Chapter 18
Ryder left me alone shortly after he agreed that he would come with me to Max's place tomorrow. For all we know, Max could be innocent in all of this, but with last night still playing on my mind with what my mother told me, the only way I'll feel reassured is if I ask Max about it personally.
I get up from the floor and decide to get dressed and pick the closest towel to dry myself quickly. The clothes Ryder brought for me rest in a pile on top of the bathroom counter. I rummage through the clothes one by one only to notice a lot of indecent clothes I would never wear, I guess they're owned by Silver.
Underneath all the skimpy clothes, I find a plain white t- shirt, put it on hastily and I notice some grey sweatpants lying by the shower that's obviously Ryder's.
A part of me feels that it would be somewhat inappropriate to wear them, but find that I don't have any other choice but to wear the sweats instead.
I smile to myself at the comfort the sweats provide, then leave the bathroom and make my way to the kitchen but stop when I hear two familiar voices and one unrecognizable. I quietly and carefully lean over to look at who the voice belongs to only to see a man standing next to Kellan in a police uniform with salt and pepper hair and very tired eyes. He looks at Ryder soberly who stands in front of him, who has worn a t-shirt by now with his arms crossed over his chest in a relaxed posture.
“Ryder, you know I consider you like a son, but I have to ask you these questions because it's mandatory.”
Ryder shakes his head. “I didn't kill him, Tom. Do you really think I'd do something like that?”
“Of course not but as of right now, you are a suspect considering where the body was found.”
Kellan looks at the officer. “None of us did it dad, but I'm telling you someone placed him there intentionally to make it look like Ryder did it.”
Tom nods. “I'm not pointing any fingers at anyone, but I'm going to have to ask you these questions. I'm just doing my job so just cooperate with me, okay?”
Ryder scoffs. “'Fine.”
The police officer takes out a pad, a pen then clears his throat. “Where were you between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm today?”
Ryder doesn't hesitate. “I went out for a run.” “Be more specific, where did you run?”
Ryder sighs and points behind Tom to where the clearing of the forest all of us ran through. “Through that clearing there and ran into the forest.”
Tom writes down Ryder's statement. “Were you with anyone or were you by yourself?”
“We went our separate ways for the run today, but none of us was in the area when the murder took place.”
Tom nods again. “Can anyone vouch for that?”
Ryder asks sharply. “What? Why are you asking me that Tom? Are you actually trying to pin this on me?”
Tom lowers the pad and looks directly at Ryder. “It's protocol. If someone can vouch for you then I can cross you out as a suspect.”
“Why does it matter if I was with someone or not?” “Well, was there anyone?” Tom asks impatiently. “Yes, she was.” My attention is drawn to where Kellan now looks towards my direction with his finger pointing at me.
Heads swing in my direction, including the officer. Ryder takes in my appearance as though he approves of the fact that I was wearing his clothes. The officer, on the other hand, looks at me with curiosity.
“Who are you?” Tom tilts his head as though he's trying to understand why I'm in this house, with these people. Why all of a sudden did I feel so unwelcome?
Kellan indicates to me. “This is Alice, she's...”
“My girlfriend.” Ryder finishes for Kellan. They both exchange glances.
I stand there quietly, not knowing what to say or do to Ryder's declaration, but I decide to go with it.
Tom frowns and indicates me to come forward. “And what's your name?”
I approach the officer, stand next to Ryder and smile softly. “I'm Alice Smith.”
Tom takes in my whole appearance, moves to look at Ryder then at his own son. “Are you aware of what happened here today, Alice?”
I nod. “I am aware, yes. Terry was a good person.”
Tom looks at me as though I have piqued his curiosity. “You knew the victim?” He writes on his notepad.
“Yes, we worked together at the diner.” I can feel myself getting emotional just by talking about him.
“And were you and the victim close?”
Ryder snarls. “What are you suggesting? That she was romantically involved with a guy that's old enough to be her dad?”
Ryder's words cause me to wince to which he notices straight away and looks at me apologetically.
I shake my head. “Terry was someone that I considered a very close friend of mine. He always kept to himself and he loved working at the diner. It was like his second home.” I wipe away a tear.
Tom looks at me with sorrow. “Boys, I'd like to have a few words with Alice here alone.”
Why would Tom want to speak with me? He didn't think I was suspicious, did he?
Ryder looks like he's going to argue with the officer but soon composes himself when Tom reassures him that it's only to speak with me. “Ryder, I just want to speak with her. I'm not accusing her of anything.” Tom looks at Kellan. “I'll see you back at home, son.”
Kellan leaves the room taking Ryder with him.
As soon as the door of the house closes, Tom indicates for me to sit down at the table. “Would you like something to drink Alice?”
I smile gently and nod. “A glass of water, please.”
Silently, Tom takes out a glass, fills it with water and gives it to me. “Thank you.”
Tom moves to sit in the chair opposite me and clears his throat. “Alice, I know this must be hard for you and I'm sorry for your loss.”
I sit quietly listening to what Kellan's father has to say but there's nothing right now anyone could say to make me feel better. Hearing that Mr Daniels had died was a complete surprise and I still can't believe that's really happened, but after finding Terry's dead body, I can finally believe that Mr Daniels is dead too.
“I don't really know where I go from here.”
Tom sighs. “Losing someone that was close to you will hurt, and it will take a sufficient amount of time for the heart to heal, but I can tell just by looking at you that you're a strong independent young woman.”
I shake my head. “That's not true officer because if I was a strong woman, I'd be out there trying to look for the killer, but instead I'm trying to decide what to do next.”
Tom frowns. “You've lost someone you cared about deeply, and that feeling doesn't just wash away after a few hours. It could take days, months or even a few years to get over something that you've lost.”
I wipe away another tear. “I can still see Terry's dead body inside my head. How long will it take to get those images out of my mind?”
Tom shakes his head. “That will take some time and it won't get any easier, Alice. Only time will truly tell you.”
A few minutes go by in uncomfortable silence.
“Were you there when Mr. Daniels' body was found?”
Tom nods. “I was there at the scene when I heard that Mr. Daniels was found in his home.”
“Do you think whatever killed him did the same to Terry?”
He shrugs. “I can't say for sure but the cause of death of both victims are very similar to each other.”
I'm not sure what I'm trying to accomplish here but for some reason, I can't stop asking Tom about what happened to Mr. Daniels that night.
“Mr. Daniels was found ripped to shreds, wasn't he?” I ask even though I already know the answer.
Tom looks away. “This isn't the right time to talk about such things.”
“But it's true, isn't it?” I wait patiently.
Would now be a good time to ask about Anna's death considering that she was found ripped to shreds too?
He slowly looks back at me and nods his head leisurely. “Suspicions are that whoever killed these victims were likely caused by an animal, but there's not enough evidence to show what truly killed them.”
I pick up the glass and take a sip of the water. “Maybe it isn't an animal attack, but I can't think of why someone would want to kill them unless they had a good reason to which I sincerely doubt it.”
Tom just shrugs. “Maybe there is a motive, but we somehow haven't found it yet.”
I slam down the glass on the table. “Well, then you need to find it before somebody else dies.”
His eyes widen at my response.
I take a deep breath. “The next victim could be anyone or do you not realize that officer? Why haven't you gone to the press and why keep the murders a secret from the town?” I'm bombarded with questions that I want to be answered, but something tells me that I won't get anything out of Kellan's father.
He looks down at the floor. “Myself and the officers are doing everything we can, and the reason behind why the police haven't gone to the reporters is because we want to make sure that we know exactly who's responsible, whether it be an animal or a human being. We don't want to scare the town.”
For some reason, I can understand why the police haven't gone to the reporters. Who knows what could happen when the whole town finds out that there's a murderer out there?
I stand from the chair preparing to leave when Tom suddenly stands too. “Before you leave, I'd like to ask you something.”' He looks perplexed at me. “Did you and Mr. Daniels get along at all?”
Is he being serious?
“First, you ask me if I was close to Terry and now you're asking me if I got along with my English teacher. What is it that you really want to know?”
He becomes serious. “I do have my reasons to ask you this question Alice because after listening to you talk about Terry, I can't help but be suspicious that maybe you're somehow involved in this case.”
What!?
“How can I possibly be involved in this case?”
Tom slicks his hair back in frustration. “I know how this must sound to you, but just help me out here.”
I can only stare at him and wonder where I fit in all of this. “If you must know officer, Mr. Daniels was a great teacher who loved his job and cared about a lot of people. He'd always make sure that if any student of his needed extra help or support that he'd always be there for them. So, to answer your question about if I got along with him then the answer would be of course I did. He was always there whenever I needed someone to talk to about my dad who left, and no matter what he'd always listen and he'd tell me that I didn't need a father because I was strong enough to look after myself and my mother. I hope that answers your question.” I leave Tom standing alone in the kitchen and rush out to the front of the house making my way towards the car.
I get to my car, pick the right key and open the door when I hear my name being called several times. I ignore the voice and start getting into the car when a hand grabs onto my arm pulling me away from the car. I turn and stare directly into Ryder's eyes.
“Where do you think you're going?”
I remove Ryder's hand from my arm and move back to the car. “Away from here where I won't be interrogated like a bad person.”
Ryder's voice deepens. “Did Tom say something to you?”
I scoff. “What do you think we've been talking about for the past half hour? The weather?”
Ryder just looks at me. “Did he give you a hard time in there?”
“A hard time? He thinks...” I shake my head dumbfounded. “He thinks I'm somehow involved in the case because I knew the victims.”
“What?” Ryder looks at me in confusion. “Why would he think that you're involved?”
I point to myself. “You're asking me? I don't even know where I fit into this.”
Ryder stands in front of me and cups my cheek gently. “Tom's under a lot of stress, and he probably wasn't thinking straight when he said that to you.”
I stare at him for a moment and consider his words. “Aren't we all under a lot of stress after what happened today?”
Ryder looks away from me. “We'll find whoever took those pictures of you and I'm telling you now, I won't stop until I find that person and make them suffer for what they've done.” He looks back at me. “But until then, you don't leave my side until I know that you're safe again.”
Well if that isn't a nice thing to say to someone then I don't know what is.
I clear my throat. “But what if we never catch whoever did it?”
Ryder smirks. “Then I suggest you pack your bags and have yourself prepared to stay with me forever.” He chuckles as he walks away.
That doesn't sound fun. At all. “You're not actually serious are you?”
Ryder faces me with his hands in his pockets. “I don't joke around when it comes to your safety, Alice.”
“But my mother...?”
“Call your mum and tell her that you'll be staying with Sam for a couple of days. I'm sure she won't mind.” Ryder walks back into the house without a backward glance.
Would staying here with Ryder, Silver, Bane and Kellan be a good idea? For some reason, I do feel somewhat protected whenever I'm with them, but I also feel terrible for leaving my mother alone in that big house. She's hardly ever at home and I know she spends most of the time at the hospital, but I don't want to make her feel as though I'm leaving her just like my father did. Someone out there knows the truth about me, and I know that what I'm about to do might be the wrong decision to make, but something tells me that this is the right decision.
I walk into the wolves' house, dial my mother's number and wait patiently for her to answer.