Clockwork [final]

Six

They drove in silence for roughly ten minutes, both of them sitting stiffly and refusing to look at the other. Eventually, Derek couldn’t stand it anymore. “You going to tell me what the fuck that was all about? Who was that freak?”

“None of your business,” Adette snapped. If you could see tension, it would have been radiating off her in waves.

“Hey, look here, I’m real damn confused right now. I thought he was going to rape you or something. Am I not at least owed an explanation?” Derek himself looked quite stressed, his eyes flashing with agitation. “Was he the guy that was on the phone or something?”

Adette glanced at him and sighed, biting her lip guiltily. “I’m driving right now. Can I tell you later?”

He felt a little surprise at her sudden change of heart, but his agitation did not drain completely. “Yeah, just so long as you do actually tell me.”

The rest of the drive passed without a word. They got home and Derek slunk off into his room, Adette heading in the opposite direction. It took roughly an hour before she appeared in his doorway, her face pale and the shadows under her eyes so dark it was hard to tell where they ended and her eyes began. She moved across and sat next to him.

“You asked for an explanation?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Are you ready for that explanation?”

“Yeah,” he said again.

She took a deep breath and began, staring at her hands. “Kevin is my ex. While he was very sweet and supportive at first, after I fell in love with him he turned progressively more and more violent. Apparently that’s how they get you; they draw you in, and then when you’re helplessly in love with them they let their true colours show. He’d get angry at the slightest things and sometimes even hit me. So, I broke it off and moved house. Recently, he found my phone number; I don’t know how, but he did.” Her voice was starting to shake as she continued, “And the scariest part is he somehow knew I was at the carnival. I have a feeling it won’t be long before he knows where I live. Maybe he already does.”

Derek watched her, his expression uncharacteristically gentle and sympathetic. “It might’ve just been coincidence that he was at the carnival.”

“I don’t think so. He hated carnivals.”

“Why didn’t you call the police or something?”

“They won’t help me. They said he’s not a threat.” Her voice wobbled and she hid her face in her hands.

Derek’s eyes flared with anger as he sharply stood up. “Not a threat? Not a damn threat? If I hadn’t been there today, we would’ve seen just how much of a threat he was when you turned up in some river in the middle of nowhere or something. The police are fucking useless gits.”

She was silent and he fell quiet after a moment too. He started to remember just how useless the police could be. How many occasions had they easily passed him by? While it had been good news to him when he was a drug addict because it meant he didn’t go to prison, he now realized just how much this implicated.

“So this is why you didn’t want me to answer the phone?”

“Yes. I was afraid that you would unknowingly disperse information to him as to where I live or something… and I guess I didn’t really want you to find out either.”

He looked at Adette and realized her eyes were unnaturally bright with tears. “Hey,” he said softly, “None of that, okay?” He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t cry.”