Page 73 of In the Air Tonight

“Okay.”

“Do you remember the first time around when that group of Ryder’s friends signed the affidavit swearing I’d slept with them?”

“I do.” Years later, I’d gotten Dallas to admit it was a goddamned lie and had wanted to beat the shit out of him for being part of that. “What about it?”

“They were lying about me to protect Ryder. I want them to pay for that. I know one of them was your own brother, so if you want me to deal directly with the AG on that, I’ll understand.”

I experience a second of panic on Dallas’s behalf. “I’ll pass it on to the AG. They’ll want to speak to you about it. What’s the other thing?”

“The night of the attack, I lost my Honda car key in the clearing where it happened. I forgot to mention that when I firstreported it, but the key may still be there. I never went back to look for it. I’m not sure if that would help, so I figured I’d mention it.”

I make a note about the key. “It can’t hurt. I’ll see if I can find it, and I’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you, Houston.”

I end that call and immediately reach out to Josh Spurling.

“Hey, it’s Houston. I got your text about the date and time for the witness statement, and I have another update. The victim is fully onboard.”

“Well, that’s a game changer.”

“She has a caveat.”

“What’s that?”

“After the original charges were filed, Ryder Elliott’s brother and a number of their friends signed an affidavit claiming Denise, the victim, had slept with all of them in the last year. That was a lie, and in the absence of hard evidence, it most likely swayed the judge who initially heard the complaint. Denise wants that addressed.”

Josh’s deep sigh speaks volumes.

“In the interest of full disclosure, one of the people who signed was my brother.”

“That could get messy, Houston.”

“I know, which is why I won’t have anything more to do with that part of it. If your office wants to pursue that, I can’t be involved, but Denise made it clear. Dealing with that is a condition of her cooperation.”

“Understood. I’ll speak to the AG today and let you know next steps.”

“Blaise Merrick and I will be there at ten the day after tomorrow for her sworn statement.”

“See you then.”

I call Blaise. “Can you come by the station tomorrow afternoon? I want to go over your statement again to prepare you for the AG the next day.”

“What time do you want me there?”

“Would two be okay?”

“I’ll see you then.”

I appreciate that she’s clearly invested in seeing this through, no matter the consequences for herself. While I don’t condone what she did by not reporting what she saw for fourteen years, I understand the psychology behind being a teenager from a close-knit town fearing the fallout of doing the right thing.

We like to think we’d always do what’s right.

Life isn’t that simple.

Blaise knows that better than anyone.

Chapter 16

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