Page 35 of Rip Ryder's Second Chance

She averted her eyes for a second as the old feelings of shame wanted to seep through but she gave her head a shake, refusing to allow the demons to surface. “I knew if I didn’t come right away, I’d more than likely change my mind about telling anyone. It’s time I stopped running. I have a child to think about now.”

“You’ve made the right choice.”

“The perpetrator must have taken these pictures—had someone take the pictures—as a souvenir for his actions,” she said shakily.

He nodded. Bend stood and rounded the desk, dropping down into the leather chair. He scrubbed his whiskered jaw then dropped his hand onto the edge of the desk. “I’ll do everything I can to find the bastard who did this.”

“Have there been any other instances like this? Has anyone come forward?”

“No. Not like this. It might have been a one-time thing for the perp, or maybe no one has come forward. Can you tell me anything about that night that sticks out, anyone who seemed different? Odd? Anything?” Bend asked.

She shook her head, sending tendrils of hair slapping her cheeks. “No. Nothing.”

“Do you remember who all was there that night? Do you think you could make me a list of who had attended the party?”

“I can try,” she said softly. “It’s been a long time ago. A lot of people were there, coming and going most of the night.”

He leaned in, placing his elbows on the desk. “Noelle, I know this can’t be easy, revisiting that night, but you did the right thing by coming here and talking to me.”

She nodded and swiped away a lone tear from her cheek. She met Bend’s gentle gaze. “Rip doesn’t know. I couldn’t tell him then.”

Bend rubbed his temples. “Is this why you left town?”

“Yes.” The word came out on a sigh. “I couldn’t tell anyone, not even my own mom. I didn’t know if I’d be blamed. Shamed. Or I wondered if Rip would have worked his way through every person at that party that night until he found who did this. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t let Rip get himself into trouble.”

Bend’s jaw clicked. “My brothers and I would have hunted the person down who did this. Have you thought about telling him now? If I open up an investigation soon people in Second Chance will know.”

With a defensive shrug, she said, “It’s not easy.”

“You were brave in telling me.” He hesitated then continued, “You made the best decision for yourself at eighteen and you don’t have to explain anything to anyone that you don’t want to. My Pa once told me, “Untouched weeds grow until they smother all the beautiful flowers around them.” At the time I didn’t know what he meant but now that I’m older, have a family, I realize I can apply those words to a lot of things. I can tell my wife anything which makes me a better person. You owe it to yourself to weed all those unwanted things that are dulling your future. Making you feel shame for something you didn’t do wrong.”

“Can I have a few days? I’d like to be the one who tells Rip. I’ll work on the list at home?”

“Take some time and try to remember as many of the partygoers as you can. There are some things I can do in the meantime under the table that won’t draw any attention. I’ll look through the files for any reports that are similar that I might have missed. I’ll even go out to the party site and look. It’s a long shot, but it’s worth a go.”

“Bend, I appreciate you doing this, but I understand the chances of finding who did this are very small.”

“A lot of time has passed, but getting these photos means someone in this town is worried. Don’t let your guard down.”

She unclasped her hands. “I won’t. Whomever did this to me had changed my life. I won’t let that happen again.”

“And don’t worry. I won’t say a word to anyone. Right now, this is a private meeting with no written report.”

Noelle had to trust Bend. She had no reason not to. “Thank you.”

She left his office and thought about his words on her drive toward Bluebird. Instead of second guessing herself about her decision to speak up, she felt almost weightless. Relieved.

Her phone rang from the console. She saw that it was Bea. Pulling over, Noelle quickly answered. “Is everything okay, Bea?”

“Everything’s fine, dear. Ollie is sound asleep in bed. He likes being sung to. I even read him a story. I wanted to tell you there’s no reason to hurry home. Go and do what young people do. There’s an indoor carnival over at the fairgrounds. You should go and have fun.”

“I shouldn’t leave Ollie—”

“Nonsense. He’s asleep and won’t even know you’re not here. I insist.”

Since arguing would be pointless, Noelle caved. In all truthfulness, she hadn’t been out in months, and after the day she had she felt she needed to let some steam off.

She headed in the direction of the fairgrounds, her old stomping ground. She loved carnivals, festivals, and cattle auctions. Her favorite thing was the fries that one could only find at a carnival.

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