Page 46 of Finding Our Reality

“They found her car in a parking lot by some woods, right? I guess that’s why the explanation seemed plausible. All I know is that you didn’t talk about it…ever. Trey didn’t like anyone talking about Carrie or asking questions about her.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the police came around asking about her. Because of the gas station thing. The gas station drew police attention to Carrie and that drew attention to Trey and the whole operation. And that made him nervous. He thought the gas station was becoming a liability. He thought Trash wasn’t taking his roleseriously, that he wasn’t screening his customers closely enough. They couldn’t stop the video feed, the owner of the station refused to do away with the video cameras. He didn’t know about the drugs, you know? Anyway, Trey thought Trash was being reckless. At first, he was happy when Trash brought Carrie around. He was excited to have a girl pushing on the university campus. He only had a few fraternity guys pushing back then. When Carrie went missing, he told Trash that he never should’ve brought her into the mix.”

“And that went for everyone? No one talked to Trey about Carrie?”

Christina shudders. “You remember how he was. He killed that one guy. Sure, they called it self-defense, but we all knew it was murder. No one wanted to go against Trey’s wishes. He didn’t want anyone to talk about Carrie, so we didn’t.”

“What about Trash? Did he ever tell you what he thought happened to Carrie?”

She shakes her head. “He just said the same thing as Trey—that Carrie went off on her own. He said she probably ran away.”

“What can you tell us about Carrie?”

She nervously looks over at Lulu, seeking permission. “It’s fine, Christina. Tell the truth. You won’t offend me,” Lulu says.

“Well, she was beautiful, of course. All the guys wanted to be with her. She was refined, mature, confident. She was in deep, sure, but she was still a newborn compared to most of us. She hadn’t crossed that line yet, where the drug use was all-consuming. She still functioned, lived that part of her life in secret. I’m assuming you didn’t even know she had a problem, right?”

Lulu nods. Just once. “You’re right, I didn’t.”

“We all start out that way. A little here, a little there. Some people can live that way for years and years before it becomes the complete DNA of your life, ruling every single second ofevery single day. Carrie wasn’t there yet. She was on a runaway train, headed in that direction, but she wasn’t there yet.” She reaches out, grabbing Lulu’s hand. “I think she could’ve been saved. Before she reached that point, I mean.”

Lulu lifts her chin in the air, politely nodding before sliding her hand from Christina’s grasp. She never liked to be touched by strangers.

I change the subject. “Do you still take pictures, Christina?”

Donnie smiles proudly. “She’s a wonderful photographer. Started a little side business a few years ago. Wedding pictures, Christmas cards. Her work is beautiful.”

Time to get down to business. We pull out the photograph copies and go through them one by one. Christina quickly confirms they came from her camera, that she was the one behind the lens. She even remembers the night. We pause before we get to the last picture.

“Do you remember what happened after this picture?”

“Oddly enough, I do remember that. Trey’s supplier was coming over so we all had to leave. We went over to Trash’s trailer. I realized I forgot my camera, and I wanted to go back to get it. I thought I could make it there before the supplier showed up. I took Trash’s car and drove back. The door was locked so I had to knock. Trey didn’t like that. Not one bit. The supplier was already there. When I asked for my camera, Trey punched me in the face and pushed me down the stairs. I twisted my ankle. Went back to Trash’s and got completely wasted to help with the pain.”

Donnie clenches his jaw, thinking about his wife getting hit.

I sit forward in my seat. “You were there when the supplier was there? And you’re sure it was the supplier and not someone else?”

“Trey wouldn’t have cared if someone else was there. It was only the supplier he protected that much.”

“Did you actually see the supplier?”

She shakes her head. “No, of course not.”

“What about a car? Anything like that?”

“No, I’m sorry, I’ve never been good with cars. But I also wasn’t the most observant person back then, as you can imagine.”

I look over at Lulu, getting her silent permission to proceed with the last picture. She blinks. Sometimes I can easily read her mind. Other times, it’s like she’s hidden behind an impenetrable curtain.

“Okay, Christina, this is the last picture we have to show you. I warn you. It’s explicit.”

Her eyes widen in fear. “Okay.” Both she and Donnie lean forward, looking at the picture. Shock and horror etch across their faces. It’s clear as day that Christina has never seen this picture before. Donnie leans back, refusing to look at the horrible image.

Christina wipes tears from her eyes and stutters over her question. “Is… is Carrie being… raped?”

“Yes.” I point at the perpetrator. “Do you know who that is, Christina? Is there anything familiar about him?”

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