* * *
I had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. I didn’t manage very well on my stomach and lying on my back was too uncomfortable. David took the bandage off first thing this morning and rubbed more lotion into my skin after we showered. He told me it will only be sensitive for another day or two, and then the skin will probably peel. I’m not too worried about it because I have no doubt he’ll see me through it.
We decide not to go anywhere today so that I don’t have to wear a shirt. I’m sure David is enjoying watching me walk around in a loose tank top, and frankly, the thought of any other kind of fabric rubbing against my raw skin sets me on edge.
We are camped out on the sofa watching one of his man-movies when my cell phone rings. He looks at me quizzically. It is the first time I have heard my phone ring since I’ve lived here. No one has my number except for David, Matt and a few of the people at work. I go to my room and grab my phone from the bedside table. I know the number.
“Fuck,” I say, loud and sharp. “It’s my asshole brother.” Of course. He has my number because I called him on Tuesday night. Fuck me. Without thinking, I press the answer icon and put the phone to my ear. David walks into my bedroom.
“Ricky,” I say into the phone. “What do you want?”
“Hi to you too, Em,” he says. “I’m calling to let you know that Michael is in the ground. And that the police know who put him there.” Oh.
“Really? Who?”
“You aren’t going to believe it, but it was Evan,” he says. I laugh out loud into the phone.
“Seriously?” I say. “Why would they think Evan did it? There is no way.” I look at David as I say it. He must understand what I am talking about because he is shaking his head.
“Actually, they don’t think he did it...they know he did. Because he was spotted on a surveillance camera outside the parking garage, and when they brought him in to headquarters to question him about it, he confessed to it. He said he was angry at Michael for not fixing his financial problems.”
“Jesus,” I say. “That’s fucking nuts.” Though they’ve never discussed it with me, I know that my brothers have had a grudge against Michael ever since my mom died. In her will, my mother left them her jewelry. She had a lot of it—Michael was always giving her gifts that sparkled—but what they ended up getting was far less than we all knew she had. My brothers suspected that Michael hid some of it from them. It was no surprise to me, but I think that’s when Ricky and Evan finally saw how slimy Michael was. The man they’d idolized for so many years was prepared to stab them in the back when it came to money. As far as I know, my brothers never took legal action, but maybe their anger has been simmering all these years. Maybe Evan’s grudge was bigger than I thought. Maybe, in the end, he hated Michael as much as I did. Maybe they both did.
“He’s in jail, and I’m not bailing him out, that’s for damn sure,” Ricky says. “I thought you should know just in case he tries to get in touch with you somehow or if the cops call you about the whole thing.” Why would the cops call me?
“Yeah. Thanks,” I say. It is the first time I’ve said “thanks” to Ricky in at least ten years. The word burns my tongue.
After I hang up I stare at David in disbelief. When I repeat the entire conversation, he seems completely unruffled. I thought he might be upset that Ricky called me. And that I answered the phone.
“How do you feel about all that?” he says.
“I feel confused as fucking hell. This is so messed up. I thought Evan had cleaned himself up. I mean, he used to be a great kid. I know Michael is responsible for changing that, but, Jesus, I can’t believe that Evan would be capable of something like this. Michael must have really fucked him over.”
I am quiet for a minute, and David starts rubbing my shoulders as I sit down on the edge of my bed.
“It might make me seem like a bad person, but, in a way, I don’t really care about why it happened,” I continue. “The bottom line is that Michael is gone, and I can’t help feeling happy as shit about that. I do feel bad, though, that it came to this for Evan, you know? Shit must have been really bad for him.” I decide not to think about this anymore. I tell myself that I don’t care what happens to Evan. If he did this, he deserves whatever he gets. I’m not putting any more energy into thinking about it. None.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lucia
I am standing on this bridge listening to David’s fists smack against Robbie’s body. It isn’t even a fair fight. David is beyond pissed off, and he is beating the living daylights out of Robbie. I want to run away. But if I do, Robbie will never forgive me, and David will hunt me down. Robbie is on the ground now, and David is straddling him, punching his face over and over. It is a mashed-up, bloody mess. I hear Robbie’s breath gurgling and watch his hands move up to try to block David’s fists. My own hands are on David’s backpack, trying desperately to pull him away. I am screaming for him to cut it the fuck out, but it’s fruitless because he’s far stronger than I am. This is the first time I have ever seen David lose control.