Page 78 of Serena
My dad rubs his beard. “I spoke to my contact. There were several leads that weren’t followed up on during the investigation. There were eyewitnesses who weren’t interviewed or changed their story. The bar owner claimed not to know anything and blamed it all on Serena, but he was also known to have gang affiliations, so people were scared to talk and even changed their story. On advice from their counsel, the bar decided to settle the lawsuit.”
I'm reading the report on Kyle's death. It was ruled as an accidental overdose. There was a needle found next to him. That would be a convenient way to get rid of someone. Staging a suicide. There are more reports. It says Lester Moore was killed during a rival gang fight. He was stabbed over a dozen times. I look at my father. “He was working on a plea deal. He was going to provide additional information on the attack but was killed a week before he was scheduled to talk with the district attorney. It can’t be a coincidence.”
There are call logs of Serena’s attempts to ask the police for help. She reported her father’s car getting vandalized. Messages sent to her: “X marks the spot” and “Next time I'll carve that cunt.” They’re all here. She provided proof, so why didn’t she get the help she needed? She was living a nightmare.
“The signatures are from the same person. Is he still on the force?” My eyes continue reading.
“No. He was killed a couple of years ago. A robbery gone bad.”
“Fuck!” I throw the file against the wall. The papers scattering all over my cousin's office. “They blamed her! She was the victim, and they blamed her. What was done to her. What she’s had to endure.”
My father approaches me and puts his hands on my shoulder. The last time he comforted me like this was when my grandfather died.
“What do you need from us?”
“I need to keep her safe. I have a feeling that whatever happened five years ago isn’t over.” I look at my cousin.
“It seems we need to pay Javi a visit.”
Ian and Caleb are out of town. There’s an emergency that he needs to take care of. So I’m staying at his penthouse; there’s no way in hell I’m returning to my apartment. At least not until we find out who was following me. My apartment was my sanctuary, my safe space; now that’s been taken from me. I’ll most likely sell it.
Felix has been my shadow for the last couple of days. I like Felix; he isn’t much of a talker. He’s also very intelligent. That was evident at work when I was looking at projections for the upcoming year. He found errors that my Chief Financial Officer had missed. He attends my meetings. He looks the part. The all-American golden boy. He was somewhat of a distraction for the assistants. Even Selma couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Claudia was undressing him with hers.
One of my favorite things about Felix? He loves to shoot things too. He prefers a bow and arrows.
“How long have you known Caleb?” I ask as he pulls back the bowstring.
“I've known him since we were children. Our fathers knew each other. Well, his biological father and my father.” He releases the arrow and bullseye.
“Is your dad really a politician?”
“Aren’t you curious?”
I shrug. “I need more friends.”
“Yes, my father is the mayor. He wanted me to follow in his footsteps, but it wasn't for me. I tried; I have a degree in political science to prove it.”
“I get what it's like…to want to live up to others' expectations of you.”
“Yeah, well fuck them.”
“Yeah, screw them.” I agree, but there’s an ache in my chest.
The rest of the evening is spent shooting targets and sharing stories about our friends. “How’s Ruby doing?” I invited her to my birthday party, but she had a family emergency to take care of. After my trip home, we met for dinner. She’s adjusting to Veridian Bay.
“She’s giving everyone hell. Especially Damon. They don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but she’s good at her job. Caleb made her manager of the bar.”
Ruby told me about her promotion. She gained Caleb's respect after turning down his numerous attempts to sleep with her. She saw it as a test, and I did too. She didn’t mention anything about Damon. After a couple of hours at the range, Felix takes me back to Ian’s penthouse. I walk in and find Veronica on the couch.
She sees me and smiles, lifting a bag of takeout. “Ian gave me the code and told me to make sure you're eating. So, I got your favorite. It’s Mexican from a place by your office.”
“So, you’re here to babysit me?”
“No, he asked me to keep you company. I am staying the night though.”
I think she needs company more than I do. Ian told me about Veronica's struggle with his mother’s health. She runs from what scares her. We’re kindred spirits in that sense.
“So, what’s your favorite Mexican dish?” I ask her as I take a look in the bag.
