GUILTY 27

CONTINUED FROM LAST NIGHT…. I grab my phone and dial his number. ‘Mr Waters, where are you?’ I ask once he answers. ‘I’m just out grabbing dinner. Why?’ ‘I need to speak with you immediately. Can you come down to the station?’ ‘Is everything alright? Have you found her?’ ‘No, I’m afraid we haven’t.’ ‘Then what is this regarding?’ ‘You and I need to have a little chat.’ It’s quiet for a moment. Then finally, he speaks. ‘Sure. I’m not too far from there, actually. I can be there in ten minutes.’ Fifteen minutes after our phone call, Rebecca notifies me that Winston has entered the lobby. I meet him there, then together, we walk to my office. I close the door behind us, monitoring for him to take a seat. I walk around my desk, pull out the chair, and sit across from him. He’s staring at the files I have spread out. He looks exhausted, as though he hasn’t slept for days. I can imagine why. ‘So, what did you need to talk about?’ he asks, finally looking up at me. ‘Where to begin? ‘You lied,’ I say. ‘Pardon me?’ ‘Your wife seems to think you spent the entirety of Friday with the police. I know you weren’t at home, so where were you?’ ‘I was out looking for my daughter!’ ‘So why did you tell her that you were with us?’ He shrugs. ‘I don’t know, anything to get her off my back. Make her realize that I’m actually trying to do something, not just sitting around idly.’ I nod, accepting his answer. ‘But that’s not all you lied about, Winston.’ He stares at me, awaiting for me to elaborate. ‘You were home on Thursday morning.’ ‘What gave you that idea?’ I glare at him. He should know by now not to play this game. ‘It isn’t in your best interest to continue this lie, Mr Waters.’ He glares right back, then decides that I’m right. He looks away for a moment, staring at the wall. Then he turns back to me. ‘Savannah told you, didn’t she?’ he laughs slightly and shakes his head. ‘This is why we didn’t say anything. Because you think we had something to do with it.’ ‘Not at all. I wouldn’t have thought that. In fact, considering your wife is the main person of interest in this case, my first thought would be that you were somehow protecting her.’ He flattens his mouth into a straight line, then massages his left hand. ‘It’s not like that.’ ‘Well please, explain to me. I’m all ears.’ ‘She was having a bad week, okay? She was stressed and anxious. I guess she had a little melt down on Wednesday. But she was talking pure nonsense. Saying I was having an affair with Savannah.’ ‘Well were you?’ ‘Of course not.’ ‘Then why would your wife think that?’ ‘I told you, she wasn’t in a good state of mind. She would have said anything.’ ‘I don’t believe that.’ ‘Oh yeah? Why not?’ ‘There’s something else you’re not telling me.’ ‘Like what?’ I tilt my head slightly. ‘Are you having an affair, Mr Waters? Not with Ms Visagie. There’s someone else.’ His facial expression doesn’t alter. He continues to stare at me, but it’s as though he’s frozen in time. ‘Mr Waters,’ I say again. ‘No. No, I’m not having an affair,’ he spits like it’s such a filthy word. ‘Why would you even ask me that?’ ‘Would you like to tell me about JK Lakes?’ I ask, and watch as he tries to hide his reaction. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ ‘Mr Waters, there’s no point in lying any longer. I found the emails on your computer. So you can either tell me the truth, or I’ll have someone trace them.’ He leans forward in one fast motion so our faces are inches apart. He doesn’t say anything. Just keeps his face close enough that I can hear him breathing heavily through his nostrils. ‘You’re looking awfully guilty of something right now, Winston.’ He pulls away from me and sits back in his chair, avoiding eye - contact. I let him sit like this for a moment, wallowing in the silence. Finally, he readjusts in his chair and sits up straight. ‘Okay,’ he says. ‘Okay, what? You ready to talk?’ He nods his head sombrely. ‘On one condition.’ ‘You’re not really in a position to be negotiating. But I’ll hear what you have to say.’ He looks angered by this, but knows that I’m right. He doesn’t have many options. ‘I’ll tell you everything. But please don’t tell Danny, alright? You can do anything you want, tell everyone at the station if you have to. But could we try to keep this from her?’ ‘What are you hiding?’ He takes in a deep breath and looks down at his shoes. ‘You were right, I’m having an affair. Was having an affair.’ He stops, almost to let the words sink in, then he looks back up at me. ‘This has nothing to do with what’s going on. I guess this all came at a bad time.’ ‘What did, your affair?’ He nods. ‘How long?’ I ask. ‘Only a couple of months. I never meant to… I didn’t intend for things to turn out like this. But, I guess no one really plans to have an affair. They just do.’ ‘Who is she?’ ‘Do I have to say?’ I stare at him, letting him know through visual cues that, yes, you do. He sighs again. ‘It’s the woman you asked me about earlier. Rosie, JK Lakes is a pseudonym she made up. You know, just to be safe.’ ‘Rosie?’ I say, caught off guard. I grab my phone and check the time. It’s nearly ten o’clock. ‘What is it?’ He asks, clearly catching on that something isn’t right. ‘You should have told me this when I asked you the first time,’ I dial Robbins number and put the phone to my ear. ‘Why? What is it?’ I turn to him, aggravation and annoyance flooding my body. If he would have just been honest with me earlier, I could have put together the pieces and put out an APB. ‘We have reason to believe that this woman was lurking outside your home back in March,’ I say. Robbins phone goes to voicemail and I hang up. ‘Your nanny also mentioned that she came by the house about two weeks ago. Now tell me, Mr Waters, what was your mistress doing lurking outside your home at night and coming to your house in the middle of the day?’ ‘I had no idea about that,’ he says, and genuinely looks taken back. ‘What makes you say she was lurking outside?’ ‘Your babysitter saw someone sitting outside in a red Impala back in March. Said that your landline rang but no one was on the other line. It freaked her out.’ ‘God Dammit,’ He brings his hand to his forehead. ‘And what about two weeks ago?’ I say. ‘Why did she come by then?’ He opens his eyes and looks at me. ‘I told her not to . But she needed to see me.’ ‘Why?’ ‘She just wanted to. I don’t know,’ he turns and pushes his hand through his hair. ‘This whole situation has gotten far out of control. It was never meant to be like this.’ ‘Like what?’ ‘This serious. It was just a fling. Temporary. But it evolved to something more. And now, with Emerald missing … God, I just can’t Focus on that right now. I need to focus on finding my daughter.’ ‘So you don’t find it odd that the woman you are having an affair with has been stalking you and your family? That doesn’t strike you as suspicious?’ ‘What are you implying? That Rose had something to do with Emerald’s disappearance?’ ‘That’s how it looks, yes.’ ‘No, that’s insane. Rose would never do something like that. And besides….’ ‘Besides what?’ ‘Nothing.’ I shake my head. ‘You’re digging the whole deeper and deeper, Winston.’ He stares at me. ‘Give me a number I can reach her at,’ I say and pull out my phone again. ‘Who, Rosie?’ ‘Yes, who else?’ He sighs and recites the number. ‘When was the last time you had contact with this woman?’ I ask him. ‘About a week ago. We met for coffee. That was the last I saw of her.’ ‘You’re sure, now?’ ‘Yes.’ I dial Robbins number and try her again. I turn to Winston. ‘I hope you’re telling me the truth this time. And if you’re not, don’t think I won’t hesitate to drag your ass down to the station to get the answers I need. Understood?’ He nods. ‘And please, try not to go running off again. It looks bad.’ ---------- Winston Waters May 3, 2016 The sound of chirping birds fills my ears as I walk to my car. It’s five o’clock and the sun is still prominent in the sky, casting shadows across everything in its path. As I drive home from work, my mind wanders to Rosie, a story she told me the other day about something that happened in Clementine’s classroom. Apparently her teacher is very strict about note passing, but for some reason, Clem and her friend were passing notes back and forth to each other about boys they liked. The teacher ended up catching them mid note - pass and decided to hang it up at the front of the classroom, just about the chalkboard, for everybody to see. Clementine was so embarrassed, so during recess when no one was around, she snuck back inside the classroom, tore down the note, ripped it into tiny pieces, and put the scraps in her bag. I couldn’t help but laugh as Rosie recited the story, reminiscing on how I used to act when I was just a clueless fifth grader. Just as I’m pulling into the driveway, I notice Marcia’s car parked beside Danny’s. Her husband must be off work today in order for her to have the car. When I walk through the front door, Marcia is sitting on the couch holding Emerald, singing a song that I can’t quite identify. I smile as I drop my briefcase and walk over to greet them. ‘Hello princess!’ I beam as I sit on the couch beside them, taking Emerald into my arms. She’s wearing a light blue dress, a matching headband in her little patch of hair. She’s almost six months now and already her hair is getting long. Soon enough it will be down to her shoulders, beautiful locks, just like her mother. ‘Where's Danny?’ I turn to Marcia. ‘She’s taking a quick shower. Should be out soon.’ She smiles and watches as I bounce Emerald up and down on my lap. ‘It’s a beautiful day.’ I remark. ‘It is.’ ‘I see you have the car today.’ ‘Yes, a friend was meeting with Steve this morning so he was able to get a ride.’ I nod, ‘Any plans with the kids tonight?’ ‘Just going home to make dinner.’ She smiles. We both turn our heads to Emerald as she makes some sort of sound between a squeak and a giggle. ‘Oh, Mr Waters, I forgot to mention,’ she turns to me again. ‘Somebody came by looking for you earlier. A woman.’ I furrow my eyebrows. ‘Did she leave a name?’ ‘Um, I believe she said her name was Rosie. I told her you were at work.’ My heart plummets in my chest. I can feel the blood rushing to my ears as she speaks. I remain composed and clear my throat. ‘Oh, that’s odd. Did she say what she needed?’ ‘No. Just said she was looking for you.’ ‘Hmmm, no idea,’ I say. ‘I’m sure she’ll contact me if it’s important.’ I force a smile and try to brush off the sense of unease. I should be relieved, really. She could have said anything to Marcia. But she didn’t. I hear the bedroom door open and a moment later, Danny walks into the living room wearing her blue robe, rustling a towel through her damp hair. ‘Oh, you’re home early,’ she says as though she wasn’t expecting to see me. ‘Yeah. There weren’t many patients this afternoon.’ She nods her head and holds the towel at her side. ‘Feel free to go whenever you’d like, Marcia,’ Danny smiles. ‘I better get going now, actually. The kids will be wondering where dinner is.’ She laughs as she lifts herself up off the couch. I hoist Emerald onto my hip and follow her to the door. ‘Thanks Marcia. We’ll see you Wednesday.’ ‘Goodbye, Mr Waters. Goodbye, little one.’ She gives Emerald a little poke on the nose, leaving my daughter smiling and giggling. The next morning on my way to work, I make a detour to Rosie’s. What the hell was she thinking coming by my house? I’ve told her before that my place is off limits. The only reason she even knows my address is because she saw it on a mailing envelope in my car. I have no problem meeting her if she needs to see me - anywhere but my house. Danny could have been there. I can only imagine what would have happened if she came today instead, a Thursday, when Danny is working from home. Disastrous that’s what. Danny has already been on edge lately, I can tell. I know she’s been wondering about my frequent absences as of late, but she hasn’t said a word. She feels like this is her fault, that she is the reason we’re falling apart. But she’s been trying to make it up to me lately. Cooking elaborate dinners, wanting to go the amusement park, making sure to spend more time with Emerald when I’m around. I’m glad she’s making an effort. I really am. But what’s done is done, and nothing can change that. I can’t control my feelings. I wish I could - but I can’t. The feelings I used to have towards my wife simply aren’t as strong as they once were, and instead, all of my thoughts and attention are directed towards Rosie. We’ve been so careful. Nobody would be able to link us together in any way. Except Clementine. But Rosie has explained to her the importance of keeping this whole thing a secret. Should we ever have involved her? Sometimes I don’t know. Rosie seemed to keen on me meeting her. And she is a lovely girl. I guess she didn’t want to keep her secret from me. I told her about my family and she told me about Clementine. It has worked out fine so far. Until yesterday. Fortunately her car is in the driveway, meaning she hasn’t left for work yet. I called into the office on my way and told Vanessa I was stuck in traffic and would be a few minutes late. No problem, is what she always tells me. Of course it’s no problem - I own the place. I hustle up the front steps and ring the doorbell, then proceed to knock consistently. A moment later, I hear footsteps rushing to the door and it swings open, revealing a stunning - as - always Rosie, dark hair clipped up, wearing jeans and a mustard top, holding her scrubs. ‘What’s going on? Did something happen?’ She looks utterly shocked to see me. When I don’t answer right away, she leans her head out the door, surveying if anyone else is there, then yanks me inside by the arm and shuts the door behind us. ‘What the hell were you thinking?’ I ask once I’m inside. ‘I beg your pardon?’ ‘Coming to my house yesterday! The nanny had to tell me that some woman came by looking for me.’ ‘Oh,’ her face drops. ‘Oh? What is oh? Why did you come by?’ She looks up at me, those vibrant eyes striking me again as they always do. ‘I’m so sorry. Winston. I needed to see you.’ ‘Why? Did something happen with Clem?’ my anger fades and is replaced with concern. ‘No, its not that.’ ‘Then what is it?’ She doesn’t answer me. She stares down at the floor. ‘What would you have done if Danny was there? Imagine what could have happened,’ I say. Her lips part as though she’s going to speak, then she closes them again. ‘What’s going on?’ I say. ‘What could possibly be so important that it couldn’t wait?’ She looks up at me, then, and I see something in her eyes, Fear. ‘I’m pregnant.’ The words leave her mouth, but I don’t hear them. ‘What did you just say?’ ‘I’m pregnant, Winston.’ ‘Are you sure? How do you know?’ I feel as though I’ve been punched in the gut, the air knocked out of my lungs, my heart sinking further into my chest. ‘I didn’t get my period on time. At first I didn’t think anything of it. But the more I thought about it, the more unusual it was. I have a very regular cycle. So I took a pregnancy test. It was positive.’ ‘Well did you take another? Sometimes it can give a false reading.’ ‘I don’t know Winston! I don’t know what to do!’ Her voice gets higher suddenly and I watch her eyes fill with tears. ‘Fuck,’ I mutter and turn sideways, placing my fist over my mouth. ‘What do we do?’ she cries. I turn back to her. ‘It could be wrong. The test could be wrong.’ ‘So what should I do!?’ ‘We’ll make a doctor’s appointment. You can get checked there. They’ll tell you if you’re really pregnant or not.’ She nods her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. I’m so overwhelmed with emotions, rendered speechless. Anger, fear guilt, Fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, fear - playing through a loop in my brain. So many questions. What if she is pregnant? How will I hide this from Danny? What if I have to tell Danny? What about Emerald? What about Clementine? Fuck - Fuck! I turn to her, suddenly realizing that I’m being selfish. The potential life we created is in her stomach, not mine. ‘I’m sorry for overreacting,’ I say. ‘About coming to the house, You were probably scared. Fuck, I can’t imagine how scared you are. I’m sorry, Rose.’ I reach forward and bring her into my arms. She cries into my chest. ‘It’s okay,’ she says. ‘We’ll figure this out.’ She pulls back and looks up at me, her eyes glassy with tears. ‘We will. We’ll figure it out.’ I repeat. --------- Detective Gerald Sullivan Saturday May 20, 2016 Winston leaves the station and heads home. I pace back and forth in my office, thinking. This case keeps getting more unnerving as the hours pass. Not only did he lie about having an affair, but his affair might be the very reason his child is missing. This woman is evidently stalking him and his family. What else is she hiding? I take out my phone and call the number that Winston gave me. It rings six times before going straight to voicemail. ‘You’ve reached Rosie. Sorry I missed your call, please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you and have a great day.’ Pause. Beeeep. ‘This is Detective Sullivan from the Davenmore Police Station.’ I say quickly, unprepared to leave a message. ‘I have a few questions that I think you could help me with. If you could please give me a call back a soon as you’re able, it would be greatly appreciated.’ I recite my number, then hang up. A voice message isn’t enough. I need to go over there again, talk to her in person. But what if she’s not home? What if I can’t find her? Then I’ll put out a APB. I have enough for that now. This woman is critically needed in a missing person’s investigation. Anyone who has any information on her will be of some assistance. The clock continues to tick and I can’t help but feel as though we’re running out of time…. It’s nearly eleven by the time I hit the road and make my way down to Rosie’s neighbourhood once again. But unlike my previous visit earlier in the day, everything is quiet. No people walking their dogs, no children playing on the street. The suburban homes line the streets, not a soul in site. I pull up in front of her house and park on the street. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here, the Impala still parked in the driveway. I make my way up the steps to her front door and ring the doorbell. Peering through the side window, I can see that the house is dark, no lights on at all. I knock this time - loudly - then step back and wait. Still nothing. I backtrack down the steps and try to see if there are any lights on upstairs, if there is any trace of human life inside of this house, but I can’t see anything that would prove so. The house is completely dark. Empty… I debate getting a search warrant. Although, no judge would be around to approve it at this time of night. The soonest I could get one would be by morning. Do I have that long? What if the child is in there? I walk back up to the door and knock once more. Then I put my fingers on the door - handle and twist. It’s open. I quickly turn my head and survey my surroundings. No one is out, but someone could be peering through their windows, watching. Then, again, I’m not the guilty one here. I’m the law. But still, I’m aware that what I’m doing is illegal. I shouldn’t enter the premises without a warrant or probable cause. But I just can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right here. I turn the handle and push the door open, quickly walking inside and closing it tightly behind me. ‘Ms Miller,’ I say aloud into the vacant house. ‘Are you here?’ No response. I walk forwards, quietly and slowly, trying not to make a sound. If she isn’t here, then where is she? And if she isn’t here, then what am I doing in here? Do I expect to just find the child sitting in a crib all alone? What if I’m wrong? What if this Rosie woman has nothing at all to do with Emerald’s disappearance and I just broke so many rules coming in here. She could have been stalking him, yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s a child abductor. Did I jump to conclusions too quickly? I continue walking through her house, curiosity getting the best of me. Perhaps if I find something - anything at all - it can give me a better sense of who this woman is, what she’s like. If I can just find a clue, some piece of evidence at all. I turn left from the main hallway and enter the kitchen. AND that’s when I see it - see her - lying on the floor, a pool of blood beside her head….

TO BE CONTINUED….