My Path To You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 3:
Charlie's service was four days later. Emily and Sue were to thank for helping me make it turn out as beautiful as it did. It was hard seeing all of the officers from Dad's station, along with ranking officers from many other Washington stations, in full dress uniforms. Though my tears were constant during the service, they weren't given voice until after the meticulously folded flag was placed in my hands.
That night was the hardest of my life; no sooner had everyone gathered back at Charlie's house after the funeral, than I finally got a call back from the Jacksonville police department. I rushed the few feet to reach Sam, but my worst fears were confirmed when I answered the phone.
It turned out that I wasn't the only one to call about being worried that something was wrong. The guys on Phil's team were all worried too, since he never missed a practice, yet had now missed two in a row. They had even gone by the house to see if he was alright. Though both vehicles were there, no one answered the phone or door. That's when one of them called the police station to ask for someone to check into it.
I was so irate that I growled into the phone as I trembled in anger, “You're telling me that you didn't check on them until after one of Phil's team called you?! I told you... I told you over and over that neither one of them ever ignored my calls. It took you days to simply have someone stop by their house to do a welfare check, when their house is literally minutes away?! I may not have been Phil's biological daughter, but he was the best thing that ever happened to my mom. I begged you to check and make sure they were alright. I swear to Christ, if their times of death were after I made that phone call, you'll be looking at the biggest fucking lawsuit you've ever seen!”
That's when Andy Johnson, the chief from Seattle, held his hand out for the phone. He was one of Dad's best friends. They even went through the academy together. He told the officer who he was, then asked several questions. I could see his features getting tighter and tighter as he listened. When he finally spoke, he said, “You can tell your superiors that Isabella Swan has the police backing of half the state of Washington, seeing as most of the ranking officers are in her living room right now.”
He paused, then looked severely pissed as he said, “The reason she was so upset when she called was that she had just found out her father died, who was Police Chief here, and needed the support of her mother and stepfather... neither of whom she could reach after multiple tries. You were her last resort in making sure that nothing had happened to the only two other family members she had, yet you failed that simple task spectacularly….”
“NO, if you had done your job, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'll be personally flying out with her first thing in the morning, to tend to the arrangements. Be sure a suit will be filed.”
He handed me the phone after he ended the call, then pulled me into a hug before saying tightly, “We'll take care of this, Bella. We'll do whatever it takes to make them understand.”
Sam nodded and kissed the top of my head while Andy started talking about escorting me to Jacksonville in the morning. I knew by the look in Sam's eyes that he had more to say, so I hugged him to me, asking Andy, “Can Paul or Jake come, too? I just... I don't think I can be away from my rez family so soon after Dad...”
I got choked up, so Andy assured me, “As long as the person isn't underage and still in school, I don't see why not. You'll need someone you're close to, to lean on while we're there.”
Since Jake was technically a senior, I couldn't take him, but Paul stepped right up, saying, “You know I'd do anything for you, Bella. Of course, I'll come with you.”
I felt the tension melt out of Sam, so I knew I had done the right thing.
After everyone left, Andy had us write down all our information for him, so that he could get our flights squared away. He said he would call me as soon as the tickets were booked, to let me know when he would pick us up.
I let out a breath as the last car left the driveway. When Sam was sure the coast was clear, he said seriously to Paul and me, “Keep on guard. Do not go anywhere without being stuck together like glue. Am I clear? I want your cell phone charged and on you at all times, Bella. It has a GPS, so if you don't answer, I'll know something is wrong. We can use it to help track you. Now I know you're tired, but I think you should call the dean and explain what's happened, once you figure out what you plan to do. If you really plan on suing the Jacksonville department, then you could be missing a lot of school.”
I nodded as I pulled out my phone. My voice was only a whisper, but I knew they would hear me. “I can't let this go. By what Andy said to the officer on the phone, they died after my call. I know that technically if it was Victoria, they wouldn't have been able to stop her... but maybe it would have spooked her enough to back off for a while, if she knew that they were being looked in on. Plus, if it had been a human killer, Renee and Phil would still be alive. Charlie would be fuming right now, you know?”
I chuckled pitifully, shook my head, then said clearly, “When I called Jacksonville, I specifically told them that not only was I a police chief's daughter, but that Phil was a major league baseball player. I knew that I needed them to know that, or they wouldn't think it was serious... just a new college kid freaking out and needing her mommy. It's a good thing I wrote down who I talked to and when, because Andy's going to need it. I need to call Gavin Reynolds, too. I guess I'll just have to see if the school can hold my scholarship until next year, because of the circumstances.”
I saw the concern on all of their faces as I walked out the front door to sit on the porch steps, then pulled the dean's number up on my cell. It was a long conversation, to say the least. I could clearly hear the sorrow and horror in Dean Harper's voice, but he said he couldn't give me an answer on the scholarship until a review hearing was held. I understood, telling him I would fax him copies of whatever he needed for the review hearing, as soon as I got everything settled for Renee and Phil. The conversation ended soon after, with Dean Harper giving me his condolences before telling me he would be in touch.
I was right back on the phone to call Mr. Reynolds. He sounded like I had just woken him up. “Mr. Reynolds -Gavin- I'm sorry to call you at such an hour, but I truly need your advice.”
He cleared his throat, then said, “Bella? Is that you?”
I nodded reflexively, “Yes, Sir. I know you were just out today for Dad's funeral, but after you left, I got a call from the Jacksonville police station. I told you that I had made a call to them to check in on Mom and Phil? It looks like they didn't check until one of Phil's team called, asking them to do the same thing several days later. Andy Johnson was here when Jacksonville called back after the funeral, and it looks like my mom and Phil's times of death were after I made the call asking them to check up on them, but before the team called almost 4 days later.”
He let out a heavy breath, then said, “Jesus, Bella. Are you alright? Never mind, that was a stupid question.”
I shook my head, wiped my eyes, then said, “I need to know my options on filing a suit against the department, once I have confirmed times of death for both Mom and Phil. Chief Johnson is flying to Jacksonville with me in the morning, to help me take care of everything there, but Dad trusted you. I want your opinion on how to proceed.”
He said right away, “I'll need you to call me once you get there. Fax me the death certificates. I'll also need your permission to pull the phone records from the phones you made the calls from. There's no way we can let them get away with this, Bella. I need you to understand, though, that if we do this, it's likely to become a high profile case. That means their faces -and yours- plastered on the tv and newspapers, as well as your names being said on the radio. Charlie was police chief and Phil was in the major leagues, so this case could potentially go national.”
I nodded, having already thought about that, “I know, Mr. Reynolds... but I can't not do it. Mom and Phil could still be alive if they had just checked when I asked. All the calls were made from my cell phone... several to both of their cells, several to their home phone, and the one where I talked to the Jacksonville police. Their return call tonight was to my cell, too. I have all the info on who I talked to written down, so I didn't forget with everything happening. I'll fax that to your office as soon as we hang up, so you have it on record. If you can fax the record release to Sam's house where I'm staying now, I can fax that to your office with my notes.”
He agreed, then once I promised to give him a call when I got to Jacksonville, we ended our call.
My dreams were chaotic and troubled that night, once we finally got back to Sam’s. I found myself waking more than once, screaming and crying. By the third time that Jake, Sam, and Paul all rushed in to make sure I was okay, Jake and Paul both decided to stay surrounding me to see if that helped with the nightmares. Though it may have looked very intimate, they both wrapped me tightly in their arms, and the nightmares happened less frequently.
When I woke, it was to Jake rubbing my back while Paul rubbed my arm, saying, “Time to get up and get ready, Bella. Andy will be here to pick us up soon.”
I grumbled, then said, “With all this flying, I should just invest in a damn private jet. At least then I'd be able to be comfortable on the plane.”
I heard the deep chuckle of Sam's voice from near the door as I rubbed my eyes, then he suggested, “That might not be a bad idea down the road, Bella. Who knows how much you'll have to be flying until this case is settled.”
I shook my head, “I don't want to think about anything at all until I've had a shower and an IV of coffee straight into my veins.”
Sam nodded, noting that their shower was free, a full pot of coffee was brewed, and that all of my bags were still in their room.
After almost 11 hours full of flying, changing planes, and flying some more, I was even more convinced that a private jet would be an extremely good thing to invest in. I was really cranky by the time we finally made it to Jacksonville.
Paul practically ran for the airport Starbucks as soon as we made it into the terminal. He came back quickly with three large coffees, making sure to hand me mine first. In reaction, I practically hugged him to death. He chuckled as he kissed the top of my head, “No need, Little Bit. You just drink up, because I think we have a long night ahead of us, still.”
Once we made it to the SUV Andy had rented for us, we made our way directly to the Jacksonville station not too far from Renee and Phil's house. It ended up being an extremely long night.
Come to find out, Renee and Phil were killed in the grove of large fruit trees at the rear of their property. The grove was taped off as a crime scene, but since nothing in the house was disturbed and the alarm hadn't gone off, the house was cleared for us to stay in. We spent most of the night at the station finding out details, hashing out what took them so long to check on Renee and Phil. They didn't seem to have any clear answers, which solidified my resolve to go ahead with the suit.
Mr. Reynolds was on speakerphone on my cell the whole time, so once we left the station to head to Renee and Phil's house, I said to him clearly, “Make it happen, Gavin. They tried to sidestep every single question you asked. They don't have a valid excuse, or even another big case to claim was taking up their time, because they would have given a standard case confidentiality statement. They were clearly pussyfooting, plain and simple. That can't be gotten away with. Let me know what you need from me, and you have it.”
He fully agreed with me, stating that he would be in touch in the morning after I had rested for the night.
The house smelled so much like them when we arrived, that I finally broke down and cried right there in the entry. Andy and Paul sat there on the entry floor with me, letting me cry it out. When I finally got a hold of myself, I choked out, “Andy? Can you look through the desk in the study? I need to contact their lawyer, but I don't think I can go in there yet.”
He did right away, of course. As soon as he was out of sight, I whispered hoarsely to Paul, “Once he's down for the night, we need to check out the grove. You've already made sure the house was clear, and she wouldn't have killed them there without a purpose.”
He gave me a serious nod, then helped me up from the entry floor before hugging me to him.
Charlie's service was four days later. Emily and Sue were to thank for helping me make it turn out as beautiful as it did. It was hard seeing all of the officers from Dad's station, along with ranking officers from many other Washington stations, in full dress uniforms. Though my tears were constant during the service, they weren't given voice until after the meticulously folded flag was placed in my hands.
That night was the hardest of my life; no sooner had everyone gathered back at Charlie's house after the funeral, than I finally got a call back from the Jacksonville police department. I rushed the few feet to reach Sam, but my worst fears were confirmed when I answered the phone.
It turned out that I wasn't the only one to call about being worried that something was wrong. The guys on Phil's team were all worried too, since he never missed a practice, yet had now missed two in a row. They had even gone by the house to see if he was alright. Though both vehicles were there, no one answered the phone or door. That's when one of them called the police station to ask for someone to check into it.
I was so irate that I growled into the phone as I trembled in anger, “You're telling me that you didn't check on them until after one of Phil's team called you?! I told you... I told you over and over that neither one of them ever ignored my calls. It took you days to simply have someone stop by their house to do a welfare check, when their house is literally minutes away?! I may not have been Phil's biological daughter, but he was the best thing that ever happened to my mom. I begged you to check and make sure they were alright. I swear to Christ, if their times of death were after I made that phone call, you'll be looking at the biggest fucking lawsuit you've ever seen!”
That's when Andy Johnson, the chief from Seattle, held his hand out for the phone. He was one of Dad's best friends. They even went through the academy together. He told the officer who he was, then asked several questions. I could see his features getting tighter and tighter as he listened. When he finally spoke, he said, “You can tell your superiors that Isabella Swan has the police backing of half the state of Washington, seeing as most of the ranking officers are in her living room right now.”
He paused, then looked severely pissed as he said, “The reason she was so upset when she called was that she had just found out her father died, who was Police Chief here, and needed the support of her mother and stepfather... neither of whom she could reach after multiple tries. You were her last resort in making sure that nothing had happened to the only two other family members she had, yet you failed that simple task spectacularly….”
“NO, if you had done your job, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'll be personally flying out with her first thing in the morning, to tend to the arrangements. Be sure a suit will be filed.”
He handed me the phone after he ended the call, then pulled me into a hug before saying tightly, “We'll take care of this, Bella. We'll do whatever it takes to make them understand.”
Sam nodded and kissed the top of my head while Andy started talking about escorting me to Jacksonville in the morning. I knew by the look in Sam's eyes that he had more to say, so I hugged him to me, asking Andy, “Can Paul or Jake come, too? I just... I don't think I can be away from my rez family so soon after Dad...”
I got choked up, so Andy assured me, “As long as the person isn't underage and still in school, I don't see why not. You'll need someone you're close to, to lean on while we're there.”
Since Jake was technically a senior, I couldn't take him, but Paul stepped right up, saying, “You know I'd do anything for you, Bella. Of course, I'll come with you.”
I felt the tension melt out of Sam, so I knew I had done the right thing.
After everyone left, Andy had us write down all our information for him, so that he could get our flights squared away. He said he would call me as soon as the tickets were booked, to let me know when he would pick us up.
I let out a breath as the last car left the driveway. When Sam was sure the coast was clear, he said seriously to Paul and me, “Keep on guard. Do not go anywhere without being stuck together like glue. Am I clear? I want your cell phone charged and on you at all times, Bella. It has a GPS, so if you don't answer, I'll know something is wrong. We can use it to help track you. Now I know you're tired, but I think you should call the dean and explain what's happened, once you figure out what you plan to do. If you really plan on suing the Jacksonville department, then you could be missing a lot of school.”
I nodded as I pulled out my phone. My voice was only a whisper, but I knew they would hear me. “I can't let this go. By what Andy said to the officer on the phone, they died after my call. I know that technically if it was Victoria, they wouldn't have been able to stop her... but maybe it would have spooked her enough to back off for a while, if she knew that they were being looked in on. Plus, if it had been a human killer, Renee and Phil would still be alive. Charlie would be fuming right now, you know?”
I chuckled pitifully, shook my head, then said clearly, “When I called Jacksonville, I specifically told them that not only was I a police chief's daughter, but that Phil was a major league baseball player. I knew that I needed them to know that, or they wouldn't think it was serious... just a new college kid freaking out and needing her mommy. It's a good thing I wrote down who I talked to and when, because Andy's going to need it. I need to call Gavin Reynolds, too. I guess I'll just have to see if the school can hold my scholarship until next year, because of the circumstances.”
I saw the concern on all of their faces as I walked out the front door to sit on the porch steps, then pulled the dean's number up on my cell. It was a long conversation, to say the least. I could clearly hear the sorrow and horror in Dean Harper's voice, but he said he couldn't give me an answer on the scholarship until a review hearing was held. I understood, telling him I would fax him copies of whatever he needed for the review hearing, as soon as I got everything settled for Renee and Phil. The conversation ended soon after, with Dean Harper giving me his condolences before telling me he would be in touch.
I was right back on the phone to call Mr. Reynolds. He sounded like I had just woken him up. “Mr. Reynolds -Gavin- I'm sorry to call you at such an hour, but I truly need your advice.”
He cleared his throat, then said, “Bella? Is that you?”
I nodded reflexively, “Yes, Sir. I know you were just out today for Dad's funeral, but after you left, I got a call from the Jacksonville police station. I told you that I had made a call to them to check in on Mom and Phil? It looks like they didn't check until one of Phil's team called, asking them to do the same thing several days later. Andy Johnson was here when Jacksonville called back after the funeral, and it looks like my mom and Phil's times of death were after I made the call asking them to check up on them, but before the team called almost 4 days later.”
He let out a heavy breath, then said, “Jesus, Bella. Are you alright? Never mind, that was a stupid question.”
I shook my head, wiped my eyes, then said, “I need to know my options on filing a suit against the department, once I have confirmed times of death for both Mom and Phil. Chief Johnson is flying to Jacksonville with me in the morning, to help me take care of everything there, but Dad trusted you. I want your opinion on how to proceed.”
He said right away, “I'll need you to call me once you get there. Fax me the death certificates. I'll also need your permission to pull the phone records from the phones you made the calls from. There's no way we can let them get away with this, Bella. I need you to understand, though, that if we do this, it's likely to become a high profile case. That means their faces -and yours- plastered on the tv and newspapers, as well as your names being said on the radio. Charlie was police chief and Phil was in the major leagues, so this case could potentially go national.”
I nodded, having already thought about that, “I know, Mr. Reynolds... but I can't not do it. Mom and Phil could still be alive if they had just checked when I asked. All the calls were made from my cell phone... several to both of their cells, several to their home phone, and the one where I talked to the Jacksonville police. Their return call tonight was to my cell, too. I have all the info on who I talked to written down, so I didn't forget with everything happening. I'll fax that to your office as soon as we hang up, so you have it on record. If you can fax the record release to Sam's house where I'm staying now, I can fax that to your office with my notes.”
He agreed, then once I promised to give him a call when I got to Jacksonville, we ended our call.
My dreams were chaotic and troubled that night, once we finally got back to Sam’s. I found myself waking more than once, screaming and crying. By the third time that Jake, Sam, and Paul all rushed in to make sure I was okay, Jake and Paul both decided to stay surrounding me to see if that helped with the nightmares. Though it may have looked very intimate, they both wrapped me tightly in their arms, and the nightmares happened less frequently.
When I woke, it was to Jake rubbing my back while Paul rubbed my arm, saying, “Time to get up and get ready, Bella. Andy will be here to pick us up soon.”
I grumbled, then said, “With all this flying, I should just invest in a damn private jet. At least then I'd be able to be comfortable on the plane.”
I heard the deep chuckle of Sam's voice from near the door as I rubbed my eyes, then he suggested, “That might not be a bad idea down the road, Bella. Who knows how much you'll have to be flying until this case is settled.”
I shook my head, “I don't want to think about anything at all until I've had a shower and an IV of coffee straight into my veins.”
Sam nodded, noting that their shower was free, a full pot of coffee was brewed, and that all of my bags were still in their room.
After almost 11 hours full of flying, changing planes, and flying some more, I was even more convinced that a private jet would be an extremely good thing to invest in. I was really cranky by the time we finally made it to Jacksonville.
Paul practically ran for the airport Starbucks as soon as we made it into the terminal. He came back quickly with three large coffees, making sure to hand me mine first. In reaction, I practically hugged him to death. He chuckled as he kissed the top of my head, “No need, Little Bit. You just drink up, because I think we have a long night ahead of us, still.”
Once we made it to the SUV Andy had rented for us, we made our way directly to the Jacksonville station not too far from Renee and Phil's house. It ended up being an extremely long night.
Come to find out, Renee and Phil were killed in the grove of large fruit trees at the rear of their property. The grove was taped off as a crime scene, but since nothing in the house was disturbed and the alarm hadn't gone off, the house was cleared for us to stay in. We spent most of the night at the station finding out details, hashing out what took them so long to check on Renee and Phil. They didn't seem to have any clear answers, which solidified my resolve to go ahead with the suit.
Mr. Reynolds was on speakerphone on my cell the whole time, so once we left the station to head to Renee and Phil's house, I said to him clearly, “Make it happen, Gavin. They tried to sidestep every single question you asked. They don't have a valid excuse, or even another big case to claim was taking up their time, because they would have given a standard case confidentiality statement. They were clearly pussyfooting, plain and simple. That can't be gotten away with. Let me know what you need from me, and you have it.”
He fully agreed with me, stating that he would be in touch in the morning after I had rested for the night.
The house smelled so much like them when we arrived, that I finally broke down and cried right there in the entry. Andy and Paul sat there on the entry floor with me, letting me cry it out. When I finally got a hold of myself, I choked out, “Andy? Can you look through the desk in the study? I need to contact their lawyer, but I don't think I can go in there yet.”
He did right away, of course. As soon as he was out of sight, I whispered hoarsely to Paul, “Once he's down for the night, we need to check out the grove. You've already made sure the house was clear, and she wouldn't have killed them there without a purpose.”
He gave me a serious nod, then helped me up from the entry floor before hugging me to him.