I didn’t know he’d be speaking.”

“Cody and Noah completed more passes than any other quarterback/receiver duo in the history of the school,” Eve explained.

“They could play almost any sport,” Addy said, remembering.

Gran gave her a nudge. “
You
were here when that team did so well. Why don’t you go sit with Eve so you can watch the show?”

Addy shook her head. She remembered the excitement the entire student body had felt when their football team won so many games. There were other good players, but Cody and Noah,
the twins
, were the highlight of the team. They’d been standouts on the baseball diamond, as well. “There’ll be more people wanting to buy from us during half than at any other time. You need me here.”

“Our mother’s already planning to help,” Misty volunteered.

“She’s got my aunt with her. So they’ll both be here,” Savannah chipped in.

“See?” Gran pushed her toward the exit. “We’ll be fine. Go get reacquainted with your old friends, take a rest. I don’t want you to overdo it, anyway, not after the past week.”

“I’m fine,” Addy argued, but Gran insisted and the next thing she knew she was walking to the stands with Eve.

* * *

“Those bruises are looking better,” Ted said as he slid over to make room for her.

Addy smiled. Of all Noah’s friends, she knew Ted the least. He hadn’t played sports. He’d been president of the student body, captain of the debate team and was voted most likely to become a politician. That she didn’t know him actually made it more comfortable to be around him because, to her, he felt neutral. “They’ll go away eventually.”

He shifted his attention to Eve, who was handing out the baked goods. “Where’s my dinner?” he asked.

Riley didn’t seem happy, either. “Oh, man! You didn’t bring any dogs?”

“I didn’t want to miss half time,” Eve said. “Have Jacob go get some.”

“He’s messing around with his friends.” Riley stood and peered over the crowd, searching for his son. “I can’t get him to answer his phone. I doubt he can even hear it.”

“There’s still three minutes, and three minutes in a football game can last ten,” Ted said. “You wouldn’t have missed half.”

“Feel free to risk it, if you want,” she told him. “But seeing them retire Cody’s number is the whole reason I came. I’m not going to be standing in line for junk food when that happens.”

Cheyenne and Dylan Amos were sitting in front of them. Cheyenne twisted around to say hello, and Dylan gave Addy a nod. Neither she nor he mentioned that they’d seen each other at the police station last night. Aaron wasn’t with them. But Baxter was. Addy got the impression that almost everyone was eager for the ceremony, except Baxter. He was too nervous.

“Noah doesn’t like this sort of thing, doesn’t like talking about Cody,” he confided to Eve.

She placed a reassuring hand on his leg. “He’ll get through it, Bax.”

“He doesn’t like it,” he said again.

Addy watched him fidget, wondering about the intensity of his empathy. But then the clock ran down and she let it go. She didn’t want to be a spectator at this ceremony any more than Noah wanted to be part of it. And yet, once the Homecoming winners had been announced, and the cheerleaders, dance team and band had performed, she couldn’t look away. Mayor Rackham had stepped up to the podium, every bit as handsome and poised as she anticipated Noah would look in his fifties. His wife stood behind him, forever the supportive spouse, as he awarded a plaque to Coach Nobis, who waved proudly to the crowd.

From there the principal took over and announced that he wanted to honor a very special young man who had made a world of difference at Eureka High. He talked about Cody’s many athletic accomplishments, how he’d lettered in two different varsity sports and set a new weightlifting record. He said Cody was a gifted leader and a popular student and closed by saying he’d never met a boy with more promise. Then he held up Cody’s football jersey, now framed, and indicated that it would hang on the wall at the school from here on. He said Cody’s number would never be used again, that he’d never be forgotten, and he gave a plaque signifying the retirement of his number to Mayor Rackham, who choked up when he accepted it.

That was hard to watch. But it got even harder when the mayor stepped aside so Noah could speak.

“Oh, my God, here he goes,” Baxter whispered.

Eve took Baxter’s hand. “He’ll be fine. Calm down.”

It was one thing to see Cody’s parents after so long. To know how much they’d suffered because of the loss of their son. But Addy had never heard Noah talk about his brother’s death, not beyond the one statement he’d made to her:
you know my brother died in there.

That had been stated in irritation and as a cautionary remark. This was different. Noah stood at the podium, staring up into the stands, at a complete loss. For the first few seconds, he wasn’t even able to speak. When he did manage a few words, his voice cracked, and he fell silent again.

Tears streamed down Baxter’s cheeks. Some of Noah’s other friends were crying, too. Addy heard a full-blown sob and glanced around to see that it was Shania Carpenter. She was sitting not far away, absolutely inconsolable, while those around her did their best to provide comfort.

That was when Addy realized there was a whole other dimension to Cody’s death than she’d considered before: letting his loved ones go on believing he’d died in an accident was actually the kindest thing she could do. Then they didn’t have to face the truth, didn’t have to know he wasn’t nearly as admirable as they wanted to believe.

She tried to imagine how the mayor would react if he learned that the son he’d just praised—the boy everyone so admired—had instigated a gang rape. And Noah. What would it do to him?

13

I
t was late, but Addy couldn’t sleep. Chief Stacy had stopped by as soon as they’d returned from the game. He’d wanted to bring them the news about Shania’s lack of clarity concerning the night Addy was kidnapped. He acted as if that should confirm Aaron was responsible, but Addy continued to insist he wasn’t the one. By the time Stacy had left, she could tell Aaron’s lack of a solid alibi wasn’t enough for Stacy to arrest him. But the police chief hadn’t given up. He was looking for evidence, and he was focusing on Dylan’s brother.

His determination made her uneasy.

On top of that, she kept thinking about seeing Noah up on that podium, his soul bared for all to see. Like Baxter, she’d hung on every word, feeling far more empathy than she wanted to feel as he’d finally managed to say how much he loved and missed his brother.

After walking offstage, he’d headed for an exit as though he couldn’t get out of there fast enough. His father had tried to stop him, but he’d pushed past both his parents and kept going, which was when she knew he was embarrassed and maybe even a little angry that he’d been asked to speak about a loss that affected him so deeply.

In the end, after the angst of watching him had dissipated, she just felt sorry. Seeing him that vulnerable had torn down her defenses, made her want to protect him, if she could. Oddly, perhaps, it also made her want to comfort him.

But that was her old crush talking. She needed to stay away from Noah. Given the complex nature of the situation, they were
both
better off with no contact.

And yet he’d be coming to dinner next weekend.

Unless he canceled.

Maybe he’d cancel....

Tired of tossing and turning, she got up and went over to the window. Gran had the house so hot she could hardly breathe. Again. But she wasn’t about to open the door. She’d decided to crack the window as an alternative, but she didn’t even dare do that. Instead, she simply stared out at the yard, feeling caged and claustrophobic and—

She saw movement on the flagstone steps leading up to her door, and a surge of adrenaline nearly dropped her to her knees. That murky shadow had to belong to a human.

Someone was in the yard. But who? The man who’d abducted her? Had he returned with more threats? Or was he hoping to finish her off?

She hadn’t been able to keep the abduction a secret. She’d done her best to downplay it, but the entire town had talked of little else despite the details she’d held back.

Surely, he couldn’t be pleased about that....

It
was
a man. She could tell that much by his size and the way he walked. But she couldn’t identify him in the darkness. She couldn’t even make out his features.

He stepped onto the porch, and she covered her mouth to stifle a scream when he tried to peer in her window. He seemed to be staring right at her—which chilled her to the bone—but he couldn’t see anything, could he? It was even darker in her room than it was in the yard.

She inched back, seeking her phone. She didn’t want to call the police, didn’t want the problems to continue. She only wanted to get Gran’s affairs in order so they could move to Davis. But she wouldn’t be victimized again. Not if she could help it.

Before she reached the nightstand where her phone was charging, she heard a soft knock.

She hesitated, wondering what to do. She doubted anyone bent on causing her harm would
knock.
But...how stupid would she feel if she opened the door only to find out she was wrong?

“Adelaide?”

The voice was barely loud enough to hear. Obviously, whoever it was didn’t want to wake Gran. But with Gran’s hearing loss, that was unlikely. Depending on how deeply she was asleep, even screaming might not disturb her.

Addy grabbed her phone and punched in 9-1-1 but didn’t hit the send button. She planned to be ready, just in case. Then she crept to the door. “Who is it?”

“If I tell you, I’m afraid you won’t open up, but...I don’t mean any harm. I swear it. I...I’ve wanted to talk to you for a long time. Can you—can you trust me enough to give me two minutes?”

“No. I’m not opening the door.”

“Please?”

“Tell me who you are and say what you’ve got to say. I can hear you fine.”

“It’s Tom, Addy. I...I saw you at the game earlier, but...didn’t dare approach you.”

“Good choice.”

“I know. But...I’ve spent a lot of time over the years, thinking about what happened at that graduation party. I can’t believe my own actions. I keep asking myself...what if something like that happened to one of
my
girls?”

He seemed genuinely distraught.

Addy stared at the floor. “What would you hope for her attackers?”

“I’d want the boys castrated. I’d want them in prison. I’d be so angry...I can’t even tell you how angry I’d be. That’s what we deserved. Instead, Cody was the only one who lost, and he lost big. I’ve always attributed his death to...to God’s justice. But we got away without punishment. Why didn’t you go to the police?”

How did she explain? Her feelings after that night were so complex she wasn’t sure
she
understood them. Part of her refusal to act resulted from shame, and part stemmed from feeling somewhat responsible for her own fate. Her grandmother had told her she couldn’t attend the party, yet she’d snuck out of the house. Had she listened, she wouldn’t have been there, wouldn’t have been susceptible to Cody’s advances. He’d seemed so infatuated with her. It wasn’t until he tried to stick his tongue in her mouth that she stopped him. She admired his appearance but was quickly learning that looking like Noah didn’t make him Noah.

If she’d kept her distance from Cody, if she’d left after realizing he was stoned, would the night have ended differently?

Probably. That was a difficult thing to come to terms with. She couldn’t begin to describe the self-blame and loathing it inspired. Maybe that wasn’t entirely rational. In no way had she given her consent for what he and his friends did. But that didn’t lift the burden of her guilt.

And her self-blame was only part of it. What if no one believed her? What if the parents of all those boys formed a unified front and the community turned on
her
instead of them? They could easily claim she had emotional problems or been rejected by one or more of the boys she was accusing. She hadn’t wanted to be dissected in public. Neither had she wanted Gran to be embarrassed or put in a situation where she had to defend her beloved granddaughter. Taking a stand against so many prominent families would have damaged her business, too.

Bottom line, Gran didn’t deserve the pain and trouble Addy’s tale would have caused. She’d been through enough with her own daughter. And there was always the possibility that if Addy had told, Kevin and the others would’ve hurt her even more in retaliation.

She’d just wanted it all to go away. She wanted the same thing now. She especially hated the thought that someone might find out
she
was the reason Cody couldn’t come home that night. What would Noah think of her then?

“I was so hurt and humiliated I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

“I’m sorry. I’d like you to understand that. Even if...if you decide to come forward, I’ll still be sorry. I wouldn’t want what happened to you to happen to anyone. I can’t believe I had a hand in it. I got caught up in the fever of the moment. I’m really not that sort of person.”

She rested her head against the door. “Is that true?”

“Absolutely.”

“So why didn’t
you
tell?”

He laughed bitterly. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m a coward. I’ve been terrified for years that someone would find out, that my wife...” His voice broke. “God, what would she say? She tells me all the time that I’m a good man, and it makes me feel like such a fraud. I mean, I don’t want other people to know—and yet there are times I hate myself so much I’m
dying
to tell. Does that make sense?”

She didn’t answer, but he continued, anyway.

“Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t harder to live with a lie than to be punished for the truth. Sometimes I consider clearing my conscience. Maybe I should. Maybe that’s the only way I can truly get past what I’ve done.” He shook his head. “But then I think about the people it’ll hurt besides me. People like Noah. It would destroy him to learn what his brother did that night. It would hurt the whole family. Some actions have so many repercussions.”

Addy cracked open the door. On the other side she saw a man about her height and one hundred and eighty pounds, give or take ten, who’d already started losing his hair. With his glasses, she might not have recognized him if she’d seen him in the street. He hung his head, looking miserable and ashamed.

“Noah, he...he has no idea?” Addy asked.

“None. As far as I can tell, no one does. It would be such a surprise. The whole community would be shocked.”

“You think Noah would take it hard, though?”

“I know he would.”

So did she. And she didn’t want him to be hurt. “Why hasn’t he married?”

“Married! He’s never even had a steady girlfriend. He’s got a commitment problem or something. Goes from one girl to the next. We tease him about it all the time. He doesn’t like hearing he’s a player, but...the truth is the truth.”

A commitment problem. She’d sensed that, too.

“How long after you raped me did you meet your wife?”

“Raped you,” he whispered, as if hearing those words nearly knocked the wind out of him.

She didn’t soften them. “How long?”

“Five years.”

“And you’re happy?”

“You really want to know this stuff?” Shifting awkwardly, he scratched his head. “I can’t imagine...I can’t imagine it feels very good to...to hear that I’ve got a great wife, when I don’t deserve her.”

She wasn’t sure how that made her feel. The old anger welled up occasionally, but mostly she’d let it go. She couldn’t move forward in life, couldn’t heal if she was smoldering with resentment. “Who dragged me to the mine the other night?”

Straightening, he looked up. “It wasn’t Aaron?”

“Of course not. It had to be one of you.”

“I admit I’ve wondered about that. But I have no clue. Kevin, Derek, Stephen and I, we see one another once in a while. But we don’t talk about that night.
Ever.
”

“Could it have been Kevin?”

Tom seemed genuinely uncertain. “Kevin’s got a family, too. And he loves his job. Like me, he probably wishes that night never happened and tries to pretend it didn’t.”

“And the other two?”

He lifted his hands to show that he had no idea. “Maybe it was Stephen.”

“Why him?”

“He’s divorced, angry. His life hasn’t turned out the way he hoped. He played in the minors—I’m not sure if you knew that.”

“I certainly didn’t follow him.”

“Right, well, he got called up to the majors after a couple of years. Had a bright future ahead of him. Then he tore his rotator cuff and was never the same. His professional baseball aspirations ended before he ever played in a game.” He rubbed his neck. “I don’t think he’s ever gotten over the disappointment. It’s still all he talks about.”

Addy felt no sympathy for Stephen. He’d been her least favorite of the five. The rape had originally been his idea. But nothing would’ve happened if Cody hadn’t acted on it. Stephen hadn’t had the same amount of pull among his teammates.

“What does he do for a living?” she asked.

“Works for Kyle Houseman, making solar panels.”

“Does Stephen have kids?”

“A couple, but they live with his ex-wife somewhere else.”

Addy kept her finger on the send button of her phone, even though she doubted she was in danger. “And Derek?”

“Derek’s not up to much, but...I don’t think he’d ever hurt you.”

“He already did,” she stated flatly.

He winced. “I mean...as an adult. Now. These days.”

“Do you know anything about a website with the URL www.SkintightEntertainment.com?”

“No. Why?”

“I thought Derek might be involved with it.”

“It’s possible. He works from home, building websites, optimizing, that sort of thing, but...he struggles to get by.”

“Noelle Arnold says he’s making a calendar.”

Tom stretched his neck. “I heard about that. He must be trying to earn a little on the side by becoming a photographer.”

“Where does he live?” If she could get his address, she could drive by, see if he had a truck that showed damage—if and when she gathered the nerve.

“God, I’m a mess.” He smoothed down what hair he had left. “I hate what I did, wish I hadn’t even been there that night. But...it feels disloyal standing here answering these questions. I know
they’d
think I’m...I don’t know...trying to shift the blame.”

“You’re worried about what
they
might think?”

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “Have you seen that four-plex behind the trees as you head south out of town?”

“Where the Powers family used to live?” They’d been among the poorest in Whiskey Creek. They’d had something like eleven kids.

He nodded. “Derek lives in one of those.”

Of the five who’d raped her, Tom had been the only one to show any reluctance. She remembered the others coaxing him. She also remembered that he’d apologized and tried to cover her with his jacket when he was done. “What do you drive, Tom?”

He seemed surprised by the question, but he answered it. “A red Kia.”

“SUV?”

“Sedan.”

She definitely would’ve been able to tell if her abductor had shoved her into an economy car. “Do you own a truck?”

“No. My wife has an old VW Bug but she can’t drive it far. It’s not trustworthy.”

Addy nibbled on her bottom lip. “And you work at the post office.”

She could see the fear in his eyes when he answered. “I do. We’re not rich, but I have a good life, one I’m terrified of losing.”

“Is that why you came here?”

“I came because I wanted to apologize, to—to tell you how sorry I am, how much I wish I could take back what I did.”

Rubbing a hand over her face, she tossed her phone on the dresser.
“What made you do it?”