Misplaced Trust (Misjudged) (6 page)

“We’ll be in touch, Miss Harper,
” the female cops advises me, with a narrowness entering her eyes.

My hands are shaking
, and I find I’m unable to even stand up. My legs have turned to a quivering mess. All I can do is sit here, in shock. Total shock.

It takes me a while to try and get my head around what just happened, and eve
n more so as I try to explain to the rest of the guys what was said after they had left the room to give us some privacy.

“Here,”
Ryan hands me a shot glass filled with an amber liquid. Whiskey. Whiskey might help, then again, I think it’s highly doubtful. “Tell us again … Brandon came back yesterday, didn’t give anything away at all as to why he left, or why he came back, and now the cops are looking for him for breaking in to your dad’s house?” his face really says it all.

It’s a lot to take in. There are so many questions to ask
, and not merely enough answers for even half of them, if any of them at all.

Neil’
s sitting on the opposite couch and fiddling with his cell phone, so I’m assuming he’s messaging some people to see if they’re any more clued up than we are, “He said … he told me, before he left, not to hate him for what’s happening, to not hate him for what’s happened, and that he’s sorry.”

Throwing the shot down, I relish
the burn as it hits the back of my throat and the way it takes my thoughts away, even if it’s only for a nanosecond. I go to grab the bottle from the coffee table for a refill, “That’s it?” Ryan looks mystified as he pours himself, Neil, and Alyssa a drink for themselves once I’ve placed the bottle back down on the coffee table.

“Not exactly
… we um … we …”

“You slept with him?” Alyssa asks accusingly
, her eyes widening and revealing a slight sparkle within them. “He came back, you slept with him, and then he left again?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. He got a call and told me he had to leave,” I insist, but I can see how this is beginning to look and sound.

“He fucked you and left,
” Neil scowls, grabbing hold of the now half empty bottle of liquor, not even bothering to reach over and retrieve his glass from the table. Swigging the whiskey neat, and from the bottle, I think he has every intention of getting wasted tonight.

“Yes
… No … Christ! Neil, I have no fucking clue what happened anymore!” I try to argue with him, my voice raising a few notches when I answer.

“This is the exact same shit he used to pull when we in high school
, and when he first got out of jail. I wish you’d fucking listened, Alex, I really do … You’re just like all the others to him. A quick FUCK!” Neil spits out.

Slightl
y bewildered by his outburst, the harshness in his voice makes me still and lean back against the couch, “No, he said that—” I try to protest but it’s no use, once Neil gets angry, which isn’t very often at all, there’s really no stopping what he might say or do.

“Let me guess. He told you that you were different and special
and more than just a fuck around to him, right?” he smirks, taking another mouthful of drink and standing, while pointing an accusing finger over in my direction. “If I didn’t know you any better, Alex, I’d say you remind me a lot of Lisa!”

“That’s enough!”
Ryan stands, speaking angrily over towards Neil, who is still wearing a wicked smirk over his lips. I already see the overprotectiveness showing on Ryan’s face. “I thought he’d changed.” Ryan mumbles, glancing between the two of us as Alyssa sits by his side, and for once, she remains quiet.

Not being able to deal with the words Neil’s spitting out, I stand and leave the room.

I leave the dorm.

I leave the building.

He didn’t fuck me. He didn’t. It was much more than that, I know it was.

Neil was drunk. He was completely and utterly wasted, but the words he’d spoken hurt. He said I reminded him of Lisa. Lisa of all people. I haven’t been compared to anyone before, and now that I have been, I’m damned sure I never want to be again.

I went for a long
walk last night, not getting back to the dorm until around two this morning. The three of them had already gone to bed, which I was pleased about if I’m completely honest. I don’t think I could have handled another round with Neil shooting his mouth off.

The early morning sun is shining through the living area’s window from behind me. Pulling one of the blankets over my head when I hear a door beginning to open, I hear
footsteps as they draw closer, and stilling when they’re right beside me.

“Alex.”

It’s Neil and he sounds rough. Really rough. Although it’s hardly surprising considering the amount of alcohol he consumed last night. I turn onto my side and pull the blanket half way down my face, so only my eyes are visible.

“Hey,” I mumble, not really knowing what to say to him. I
know he wasn’t …
him
last night, but I’m still wary as to whether he’s going to start another argument with me. I really don’t have the energy to fight with him, or anyone else come to mention it. I’ve only had a couple of hours sleep and I feel emotionally, physically, and mentally drained.

“I think I might owe you an apology
…”

“You’re entitled to your own opinion, Neil,” I sit up and wipe my eyes, feeling as though I could sleep for another
few hours. “Listen I’m tired. Can we do this later?”

Nodding
his reply, he goes to walk away, but pauses and turns back around, seeming just as confused as I am from the sound of knocking over on the main door, again. It has only just turned seven o’clock in the morning.

Watching as he walks passed
me, I pull the cover back up and hope the peace and quiet will soon resume.

“Again?” Neil sounds pissed with whoever decided to drop by so early.

“Again, it seems,” I recognize that voice. “We have a search warrant, so if you could step aside for us Mr. ...?”

Bolting upright and off of the couch, I wrap the blanket around me
and come face to face with the same female cop from last night. The same cop who came in throwing around all of those ludicrous accusations.

“Y
ou have a warrant?” This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all. “How? I mean, why?”

“Some more evidence has come to light overnight. Some very se
rious information,” she answers as she steps towards me, this time her face softer and in some strange way, she seems a little more compassionate. “Maybe it would be best if you sit down so we can go over a few things.”

Glancing over to the other detective,
I see him nodding once, with a slight smile appearing over his lips, “Miss. Harper.”

Taking a seat, I wait for them to join me, noticing Neil still standing
over by the main door and watching them with speculative eyes, before slowly walking over to where we’re sitting, “If you could excuse us,” she turns and speaks to Neil.

“Can he stay?” I ask,
my voice almost pleading. If it’s as bad as they’re making it out to be, I at least want someone here with me. “Please?”

“Very well,”
she agrees while removing her jacket, only this time I don’t see a notepad or pencil in sight.

Ne
il sits down beside me, takes a hold of my hand, and rests them interlocked on his upper thigh.

“Alexis,” she says, holding a piece of paper towards me. Taking it from her, I see they’ve been granted permission to search anywhere throughout the whole dorm. Anywhere they wish in order to help further their investigation. “Before we begin our search, we need to ask you some more questions.”

She looks over to her partner, who then clears his throat as he appears to be getting ready to take over. Did they really have to come by this early? Did they really need to come by at all?

“We’re not one hundred per cent certain as to what exactly it was that he was looking for, but we have managed to piece together a link between Mr. Taylor, and your father’s property on Sunday,” the male detective begins, his eyes darting between both Neil and I before they land back down to his file.

“A link? What kind of link?” Neil asks, sitting forward
, but never once letting go of my hand.

The female detective takes a moment before directing her gaze on me
again, this time with a look of sympathy crossing over her features, “Did Brandon ever mention your mom, Alexis?”

“My mom?
We talked about her but not in a lot of detail,” I answer, wondering where on earth this conversation is heading. “He lost someone, I lost someone. I guess that’s one of the bonds we have …
we had
. We both lost and missed someone who meant everything to us.”

“Were you aware that y
our mom was working on Mr. Taylor’s case before she died, Alexis?” she asks, hesitating from saying anymore, but I notice her watching both myself and Neil, as though she’s looking for some sort of a reaction from either one of us.

Feeling Neil’s hand gripping mine firmly, I glance over to him, stunned by this information and see his mouth drop
ping open slightly from her words. So is that what my father meant when he said in the voicemail that he recognized the name?

“Did he ever mention that he wanted to seek revenge, or
… how can I put this …?”

Interrupting her, I sit forward, making sure I’m in her line of sight,
“He wanted to clear his name. He said he would do anything and everything he could to do that. He said he’d stop at nothing until he finished it,” the words fall out of my mouth before I can even think about what I’m saying.

“Even you?”
she raises her brow as she asks, keeping her eyes firmly trained on me, and for some reason, she appears happy by my small outburst.

“I’
m sorry?”

“You said he would do anythi
ng and everything,” the detective answers, as though those are the only two words she needs to say in order to explain what she meant.

“Are you
implying Brandon used Alexis so that he could gain the information he needed?” Neil asks, with shock entering his tone and mortification written across his features. At least I’m not the only one who is finding all of this a little too much to handle.

“
Perhaps Mr. Taylor saw Alexis as a ticket. A ticket leading him to the information he needed. You see, Alexis, if it was really his goal, the only thing he could focus on, do you think that it may be just a little too coincidental that he ‘fell in love’ with you, the daughter of the cop who worked on his case? The person who could lead him to the critical information he wanted so badly, the information he so desperately needed?”

“No, I don’t believe that for a second,” I snarl at her, although honestly, I have no idea what I believe anymore. Brandon never told me that it was my mom who had been working on his case, which makes me think he didn’t know, but he must have, surely?

The detectives
both stand, and after several moments of silence, I watch as they make their way over to my room, “Are you okay?” Neil asks quietly, still holding my hand firmly.

“They think Brandon was using me,” I turn to face him, a feeling of nausea washing over me from everything they said
and implied. “You don’t honestly believe that he would …?” I can’t even finish my sentence, though it doesn’t look as though I need to. I can see from the look over his face that he thinks it’s a possibility.

After spending over an hour in the dorm, the cops
finally finish turning my room and the living area upside down, before making their way over the main door,
empty handed.

“Miss. Harper,” Detective Gil addresses me, turning around and leaning in towards me. “It really would be in your best interests to face the facts and accept things for what they are. If you think of anything, a
nything at all that will help us with this investigation, I suggest you call us.”

Ryan and Alyssa walk
out from Ryan’s room just as I close the door after showing the cops out, seemingly curious to know exactly what has been going on while they spent time back in Olympia.

“It’s bullshit, all of it,” I say, standing and crossing my arms over my chest. “She was only saying those things to try and get something from me. She wants me to think he used me so I would talk to her
and admit that he came here.”

“
She does seem like a manipulative bitch,” Neil adds, throwing me a small smile. “Alex, what I said last night. I didn’t mean it. I’m just angry at the guy for what he did to you, that’s all.”

Watching him for a moment, I can see he’s being sincere. He looks upset with himself about it, “
Do it again and I’ll kick your ass, Neil. I mean it.” I answer, and pretend I didn’t just see the snicker he gave me as a way of response.

“Maybe you should have told her about that guy you saw.
What was his name? Harry? Maybe he has something to do with all of this? It seems like a more plausible explanation. Your car, being in Salem, asking you questions … Maybe we should try and find out who he is. It’s a little strange he shows up all of a sudden and then all of this crazy ass shit starts happening.”

“Saying the word
beautiful and calling me Alexis.”

I notice Neil sw
allow and his eyes narrow at what I just said, “You didn’t mention any of that before. When did this happen?”

“
By the lake, the first time I ever saw him. I suppose because so many things have happened recently, I’d put it to the back of my mind. He knew my car and everything. I think maybe I should give the cops a call and tell them,” I answer.

“
How about we find out who he is for ourselves first? Just to be certain. You don’t wanna be throwing around accusations against a guy you don’t know. The cops will think you’re grasping at anything and everything you can so that your boyfriend doesn’t get himself into any more trouble. You see what I mean?” Neil suggests and I think he’s most probably right. It doesn’t seem as though they’ll believe anything I say, unless it’s something that won’t go in Brandon’s favor.

“
Yeah … yeah I think you’re right,” I tell him.

“Leave it
me and Ryan, alright? Tell us as soon as you see him hanging around or if he starts asking any more questions,” he puts his hand out to me, so that I’ll shake on the promise. “Deal?”

“Deal,
” I agree. Knowing that Neil and Ryan have my back, I’m beginning to feel a little better about this whole situation already.

***

It’s dark out as I make myself more comfortable in my usual spot on the steps. It must be close to ten thirty and there isn’t a sound. It’s so peaceful. Right now, I need that.

I don’t wa
nt to doubt him, I really don’t, especially when he's not here to answer any of the hundreds of questions I need to ask. I’m really not sure what to think or how to feel about this whole situation.

He made it known that he couldn’t and wouldn’t stop until he cleared his name, but to who’s expense? His? Mine?
Does it really matter so long as he gets hold of the information and gains the results he’s been waiting for?

He’s
been beaten so badly before over this entire thing, so badly that he’s lucky he was found when he was, but, even that apparently wasn’t enough to stop him from pledging to find out who set him up. Find out who ruined his life. Find out why Holly was taken from him.

After everything the cops said back at the dorm
, and speaking with the other guys, I needed some time. I needed some space to try and think. Think about what mine and Brandon’s relationship was, and wonder what we could have been together, if only we were given more of a chance. If only I was given the chance to show him, prove to him that I can be, that
I am
the one who can make him happy.

I asked him to stay, but he wouldn’
t. I wanted him to talk to me and explain everything, but he refused and left, again.

When he said he was sorry, when he asked me not to blame him for what’s happened and
for what’s happening, was it because he knew I was about to find out about all of this? Would it be right to assume he knew all along, and that our relationship was in fact built on a lie?

The sound o
f hurried footsteps drawing near makes me feel somewhat anxious, but it’s not likely whoever it is will know I’m here anyway. The moonlight is shimmering off of the water, and there’s some light from the nearest lamp shining by the wall, but where I’m sitting is in complete darkness.

“Yes, I told you this
already … No, I have no fucking idea … You should have taken my advice and let me handle this!”