Drawing Blood

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The man who joined me in the interview suite was a giant of a man. I had to crane my neck to see his face. He faltered when he saw me sitting there, biting my nails anxiously, eyes darting around the room; fidgeting in my seat. I wasn't so wrapped up in my torment, that I did not notice. I spotted something odd flash across those handsome features of his, before it was gone. Looking back, I ought to have known who he was.

I had a niggling feeling of DeJa'Vu when he entered. A lagging sense of having seen him before. He reminded me of one of those sharp-suited types you see in the movies, those powerful men who wore long, dark coats and who had the world at their fingertips; those men who peered at you from over the top of a newspaper, and who spoke into earpieces, watching your every move. I suppose, I had not been far off the mark. Given who he is, who I discovered him to be, his attire ought to have given him away. Nowadays, when he is wearing his casual clothes, when he and I converse, I still find myself in awe of his presence. At the time though, I admit, he did intimidate me. Thankfully, he comes across as friendlier towards me now. Less angry. I reason, I would have been angry too if it were my child. I too, would have been wanting answers. As it was, I did not have many answers to offer him. You see, it was shame which weighed me down, that day. Shame, which I wore like a collar around my throat. It guided me through our meeting. It made me say strange things. It stopped me thinking straight. My guard was up when he asked me all those questions. And it wouldn't be until he said his name that I would eventually relax. After that, and only after that, all those pieces which were floating around inside my head would eventually fall into place, and I would tell him what I knew.

The giant of a man mumbled something to the policeman outside the door, before closing it; coming to sit down opposite me. I eyed him suspiciously. I could picture him in an interrogation, his size frightening the poor soul who had been captured by the enemy. I imagined, whoever he was trying to cipher the truth from would have been wanting it to end as quickly as possible. He would sit behind a table no doubt, as he was with me, having hooked them up to a lie detector, a pile of notes to refer to should he need them. Maybe he would have tortured them, trying to get them to speak. Maybe, he would have made them sob. He would have been good at his job, I concluded. He would have found a way into the darkest fears of even the most stoic minds. Insecurities would have been used as a weapon, I thought. Loved ones, paraded as blackmail. I would even be compelled to say, the person receiving his treatment would not have stood a chance.

But it was just he and I in that room. There were no lie detectors, that I knew of. There were no pile of notes for him to push under my nose. His voice was deep and precise, when he spoke to me. It was how I thought it should sound. But, it was his eyes which drew me in. Not his words. I had seen those eyes before. "How are you, Rose?" he asked.

"I wish people stop asking me that," I said.

He smiled at me, then. It was a lopsided smile. I didn't know if it was genuine. I presumed he was a master of that look. It was probably helpful given the situation. If it were me, I would want to perfect it. "I guess, it is a stupid question," he admitted. Then, "Does anyone know you're here?"

"They haven't been able to reach my dad," I spoke. "His phone goes straight to voicemail."

"Where is he?"

"He's fishing."

He thought, I expect, that I should be upset I was there on my own, with no other support. Like I should weep and feel sorry for myself. That, I hadn't been important enough for my dad to take my call and to hurry to my side. But what I didn't know, although I know it now, was that he knew my relationship with Will was complicated.

Yes, Will could be sulky and sullen. He could disappear in a heartbeat and never take my feelings into consideration. But that was how it was. That was what I had come to expect. Of course, that would all change once the rumours spread. Will and I would become even more troubled, once that occurred. Given this was a small town, it wouldn't take long for him to discover where I had been and what I had done. In fact, I can see it was our downfall. It was that which I regret. How things had finished between us. It had been the final nail in the coffin, if you like. That look he would go on to give me. That loathsome sentence which would be his final, parting gift. He would be full of rage when he discovered Adam was behind all of this. He would become distraught, and throw me away. My only refuge when that happened, would be the promise of my little house by the sea, twenty or so miles away from him. But even that wouldn't last long. "If you're going to ask me what happened, last night; you're wasting your time," I said.