Suffer II (10 page)

Neither Kate nor Grey expected the truth from Brittany or Tyler about what happened to Emily at her surprise birthday party. Their intent was to separate them, get their stories, and then find the inconsistencies. What they didn’t expect was the intense level of fear from both of Emily’s best friends.

“Would you be more comfortable speaking with me and Abby alone?” asked Kate, noticing Brittany’s trembling hands.

“I think that’s a good idea,” said Jim. “I already know what happened.”

“Brittany,” said Kate, “are you okay with that?”

“I am.”

“It’s all right to tell them everything, Brit,” said Jim. “Go ahead and take Abby out back with you. The fresh air and sunshine will help. Kate, would you mind staying for just a moment?”

“Of course not,” said Kate, nodding to Abby to go with Brittany.

“I want you to know that I’m the reason Brittany stopped seeing Emily,” said Jim, waiting for the others to leave.

“Why?” asked Kate. “I thought all of you were close.”

“I loved Emily like she was my daughter,” said Jim. “But Brittany
is
my daughter. When I started to see the changes Brittany was telling me about, I needed to protect her while I tried to help Emily.”

“What changes?”

“You’re right,” said Jim. “We were close. We were all very close. Normally, she would come into the house and sit with me and Donna and talk for a while. Mainly about her mother’s condition and how school was going, but she always talked to us. After her birthday party, she’d come in and walk right by us with her head down and wouldn’t say a word. Then things went missing around here.”

“Like what?”

“It started with Donna’s jewelry and small pieces from her silver collection. We kept a little cash in the top drawer of the china cabinet in case Brittany needed anything when we weren’t here. All of it was taken.

“One day I left my wallet on the kitchen table. I had two hundred dollars in it. Emily stayed over that night. When I left for work the next morning, it was gone, along with Emily. At that point I sat Brit down, and we had a long talk. That’s when she told me everything that was going on.”

“Did you think she was stealing for drug money?”

“I didn’t suspect,” said Jim. “I knew it was for drug money. After Brit and I talked, I went up to the spare bedroom that Emily has used since she was a little girl. I found her stash and her kit. I had the residue tested. It was positive for cocaine and heroin.”

“Did you confront her?”

“I did,” said Jim, shaking his head. “She tried to tell me it wasn’t hers. It was one of the worst days of my life. I never thought she’d lie to my face. That was the last day she ever set foot in this house. It’s also when I told Brit to stop seeing her.”

“You said you tried to help Emily,” said Kate. “How?”

“Brittany doesn’t know this, and I’d like to keep it that way,” said Jim.

“Of course,” said Kate.

“I went to her house twice to talk to her mother. The first time I knocked and didn’t get an answer. I knew Karla was there, so I looked through the front porch window and could see her on the couch. She was passed out. I went back a few days later, but that time Emily answered the door. She was supposed to be at school.”

“Did she let you in?”

“She did and she looked happy to see me,” said Jim. “At that point I was very hopeful I’d get through to her. Karla was still on the couch, but at least she was sitting up and seemed somewhat lucid. Emily wanted to talk to me alone before I spoke with Karla, and I agreed. We went out to the back porch where she continued to deny that the drugs and paraphernalia in my house were hers. It just went downhill from there. I’m talking all the way downhill.

“She came up with this crazy story that people were after her. Emily said all of this was a set-up and that nobody believed her, including the sheriff. My God, I felt so sorry for her. She was delusional.”

“How so?”

“She told me she didn’t remember anything about her birthday party,” said Jim, lowering his eyes and taking a deep breath. “She said she may have been drugged and taken advantage of by some boys that were there. Brit had to fill in the blanks for her about what really happened. I’ll let her tell you about that.”

“Taken advantage of?” asked Kate. “Do you mean some type of sexual assault?”

“I do.”

“And you didn’t believe her?”

“It was hard to believe anything she was saying, Kate,” said Jim. “She went on to tell me that she was forced to take heroin. She said a group of guys were threatening to hurt her mother, Brittany, and a list of others if she didn’t do what they said. Emily told me they would come into their house at night and aim a gun at her passed out mother if she didn’t smoke or shoot heroin. I knew then that there was no reasoning with her. All I could do at that point was to make sure my family was protected.”

“I don’t know Emily like you did,” said Kate. “But don’t you find it odd everything bad that has happened to her seems to have started here at her birthday party?”

“I did,” said Jim. “Can I trust you, Kate?”

“Only you can answer that.”

“No, I need you to tell me,” said Jim, leaning forward in his chair and looking Kate in the eyes. “Some of what I’m about to tell you is included in the gag order. If it comes back to me, my daughter could be in serious trouble as well. I have to trust you with my family’s safety and Brittany’s future. Do I seem like the type of man that would take that lightly?”

“You do not, Jim,” said Kate, holding his stare. “Yes, you can trust me. Anything you say will never come back to you. You have my word.”

“Kate, I want you find Emily,” said Jim. “I want to help you do that for so many reasons, but I’ll tell you two of the most important. I want you to find her so Karla can have a proper funeral and lay her child to rest. I also want you to find her so my child can move on with her life and never have to go through this again. They both need to start healing, and the only way for that to happen is for you to do what others couldn’t.”

“I understand how important those reasons are for you,” said Kate. “More than you know.”

“I went to the sheriff after Emily told me her side of the story,” said Jim. “He informed me that, if a sexual assault had taken place in my home, he would’ve been at my front door as soon as any charges were filed. He said there was a brief investigation and that there was no evidence that supported a crime had taken place. Witnesses came forward, including Brittany, saying that any sexual activity between Emily and those boys was consensual.”

“I’ll spare you crossing the line with the gag order, Jim,” said Kate. “One of those boys involved in the activity was Mark Hall, son of Federal Judge Cassandra Hall.”

He didn’t need to say a word. Kate knew the lack of any reaction was his confirmation. She also knew Brittany wouldn’t have given up that name.

She thanked Jim for his candor and for trusting her with the information. Kate reassured him that she wouldn’t push Brittany during their conversation. She joined her and Abby at a table next to the pool.

“Brittany,” said Kate, taking a seat next to her. “I want you to know that anything you say to me will be held in confidence. Nobody will ever know this conversation took place, except for us. I want you to be able to speak as freely as possible with no fear, okay?”

“That’s easy for you to say,” said Brittany. “You don’t know how it works around here.”

“We’re not here to get you or your family in trouble, Brittany” said Kate. “We want the same things all of you do. We want to find Emily. Just tell us what you can about that night.”

“Okay.”

Brittany took a moment to collect her thoughts. Both Kate and Abby could see her hand shaking as she reached for her drink. She took a sip and they could hear the ice rattling against the glass.

“She showed up with Tyler around seven,” said Brittany. “I knew she was having a tough time with her mother, so we were all looking forward to giving her a fun evening. It was going great until a group of guys showed up. I can’t tell you their names.”

“It’s okay,” said Kate. “I know there are some things about that night you’re not allowed to talk about.”

Abby looked over at her sister. She wasn’t used to Kate being so accommodating when trying to gain information from someone who was deceiving them. At that point, she realized Kate wasn’t impressed with Brittany’s attempt at self-preservation.

“I wish I could, but I just can’t,” said Brittany. “When they showed up, Emily started acting different. She went outside with them and was sneaking beers from the back of a truck and smoking cigarettes. As the night went on, you could tell she was getting drunk.

“I started talking with a few other friends and then noticed I hadn’t seen her in a while, so Tyler and I went looking for her. We found her upstairs in the spare bedroom.”

Brittany paused again and reached for her drink. Her hands were shaking so badly Abby thought she was going to drop it. Kate helped her move the story along.

“Were the boys in there with her?” asked Kate.

“Yes,” said Brittany, taking a long drink before setting it down. “They were having sex.”

“She was having sex with all of them?” asked Abby.

“I can’t tell you their names,” said Brittany, “but I will tell you there were three of them in there. I don’t want to get too graphic, but they were all naked. She was going down on one of them while another was behind her. The third one was taking pictures.”

“And it was consensual?” asked Kate.

“Yes,” said Brittany. “When I walked in, I yelled her name. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She just stopped going down on the guy, looked at me, and started laughing. She even asked Tyler and I if we wanted to join them. All I could do was close the door and try to pretend I didn’t see what I just saw.

“About thirty minutes later, they all came down like nothing had happened,” said Brittany, wiping tears. “It was like she was a different person. She was slurring her words and stumbling around. I just avoided her until I knew my parents were coming home. I had to go find her again, and that’s when I caught her using cocaine.”

“Did Tyler see all of that as well?” asked Kate.

“Yes,” said Brittany. “He was very upset. Neither one of us knew what to do with her.”

“What did you do after you saw her using drugs?” asked Abby.

“I kicked out the boys and tried to help Emily sober up before my parents got home. She started yelling and screaming at me that her mother needed her. Tyler ended up taking her home.”

“When did you see her again?” asked Kate.

“The next morning Tyler and I went to her house,” said Brittany. “We were both very upset with her. When I confronted her about all the stuff she did, Emily told me she didn’t remember anything.”

Emily sat on the front porch and waited for Conner. She had been tutoring him in chemistry for a month since he had asked for her help at Brittany’s pool party. With the football season in full swing, and college scouts beating down his front door, Emily was impressed with his dedication to raising his GPA. After a hard-fought victory under the Friday night lights, it was the first time they’d have an entire day together.

Most of the tutoring sessions took place at Conner’s uncle’s house. He was a bachelor, and like most of the men in Boudreaux, he worked two weeks out of the month on an oil rig in the gulf. He had returned home a day before and invited friends over to watch college football. Emily and Conner decided to have the session at her house. They could use the back porch, and there was little worry of interruption by her mother.

“Hey, Em,” said Conner, getting out of his car.

“Hi,” said Emily, walking down the stairs. “Let’s walk around. I’ve got everything set up out back. My mom is sleeping on the couch.”

“Okay,” said Conner, following her. “You’re sure Brit isn’t going to stop by?”

“I’m sure,” said Emily. “She went with her mom on a shopping trip to New Orleans. They won’t be back until late tonight.”

“Good,” said Conner. “I like the idea of spending all day with you.”

He couldn’t see the blush or the wide smile on Emily’s face as she walked up the stairs to the back porch. She enjoyed helping him with chemistry, but enjoyed the conversations they would have afterwards more.

When they studied, Emily would catch him staring at her. He would just smile and return his attention to his books. On occasion, he’d catch her staring at him.

Conner had never crossed the line to make their arrangement awkward. Emily didn’t like deceiving Brittany, but she made a promise to him that she wanted to keep. The connection between them was growing stronger, but Emily kept him at a safe distance. If she sensed the conversation was getting personal, she’d start talking about her best friend.

“You’ve really come a long way,” said Emily. “You’ve got this now.”

“I don’t want to just pass,” said Conner. “I need an A.”

“You’ll get it,” said Emily. “I’m serious.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Kind of,” said Emily. “I don’t like sneaking around.”

“We’re not doing anything wrong, Em. You’re helping me get into college.”

“You know what I mean,” said Emily.

“Actually, I don’t,” said Conner, closing his book. “I’ve known Brittany since I was four. She’s more of a friend than a girlfriend. To be honest, it’s getting creepy. If I show any interest in a girl, she goes off the deep end. I’m not kidding about that, Em. Remember what happened with Sarah?”

“I do,” said Emily. “That was awful.”

“It was Brittany.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Emily. “She wasn’t even there.”

“I know that,” said Conner. “They held her down and shaved her head two days before the photo shoot with that magazine. They told her it would be worse the next time if she didn’t stop seeing me.”

“Those girls were from a different school,” said Emily. “Brit didn’t even know them.”

“That’s what she told you?” asked Conner.

“Yes. Stop this, please.”

“She’s known them as long as she’s known me,” said Conner, reaching over and putting his hand on her arm. “They moved to Houma when they were ten, but our parents are still good friends. We all played together as kids. She knew them, Em. She knew them well. Brittany lied to you.”

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Emily.

“Come over here and sit with me,” said Conner, standing and then walking to the porch swing. “We’re done studying for today.”

Every other Sunday, Tyler would come to the house and help Emily with yard work. With a forecast of heavy rain, he decided to show up a day early to beat the storm. He recognized the car in the driveway as Conner’s. A knot formed in his stomach when he parked his truck.

“I know Brit is your best friend,” said Conner, taking Emily’s hand in his. “She’s been one of my best friends since we were four. I’d never intentionally hurt her, but I need to live my life the way I want to, not the way she wants.

“I don’t have those kinds of feelings for her, Em. I just don’t. She’s a great girl and a good friend, but you have no idea how possessive and jealous she is. She thinks we’re going to end up getting married and living happily ever after. That’s just not going to happen.”

“Then why do you guys date?” asked Emily. “You two have been together since I’ve known you.”

“No, we’re not dating,” said Conner, exhaling. “That’s the problem. She tells everyone that we are and acts like it around other people, but we’re not.”

“Come on, Conner,” said Emily, pulling her hand away. “You two are having sex. I’m not stupid.”

“Once last summer,” said Conner. “And it was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. It changed everything for the worse. If I would’ve known then what I know now, it never would’ve happened. We were each other’s first. I wanted to do it with someone I was comfortable with and cared about. I know that sounds like a bunch of crap, but it’s the truth.

“We talked about it for weeks before it happened. We both agreed it wasn’t going to change our friendship, and we’d keep it a secret. Neither one of those things happened. The entire school knew about it on Monday.”

“Again, why are you telling me all of this?” asked Emily. “What does it have to do with me?”

“You just told me you’re not stupid,” said Conner, taking her hand again and smiling. “I’m not so sure anymore.”

Tyler heard voices coming from the back porch, but couldn’t hear their words. He peeked around the corner and could see their backs to him on the swing. He could also see that they were holding hands. The knot turned to nausea.

“I’m crazy about you,” said Conner. “I can’t stop thinking about you and how good it would feel to just hold your hand. For the record, it feels very good.”

“You’re crazy about me?” asked Emily, trying to act surprised. “I think you’re just crazy.”

“Why?” asked Conner. “You’re amazing. You’re intelligent and I love spending time with you. You’re the most beautiful girl I know. Em. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Oh, this is never, ever going to happen,” said Emily, leaving her hand in his. “It would kill Brittany. She’d never talk to either one of us again. It would devastate her. I like spending time with you. You’re very sweet and a lot smarter than I thought, but this isn’t going to happen. She’s my best friend.”

“Where do you think we’re going to be after this year?” asked Conner, pleading his case. “Brittany doesn’t have the grades for LSU. You and I both know that. She’s going to have to go to junior college her first year before she even has a shot. You and I are going to college in Baton Rouge. We both know that too.”

“I don’t care if we both go to school in Alaska,” said Emily. “Brit is still going to be my best friend. That’s not going to change wherever we are. It
will
change if she finds out we’re seeing each other. There are hundreds of girls who would love to date you, Conner. When you start playing quarterback in college, there’s probably going to be thousands. You won’t even remember my name by next fall.”

“There’s only one you, Em,” said Conner. “You’re the one I want.”

“I like you, Conner,” said Emily, squeezing his hand. “I really do, but there’s –”

Tyler put his hand over his stomach when he saw Conner reach up for Emily’s face and pull her in for a kiss. He thought he was going to be sick when she put her arms around his neck. He concealed himself around the corner with his back against the house.

Sliding to the ground, he covered his face with his hands to muffle the sound of him crying in pain. The feelings of betrayal and loss overwhelmed him. It was gut-wrenching, watching the girl he had loved for so long kissing someone else. The dreams of Emily being his someday shattered inside of him. As he rose to his feet, the crying stopped and the rage began to build.

“Oh my God,” said Emily, pulling away from Conner, standing, and covering her mouth. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

“You didn’t,” said Conner, jumping to his feet. “I did. It’s okay.”

“No, it isn’t,” said Emily. “This is bad. This is really, really bad.”

“Em, calm down,” said Conner. “I’m not going to tell anyone, I swear to you. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Emily stood and took several deep breaths to regain her composure. Her own feelings of betrayal and the possibility of losing of her best friend overpowered her feelings for him. She returned to her seat on the swing and motioned for Conner to do the same.

“Was it that bad?” asked Conner, breaking the silence.

“No,” said Emily. “It’s not that. You don’t understand what she’s done for me. She was there for me when my father died, and she’s been there ever since. For the most part, I owe her my life. I don’t know if I could’ve made it without her. Other than my mom, she’s the most important person in the world to me.”

“Why does that have to change?” asked Conner. “I don’t understand. Why would us dating destroy our friendship with her? This is the part that annoys the shit out of me. If Brit wanted to date one of my friends, I’d be fine with it. If you wanted to date one of my friends, it would suck, but I’d be happy for you. That’s the difference between us and Brit. She wouldn’t be.”

“Because that’s just the way it is,” said Emily, trying to be cold. “I like you, Conner. But a kiss isn’t worth losing my friend. This never should’ve happened, and I can promise you right now it never will again. I’m sorry.”

“So am I, Em,” said Conner, smiling. “Just so you know, I’m not giving up on you. You’re worth fighting for.”

“Conner,” said Emily, glaring at him. “Yes, you are giving up on me, and there won’t be a fight. I’m serious. If Brit finds out this happened, I’ll never speak to you again, and I’ll hate you forever. Do you understand me?”

“Easy,” said Conner, putting his hands up for her to back down. “I told you I’m not going to tell her or anyone else. I know how important she is to you. I’d never do anything to hurt you, Em. She’s never going to find out that I kissed you.”

“She’d better not, Conner. I’m not kidding. You can’t come here anymore, and I can’t tutor you anymore either. I can’t risk it.”

“I figured that was coming,” said Conner, lowering his head. “I am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Emily, pulling his chin up with a finger. “No harm done.”

“I’m sorry that I upset you,” said Conner. “I’m not sorry that I kissed you. It was amazing, and I’ll never forget it.”

“Neither will I.”

Tyler accelerated as he approached the intersection on the outskirts of town. His anger forced the pedal to the floor, and he tightened his grip. When he slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel, he missed the station wagon by inches. The momentum of the heavy truck carried him into the soft shoulder on the other side of the road.

He sat motionless for several minutes and stared into the bayou after the smoke and the smell of burning rubber cleared. When his hands stopped trembling, he pounded his fists into the dashboard as the images of Emily and Conner returned. It disgusted him knowing that they were having sex on the back porch as Karla slept on the couch thirty feet away.

“Fuck them!” said Tyler, pulling his phone out of his pocket.