Page 15 of Bear With Me
I don’t know how long she’s gone. When she comes back the water has gone warm in the cup and I haven’t been able to choke any down, no matter how disgusting and dry my mouth feels.
“A couple of deputies are on their way out to Mr. Cain’s place. Why don’t you take your time? You can tell me what happened when you’re ready.”
I take a deep breath and manage to sip some of the water before launching into my story of the past hour. Debbie doesn’t visibly react; she just takes notes on one of those yellow legal pads with a careful hand. When I’m done, she takes samples of the blood on my hands and scrapes some of it from my fingernails. She gets a copy of my I.D. and then, finally, allows me to wash off the blood from my hands and arms with wet paper towels.
“Is there anyone I can call to bring you a change of clothes? I’m afraid it may be a while, and we’re going to need those for evidence.”
Nodding, I say, “My grandmother. Suzanna Thomas.”
“Why don’t you give me her number and I’ll give her a call for you?”
Debbie rises to leave and I stop her with a hand on her arm. “Did they find her? Was she dead?”
“Yes, they did, Ms. Thomas. She was.”
After Debbie leaves my stomach pitches and I heave into the trashcan, but there’s nothing left to throw up. I wet one of the leftover paper towels with water from the water cooler and press it against the fevered flesh of my forehead.
A few minutes later Debbie comes back, this time with Nonna on her heels. Nonna’s face is sheet-white, as are the knuckles around a plastic bag full of clothes.
“Oh my God, Sullivan.” She rushes inside, but Debbie stops her before she can throw her hands around me.
“Ma’am. If you’ll give her the change of clothes, she can go to the bathroom and change.”
Nonna’s face is pained, but she nods, her lips pressing together.
Debbie instructs me on taking off and storing each piece of clothing. I should be embarrassed getting naked in front of this stranger, but I’m not. The only thing on my mind is the image of that girl’s mangled body. Everything else pales in comparison. Once that’s taken care of, I scrub the rest of my skin furiously with harsh hand soap from the dispenser and the rough brown paper towels feel like sandpaper. When I’m done—my skin an angry shade of red—I still don’t quite feel clean enough.
I’m not sure if I ever will again.
Nonna envelopes me in her arms the second I leave the bathroom and I’m too tired to protest. My arms go around her and we stand there for a few minutes until Debbie comes back for a few more questions. For the first time, I don’t try to escape the transference of feelings and memories. Warmth and worry emanate from Nonna and provide me with a much needed moment of strength.
The yellow legal pad is back and I watch as her pen scratches across its surface. “What were you doing in the woods?” Debbie asks.
“Looking for my phone. I was on my way to class and didn’t want to leave it in the woods in case it got wet.”
“So you’d been to the area before this morning.”
“Yes,” I say, resting my head on my palms because I don’t want to see the look on Nonna’s face as I relate my story. “I was on a date last night and he took me into the woods. We looked at the stars…We weren’t even out there for that long because I have…had an early class this morning.”
“Around what time would you say you were in the woods?”
“Maybe nine or so. We went to dinner around seven and stayed for a couple hours before he took me there.”
“May I have his name, please?”
“Declan. Declan Cain. His cabin is the one I was telling you about.” Finally, it clicks in my brain why she’s asking. “You don’t think he…that he’s the one that did this, do you?” My stomach heaves again, but I manage to control it. Barely. I thought I knew Declan, even though we’d only seen each other a couple of times. My gift should have taught me that what lies beneath the surface is a different story compared to the airs people put on. But still, a part of me knows he could never do something like this.
“We’re just getting the facts, Ms. Thomas.”
When I glance at Nonna, she’s staring at me open-mouthed. My brows furrow. When I catch her gaze she shakes her head. Confused and with a headache brewing, I turn back to the deputy and finish the interview.
Numb to my bones, I lay my head against the conference table when Debbie leaves again after her last question. As we wait, I wonder what the hell is going on.
chapter six
DECLAN
I’m used to the whispers that follow me around town. I’m used to the seclusion and loneliness. I expect those things.