My nostrils flare when Regina replies, “She made me promise,” deciding to start with my least challenging question. She unsteadily rises to a half-seated position before removing her gun from underneath the pillow to place it on the coffee table.
“I don’t give a fuck if she promised you lifetime box seats to the Knicks, you should have told me.”
Because my voice is barely a whisper, my anger isn't relayed as strongly as I’m hoping. I am beyond ropeable Regina hid this from me. She knew the hell I walked through ten years ago, as she was walking right beside me.
The first person I called when I discovered Savannah's return to Ravenshoe was Regina. How could she not give me the same courtesy? Do our years together on the force mean nothing to her? I thought we were family, or at the very least friends. She shouldnothave kept this from me.
Although I want to continue reprimanding Regina, there are questions I need answered, and I need them answered now.
“Savannah said she’s protecting her daughter from a man as violent as my father. Does that mean she is being abused, Regina? Is that why she is hiding? Because she’s scared?” My tone relays I don’t want to hear her reply, but I need to hear it.
Regina swallows several times in a row before murmuring, “If I were to believe Savannah, no.” Her dour tone does nothing to ease my anxiety.
“What is your gut telling you?” I ask, my voice as low as my heart rate.
She doesn't need to answer me; I can see the truth in her eyes. The girl of my dreams is a victim of abuse.
Fuck!
I thought handing my badge and gun to Alex tonight was bad. This is ten times worse. How can I keep the girl I promised to protect since I was six safe without a weapon? It isn’t impossible, but it isn’t easy either.
I stop calculating the many ways I can kill a man with my bare hands when Regina stops to stand in front of me. “If you could pick, what would you prefer, Ryan? Her keeping her secret? Or her still running from her past?” She nudges her head in the direction Savannah just went. “If I had raised suspicion to my claims, she would have left, you would have never reacquainted, and that little girl still wouldn’t know the meaning of family. I hated keeping this from you, but I used what I could to convince Savannah she could trust me. I kept her secret to keep her safe.”
I take a step back, internally wounded by her confession. When Savannah issues you her trust, you have it for life. She has every reason not to trust me, but why does that apply to Regina? She once saw her as a mother, not an enemy.
Regina stands from the sofa to join me in the foyer. After trailing her tired eyes over my balled hands and ticking jaw, she locks them on my face.
"You think you're the only one mad? Tobias didn't just hide Savannah's relocation from me, he lied about it. I asked him on numerous occasions if he had anything to do with her disappearance. He guaranteed me he didn't. If I hadn't occupied my retirement with his old files, I would have never found Savannah." The pain in her voice sends ice sliding down my spine. "I gave Tobias the best years of my life, and what did I get in return? Endless lies."
Our heads rocket to the side in sync when a singsong voice says, “That wasn’t because he didn’t love you, Regina. He lied because I asked him to.”
Savannah glides across the floor, the weightlessness of her steps not matching the slump of her shoulders. “He wanted to tell you, but I begged him not to. The information Axel and I shared nearly got us killed. I didn’t want anyone caught in the crossfire. Especially the people I cared about the most.” Her eyes dance between Regina and me—she means both of us.
“I’m sorry I tainted your memories of Tobias, Regina, but don’teverbelieve he deceived you on purpose. You were the first person on his mind every morning and the last every night. He loved you. More than you will ever realize. He was the sun, and you were his moon.” Her voice cracks at the end.
Regina’s hand sweep her dry cheeks like a madwoman as her eyes drop to her shoes. She’s never been good at showing her emotions, but even I know the moon and sun reference is of high significance to her.
“Well. . .I. . . uh. . . better head off. I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about.” Regina coughs to clear the nerves from her throat before lifting her watering eyes to Savannah. “Same time tomorrow?”
She nearly loses her battle to hold in her tears when Savannah shakes her head. “We’re not safe here anymore, Regina. It’s time for us to move on.”
“What?”
I want to say more, but a set of suitcases at the end of the hall steals my words. There are too many for Savannah to have just packed them. She must have prepared them earlier. I’m just curious if it was before or after we slept together?
My question-seeking steps stop when Regina’s hand darts out to snatch my wrist. “The more information you obtain, the greater persuasion you will pertain.”
I stare at her, unsure how a quote she said to me on my first day at Ravenshoe PD will help me now.
“Until she learns she can bear the unbearable, she will continue running.” Her voice is so low, if I couldn’t read lips, I wouldn’t hear a word she is speaking. “You are a brilliant detective, Ryan, and an even better man. Show Savannah that.”
After saying goodbye to Savannah with a quick wave, Regina’s plump lips brush my cheek. I’m stunned by her sociable sendoff. She’s not usually a feely-touchy type of woman.
The reasoning behind her impulsiveness becomes apparent when she whispers, “She will listen to you, Ryan, but only after you’ve listened first. Use what I taught you. Emotions are the best persuasive techniques we have, only second to compassion.”
I stand in silence for the next thirty seconds, watching Regina’s retreating frame glide down the dimly lit corridor. I understand what she is suggesting, I just don’t know if I can do it. This isn’t the standard interrogation I’ve done numerous times the past decade. This is a woman I’ve admired for years. She isn’t a victim or a criminal. She’s my girl.
Any hang-ups I'm having vanish when my gaze collides with Savannah's across the room. Just like Regina's gut has never steered her wrong, neither has my intuition. Savannah isn't just my girl; she's also a victim of domestic violence. The distrust in her eyes relays this without a doubt. How do I know this? Because they are identical to my mother’s in every way.
