Chevy Stevens - Always Watching

I said, “I need to speak with you again if you have a moment.”

“I thought about what you said last time, but I’m not talking to the cops.” She continued with her task.

“You might not have to. That’s why I came here.”

She turned around, the spade in her hand. “What’s happened?”

I told her what Robbie had shared and that he was back at the station, waiting to give his statement.

“Aaron will never get out after this. As soon as the story breaks, other victims of abuse will likely come forward.”

She bowed her head and covered her face in dirty hands. She took a shuddering breath, like she might be crying.

I said, “Are you okay?” I was confused about her reaction.

Speaking into her hand, she said, “I want you to leave. I need to be alone.”

I wasn’t ready to leave yet, not without an explanation. Something about her tears didn’t feel right. “Are you upset about Willow?”

She nodded. “Willow had come to me for help, about her vest. She wanted to keep it. But I wasn’t ready to go against Aaron yet.” She looked down at her missing finger. “That was before this.” She looked back up at me, her eyes wet. “I wouldn’t help her, so she said she was going to leave the commune.”

I crouched down. “You didn’t know Aaron would hurt her.”

She said, “I thought she was wrong, that she should give him her vest. I was caught up in everything he was saying, like all the others. I told him she was planning on leaving. I told him.”

So there might’ve been more to Aaron’s reason for killing Willow. I wondered now if they’d argued, and Willow had told him she was taking me. “The police might want to know that. It would help their case, show motive and—”

She stiffened, the pain in her eyes disappearing into anger. “I already told you I’m not talking to the police. I want you to go now.”

She got up and walked toward the house, leaving the spade still stabbed into the earth.

On the way home, I mulled everything over. I felt bad for Mary, but if she didn’t tell the police what she knew, I wondered if I should fill them in. Even with Robbie’s statement, there was a chance Aaron could get off because of lack of evidence. Lost in thought, I flinched when my phone rang. I glanced at the call display and felt conflicted when I saw Kevin’s number again. Part of me wanted to tell him everything that had happened, but the other part wanted to wait until I knew what the police were going to do. After a couple of rings, the phone went silent.

I had time before Robbie was going to call, so I went into the hospital and did some paperwork in my office at Mental Health, hoping it might distract me. I’d also hoped to avoid Kevin until I’d had a chance to think everything through. I thought that he taught group on Wednesdays, but when I came out of the bathroom, he was coming down the hall.

He said, “Okay, I’m getting the definite feeling that you’re avoiding me. I’ve left you a couple of messages….”

“No, no. I’m sorry. I’ve wanted to talk to you. There are just some things happening in my life that I can’t go into at the moment.”

He nodded, but he sounded a little annoyed. “If you aren’t interested in pursuing this…” He made a motion between us. “You can just tell me.”

“It’s not that. You’re a wonderful person and I enjoy your company immensely, but I’m dealing with a lot of personal issues right now.”

His expression softened. “I’d like to help.”

“I don’t want to involve you in more of my problems.”

“I think I’m already pretty involved.” He smiled.

“You’ve been great.” I smiled back. “But honestly, I don’t think I’m ready for more than friendship—not when I’m dealing with so much. It wouldn’t be giving us a fair chance. We already have enough complications.”

“Like what?”

I was flustered. “Uh… We work together, I’m older than you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? You didn’t strike me as the kind of person who runs from a few complications.”

“I’m not running away. I promise. I just don’t think it’s good timing until I sort a few things out with my daughter.”

“Well, the offer for dinner still stands, whenever you’re ready, or if you need a break from it all.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Hang in there, okay?”

As I watched him walk down the hall, I felt a moment of regret and pushed it away. It had been the right thing to do. I had to deal with this on my own.

I’d only been at the hospital for about thirty minutes, but I couldn’t focus on paperwork, so I drove home to wait for Robbie’s call. Meanwhile, I phoned Tammy, who almost hung up when she heard my voice. As soon as I said, “Aaron’s going to be arrested,” she paused. I told her that my brother was going to the police. Before I could say anything else, she said good-bye and quickly hung up, leaving me to assume her husband had walked in. I hoped she was okay.

When another half hour had passed without word from Robbie, I began to worry. It had been almost two hours since I’d left Shawnigan. I tried his cell, but it went straight to voice mail and he didn’t have a landline. I told myself to give it some time. He might’ve been delayed at the station. I was sure they had lots of questions. I waited for another twenty minutes, then tried to call Robbie again. Still no answer. Something had to be wrong.

I called the station. Corporal Cruikshank said she’d come back to the station late and the officer at the front told her Robbie had gone home to drop his dog off and planned on coming straight back. That was an hour ago. My pulse spiked at that news. Where had he gone? I told her what Robbie had planned on sharing—and then, as we spoke, I began to wonder if someone at the commune had found out what he’d been about to report. Had Tammy contacted her sister? I voiced my fears to the corporal. She said that it was unlikely and that Robbie might’ve just changed his mind, or been waylaid somewhere. She also said she’d send a car out to Robbie’s to check on him, but she added, “Is it possible that he had more to do with the event? He might’ve had second thoughts….”

Instantly angry, I said, “Not a chance.”

She just said, “I’ll let you know if we find him.”

I grabbed my purse and headed to Shawnigan. I had no idea what I was going to do once I got there, but I had to try to find Robbie. I slowed down as I approached his house, trying to see from the road if there was any activity or police cars outside, but his place looked quiet, almost serene in the afternoon sun.

I’d parked and was about to call the station again, when the officer from Shawnigan called. She’d been to Robbie’s, and there was no sign of him—but I should keep her posted if he still didn’t show up. Frustrated, I decided to have a look myself. I got out of the car and walked around, calling his name, and Brew’s name, only hearing birds in response. The officer was right, there was no sign of him or his dog, but his truck was there. I knocked on his front door. Silence. I searched under the front mat for a key, didn’t find one. Then I peered through his windows, trying to see if he was lying hurt somewhere. His coffee mug was on the table, a pad of paper beside it. I checked his shop, but everything was also still and quiet.

From the front of the shop, which was higher than the house, I could see where he’d been working in the field just below. The excavator was sitting near a mound of dirt that looked fresh, not yet dried out in the sun. That’s what he was probably working on this morning. Then I remembered that he’d also been at a job site at the end of the road. I drove down that way. When I spotted Robbie’s backhoe at a construction site, I stopped and talked to a carpenter, who said Robbie hadn’t been there since that morning. I sat in my car, thinking. If Joseph and Aaron had come after him, where would they take him? The old commune?