Page 18 of Timeless Pages

Chapter sixteen

Evan

W e spent the weekend at home getting to know each other better.

We played board games, ate junk food, and just talked.

When we ran out of things to do, I read to her.

Nathan hadn’t been playing around when he said he wouldn’t let Dom be alone with Isa until Doc cleared her.

Dominic thought it was a hilarious game, but I was pretty sure that if he managed to get time alone with Isa again and Nate found them messing around, he might just kill Dominic.

Nate’s obsession with her had grown; nothing was more important than her health and safety.

Starting with ensuring her head wasn’t knocking into any headboards until the doctor said she could.

When he caught her trying to watch the news this morning, he took the remote controls with him to the office. It was getting somewhat ridiculous.

I could tell Isa was getting restless being trapped in the penthouse, so I had a surprise for her this evening.

Starting this afternoon, with a visit from Doctor Smith to get these restrictions lifted.

Part of me worried that she would want to leave once they were.

I didn’t want that to happen, but we had to respect her boundaries if she decided living together was moving too fast. Let’s be honest, it was, but it didn’t feel like it.

It felt like we had finally found our missing piece.

Isa was currently sitting by the windows overlooking Sunflower Falls. I set the cup of tea I had made on the table beside her and crouched in front of her.

“You ok?”

“Yeah. Just bored out of my mind,” Isa replied with a sigh. “Thanks for the tea.”

I was planning on Doctor Smith’s visit as a surprise, but she looked so sad that I had to put a little sparkle back in her eyes.

“I have good news,” I told her. “Doctor Smith will come by today to check you out again and hopefully lift your restrictions. Then you won’t be so bored all the time.”

“That is good news,” she replied, perking up. The intercom buzzed, signaling someone wanted to come upstairs. “Maybe that’s Doctor Smith now!”

“Hello?” I asked when I reached it and pressed the button.

“Evan, It’s Daniel. I have Detective Greene with me.”

I buzzed them up and looked at Isa, who grew more nervous with every second. “Hey, it’s going to be ok. I’m here,” I assured her. I contemplated calling Nate and Dom, but decided to wait until I knew why the detective was here.

“Sorry about this,” Daniel said as he stepped off the elevator. “I received Isa’s statement that Nate sent over this morning and forwarded it to the detective, but he insisted on going over it with Isa in person.”

“Just some details I want to clarify,” Detective Greene said as he went to sit beside Isa.

“You can sit there,” I ordered, pointing to the couch across from her. Isa shot me an appreciative look as I sat beside her, and Daniel stood behind us.

“What do you need to know, Detective?” Isa asked.

“Well, I read through your statement, and it says here you heard a knock on the door and hadn’t checked to see who it was before you opened it. Is that correct?” Detective Greene asked.

“Yes. That’s right. I should have looked, but I assumed Dave was returning for the night. I had fallen asleep in the bathtub and was still a little disoriented,” Isa explained.

“And then you say he pushed his way in, slamming the door into your head, and then began to assault you. Correct?”

“That’s correct,” Isa replied again.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable about this interview. I looked at Daniel, and he nodded. He was feeling it, too. Something was up.

“Well, the problem we have here, Miss Wilcox, is that your father made a completely different statement of events,” Detective Greene announced.

“I’m sorry, Detective, you spoke to him?” Daniel asked.

“We did. Morris Wilcox came down to the station later that night to set the record straight,” he replied.

“So you had my client’s attacker in custody and didn’t arrest him for what he did to her or for violating the restraining order?” Daniel asked, raising his voice.

“Well, I don’t enjoy putting innocent men behind bars if I don’t have to,” Detective Greene replied.

“How much did he pay you?” Isa asked softly.

“What?” Greene replied.

“He had to have offered you something to cover for him,” she replied. “Usually, it’s money if he doesn’t think the lies will be enough. It doesn’t matter that he disregarded the restraining order by coming to my store. What matters is the sob story he gave with a promise to do something for you.”

“Are you calling me crooked?” Detective Greene asked. He dared to look and sound as though he were offended.

“If she isn’t, I am,” I growled.

Daniel touched my shoulder to prevent me from doing anything rash. He squeezed it once, then pulled out his phone and walked away.

“It doesn’t really matter what I’m calling you,” Isa replied calmly. “I’m sure my father was persuasive. He usually is. Out of curiosity, what did he say happened?”

“Well, the way he tells it, you attacked him because you were unhappy that the courts awarded him conservatorship over you. He said you’re a disturbed girl, and all those scars were self-inflicted. Said anything he did to you was in self-defense.”

“Self-defense?!” I erupted. “Does this fucking look like self-defense to you? He almost fucking strangled her to death if it weren’t for Dave!

How could you look at her and believe his lies?

” I was glad I had decided not to have Nate and Dom come up for this.

One of them would have knocked his head off his shoulders, for sure.

“The word of a homeless drunk doesn’t hold much weight,” Detective Greene replied.

Isa’s hand slipped into mine and squeezed it reassuringly. I didn’t understand how she could be so calm until I realized she had done this song and dance before. This was how it always was for her, so it didn’t faze her anymore.

“Detective Greene, you’re off the case,” Daniel announced when he returned.

“You don’t have the authority to take me off this case,” he scoffed.

“No, I don’t,” Daniel replied smugly as Detective Greene’s phone rang. “But he does.”

“Detective Greene.”

“I called in a few favors with the Chief,” Daniel said quietly.

“I don’t want you to go through all this trouble for me,” Isa said apologetically.

“You’re worth it, and even if you weren’t, it is worth it to get him off the fucking force,” Daniel replied, watching Greene with glee.

Greene’s eyes widened as he sat straighter on the couch. “Yes, Chief. No, Chief. I understand, Sir. I’ll be right there. Yes, Sir.” He hung up the phone and glared at Daniel as he stood.

“I have to go. Another detective will be in touch, but don’t think your money will sweep this under the rug to protect a disturbed girl.”

“Detective?” Isa said, standing. He turned to scowl at her.

“Not that you cared to investigate or ask, but I can prove what I said happened is true. I have surveillance cameras inside my store, and the feeds will prove me right. Too bad you’ll not see it with your own eyes.

You bet on the wrong horse; I’m sorry for that.

You were probably a stand-up guy before my Father started whispering in your ear.

Unfortunately, there are consequences for your actions. Good luck.”

He looked as shell-shocked as Daniel and I were about her revelation. Not once has she mentioned that she got the assault on camera. I waited for the detective to leave before I asked her about it.

“You have cameras, and you didn’t tell anyone?”

Isa shrugged. “Honestly, I forget they are there.”

“We need to see that footage. Where is it kept?” Daniel asked.

“In the cloud,” Isa replied. “There isn’t a hard copy stored in the shop. I never saw the purpose of it since that can be tampered with.”

“I’ll call the Chief back and let him know so that he can tell the new detective he assigns,” Daniel said, walking away again.

“You forgot?” I asked incredulously. She shrugged again, and I sighed as I pulled her into my arms. “What are we going to do with you, Little One?”

Isa relaxed into my embrace. “Keep me forever?” she asked.

I kissed the top of her head. “It’s a start.”

Doctor Smith was finishing Isa’s exam when Nate and Dom came in.

“Doc, I thought we weren’t seeing you again until Friday,” Nate said when he saw him.

“That was the plan, but Evan called me and asked if I could swing by and look at Isa today. It seems she’s going stir crazy with all of the restrictions.”

Dom gave me a thumbs-up behind Nate’s back, and I rolled my eyes at him.

I didn’t do it so we could get the all-clear to have sex with Isa, but of course, that’s the first thing he thinks about.

However, in his defense, Nate’s decree that he wasn’t allowed to be alone with Isa ensured that it was all he could think about.

“And?” Nate asked.

“And she is clear of all restrictions,” Doctor Smith replied. “Isa is healing quite nicely, and I’m not seeing any continuing complications from her injuries. She’s fully capable of listening to her body so as not to go beyond her limits.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Doc,” I told him as I walked him to the elevator. “We appreciate it.”

“Anytime, son. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to call,” Doctor Smith replied as he stepped into the elevator. I watched the doors close and turned around to see Dom stalk toward Isa.

“Not so fast, bucko,” I said. “We don’t have time for all of that. We have the quarterly meeting tonight.”

“Can’t we skip it?” Dom groaned.

“No, we can’t,” Nate replied, tilting his head toward Isa.

“I’ll be fine here alone,” Isa said quickly.

“You misunderstand, Isa. You’re coming with us,” I informed her.

“Why don’t you change into something more professional?” Nate suggested.

“I don’t think I have anything here,” Isa admitted.