Secrets (35 page)

Sarah was nearly hyperventilating as Swanson talked. This could not be happening. They had gone to Scott and were bringing him in? In a police car? She was shaking, quivering with both fear for Scott, and rage he’d be treated like a damn criminal.

“Look, they’re here. I see you don’t believe it’s even a possibility. Why don’t you come with me, watch us talk to your friend. See what comes of it. It can’t hurt.”

“Have you arrested him? Are you going to interrogate him?” The horror in her voice was strong.

“No, nothing official. Just suggested real strong-like, he come down and talk to us.”

Sarah, rubber-legged followed Swanson. He led her into a hallway down the back of the building. She sat in a room with a two way mirror. She could see into the square, bare room which had only a table and four chairs for furniture. She wanted to die then and there. She was so mortified. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t watch this. But if they were determined to question Scott, at least she could be there to set them straight. Scott was smart. He’d never talk without a lawyer.

A few moments later the door opened and in walked a uniformed police officer with Scott behind him. He wasn’t cuffed, but he was in there being questioned about
her
. Sarah nearly gasped out loud, her fingernails digging into the back of her hand. Scott looked tired, exhausted. And now this? He had on jeans and a red sweatshirt…and as usual a hat pulled over his forehead.

So what? Lots of men wore hats continuously. It didn’t mean anything. Swanson cleared his throat. He seemed to be a little contrite with her. Still, this farce was going on.

“You stay here. I’ll go have a talk with him.”

“You’re so wrong I’m embarrassed for you. I could investigate this better.”

“All right, Ms. Langston, that’s enough. Let us do our job, even if you don’t like where it takes us.”

A moment later Swanson was in the room with Scott. Scott was still standing, the anger emanating off him. His jaw was set in a solid line of obvious rage. Who could blame him? He’d done nothing but help her, and now he was being interrogated for the very thing he’d helped her for. He was going to hate her after this.

“Mr. Delano,” Swanson said, clearing his throat. An annoying habit Sarah hadn’t realized was so prevalent. Swanson opened a file before him and glanced at it, and then up at Scott.

“Am I under arrest?”

“No. We just want to have a little talk with you.”

Scott put his hands on the table and leaned in toward the detective. “What the fuck is this? You think I was the one harassing Sarah? How could that be when I was with her most of the times she got called?”

Swanson cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m aware of the facts of her case. Let’s slow down a bit and see what we come up with. Your name is Scott Marshall Delano, correct?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“You and Ms. Langston had a relationship of the sexual nature.”

Sarah wanted to bang on the mirror in frustration. What happened between them was special, not open for comment and discussion by Detective Swanson. She thought about hurling a chair through the window.

“So what? Is that a crime now? I’m sure she’d be happy to tell you it was consensual.”

“I’m sure she would, that’s not in debate. But see, I was wondering how your wife felt about that? About Sarah and you?”

Sarah straightened her spine.
What? What had Swanson just said?
Scott had also jerked as if tazered. He would deny it. He would howl at the detective in one of his temper tantrums. He would fix this here and now.

Then, unbelievably…Scott simply shrugged and said, “What do you care what she thinks?”

Sarah stood up so fast her chair hurled over behind her.
She thinks? Who? Who were they talking about?
Why wasn’t Scott laughing at the detective or hurling back his chair in anger at the misinformation? Why was Scott sitting there calmly saying that? Sarah’s stomach twisted into knots.

“I found it surprising you were married when I started looking into you. Sarah doesn’t know, does she?”

“No.” Snarl and frown from Scott. He sat down.

“What else doesn’t she know, Mr. Delano?”

“What does any of this have to do with anything? If you were going to arrest every guy who lied about being married you’d have to build a new prison every hour.”

Sarah’s mouth had yet to close.

“Well, now, I’m establishing a pattern here, seeing what circumstances we got here.”

“Being married doesn’t make me a stalker.”

“No, but it does make one wonder what else you’d lie about.”

“What do you want from me?”

“Explain how your cell phone called Sarah’s apartment and her cell phone at the exact time of six of the calls she reported to us. Including the one where you were supposedly sleeping on her couch and you just happened to find her purse outside her front door. Explain that, Mr. Delano.”

Sarah’s stomach leapt into her throat. She couldn’t get past Scott’s casual, being married didn’t make him a stalker comment. So disturbed was she, she couldn’t concentrate on the physical proof Swanson seemed convinced of.

Scott’s head jerked back. “That can’t be possible.”

“I assure you it is. I’m looking at the phone records right here.” Swanson tapped on a file before him.

Scott shook his head. He took his hat off and ran his hands through his hair. “No. I didn’t make those calls.”

“Then who did?”

Scott was silent. Finally he said quietly, “I’m not the best at keeping my phone on me.”

“You’re saying someone could access your phone and you wouldn’t notice?”

“It’s possible.”

“And who would do that, Mr. Delano? Who would go to that much trouble? Who would care enough to bother her, besides you?”

“I don’t know,” he said, his tone was quiet. “I don’t know what’s going on here. But I do know I didn’t do anything, nor do I have knowledge of who did.”

“Why do you suppose the few weeks Sarah was living with you her stalker went nearly off radar? That’s kind of bizarre to happen. Usually these guys escalate, not wait and see.”

“How the hell would I know?”

“And what about this, you called Ms. Langston at one Brett Carlton’s house about thirty times. Movie star and all, they keep obsessive records of who and what numbers call. They get lots of wackos calling. You one of them?”

Sarah gaped. He’d called Brett’s thirty times? For her? She shut her mouth trying to understand what had happened. She pictured Scott’s anger at her for never having noticed him, for his perceived view that she still didn’t really notice him. Could any of this be true? No. No, it couldn’t. But married? Scott was married?

“Yeah, I called Sarah. That would be about right. I tried calling her about once a day. I wanted to make sure she was all right. I didn’t get why she wasn’t calling me back. Nothing more sinister than that. I left my name each time, with the message to have her check in with me.”

Sarah pressed her forehead against the glass. No one on Brett’s staff had forwarded even one of those calls. What the hell was this?

“She didn’t receive any messages from you.”

“Well, I can’t help that, can I?”

“Why were you yelling at her at the hospital? We have a witness claim you seemed violent.”

Scott slouched and sighed. “I am not, nor will I ever be violent with Sarah. Or any woman for that matter. I was angry for the very thing we just covered. I didn’t hear from her for five weeks and I got worried and yeah, mad at her. Being mad at someone doesn’t make me a stalker either.”

“Why? Because she’s yours? She betrayed you?”

“She’s not mine.”

“Do you love her, Mr. Delano?”

“What kind of question is that? What does it have to do with anything?”

“Do you?”

Scott suddenly stood up. He jerked his hat back onto his head and dug his hands into his pockets. “What I feel for her is none of your damn business. And you’d better arrest me right now because if you’re not, I’m done with this shit. I didn’t do anything and you’re grasping for straws with these questions.”

“Are we, Mr. Delano?”

Scott was up and heading for the door. His stride hard and fast. Sarah opened the door.

Then they were standing together in the hallway. He stopped dead when he recognized her. His expression shocked. She couldn’t hide the horror on her face. He glanced into the door she held half open and seemed to realize what had gone on.

“Sarah? Did you do this? Do you think I’ve been doing this?”

“I was followed from the hospital. I came to report it, and here you were. They had me listen in. I told them they were crazy. But...but you’re married?”

She shook her head. Her body felt as if she was watching herself from a video camera in another room.

“Give me a chance to explain.”

He took a step toward her. She suddenly didn’t want to know what Scott had to say. Galvanized, she turned and fled down the short hallway into the reception area and to her car. She heard the detective calling after her. He was probably worried Scott had seen her there. But she wasn’t afraid of Scott. Not like that. She was…what was she?

Horrified. Betrayed. A fool. And what else? What was this?

Where did she go now? Luke and Kelly were at the hospital, or at minimum had a traumatic day in their own right. She couldn’t spring this on them. Her parents? No way. Besides she wasn’t driving that road alone again. No more stupidity on her part. No more physical or emotional blunders for her.

Where the hell was she supposed to go?

Cassie Tyler—Kelly’s sister and John’s wife—opened the door after Sarah’s first frantic knock. Cassie had Nate, their one-year-old son, on her hip. She started to smile, but stopped as her gaze swept over Sarah. She could only imagine how red and swollen her eyes were from all the tears she’d shed in the last several hours.

“What happened to you? Are you all right? Get in here.” Cassie took her hand and pulled her inside.

“I didn’t know where else to go. Luke and Kelly are—”

“Yes, I know. We just got home from the hospital. What has happened?”

Sarah shook her head. She finally took a deep breath as she dropped her purse and jacket.

“Come in, let’s get you something warm. Tea, right?”

Sarah nodded as she mutely followed Cassie into the kitchen. Cassie put the baby into his high chair and started filling the tea kettle.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

Sarah slouched into a chair, resting her elbows on the table and resting her temples in her hands in defeat. Then she told Cassie everything.

“Oh my God, Sarah. They think Scott has been doing this?” Cassie suddenly glanced around them, until she ran off yelling for John. In a few seconds John came down the stairs. Sarah heard the quiet, earnest tone. Cassie explained to him what was going on. John came into the kitchen and found Sarah sitting there numbly, staring out the back window over the sand dunes.

She smiled sheepishly at her ex-boyfriend. “I’m sorry. I had nowhere else to go. My parents—”

“I know better than anyone about your parents. It’s okay,” John said kindly. Cassie threw her a puzzled look. Sarah smiled slightly.

“You haven’t told Cassie about my parents?”

John shook his head. “No. Your secret. You never wanted anyone to know. Besides, the whole doctor-patient privilege thing kind of ties my hands.”

“Thank you for being one of the few honest guys I know. But it’s not a secret anymore. I decided it’s stupid keeping secrets. Hiding everything, what does that ever accomplish? My brother was so torn up about his birth look what he went and did to Angie. Why? Because my family keeps everything a secret and he had no one to talk to. And Scott, God, what more secrets can he have? He’s married.
Married.
But I have no idea to who even.”

Cassie glanced at John and then Sarah. “I don’t know all the details, but what are you most upset about? Scott being married, or that he might be your stalker?”

Sarah sighed, taking the cup of steaming tea Cassie handed her. “He’s not my stalker. I know that much.”

“Are you sure?” John asked quietly.

“I’m very sure of that much. Nothing else.”

There was a knock at their front door. They all three glanced at each other. “You stay here,” John said, as he went to answer it.

A few moments later John came walking back through the house and behind him was Scott. Scott’s expression was weary, and his shoulders sagged when he met her shocked gaze.

“How did you know I was here?” She stood up.

Scott held his hands up. “Don’t freak out, I was following you this time. But that is it. This is the only time. I swear to God, it’s not me doing this to you. Detective Swanson is out front too, he followed me, following you. So, if you feel like you need to go get him, go ahead.”

Sarah closed her eyes and dropped her head. Finally, she raised her gaze to Scott and said, “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Good. I need to talk to you. I figured if you knew the cops were here, and the Tylers were here, you wouldn’t be scared of me and you might listen to me.”

“Listen to you?” Sarah’s eyes widened as anger spurt through her. “You just admitted you are married. You don’t think I should have known that little important fact about you? Who the hell is it? Who are you married to?”

Scott glanced at the Tylers, who were watching him and Sarah intently. John stepped closer to Sarah, and Cassie was absurdly near the butcher knives.

“Can we talk alone? Without everyone getting ready to spring at me? Invite the cops in for all I care. Let them be right there in the living room.”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

“No, you don’t. But I owe you answers. I know that. Let me at least give them to you.”

She relented by sitting down. “Fine, I’ll talk to you. I know you’re not stalking me. I’m not afraid of you, for God’s sake.”

John turned to Sarah. “We’ll be in the living room if you need anything.” Cassie picked up the baby and they left.

Sarah called after them, “You might as well let Swanson in and explain to him what’s going on.”

Scott stood back from her, afraid maybe, she was about to throw her hot tea all over him.