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“Did you call Danny when I left?” I asked.
“Of course! I didn’t know what you were doing and I was trying to save you from yourself.”
I stood up and opened the door half expecting it to be Jesse, almost wishing it to be Jesse because Danny on the other side of that door meant a trip to the police station. I opened the door and heard Danny’s radio on his hip asking if he’d found me. Danny reached for his radio and kept a decided glare on me.
“Great,” was all I could say.
“Suspect apprehended,” he spoke softly, pressing down the transmitter button on his radio.
“What the hell Elliott?”
“You don’t understand Danny.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. I can’t comprehend why you’ve chosen this boy to be your ongoing battering ram.”
“I can’t get you out of this one Elliott, not this time. Mrs. Thomas wants to press charges. She’s pretty broken up about the whole thing too, poor woman. She heard a noise and came out to find her son lying unconscious on her porch Elliott! And saw your truck skidding off. She doesn’t know what has made you snap but now that it’s affecting her son she feels she has no other choice.”
“Well, that’s not really any of her business is it, since Jesse’s eighteen? Isn’t it up to him to press charges? I’m willing to bet that he won’t be.”
“I hope you’re right, for your mama’s sake if nothing else. Regardless, I still have to take you to the station Elliott.”
Jules stood up from her sunken position and walked over to me. She grabbed my hand and started to explain to Danny, “He was only trying to defend me Danny, honest. Jesse has been breaking into my room at night and rearranging things and this morning he stole one of my paintings and hung it by a makeshift noose on a tree in my backyard.”
“What?” He asked in disbelief.
“That’s right Danny. Jesse’s been breaking into her room, we know it, he rearranges things to scare Jules. He knows it’s something hard to prove and that’s why he did it I’m sure of it, but this time we’ve got tangible evidence of his harassment,” I added.
“Alright, where is this painting?” Danny asked.
“Hanging on the large Red Maple at the front of the house,” Jules said.
“Alright, come on Elliott, it’ll look better if it appears you came willingly. We’ll swing by Julia’s house and remove the painting for evidence. Maybe we can get a print on it,” he said to me before turning to Jules. “Julia, you need to stay here and explain things to Shelby when she gets here later and help to calm her down.”
Jules nodded and Danny left to his cruiser expecting me to follow suit, but I delayed for a moment. I grabbed Jules and kissed her roughly. I could taste the salt from her overflowing tears.
“See you later Jules. I’m off to the clinker. Will you wait for me?”
She fought the smile through her tears, “Can’t you take anything seriously?”
“I take you seriously. I love you Jules. Don’t worry. I’ll be out in a couple of hours.”
I pushed open the storm door and met Danny at his cruiser. I piled into the passenger seat.
“What? You’re not going to cuff me? I’m a violent criminal Danny. Maybe you should put me in the back. You might want the plexiglass between us. I’m dangerous.”
“Elliott, you seem to have lost your mind so I’ll remind you how serious this is. You could lose your scholarship if he does press charges. You know that? You should stew about that for awhile. Think about what that would do to your mom and dad.” He looked at me severely. “Why didn’t you just report it Elliott?”
“Honestly? I just found out about it myself today. Jules was too frightened to let me know all that he had done because she was afraid of my reaction.”
“Rightfully so,” Danny added.
“But when he had hung the painting up, she didn’t have a choice. She had to tell me everything. Jules couldn’t get it down and she had to ask me to. She didn’t want it scaring her parents,” I turned to face Danny. “What would you have done if someone was harassing Aunt Becky?”
“I’d call the police Elliott.”
“And what if you’ve told the police and they don’t believe you?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you Elliott! It’s that I think you’ve pegged the wrong guy. Jesse was your best friend. You should know he wouldn’t do that. His record is spotless. It’s just not in his nature Elliott, to be so cruel.”
