Page 89 of Dreaming at Seaside
Chapter Twenty-One
CHIEF BASSETT’S OFFICE was silent, save for the sounds of Evan’s rapid breathing and the blood rushing through Caden’s ears. Evan sat board straight, with his shoulders pulled back and his hair pushed out of his eyes. He was putting on a brave face, but Caden noticed the slight twitch in the left side of his mouth and his fingers fidgeting with the seam of his shorts. The whole situation sucked. He and Evan hashed and rehashed what had gone down at Vera’s, and Evan told him that two of the other boys were behind the recent rash of break-ins. Caden still couldn’t shake the feeling that if he hadn’t let himself get so involved with Bella, he would have been more attuned to what Evan was going through and more attentive to the changes in his behavior. He might even have been able to avoid the situation altogether, but he knew better than anyone that there was no going backward. He knew what he had to do, and that started with teaching Evan a hard lesson about responsibility, which was why they were at the police station.
“It’s all there on my cell phone.” Evan pointed to his phone, which he’d placed in the center of the chief’s desk. “It was Mike and David who broke into all those places—the campground, the cars at the beach and at that auto shop—and it was them at Vera’s too. I swear I haven’t deleted messages or anything. You can even look at the records.” The strain in Evan’s voice nearly did Caden in. “You can do that, right, Dad?”
“Evan, are there any other kids involved besides the two that you’ve told us about?” Chief Bassett consulted his notes. “Mike Elkton and David Farrell?”
“What about Bobby?” Caden asked.
“No. I told you. Bobby didn’t do anything. It was Mike and David who broke into those other places, and I only know David did it because Bobby told me so. That’s why I stopped hanging out with them.” Evan’s eyes pleaded with Caden to believe him, even though he’d already pled his case back at the house. “I thought they were kidding when they said they’dfingereda car at Nauset, but then I started putting two and two together, and I asked Bobby about it and he told me a day later that they weren’t kidding. They’re the ones who were breaking into places.”
“But not Bobby Falls?” Chief asked again.
“No. I swear it. You can ask him. He stopped hanging out with them when I did.” Evan wrung his hands together and looked from Caden to the chief. “I would never do something like that. Bobby told me that they thought that since my dad was a cop they’d be safe. Like, if my dad found out, there was no way he’d turn them in if I was involved. That was the night I got pissed. Remember, Dad? When Bella was there for dinner? Me and Bobby were chatting online when he said they told him that. I confronted them last night, and I guess that breaking into Vera’s place was payback or something.”
“Evan, we’re going to bring these kids in, and we’ll ask them for their side of the story.” The chief leaned across the desk. “You realize that we have to listen to all sides.”
“Yes, sir. And I know they might try to say that I was involved. But that’s why I’m giving you my phone, and Dad said you could get the records from our online chats. That will also prove that I wasn’t involved.” He shot a worried look to Caden, and his voice escalated. “They can’t fake that, can they? You can search IP addresses to see what messages came from our house, can’t you?”
Caden placed a hand on Evan’s forearm. He held on tight and hoped that Evan would take comfort in his touch.
“Evan, they can do all those things,” Caden assured him. “What Chief Bassett wants to know is if there is anything you want to admit to so that he hears it from you first. Remember my rule. Please, of all times, this is the time to honor it.”
Evan nodded. “I know.” He drew in a breath, and Caden felt him shaking beneath his touch. “We went to Payton’s Campground one afternoon, and I didn’t do anything, but Mike and David left me and Bobby for about twenty minutes, and when they came back, they told us to get the heck out of there.” His tone was apologetic, and his hooded eyes were dreadfully sorry. “That was the time Bella said she saw me and I said she didn’t. I’m sorry, Dad.”
The day just got even worse.
Evan brought his attention to the chief once again. “Bobby told me later that night that they told him they’d broken into a trailer and stolen some stuff, but he didn’t know what. I should have said something, but I was afraid to. I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry, Chief Bassett. If I had said something, maybe they wouldn’t have had the chance to break in to Vera’s cottage. And I take responsibility for that.” Evan sat back and covered his face with his hands. “I’m so sorry.” He drew in another deep breath. “Dad, when we’re done here, I want you to take me to Vera’s. I need to talk to her and Jamie.”
“I don’t know, Evan. This isn’t a little thing. Vera could have had a heart attack. They could have hurt her in some other way. She’s stressed. She feels violated and unsafe in her own cottage. Jamie’s livid. His grandmother, the woman who raised him, was put in danger. Do you understand that?” He didn’t give him a chance to answer. “I’m not sure they’ll be receptive to talking to you just yet. They might need a few days to get past this.” Or a few weeks, or years. He had no idea if Jamie and Vera would ever get past it. He needed time to digest it.
“Please? I know all that, Dad. That’s why I need to talk to them,” Evan begged.
“I think that’s a good idea, Caden.” Chief Bassett held a steady gaze on Caden. “You’ll be there to buffer the situation. Unless you worry they’ll retaliate in some way, I think it’s important to give Evan a chance to make amends.”
“Yes, sir.” Caden realized that he hadn’t said no just because of his concerns of how Jamie and Vera might react, but also because he wasn’t ready to face Bella just yet.
“What will happen to David and Mike?” Evan asked.
Caden found it interesting that Evan wasn’t asking about what would happen to him. He must have truly come clean, which was honorable, even if he should have come to him sooner.
“Well, son, that’ll depend on how the investigation goes, and if Mrs. Reed presses charges. And, of course, if those other thefts are confirmed. If you don’t mind, I’d like a word with your father alone. You can wait right outside the door by Ms. Palken’s desk.” Chief Basset nodded a dismissal to Evan.
“Yes, sir.” Evan left the office, and Caden’s eyes tracked him through the glass until he disappeared in the direction of Kristie’s desk.
Chief Bassett leaned back in his chair. “That’s a pisser, huh?”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“You okay?” Chief Bassett asked.
“Yeah. Fine. Just, you know…When it’s your kid, all sorts of stuff goes through your head.”Like if we never moved, this wouldn’t have happened.
“Yes, I do know. Like, what if he had been involved? What if he’d been the one to break in?”
Caden rose to his feet. “Yeah.”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Caden. He did the right thing.”
