Defending Sophie Read online

  Glancing over at Hawk he saw the slight nod his friend gave him. A signal he was listening. Watching.

  "Tell me what happened when you got home."

  "I didn't go home. I was freaked out. I couldn't get my head around what was happening and I felt dull and like my brain was working in slow motion. I walked out of her apartment and looked around for my car. I found it at the end of the lot, but I don't remember parking it. I don't remember driving. It's fucking scary. I drove to mom and dad's and I've been there since. I didn't realize what happened right away. I called dad once I got to the house and he came home. I told him what had happened and he told me to go upstairs, take a shower and then a nap and he'd make a couple of phone calls. Unfortunately, I slept for about five hours. It must have been the drugs ‘cause with all of this bullshit swirling around in my head, that would have been the last thing I'd do. Later that day dad came home and told me that I was never to tell anyone anything and that he had it worked out so I wouldn't be implicated. I asked what that meant and he told me to let him handle everything and put it out of my mind. He also said I was never to contact Kate again."

  "Did you ever try to contact, Kate?"

  His bottom lip quivered and he sniffed. "No," he softly said. Then he inhaled and held his breath a moment before letting it out. "I wanted to. So bad. I wanted to tell her I hadn't raped her; I'd never rape her or hurt her. Never. Dad didn't want to talk about it. I asked him what he did and he would just walk away. He told me to forget it."

  He scraped a shaking hand through his sandy blond hair and sniffed again. On the verge of crying, his voice cracked when he finished with, "then I heard she...she was gone."

  Pulling a napkin from the metal holder on the table next to theirs, Gaige handed it to Tommy. Blowing his nose, Gaige took the time to glance at Hawk. Hawk was on his phone, no doubt looking up drugs that would knock a person unconscious or something similar. He was a great teammate. Gaige had a couple ideas of his own to research.

  Returning his gaze to Tommy he prompted him a bit more. "What have you started to remember, Tommy?"

  He sat up straighter and rotated his shoulders. "It's not clear. More like I'm in a fog or a haze but I hear clothing ripping. I can hear Kate whimpering or crying softly. I see a man with white hair laying on her in bed. I'm at an angle at the end of the bed. I try to move to help her and he turns his head and stares at me. His face is evil; his eyes are so light they look evil. He kicks me in the face and I don't remember anything else."

  "And you told Uncle Jeff this?"

  "I tried to. About two weeks ago when I first remembered. He told me to shut up and never talk about it." His hands continued to shake and he folded them together on the top of the table. "He left the house after that and he didn't come home until late that night. He'd been drinking. He’s been avoiding me since then. I've barely seen him."

  Looking over at Hawk, his friend met his gaze, held up his phone with Killian's picture on it. White hair, light blue eyes almost giving him the appearance of an albino. He'd always given Gaige the creeps. Of course his personality didn't help that any.

  Tommy scooted his chair back abruptly. "He's listening?"

  Gaige reached over and lay his hand on Tommy's arm. "He's with me. He's GHOST. I wasn't sure if this was a set up or not so I asked him to hang back."

  Hawk stood and all 6'8" of him slowly approached the table. Gaige was only a few inches shorter than Hawk, but the black hair and green eyes of Hawk, the plethora of tattoos on his arms gave him the immediate impression of badass. It was only one of many reasons he'd brought Hawk along. Even the meanest son-of-a-bitch thought twice before tangling with Hawk.

  Leaning over the table, Hawk locked eyes with Tommy and held his hand out to shake. Tommy froze in place, swallowed, then his eyes slowly traveled up Hawk's body to his face. After what seemed like ten minutes, he finally reached over and shook hands with Hawk. Sitting at the table with them Hawk once again held up his phone. "This the man you saw?"

  Tommy looked at the picture and his eyes welled with tears. He sniffed a few times and swallowed rapidly. Finally nodding his head his voice came out in a whisper. "Yeah."

  Gaige leaned in toward Tommy. "You sure, Tommy?"

  "I know I was drugged and hazy, but that's him. I've seen his face in my nightmares since I first started to remember."

  Hawk lay his phone on the table and crossed his arms over his chest. "Name Reed Killian mean anything to you?"

  "Is that his name? Is that who that is?" Tommy seemed hopeful to find out who his nightmare was.

  "I asked you first."

  "Yeah. But only because I've overheard dad on the phone with him a couple of times. Once was right after..." Clearing his throat he finished, "Right after Kate was raped. They were arguing, but I couldn't hear exact words. I only knew that's who he was talking to because my mom made a comment. We were both in the kitchen and we could hear dad from his study on the phone. Mom said, "He can't stand Reed Killian, I don't know why he continues to take his calls."

  Swiping his hand through his hair again, he continued, "The next time was after Kate...passed. They were talking on the phone, then dad left and said he'd be out a while."

  Gaige asked, "You didn't think that was weird or out of character?"

  Tommy looked him in the eye, his defeated look was so fucking sad. "Gaige, man, I hate to say this, but I've been living in my own fucking world since this all happened. I feel violated in some ways. I'm brokenhearted that Kate died thinking I had raped her. I'm brokenhearted that she's gone and that the life I was beginning to picture in my head will never be. I haven't thought for two seconds about dad's behavior. Mom's behavior. My own for that matter. I've been cooped up in my room at my parents’ house hiding from life."

  "Okay, I get it. So last question. Why were you looking around like you were being followed when you walked in here?"

  "I'm so fucking paranoid about everything now, Gaige. Someone drugged me. Got me and my date out of a restaurant. Drove us to her place. Raped her. And left me there to take the fall. I don't know who did it. How he did it. Why he did it. But, as I've been thinking about it, he had to know Kate. Otherwise, how would he know where she lived?"

  Chapter 24

  She felt like a new person. Almost. For the first time in days now, maybe even weeks, she felt clean, safe and as if she had help to sort out all of this mess for herself and Kate, too. The fragrant, steamy hot bath did wonders for making her feel clean. The tears cried while soaking did a lot to clear out the angst, sadness, and left over fear. Blow-drying her hair, touching it up a bit with the borrowed curling iron from Gigi and the cute jeans and sleeveless blouse made her feel sexy once again.

  Leaving the bathroom and sliding the door closed, the delicious aromas from the kitchen filtered into her bedroom. Carrying her wet bath towel and dirty clothes into the living room which flowed into the kitchen, she saw Gigi look at the clock, turn a dial on stove, and then begin pulling dishes from a cabinet. Setting a stack of four plates on the counter, she pulled open the drawer just below and counted out four forks and knives.

  Glancing over her shoulder, Gigi asked, "Do you feel better, Sophie?"

  "I do, yes. Thank you so much. I guess I needed the time to myself to get my thoughts on track."

  "There's nothing more healing than time. Even in small spurts." Walking around the center island with the plates and silverware she set them on the table. "Follow me and I'll show you where the laundry room is."

  She followed Gigi down the short hallway to the back of the house, where the bright laundry room was located. No door on this room, but from the hall all you could see was a wooden bench with two yellow pillows on it for decoration. A mirror was hung above the bench, allowing her to see into the room from this vantage point. No surprises.

  "Washer and dryer are here. Soap is between them on this roll out shelf unit." She pulled a built-in unit on gliders from between the front-load washer and dryer. Two shelves held
laundry soap, fabric softener sheets, bleach, and a bottle of stain remover.

  The room had the feel of an old farmhouse with the ship lapboards whitewashed in white. The decorations on the walls had splashes of the matching yellow from the pillows on the wooden bench. A backdoor opened to a gorgeous patio enclosed with a tall, wooden privacy fence. The plants and shrubs were healthy and colorful. Six brightly-colored chairs waited at the perimeter, in groups of two, for various conversations but not so far apart that all guests couldn't have a nice chat. Many colorful yard ornaments were disbursed throughout. It was comfortable and relaxing with a touch of whimsy.

  "Wow, Gigi, this is beautiful."

  She looked out the window onto her patio and smiled. "Thank you. When I first divorced, I spent loads of time out here growing these plants, tending to the garden, and painting the decorations. I did it for therapy. Getting my bearings as a person and who Gigi was. What did Gigi like to do? What was she good at? I'd lost all of that during a prolonged, difficult relationship. I wasn't allowed to do anything I wanted to do. I was suffocating and didn't even know it, till I landed in the hospital for the fifth time. With the help of my sister, I got my ex arrested, then jailed, and now he's sitting for a good long time for the things he's done to me and so many others. I needed to find out who I was before I could move forward."

  She turned then and looked Sophie in the eye. "Then one day it was cold outside and raining so I decided to bake something. I took the cupcakes I made to my sister's house for her and my niece and nephew and they raved about them. I came home and baked more, I took those to therapy that day. One of the women in my group therapy asked if I could bake a cake for her daughter's birthday party. I did. I enjoyed it. I blossomed. Then the opportunity to buy the bakery came along, and I managed to make that purchase work. The rest, as they say, is history."

  "Good for you, Gigi. It sounds like you've been through an awful lot, but it also sounds like you've come out on the good side of the storm."

  The door to the garage opened and the deep voices of men floated down the hall. Without so much as a prompt, her cheeks flushed crimson and heated her face. Gaige was back. Gigi giggled and headed down the hall. Laying her wet towel filled with her dirty laundry on the floor in front of the washer she stepped down the hall to see if they had any good news. She'd also ask them if she could do their laundry. It wasn't much, but she'd feel helpful being able to do something for them.

  Gaige and Hawk filled up the room in the most delicious way. Hawk began setting the plates and flatware around the table, but Gaige was watching her move toward him. Her heart hammered in her chest and her stomach felt as if it was filled with butterflies. He moved two steps to meet her and the instant she was within touching distance, his hand reached out and cupped the back of her head, pulling her into his body. His arms instantly circled around her. He was warm, and firm against her and he smelled heavenly. Spicy and musky. Laying her cheek against his chest she inhaled his scent, wanting to memorize it forever, in case things didn't work out for them. Again.

  He kissed the top of her head, then said, "After dinner we need to talk."

  She felt the words rumble through his body just as she heard them and her knees began shaking. Yes, they needed to talk about a lot of things. But, she also intended to make sure she told him how much he meant to her. How many times she'd thought about him? How badly she wanted to be with him. In every way.

  That was going to happen tonight.

  Chapter 25

  Gigi took charge of the room. "Sit down, everyone, I'll pull supper out of the oven. I've made roast beef, braised potatoes, and baby carrots stewed in the beef broth. I have a spice cake for dessert and there's plenty, so I hope you’re hungry. And, before anyone asks, no I don't need help, let me enjoy having company and playing hostess."

  "I'm starving," Hawk said as he promptly sat down.

  Pulling away from Sophie, something he hated to do now, he looked into her gorgeous brown eyes. "You hungry, Kate?"

  She smiled sweetly and nodded. Watching her swallow, his heart grew for her right then. She'd been stoic, strong, and smart through so much of this ordeal. "I told Gigi my real name."

  He kissed the top of her head, his heart hammering away in his chest. Turning he held out a chair for her to sit on one side of the small square table. Gigi carried a glass roasting pan filled with delicious smelling food and his stomach growled. Gigi giggled and turned to the refrigerator. "What can I get you all to drink? I have a lovely red California wine, water, juice, or milk."

  Sophie smiled. "I'd love a glass of wine, please."

  "Gentlemen?"

  "I'll just have water, Gigi, I need to stay alert, just in case, "he replied.

  Hawk leaned forward, "Have a glass of wine with Sophie, Gaige. I'm on alert tonight."

  Was Hawk playing matchmaker? Nodding, he replied to Gigi, "A glass of wine would be great, thank you." He glanced at Sophie and saw her cheeks turn pink. Some of her brightness was coming back.

  Gigi poured two glasses of wine, placed them on the table, set two tall glasses of ice water on the table for Hawk and herself, and then sat across from Sophie. "Dig in while it's hot."

  After a few quiet bites of food Sophie looked at him and asked, "I just have to know, Gaige, what did Tommy say?"

  Swallowing the food in his mouth, which was beyond amazing, he set his fork on his plate and took a drink of wine.

  "I don't think he raped Kate." He looked at Hawk who nodded. "He's been having memories or flashbacks. He remembers being at the restaurant with Kate and the next thing he remembers is her screaming at him that he'd raped her. But lately, he's been remembering other things. Someone on top of Kate, her whimpering or crying. He tried to help her and got kicked in the face."

  "But she was so sure."

  "Could it be because he was left there to be implicated in the rape?"

  She thought about it a minute. He could see her wrestling with his comments that Tommy hadn't raped Kate. When you’d believed something for so long and it was so personal, it was difficult to change your thoughts in an instant.

  "I suppose. She said he left and never tried to contact her to explain."

  "My Uncle Jeff told him not to contact her. Uncle Jeff said he’d take care of it and that he wasn’t to talk about it ever again. He said he wanted to. Then he heard she'd died and he was just devastated."

  "So was she."

  Hawk set his fork on his plate. "Sophie, if you could have seen him, you'd have believed him, too. He's shattered. He looks horrible as if he hasn't eaten or slept in days. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't even take a drink of the soda Gaige bought him because he said he can't drink something he doesn’t open. He doesn't know who drugged him and Kate or why and he's freaked out."

  Sophie lay her fork down and moved both of her hands to her lap. Her head was bent and she stared for a long time at her plate. He glanced at Hawk, not sure what should be said or done.

  "Soph, I'm not saying this answers all of our questions and I'm also not saying we shouldn't continue to investigate Tommy. There are things that can be done, such as a hair analysis. I asked him for a few pieces of hair so we can test for drugs. He readily agreed. That will help us with some answers. If Tommy was drugged, it's unlikely he raped Kate or even had the capacity to rape her. That will allow us to focus on other suspects."

  "What other suspects?" She turned her head and locked eyes with him.

  "Killian."

  Immediately her spine stiffened and her mouth formed a straight line thinning her lips. "Why?"

  "Why Killian? Tommy told us he remembers the person on top of Kate had white hair and light blue eyes. Hawk showed him a picture of Killian and he identified him as the man."

  Her eyes, her gorgeous chocolate-colored eyes glistened as tears filled them. She swallowed a few times in rapid succession and inhaled a deep breath. He assumed to gather her control.

  “He had not quite been stalking her but showing up at
odd places where she was and he had no business being. Places on base like her office with feigned excuses to be there. He showed up at the bowling alley one weekend night when we were there with a group from our unit. He was at our apartment complex, which is on base, and, of course, he has access to, but he lives off base and had no business being there. But we'd gone to my apartment for lunch because we were planning a baby shower for a friend and we were using every spare moment to plan. When we left to go back to work, he was parked outside. But he was facing Kate's apartment. We thought it was plain weird. After she was raped, she didn't see him anymore and she thought it was because she was damaged goods then."

  "How would he have known?"

  "Word ran rampant through our unit. We were contacting CID all the time trying to get answers. Then Kate started getting verbally harassed, called a cock-tease and a liar. She went to our upper command but it continued. Then she saw an Article 15 accusing her of being late and others signed by Killian. That was just a couple of days before she died." Tucking her hair behind her ear, he noticed that her fingers shook slightly. "At least that's what we thought at the time because he had no other explanation. But, if he was there that night and he was the man who raped her, he'd have known and had time to set things up including the Article 15s that started cropping up to discredit her."

  Her eyes flashed in anger then defeat in a matter of seconds. "I don't know how I’ll ever be able to prove any of this."

  "We. How we'll prove it. We have some ideas." He reached over and covered her hand with his and squeezed.

  "We need to talk to the medical examiner. Find out if there were drugs in Kate's system when she died including the opioids. We need to have Tommy's hair analyzed for drugs so we know which drugs to look for and find the origin. We have to tie this all to Killian. Then, we need to find out how my Uncle Jeff is involved in any of the cover up and fix it. After that, Soph, between my Uncle Jeff, assuming he’s not involved, and my contacts, we'll get your record and Kate’s corrected."