Swell (Complete)

Chapter Forty-Seven(Part Two)

"I've been scratching at the surface,
Trying to find out where it hurts,
Now that I'm dancing with my demons,
I'm making everybody nervous."

....

Adora went straight to her room and shut the door behind her. Dodge was staying the night again, the cameras in the residential areas would be taken down the next morning and Adora could walk around her home without feeling eyes following her everywhere.
She changed into pyjamas and crawled underneath her blankets, nursing her phone close to her chest.
She could still smell the blood from Tom's phone on her hands. She'd washed and washed the blood off at the station, her mother had helped her clean the area on her face and ear where the blood had touched her skin as she called '000'.
Yet she still felt it burning her skin, and she had used so much soap, and paper towel at the station in her panic to get it off. Was this how it had felt for Lady Macbeth?
Tom had been following her, he admitted it. He admitted he'd been following Will, he kept saying it wasn't what she thought, but what else could it have been?
The vibrating of her phone made her heart stop and she pulled the device away from her chest to see Will calling.
She hesitated before she slid the green button to answer. "Hey." She mumbled quietly into the phone.
"Are you alright? I mean, really alright?"
She closed her eyes and felt her body sag into her mattress. "I really didn't mean to hurt Tom."
"Hey, that doesn't matter now. I called to check on you."
"I'm in bed, alone and warm and safe, but I still feel a bit scared." She confessed.
"I'm sorry it was Tom." Will whispered.
His apology made her eyes sting. "I got a text message this afternoon, it was a picture of us from yesterday."
She felt herself start shaking as she told him about the message.
He was quiet for a while on the other end of the line. "Adora, why were you at the cliffs with a knife?" The question was shaky and her lips parted before she turned her face into her pillow.
She'd managed to escape answering that question at the station, she had avoided anymore talk when they got home by coming straight up to her room.
"Adora?"
"I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."
"What does that mean?"
"Brett was attacked because he was my best friend, Gus was murdered because... Tom thought he raped me., but he didn't, he didn't."
"What were you going to do?" Will's voice was soft and airy; she wanted to feel his arms around her like at the police station.
"I thought if I was gone..." She bit her lips and squeezed her eyes shut. "You'd be safe."
"Tom said it looked like you were going to hurt yourself, and that was why he approached..."
Adora drew in a sharp breath and held it for a few moments. He'd spoken to his brother, of course. "Yes." She whispered.
She heard a jagged breath from Will's end of the conversation.
"I didn't know what else to do." She felt herself trembling under the warmth of her doona.
"Not that." Will's voice was thick. "Whether Tom is the stalker, or murderer, I'm glad he stopped you on the cliff."
"Will, I was scared someone was going to hurt you for kissing me."
"I think I'd rather be hurt than find out you hurt yourself again, especially for me." His voice was shaky and Adora's chest collapsed.
"Can we meet up tomorrow?" She whispered. Silence. "Will? Please?"
"Alright. Are you safe tonight? From yourself I mean."
"Yes." She let her eyelids weigh themselves shut and let out a slow breath.
"I'll speak to you tomorrow." He hung up before she could respond and she let her warm phone slid out of her hand.

***

Will put his phone on the bedside table and let go of a sigh. He'd gone to the hospital after the police station and seen Tom.
He had to stay overnight, under guard, and would be transferred to a cell the next morning.
He was lucky, he had stitches on one leg only, and a band aid covered the other calf.
He insisted he wasn't the stalker, or the murderer.
Will had spoken to him with only a policeman in the room. He really wanted to believe Tom was innocent, but considering Debbie had lied to be his alibi that night, and that he had admitted to following Adora...
Tom had tried to convince Will he'd been following them to protect him; in case her stalker decided to attack him.
Adora had forwarded the MMS to Will after she had told him about it, it let the seed of doubt grow in the pit of his stomach and his muscles were taught with conflict.
He was grateful that Tom had interrupted Adora before she hurt herself, but that didn't take away the suspicion.
Had he been in danger?
Had Adora?
Will swallowed a lump and went to Marti's door, after a few gentle knocks he cracked the door open and poked his head into the room.
"Can we talk?" He asked. She looked up from her TV and nodded, shifting on her bed so he could have a spot to sit beside her. "Why didn't you come and see Tom?"
Marti's face set in anger. "Because I believe he did it, I believe he would have hurt you to be with her. I believe he is strong enough to push a car off a cliff alone, or to kill someone and nearly kill another..."
"With the car in drive it wouldn't have been that hard to shift..." Will interrupted.
"You think he's innocent?" Marti looked at him, her hazel eyes wide with disbelief. "After everything... All the other suspicious times?"
Will looked at the doona cover and started to trace one of the flowers in the pattern with his index finger.
"I don't know what I think. I do know Adora was going to hurt herself tonight, and he stopped that." Will's voice was thick and low.
"What?" Marti leaned back and her disbelief fell into confusion.
"You didn't wonder why she was on the cliff with a blade?" Will frowned and met Marti's eyes as her lips parted.
"Oh my God, she was going to kill herself?" Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why would she do that?" Her eyes watered.
Will had to look away. "She got a text earlier today, with a photo of her and I from yesterday. She thinks it was a warning for me. She thought... We'd be safe." He could barely speak the words as they jolted from his lips.
"I feel sick." Marti rested her head on his shoulder. "She was going to kill herself for us? For you?" Her warm hand took his and he gave her a gentle squeeze.
"Tom may be her stalker, but he also saved her, and us."
"How exactly did he save us?" Marti broke contact and spat the words angrily.
"From losing her, another best friend, another girlfriend." Will frowned.
"Yea? Do you think Tom took our last best friend and girlfriend away from us? Did he save us then, Will?" Her voice was erratic and he could see the grief in her face.
She was really sure Tom had killed Liss, attacked Brett, and killed Gus.
"What if one of us had been his next target? Would you doubt him if he came at you or me with a knife?"
Will stood off the bed and swallowed a lump. The images of Tom holding a knife to Marti's throat, driving one into Will's stomach flashed through his mind but the feelings didn't connect.
He couldn't see Tom's expression; for the first time in their lives, Will didn't know if he could trust Tom, and it hurt.
"I'm seeing Adora tomorrow, I guess I'll be safe if it was Tom or we'll hear about it if it isn't." Will bit the inside of his cheek as he stood at Marti's door. "I love you, Marti, if you can't sleep tonight come and get me." He left the room and closed the door behind him.