The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1) Read online

  “I believe you, Al. Please, don’t think otherwise,” he said reassuringly. He was clearly carefully choosing his words. “What I’m telling you is that the police department has nothing to go after because we couldn’t find any evidence there. I’m not telling you that I, Martin, won’t look into it. I will.” Martin had no reason to doubt Alexis. “If anything weird happens, call me.”

  “Sure, if I survive it, I will,” she said more aggressively than she actually intended to. “Can I go home now?”

  “Of course,” he acquiesced.

  Alexis quickly left the room. She felt as if she were trapped in a nightmare. She just wanted to get home, hide under her bedsheets and get up in the morning only to find out that none of it had been real. Anna was about to leave the room after Alexis when Martin held her arm.

  “The sheriff wants to see you tomorrow. I can stay with Alexis.”

  “Why?” asked Anna impatiently. “Because he doesn’t believe a word she said, is that it?”

  “He’s just doing his job. We have to consider all possibilities here, Anna.”

  “I’ll be here. I’ll see if Mia can stay with Al. Thanks,” she said, trying to sound more appreciative than she really was. She walked to Alexis and held her hand. “Let’s get out of here.” It was no surprise to her that Grasslin police department was a joke.

  They got into their car and Anna drove home. They didn’t say a word to each other. There was too much going on in their minds. Fortunately for Alexis, the police station was close to their house. She wanted to be alone. When her mom parked, Alexis left the car, got into the house, and went straight to her bedroom. Anna followed her. She understood that Alexis needed time to process what had happened, but she had to know the details. Before Alexis could close the door, she entered her room.

  “Mom, please, not now,” Alexis besought, her head down.

  “Al, I need to know what happened. I need to hear it from you and that can’t wait.” Anna saw so much sadness in Alexis’s eyes that she almost changed her mind. “I’m on your side, Al. I’ll always be. I want to protect you, that’s all.”

  “I know,” Alexis mumbled. “I simply cannot relive that right now,” she faced Anna. “He knew my name, mom. It was not a coincidence. They were there for me. Me. No one else.” She took a deep breath. “Why? What did they want?” She buried her face in her hands and cried inconsolably.

  Anna hugged her as tightly as she could. She was worried sick. Seeing her daughter suffer that much was extremely painful. She held Alexis in her arms until she stopped crying. “Get some sleep, Al.”

  “Can you stay here with me?” Alexis pleaded.

  “Of course.” Anna caressed Alexis’s face. “I love you, Al.” She gave her a kiss.

  “I love you too, mom.” Alexis went to her bed, got under her bedsheets, and closed her eyes. She felt her mom lying down beside her. Having her there provided some comfort, but only some. She wouldn’t be able to sleep any time soon. She couldn’t even keep her eyes closed. The scene of the man’s head rolling, the other man holding the sword, his voice saying her name, played over and over in her head. Without a doubt, the second man didn’t want to hurt her. He saved her. He didn’t follow her. She deeply wanted to believe that he was protecting her. But from what? From whom? Why? The acknowledgment that she would only have the answers to her questions if she met the second man again was unsettling.

  Hours went by until she finally started feeling sleepy. She got closer to her mom and rested her head on her shoulder. She felt safe. It was good to have her mother that close, feel her smell, her love. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

  II

  Anna ran to answer the door. She hoped the doorbell hadn’t woken Alexis up. She needed to rest. “Good morning, Mia. Thank you for coming.”

  “Sure, Mrs. Callinhan. How’s Alexis?” asked Mia curiously.

  “She’s sleeping.” Anna looked down for a second. “She’s afraid. Who wouldn’t be, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess we all are,” said Mia in a low voice. The fact that Alexis had been attacked was quite disturbing. Grasslin had always been the safest place Mia had ever known; she had never had any kind of concern for her safety, but that day she feared to leave home in the morning. And she was even more afraid that the man with the sword would go after Alexis there in her house. She had no idea how she would react if they were attacked. She wanted to believe she would be brave, but she only pictured herself running.

  “I’ll be back as fast as possible,” said Anna bringing Mia back to reality. “I don’t want to leave you two alone for long. If you need me, call me. I’ll keep an eye on my phone.”

  “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.” Anna just nodded and left. Mia would never tell Anna how she felt. She thought she should check on Alexis, so she went up. When she opened Alexis’s bedroom door, she was surprised to see that Alexis was sitting by her window and not sleeping as Anna had said. “Hey,” said Mia shyly. Alexis didn’t look at her which made Mia a bit uncomfortable. She didn’t know whether she should talk about what had happened or just stay there quiet without saying a word about anything. Even though Mia had known Alexis forever, she didn’t know how to behave at that moment. She sat close to Alexis and waited. Hopefully, Alexis would say something. It would be horrible if they didn’t talk at all for hours.

  After several minutes, Alexis finally looked at Mia. “He knew my name,” she said, desperation in her voice.

  “Your mother told me,” said Mia. She wished she had something else to say, but she had no clue of what.

  “They were waiting for me, Mia.” Alexis looked out the window. It was a beautiful sunny day. She admired the different shades of green from the trees. “What if they knew something about me that I don’t? What if he knows something I don’t?” she asked helplessly.

  “Like what?” asked Mia raising her eyebrows.

  “I wouldn’t be asking that question if I knew it,” said Alexis rudely. Mia was clearly upset. “I’m sorry. I…there’s…” Alexis was unable to find the words to describe how she felt.

  “It’s okay. I get it. You’re under a lot of stress. We all are.” Mia held Alexis’s hand. “You’re not alone.”

  “I know,” said Alexis as a tear rolled down her face. “No one can give me the answers I want, but him.”

  “Alexis, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a bad idea.” Mia got up. “He took someone’s head off,” she said, bothered that she had to state the obvious.

  “Yeah, I was there. He let me live though. He didn’t go after me. If he wanted me dead, he could easily have murdered me at the park.” Alexis had played the sequence of events over and over in her mind, and she had slowly convinced herself that he was on her side.

  “So, he’s a friend?” asked Mia sarcastically.

  “I don’t know, but how much of an enemy can he be if I’m still breathing?”

  “This is out of line, Alexis. You cannot portray a killer as a savior,” Mia said sharply.

  Alexis knew Mia wouldn’t understand her, no matter how hard she tried to explain. So, she decided to agree. “You’re right. A killer is what he is. Nothing more than that.” She saw relief on Mia’s face. “My mind is playing tricks on me.” She stared at her friend. “Can you get me a glass of water?” She hoped Mia wouldn’t ask her to go along. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

  “Sure.” Mia left the room. She knew Alexis was pushing her away, but she didn’t judge her. She would probably do the same if she were in Alexis’s shoes.

  Alexis wanted to get back to the clearing, but that would have to wait a bit. It was too soon to go back. There would probably be police officers and reporters there. All thinking that she had gone crazy. Besides that, it would certainly take her mother a while to leave her alone again. She could only hope he would try to contact her before she had the opportunity to go back to the park.

  When Anna got to the police department, she checked her phone to see if Mia had called. Sh
e hadn’t. Anna left her car and went in. Martin was waiting for her.

  “Good morning,” he said politely.

  “I wouldn’t call it good,” she said bitterly. The fact that the police didn’t seem to believe Alexis was driving her crazy.

  “He’s waiting for you.”

  “I bet he is. What else is there for him to do?” she asked aggressively. She didn’t want anyone’s fake support.

  Martin got close to her. “I understand you are upset, Anna, but that behavior is getting you nowhere. We’re not the enemy.”

  “So, you believe there’s one?”

  “I do,” he said trying to provide her some comfort.

  “Let’s see what he thinks.” Anna walked to the sheriff’s room. She doubted he thought Alexis was telling the truth. She didn’t even know if she believed Martin was on their side.

  “Anna,” said Sheriff Morgan. He stood up and stretched his hand to her.

  She hesitated but ended up shaking his hand. It was weird to talk to her school crush in such a formal way. Before he could tell her to have a seat, she sat. She didn’t say anything. He was the one who wanted to talk. He would have to start.

  “I’m sorry about what happened to Alexis,” he said calmly. “We’re still investigating.”

  “I appreciate that,” she said bluntly. She knew he was lying. She could see it in his face.

  He smiled nervously. “The thing is… we found nothing. Absolutely nothing, Anna. I know this is not an easy conversation for you, but we have to consider the possibility that Alexis could be under the influence of a substance or that perhaps she has been under a lot of stress and her mind is trying to find a way out of her routine, maybe trying to call some attention to herself.” He expected her to throw something at him, but she simply stared at him, her eyes fixed on his. Morgan waited some minutes hoping that Anna would say something, she remained silent though. “Anna?”

  “What?” she asked furiously. “What do you want from me, Morgan? Do you expect me to discredit my child? It won’t happen. She was not high. She doesn’t do drugs. She was not delusional. It is not her fault that you are incompetent. You should consider that possibility,” she said sharply. “Are you done? I have more important things to do.”

  “No, I’m not done. I want a toxicology test. I also want Alexis to see the police psychologist,” he said firmly.

  “You’ve always been a jerk. Your badge hasn’t changed that. She will be here in the afternoon for the test and for a conversation with your psychologist.” She stood up. “Excuse me.” Martin walked to her when she left. “Not now,” she retorted. She couldn’t imagine how Alexis would receive the news. She was declaredly considered out of her mind.

  She drove all the way back home trying, without success, to find the right words to use with Alexis. Having people thinking Alexis was either a drug addict or insane was definitely not the kind of support she needed. When she arrived home, both Mia and Alexis were in Alexis’s room. They were quiet and by the look on Mia’s face, they had spent most of the time just like that, silent. Mia seemed relieved to see Anna. She stood up, grabbed her arm, and took her to the hallway.

  “She needs to get some rest. She’s under a lot of stress and therefore not thinking clearly,” whispered Mia.

  “What did she say?” asked Anna intrigued. The last thing she needed was Mia doubting Alexis.

  “She is behaving as if the guy with the sword was a savior, not a killer,” she said almost inaudibly. Somehow she felt guilty for sharing that with Anna.

  “That’s normal in situations like this. I appreciate your concern, Mia. You are a good friend. Thanks for staying with her,” said Anna sincerely.

  “No problem. I’ll come by tomorrow to check on her.”

  “I’m sure she’ll like that,” said Anna with a faint smile. She was not sure Alexis would like anything the next day. She gave Mia a hug and waited for her to leave. When she did, Anna spent some minutes watching Alexis who was completely absorbed in thought and didn’t even seem to have noticed that Mia was no longer there. Anna approached her. “Hey, Al.”

  Alexis looked at her. “Mom… where’s Mia?” She looked around the room.

  “She left,” said Anna calmly.

  Alexis was confused. She hadn’t seen Mia stand up and leave. She couldn’t allow herself to be that distracted, mainly because she had the feeling that she was not safe. “How were things with the sheriff? He thinks I’m insane, right?”

  “He wants a toxicology test and he wants you to talk to the police psychologist,” said Anna. She knew there was no other way to put it. So, she just tried to say it naturally without seeming to be giving too much importance to that.

  “I was expecting that.”

  Anna was surprised, Alexis didn’t seem upset. “Were you?”

  “Mom, come on. Nothing happens in Grasslin. Nothing at all. No one breaks the law. Everyone knows everyone. Then, all of a sudden, I’m not only attacked by a stranger, but I’m also defended by another one who happens to have a sword. On top of that, the police find no evidence to support my story. No corpse, no blood, no footprints, nothing. On their minds, there is only one possibility, everything I said never happened. I invented it. That’s the only explanation they can come up with, and that’s okay. I don’t blame them. Neither should you. They’re just doing their job. Let’s wait and see their faces when the toxicology test shows no drugs at all. And their psychologist? Mom, Marianne is their psychologist. Do you honestly believe that suddenly she will think I’m insane? It won’t happen. In the end, the police will either have to believe me or come up with another theory to my story.” Alexis smiled. She was not worried about the police. Truth is she didn’t care about what they thought. She doubted they would be able to help her even if they believed her. After all, the corpse disappeared leaving no trace. She wondered what kind of person would be able to get rid of a huge body and all the blood that spilled from it in such short time. There was no way the police of Grasslin was ready for that. Not their fault. She stood up and hugged her mother. She wished Anna didn’t worry so much. “We can go now, mom.”

  “Are you sure, Al?” Anna was far more confused than she let herself show.

  “Yes. Just let me change.” Alexis opened her closet and got her usual black jeans and a black t-shirt. Black was an appropriate color for the moment. No one would bother her due to the circumstances. She quickly got dressed. The sooner she got the test done, the better.

  “Do you want to eat something?” asked Anna worriedly. She was not sure Alexis had eaten anything at all.

  “I’m fine, mom. Let’s just get this over with so we can come back home.” Alexis wanted to leave her house. She could use some fresh air.

  “Sure.” Anna went downstairs followed by Alexis. No matter what happened at the police station, she would stay by Alexis’s side. They got into the car and left.

  The police station was not far from their house. Alexis was calmer than usual. For some reason, the fact that people questioned her sanity gave her some kind of comfort. Perhaps, a part of herself assumed that if no one believed her, the chances of seeing the second man again just increased. When she walked into the station, all eyes were on her. She was the newest attraction. She snorted. Being in the spotlight made the possibility of being abducted didn’t seem that bad anymore. Sheriff Morgan came to her. He seemed pleased that she was there as if she had any other choice.

  “Hi, Alexis,” he said calmly. Anna could kill him with her eyes, but she tried her best to keep in mind that Alexis was not upset about the test. Morgan quickly looked at Anna. She was infuriated, he knew it. A part of him felt bad for that.

  “Hi, sheriff. So, drug test or psychologist first?” asked Alexis flatly.

  “Drug test,” said Morgan serenely. He was doing the right thing, he told himself. He had to make sure Alexis was not making things up. “Andrea will give you the instructions.”

  Alexis couldn’t help smiling at the use of the
word instructions. She wondered if Andrea would explain how she should hold the urine container or something like that. Andrea gave her an embarrassed smile. She was apparently uncomfortable with the situation, probably because no one in town thought Alexis did drugs. Alexis followed Andrea and did as she said. When she was done, she went back to Sheriff Morgan. “Marianne now?” she asked.

  Sheriff Morgan nodded. Anna wanted to ask Alexis if she were fine, but that would give others the wrong idea. She watched Alexis go with Andrea to a room in the back of the station. Andrea opened the door and Alexis got in closing the door behind her.

  Marianne was Anna’s age. They had gone to school together. Alexis had known her since she was a kid. It was good to see someone she liked that much. She thought that talking to a psychologist about what happened would help her focus on details she might not have noticed before. Marianne gave her a huge smile.

  “Al, good to see you.” She hugged Alexis. “Of course, I wish the circumstances were different, but it is always a pleasure to see you. Is your mother outside?” she asked sweetly.

  “Yes.” Alexis only hoped that session would be a pleasure indeed. She would be quite disappointed if Marianne thought she was crazy.

  “Good. I’d like to see her too. Later, obviously.” She smiled. “Have a seat.”

  Alexis sat in an armchair by the window. She didn’t like Marianne’s tone of voice. It was forced, fake. Maybe Alexis had been naive to think that she would find anyone at the police station who believed her. She decided that she had to define a course of action before she started answering questions. She could either try to present facts coldly or emotionally. Angrily would also be an option. She decided to go for emotionally. That would be the easiest one for her. Besides that, she knew Marianne had a big heart and seeing someone cry was her weak spot.