“Well, he says he didn’t do it,” the officer replies simply.“In fact, when we brought your name up… well, it took him a minute to remember you.Said you and him… well, that it was nothing serious.”
“He’s lying,” Lola says.
“We investigated him, believe me.He’s got a full-time job with an environmental advocacy corporation, Miss Casco.He’s saving sea turtles.He has no criminal record and used to be captain of U Maine’s water polo team for crying out loud.A stand-up guy by all accounts.”
Lola’s face goes red, I’m sure with anger because the dude is lying his face off.“I saw him try to confront her that exact night, so he’s lying.I’m your proof.”
The words fly out, and it isn’t until Lola glares at me that I realize my mistake.I shouldn’t have spoken.
“And who are you?”
“I’m… I’m Theo Richard.I was there when she found her car destroyed.I was there with her the night before when this Pete guy confronted her on the street outside the bar, trying to get her to go home with him.”I try to ignore the withering stare Lola is throwing my way.“So he’s lying to you.He most definitely remembers who she is, and he may have also been stalking her last night at the bar where she works.”
“Theo!”Lola hisses.
“How so?Miss Casco, is there more you need to share?”Officer Baldwell asks, his tone stern, like we’re the problem.
“Well, last night as I closed up there was someone…” Lola pauses and closes her eyes.“There was someone on the sidewalk staring into the bar, but I couldn’t see their face.They just stood there staring for a really long time.”
“And you think it was at you, specifically?”
“No one else was there.”
“Did they try to get in?Confront you?Say anything?”
“No.”Her shoulders sag.
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about a non-incident,” Officer Baldwell says tersely.“Please do let me know if it happens again or if this Pete person actually does anything.I assume if this is the Theo Richard I think it is, the same one who plays with your brother, Miss Casco, that you are with at eight in the morning, then you’re in good hands.”
“She’s not in anyone’s hands,” I find myself saying, my voice hard.“What you have here is basically a stalker situation, so?—”
“Thanks for following up, Officer Baldwell,” Lola cuts me off, and she’s glaring at me again.“Have a great day.”
Lola ends the call, and we stare at each other.Clearly, she’s trying to get me to understand a point I’m completely missing.“Why did you not fight him harder?”
“So he could call me an irrational woman?So he could make me feel worse?”Lola shakes her head.“And he said your name, so Callan knows I’m with you right now.Maybe you should spend your time figuring out how to handle that.”
She stomps off, grabbing her clothes, and moving toward my bathroom, closing the door when she gets there.I stare in her wake, not sure what the fuck I did wrong.I mean, sure, now Callan knows she stayed here, which is a bit of a can of worms, but I can handle that.What I can’t handle is that cop believing this Pete asshole over Lola.How did I become a bad guy for that?
She steps out of the bathroom in her clothes from last night.She folds the Vipers shirt she was wearing and leaves it at the foot of my rumpled bed.“I have to meet my family for brunch before my parents fly back to San Francisco.Thanks for… last night.”
“Lola,” I say her name softly, but the urgency is clear.I don’t want this to be weird.“Tell me how I fucked up.”
“You…” She exhales and folds her arms before shaking her head.“You didn’t.I know you meant well.But nothing was going to change that policeman’s mind, and now I’m gonna have to deal with Callan knowing about this.”
“Maybe he left so the cop could talk to you, and he didn’t hear my name mentioned.”It’s a long shot, but it could have happened.She looks at me like I’m insane, and I get sheepish.“I’ll talk to Callan if you want.But the fact is, that cop wasn’t taking this seriously.And Pete lied to him.”
“And he didn’t believe me,” she says flatly.“I’m just a woman being hysterical and jumping to conclusions and accusing a stand-up guy.He’s on a water polo scholarship!”
“He didn’t believe me either.”
“But if he had, do you see the problem there?”Lola sighs.“I have to go.”
“I don’t like you leaving like this,” I confess.
“Neither do I, but I don’t like a lot of things about life right now,” she mutters as she shrugs into her jacket and puts on her boots.
I watch her silently as she picks up her bag at the front door.I don’t know how to fix this.“Where are you parked?”
