The Seeker: Dreamer Part 8

A look of pain crossed his face. "I knew she was dead," he said quietly. "She never would have run away. Never."

"How do you know that, Scott?" Tara followed up.

He looked up sharply, almost angrily. "I knew her better than anyone. We were in love. I guess it sounds pretty stupid, huh?" He laughed ruefully. "We were just dumb kids, and I had knocked her up, right? That's what the cops kept saying, when they were trying to get me to confess to hurting her or something. Well, they didn't know. What we had was real, and it doesn't matter how young we were. I wanted to marry her right then, as soon as we found out about the baby, but Ashley wanted to graduate first. She said she'd marry me right after graduation. We had a plan. We would have been so happy." He stopped to take a sip of coffee and collect himself. "Sorry. It really destroyed me, you know? Not only was she gone, but everyone thought I had something to do with it. I dropped out of school. I couldn't handle it without her. I eventually got my GED, but it took me years to move on."

"Did you think she might come back? You know, just show up one day out of the blue?" Tara asked.

He shook his head. "No, that was her mom. She never could leave that house because she kept hoping, dreaming Ashley would show up one day with our child and some good reason why she left. But I knew better. She never would have done that to me. She never would have taken my child away from me. Not in a million years. I know that for a fact." He said this last statement looking directly into my eyes.

I believed him. I could see the pain and sorrow etched into his features and I knew he was telling the truth. "Scott, do you have any idea who could have done it?"

Again he shook his head. "Everyone loved her, and I'm not just saying that. She was such a nice person. She was popular at school and she treated all the kids really well. She wasn't one to lord her popularity over anyone. I think it had to be some random guy who picked her up on the way home."

"So, you're positive she left school that day?" Tara asked.

"Yeah. I walked her to her locker after school and kissed her goodbye. I had basketball practice and she said she'd meet me at her house later. She said the walk would be good for the baby. It was when I showed up a few hours later everyone realized she was missing."

Tara and I looked at each other. There didn't seem to be any more information we were going to be able to get out of him at this time. It was time to go. "Scott, thanks for meeting us. Here's our card. If you think of anything else, please give one of us a call."

Scott looked at the business card Tara handed him for a moment before pocketing it. "Sure. I don't mind talking to you girls. I like to think I'm helping out my alma mater. I appreciate you being willing to meet me here. I know the cops are going to start showing up at my house soon to question me, but I want to minimize what my family is going to have to go through."

"Do you have kids? Are you married?" I asked.

He smiled. "Yes to both. About ten years ago I met someone who finally helped me move on from Ashley. We have two kids, a boy, 8, and a girl, 4. They're my world."

"I'm glad," I said and stood to shake his hand.

"Since when do we have business cards?" I asked as we got into Tara's car. "We're not really even on the school newspaper."

"Since sixth period computer apps. I made some and printed them on card stock. I thought it was important we look legit, you know?"

"Your deviousness never ceases to amaze me," I shook my head at her. "Well, what did you think of him? Do you believe him?"

"Yeah, I do. But you're the psychic. I think it's more important you believe him. Could you tell anything when you shook his hand?"

"He seems to be telling the truth. I mean, I'm not experienced at reading non-Seer people when I touch them, but you would think I could tell if someone had been feeding me a whole pack of lies, don't you? I only got general feelings from him, but nothing seemed off."

"Definitely. And you don't have to be psychic to be able to tell he really loved her. It's so romantic that he waited twenty years before getting married to someone else, huh?"

It was romantic, and I appreciated what he had to say about being in love at a young age, as well. I know a lot of people think it's crazy to believe you could find 'the one' in high school, but I needed to know at least some people felt as I did. I wondered if Jack still felt the same.

I was sitting on the couch, channel surfing, avoiding homework, and brooding when the doorbell rang.

"Ally, can you let Brian in, please? Tell him I'll be down in a few minutes. I can't decide what to wear," my mom called from upstairs.

This guy really had her wound tightly. First naps and now she was indecisive about her wardrobe? This was not like the confident, calm woman I knew as my mother. "Come in, Brian," I said as I opened the door for him. "Mom will be down in a few. Have a seat. You want anything? Water? A c.o.ke?"

"No thanks, Ally. Actually, I'm glad to get a chance to talk to you privately."

Uh oh. Was this about to get awkward? Was he going to try to bond or ask for her hand or something? I motioned for him to sit down on the couch as I sat in the nearby chair.

"Yeah, so I was doing some follow-up work on the Ashley Hayes case today and your name came up." Apparently I had it all wrong. This wasn't about Mom. It was about me, and it wasn't going to be a heart-warming moment. He took his phone out and pulled up a picture of the business card Tara had given Scott. Busted. "Imagine my surprise when I'm questioning a former suspect in the Ashley Hayes disappearance, now the Ashley Hayes murder, and I find out a couple of teenage girls, from a high school newspaper no less, beat me to it. Imagine my further surprise when I find out one of them is the daughter of my girlfriend."

I said nothing. I simply looked down at my slippers.

"Are you even on the school newspaper? Jennifer has never mentioned it, and she talks about you all the time."

Well, that was sweet. And frightening to think my mom had nothing better to talk about on her dates than her kid. "Well, I'm not exactly on the newspaper, but I thought it would be um, interesting to maybe do a paper or something on the case. I mean, since it happened in my school and all." I was making this up on the fly.

"Ally, you and your friend are absolutely not to interfere with a police investigation. Do I make myself clear?" he said sternly.

"Crystal. I'm sorry. We didn't mean to interfere. I'm really interested in um, law enforcement, and I was hoping maybe you could be a sort of um, mentor, since you're getting to know my mom so well. It would be great if you and I could get to know each other, you know?"

I have absolutely no doubt Brian saw through this piece of complete bulls.h.i.+t and recognized it for the veiled threat it was: play nice and I will put in a good word for you with Mommy. Be difficult and the darling, adored daughter will be sure to put a few roadblocks up. We simply stared, daring the other to be the first to flinch. I chose to take it as testimony to his love for my mother that he was the first to blink.

"Mentor, huh? You're interested in law enforcement? Well, fine. I guess I can arrange for you to do a few ride alongs. It's this case, specifically, you're interested in?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Brian. I bet my mom is gonna think it's sooo sweet of you."

He chuckled and shook his head. I liked to think he would not underestimate me again. I felt pretty bada.s.s at the moment. He brought me back to earth pretty quickly. "Your little private investigation is over as of this minute, however. If I find out you're doing any snooping behind my back, this arrangement is over. Got it?"

"Yep. Got it. I better see what's keeping my mom." I scooted up the stairs, but not before I glimpsed a grudging half-smile from Brian. I found my mom lying on her bed in tears. "Mom? What's wrong? Are you okay? Brian is downstairs waiting."

She sniffed. "I don't have anything to wear. Go tell him to go home."

"What? Mom, you have tons of cute outfits. Don't you want to go out? Are you guys fighting or something?"

"No. I don't know what's wrong with me, Ally. I can't pull it together tonight." She reached for a tissue and dabbed her eyes.

"Here, let me help. Let's find you something to wear, okay?" I went to her closet and found a newish dress Grams had given her for Christmas. "Put this on. It makes your b.o.o.bs look great. Brian will love it." She laughed, as I had intended, but she complied and put on the dress. It did make her b.o.o.bs look good, a lot better than I remembered. It gave me a momentary hope someday I wouldn't be completely flat. "Yowzer. Brian may like this too much. Can I borrow it for my date with Jack tomorrow? It does great things for your rack, Mom."

She laughed again. "Thanks, sweetie. Help me fix my face? I don't want to look like I've been crying. I don't know what's wrong with me. You must think I'm crazy."

"Yeah, a little bit, but hey, love makes us crazy, huh? You love this guy?" I used what I learned from Sephora to apply eye shadow to her lids, giving her a smoky-eye look, then finished with some dramatic eyeliner.

She sighed. "Yeah, I really do. Are you good with that? Do you like him?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah, he's great." I wouldn't let her know about our 'understanding.' It could be our little secret. "Go for it, Mom. You should be happy." She hugged me and I heard another sniff. "No more tears! I just repaired your face. Now get out of here and go meet your boyfriend." I almost choked on the last word. Am I the only one who thinks there should be another word for people over thirty? Gross. I watched from the top of the stairs as Brian pulled my mother into his arms and kissed her. It was the kind of kiss that made my stomach flip; it was so sweet. He pulled back and put his hand on her face, tracing the tears, which were making another appearance.

"Hey, what's wrong, sweetheart?"

She shook her head and hugged him. "It's nothing. I had a rough day, that's all. I'm fine."

"Okay. Hey, I love you." He kissed her again.

Well, I better get to know him. It looked like he was going to be around for a while.

Unfortunately, Jack remained distant. Oh, on the surface everything seemed fine, but the change was there. He came over to do homework, but there was no cuddling and talking afterward; he simply packed up and left. At school, he still held my hand in the hall and sat with us at lunch, but more often than not he would leave early. I was trying to be understanding and let him know I was there for him, but I was starting to lose patience. I had no idea what the status of his relations.h.i.+p with his dad was because he wouldn't talk about it. It would be a whole lot easier if I didn't care so much, and I got the distinct feeling it was exactly what he was hoping for: that I would stop caring and pus.h.i.+ng and simply give up. If I truly felt like that's what he wanted I would do it, but Tara and Grams a.s.sured me he still looked at me like he loved me. They both said they could see so much pain in his eyes; so could I.

Valentine's Day was around the corner and I figured this could be a perfect time to rekindle the romance with Jack and do some of the pus.h.i.+ng Grams had talked about. I had Tara help me devise a plan that was sure to put any thought of his father out of his mind, at least for one night. We were on the way to Manny's shop so I could tell him about our upcoming date, since he wasn't answering my calls lately.

"Now, get in there, tell him about the date, and don't take no for an answer. Got it? I'll distract Mat for you."

"Wow. Way to take one for the team," I replied. I was strangely nervous; this was Jack, the guy I was in love with, but he had been so distant lately. I didn't know how much more of the brush-off I could take before I ran away with my tail between my legs.

We arrived at the shop way too soon and Sh.e.l.ly waved us to the back. Mat saw us as soon as we stepped in, coming over to greet us.

"Now this is exactly what I needed this afternoon: two beautiful girls to liven up this boring shop." At his words, Jack turned around, smiling when he saw me. His smile still took my breath away, but it faded too soon. I walked over to him, leaving Tara to occupy Mat.

"Ally, what's up?" I couldn't help but notice he didn't try to kiss me. c.r.a.p. This was more serious than I thought. Now I was scared. Was he really trying to pull away? Was I simply too dense to see he wanted out of this relations.h.i.+p?

"Oh, I wanted to stop by and talk about our plans for this Friday and I've had a hard time getting you on your cell lately." I looked into his face for some sign, anything, that would tell me he wasn't pulling away.

"Friday? Um, I don't think I'll be able to do anything." He wouldn't even meet my gaze.

"Jack, it's Valentine's Day," I whispered. "Please."

"Oh. Yeah, okay. Sorry, I forgot. I'm sorry, Ally," he whispered back.

"So, can you go?"

He swallowed. "Yeah, sure. Of course."

I didn't say anything; I threw myself into his arms and kissed him. I didn't give him a chance to say no. He kissed me back, a little desperately it seemed, clutching the back of my s.h.i.+rt. I put everything I had into the kiss and I didn't care who was watching. I felt like I was fighting for everything we had together. Too soon he pulled away, resting his forehead against mine, swallowing hard again. "I love you, Jack." I wasn't going to make this easy for him; this was worth fighting for, d.a.m.n it! Why couldn't he see it?

He nodded, but he didn't say it back. My heart was breaking into small pieces. "Just text me the details, okay?" he said as he pulled away.

I nodded, trying not to cry. "Tara, you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go," she called as she pulled her hands out of Mat's.

"So, I'll pick you up at seven, Tara. We'll have a great time!" Mat called as we left.

"Did you actually agree to go out with Mat?" I asked as we got into her Jeep.

"Yes, and I can't begin to tell you how much you owe me for that," she spat at me. "Talk about taking one for the team! It's the only way I could get him to leave you and Jack alone. Tell me it was worth it."

"I'm not sure. He did agree to go out on Friday, but he didn't seem really thrilled about it. Tara, I think I'm losing him," I cried.

"Hey, I saw the way he was kissing you. It didn't look like you were losing anything. It was hot, let me tell you." She fanned her face.

"Yeah, but it felt like a goodbye." My voice trembled as I spoke.

"Hey, no way! Don't think like that. You have a great date planned for Friday. And if it doesn't work, we'll take the more direct route," she promised.

"Such as?"

"Direct confrontation, calling him on all this bulls.h.i.+t. You will demand answers."

"I hope it doesn't come to that," I said, looking out the window. I wanted to go back to the time before his dad came back into his life. We had been so happy and I wanted it back. I was willing to do whatever it took, but I wasn't sure what that was. "So, where is Mat taking you? I can't believe you agreed to go out with him just for me."

She looked, I don't know, guilty? "Oh, well, yeah. Of course. I would do anything for you."

Hmmm. I got the distinct feeling she wasn't as upset about this date as she should have been. This could be interesting. "I want to hear all about it tomorrow."

"Of course. It won't amount to much. I'll let him down easy," she a.s.sured me.

Uh huh. Sure she would.

I could hardly wait to pump her for info about her date with Mat the next day at lunch. I made a beeline to our table and sat down next to her while Jack headed off to buy lunch, something he had started doing since his dad showed up. "So, how was it?"

"How was what?" It was Remy, of course, b.u.t.ting his way into the conversation as usual.

"Tara had a date last night," I delightedly informed him.

"But how is that possible since I was busy elsewhere?" He appeared outraged, but I could tell it was an act. He took Tara's hand and kissed it. "I am desolate, cherie." He looked at me and winked.

"She had a date with Jack's cousin, Mat. You remember him from the night at the movies?" I asked.

"But of course. He was with the lovely Lynette, no?" Amazing that Remy got her name right.

"Yeah, how was the big date?" Jack asked as he sat down with his lunch. "Mat hogged the bathroom all evening. I couldn't even get a shower. I hope the aftershave he slathered on wore off before he picked you up."

Tara looked a little bit like a deer in the headlights as we all stared at her, waiting for her to respond. "Um, it was fine, actually. Mat was really nice and he, uh, he smelled fine." She winced as she said this last bit as Jack and Remy both laughed. I gave her a sympathetic look and mouthed 'later.' She nodded gratefully.

I finally got more of the story that night on the phone. I lay sprawled across my bed and got her on FaceTime. "So, spill. I've been waiting all day to hear about it."

"It wasn't terrible. He was pretty nice. We went to dinner and then he took me bowling."

"Bowling?" It was hard to imagine my stylish best friend doing something as mundane as bowling.

"Yeah." She laughed. "It was quirky and kind of fun. I haven't been for years. He was terrible, but he was really good about laughing at himself. It was a lot of fun."

"Wow," I said. "It sounds great. So, did he kiss you?"

"No. It wasn't that great."

"Well, are you going to go out again? Did he ask?"