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She laughed a little, and I could picture the upturn of her lips. “I know,” she replied with a smile in her voice.
“Right. Hey, I can’t talk long. But there’s been a problem with the self-defense classes,” I said carefully. “One of the instructors has been harassing a woman. Well, one woman that we know ofright now. I’ve shut things down for now anyway, but even if they start up again, until I figure out who’s responsible, I don’t want you going back. Don’t go near that building at all, in fact.”
There was a pause on the other end, and I could hear her breathing, steady but slightly quicker than usual. “Okay,” she said softly. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m sorry this is happening.”
I appreciated her care, but I felt sorrier than she should. I’d vetted all the men and women on my team. I had trusted each of them. Most were former cops, firefighters, self-defense teachers themselves. This was a betrayal. “Be careful,” I said, the words feeling inadequate but necessary. “And if anything feels off—anything—you tell me. Understand?”
“I understand,” she said, her voice quieter now. “Thanks, Robert. I…” she hesitated and then blurted, “I miss you.”
I paused, taken aback. I missed her, too, but what Corinne had said had stuck with me. I didn’t know how to handle any of this. “I miss you, too. We’ll see each other soon.”
“When?” she asked fervently, her voice quiet and low.
“Soon,” I promised.
After we hung up, I stood outside for a moment, the weight of everything pressing down on me. The situation with the classes, the growing feelings I couldn’t seem to shake for Delia, the wayCorinne felt about Delia, the unspoken tension with Jeremy - it was all too much.
But I couldn’t afford to lose focus. Not now. Whoever was responsible for the harassment at the center would be dealt with, no matter what it took. And as for Delia… I’d figure that out later. Right now, I just needed to keep her safe.
I checked my email and saw that the woman who’d come forward didn’t want to tell me who it was.Go figure.
I knew I shouldn’t be angry. It was a scary position to be in. But how was I expected to help without knowing who was doing it? Was I supposed to shut down the classes forever?
I needed some more time to think before going back inside the restaurant, so I got in my car and just sat there, staring at the steering wheel.
I needed answers. If the woman wouldn’t name the instructor, I’d have to find another way to figure it out. As I watched people file in and out of their cars, I glanced up and saw a camera in the corner of the building.Another way.
I pulled out my phone and called the instructor who’d told me, Heather. She answered on the second ring, her usually friendly voice brisk. She knew how bad this was for the classes and how hard this hit was for me.
“Robert,” she said, inviting whatever it was I was going to say.
“Question. Would you be able to get me the parking lot footage from the library? The whole center, really, obviously. I could try, but I think people generally respond better to you.” I smiled as I leaned back in the driver’s seat.
It was true. I wasn’t good with people when I was on a mission. I could come off as intense, angry, too much.
“Hm,” she said, to herself more than to me. “I could try. I don’t know. They might hold that close to the chest. But I could try.”
“Well, if they hold it close to the chest, we’ll involve lawyers,” I spat angrily, as if they’d already told me no.
With an exhale out of her nose, she corrected, “You meanyou’llinvolve lawyers.”
“That is what I mean, yes,” I agreed. “I’llinvolve lawyers if I have to. So let’s hope they’re…receptive.”
She chuckled. “I knew this would put a fire under your ass, Robert, knowing that pretty young thing you’re sweet on might be in trouble.”
I cringed at her word choice. “Are you done?” I asked, tightening my fingers around the steering wheel.
“If I get the footage, what days do you want them to send?” Heather asked, her voice softening when she realized that she’d bothered me.
“Every day that the victim was in class. No matter who was there. Just have them send it all to me if they agree to it,” I told her, looking out the windshield of my car at the people returning to their cars. I wondered how many of the men holding the hands of the women they were with had hurt someone. I wondered how many of them would do the same if I were there to see.
thirty-one
Delia
The week after Thanksgiving, the room smelled faintly of disinfectant and stale coffee, a mix I had grown used to over the last year and a half. I adjusted my blazer, the fabric suddenly feeling too tight around my shoulders, and rubbed the back of my neck.
I was hot all the time lately, and it didn’t help that my stomach churned every morning before I left for the counseling center. Subtle, but undeniable, symptoms of my pregnancy that I wasn’t ready to name. At least not out loud. But my secret was becoming harder to ignore.