Authors: Ginger Simpson
He tried to put his arms around her.
"Don't touch me." She pushed him away, rubbing her hands afterwards as if touching him burnt her. "Just leave."
His agitation surfaced, turning his face beet red. "What are you doing to do if I don't?"
Alaine stepped in front of Cassie and locked gazes with Evan. "I'll tell you what I'll do. This is my mother's house, too. If you aren't out of here in fifteen minutes, I'm calling the police and having them escort you out…right after I show them all the evidence that is bound to land you in a whole heap of trouble."
The look on his face made it obvious he wasn't going to call her bluff, but his throat wobbled with a swallow as he glared back at her. "Okay, I'll go, but this isn't the end of this discussion."
"Yes it is, Evan." Alaine shook her finger in his face. "If you come back, we'll have you arrested, won't we Cass?"
She looked up. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she nodded. "Please, just go."
Evan stomped upstairs and, within a short time, returned carrying a suitcase and his infernal black Stetson. "I had to borrow your luggage, but I'll see you get it back. I couldn't fit everything into one, so I'll have to make arrangements to get the rest of my stuff." Evan turned toward the door.
"Wait a minute." Alaine crossed the room and stood between him and the exit. Without another word, she raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could. His head reeled to the side. "That's for what you did to my sister, you asshole."
He stood, mouth agape, eyes narrowed, and Alaine's handprint etched on his reddened cheek. Without another word, he left the house. The engine of his old truck rattled to life then faded into the distance as he backed out of the driveway and sped down the street.
"Oh, Alaine, what if he comes back?" Cassie nibbled her bottom lip.
"He won't. We'll make sure of that."
"How?"
"You're going to call the police right now and file a report, and on Monday, we're going down and place a restraining order against him. If he does come back, he'll be sorry."
Cassie's temples pounded. Her legs trembled beneath her. How could this have happened? Only a few days ago, she'd felt like the luckiest person in the world to have found Evan, and now she cursed the day she sat down at that stupid computer and made the initial connection with him. Who would have guessed things would turn out this way?
Alaine picked up the phone and handed it to her. "Call."
"Wait, I have to get something first." Cassie went upstairs and returned holding Detective Green's business card. "I'm glad I saved this."
She stalled. Making the call would constitute her final admission that her relationship was over…a waste of time. She glanced around the office, her gaze lingering on the picture of Evan smiling with B.B. King, each new desk and computer. All her dreams had been dashed, leaving her with nothing but painful memories. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she dialed Detective Green's number.
She paced waiting for an answer.
"Bryan Green," a deep voice said after four rings.
Her voice faltered, but she cleared her throat. "Detective Green, this is Cassie Fremont. I don't know if you remember me or not. I reported a watch theft some months ago."
"Oh, sure, I remember. What can I do for you?"
"I need to file another report, and I wondered if I could give you the information."
"I'm sorry to hear you need the department's service again, but of course, I'll be happy to do the paperwork. I can come right now if that's convenient."
"Please," Cassie pleaded. "I'd like to get this over with as quickly as possible."
Chapter Forty-One
Bryan Green sat next to Cassie on the den sofa, balancing a clipboard on his knee. He jotted notes as she revealed all the painful facts. "All I know is that I trusted him. I never imagined he was taking advantage of me. Now I'm afraid he's going to come back. He does have a temper, and I know he's very angry."
"I told my sister she needs to get a restraining order," Alaine added from across the room.
The detective nodded. "Restraining orders are helpful, but in this case, I may be able to obtain a warrant for his arrest. Now that you've given me all his personal information, I need to step outside and use the radio to call this in."
He excused himself and went out the back door.
Cassie's eyes blurred with tears when she looked at Alaine. "Oh, God, I don't want to put him in jail, I just want him to go away."
Alaine's brow arched. "Why not jail? He's a crook. Good Lord, Cassie, what happened to that strong, independent woman I used to know. She would never have backed down on this."
A good question. Cassie wondered what happened to that woman, too. She took a deep breath and sat in silence until the detective came back inside.
"Well, ladies, it seems your Mr. Dennis has quite a record. He has a warrant in Las Vegas for car theft, is wanted for several charges of embezzlement, and you, Ms. Fremont, are not his first victim. However, we have a little problem." He slumped back down on the couch.
Stunned speechless, Cassie's mind whirred. Evan had done this before to someone else? A little problem would be nothing compared to all the big problems he'd created…the bills, the unfinished work, and all the skeletons she might not yet have uncovered.
"Ms. Fremont, I'm not sure I can charge him with anything until we have some proof of the embezzlement. As far as using your credit cards and bank accounts, you basically gave him permission by letting him inhabit your home and giving him access to your money. Legally, because he lived here for a substantial length of time, you should have gone through the eviction process to force him to leave."
Cassie's jaw dropped. Her tears turned to anger. "You've got to be kidding. Because I believed him and let him live with me, it was okay for him to steal my money and put gambling charges on my personal cards? He also applied for and received numerous cards in the business' name. I didn't authorize them, nor did I know of their existence until recently. That isn't a crime?"
"Unfortunately not, because he was a resident here. It's your word against his, and you can bet he's going to say you approved everything he did. He has rights, too."
The blood in Cassie's veins turned to fire. "What if he'd raped me?"
"Rape is a punishable crime, of course."
"Well, Evan Dennis financially and emotionally raped me. There shouldn't be a distinction. What he did was wrong, and I'm the victim here. I feel stupid enough already, and now you're telling me I brought this on myself."
Detective Green's eyes softened. Ms. Fremont…Cassie, I understand your anger and frustration. I truly believe you are a victim. You strike me as a very trusting and caring person. It's just unfortunate that I have to operate under the definition of the law. I'd like nothing better than to nail this scumbag for you, and we can do that, but I need you to supply proof he embezzled funds from the customers. Copies of checks, signed affidavits that payments were made out to him rather than the business…anything you can find. Those are crimes for which he can be prosecuted."
Alaine came and sat next to Cassie. "Don't worry, Detective. I'll get that proof for you. I want Evan Dennis to be held accountable for his actions."
Rising, Detective Green tucked his clipboard under his arm, then extended his hand, first to Cassie then to Alaine. "As soon as you get the information, give me a call. I'll see what I can do to track down Mr. Dennis. You have my phone number. Please call if you need me." His deep brown gaze lingered on Cassie. She found comfort in the warmness of his eyes.
"Thank you, Detective Gre—"
"Bryan, please. I believe we decided that on my last visit."
His smile produced an adorable dimple in his left cheek. Cassie chastised herself for noticing such things. The last thing she needed to think about was another man.
She showed him out. Before he left, he shook her hand again, holding it a little longer than necessary. After he was gone, Cassie leaned against the door, still not believing what a nightmare her life had become.
Alaine walked into the office, her purse on her arm. Cassie noticed. "Oh, Lainie, please don't go. Spend the night with me. I know Mom is here, but I'd prefer she know as little as possible about this whole mess. I don't want her worrying about Evan coming back and causing trouble. I'd feel better if you were here with me."
Alaine dropped her purse on the desk. "Okay, you talked me into it. Besides, I'm actually too tired to drive home."
"I'm beat, too. Let's go up and get some sleep. It's been a long, horrible day."
Alaine retired to the guestroom, directly across the hall. She said goodnight and closed the door, but despite her sister sleeping close by, loneliness gripped Cassie. She quickly slipped into her nightgown and brushed her teeth, wondering how anyone could understand the depth of her pain.
Standing next to the king-sized bed she and Evan had shared, she battled memories of times she thought were some of her happiest. Again she asked herself how she could have been so wrong about him. Hadn't the look in his eyes been sincere? Weren't the loving promises he made real? Emotion constricted her throat and blurred her eyes. She sat on the bed's edge and held his pillow to her face. His masculine scent still lingered, haunting her as did visions of him holding her in his arms until she fell asleep. How could she possibly sleep among so many painful recollections? She couldn't.
She grabbed her bathrobe and tiptoed across the hall. Soft snores of her sister in repose greeted her when she opened the door. With as little movement as possible, Cassie crawled into bed with Alaine, needing the comfort of someone close to her. Maybe tomorrow night she'd sleep alone, but not tonight. Hours passed before she drifted off, and even then, Evan invaded her dreams.
* * *
Despite a restless night, Cassie rose early and placed a call to her secretary, telling her there'd been a family emergency and she wouldn't be in for the next two weeks. She didn't lie. Her life had become one. Besides, Alaine would need all the help she could get, gathering evidence for Detective Green. After pouring a cup of coffee, Cass placed a call to Gloria.
Her older sister answered on the first ring. "Good morning, Cassie. I knew it was you from Caller ID."
"Hi, sis." How did one start a conversation like this, Cass wondered?
"You're calling early. Is everything okay?" Gloria's question opened a window of opportunity.
Although trying to hold back the tears, Cassie failed. "No, everything is horrid." Her voice faltered. "Evan is gone and my life is in shambles."
"God, what happened? The last time we talked, everything was going great."
"That’s what I thought then. I hired Alaine to be the office manager so I could have a respite from trying to juggle two jobs. She's so good, she didn't take long to notice discrepancies in the books." Cassie's emotions choked off her words.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie. I really liked Evan. This is such a shock. What did Lainie find?"
Cass inhaled and released the breath slowly. Admitting she'd been a fool brought such pain. "Evan's been using me all this time. He never loved me, Glo. I was just a checkbook and a way to make money to support a gambling habit. Appears he's been using my income from the very beginning. I saw signs, but ignored them…trusted him. If I asked about a strange charge on a credit card, he always had a logical answer. When he told me everything was all right, I believed him. I was too stupid to see what was right in front of my face."
"Hey, take it easy on yourself. You aren't stupid. Naïve, believing, trusting, maybe, but not stupid. This could have happened to anyone of us," Gloria assured. "So…what's going on now? Did you call the police?"
"Yes, I filed a report, but you won't believe this. They can't prosecute him for anything other than embezzlement because I allowed him to live here." She paused and hiccupped. "Why didn't I see what was right in front of me? Why didn't I pay attention?"
"What do you mean they can't prosecute him? You're kidding, right?"
"I wish. Things are such a mess. Is there any way you can come and help out? I'm going to ask Alaine to reconcile all the business records so I can have a true picture of just how much debt has been incurred. She's also going to provide documentation for the police to prove Evan had customers write checks to him instead of the business." She sighed. "Plus, all credit card companies need to be notified about all fraudulent charges, and I want to close all the accounts so Evan doesn't continue using them. Hell, I don't even know how many credit cards he applied for and received, all in my name, of course."
"I'll call for reservations." Gloria answered quickly. "I'll let you know when I'll be arriving. In the meantime, hang in there. Things will get better, just give yourself some time."
Cassie hung up, feeling slightly better. Being surrounded with family seemed the best way to combat the pain.
Alaine, stirring upstairs, made the overhead floorboards creak. Cassie poured herself a second cup of coffee then filled one for her younger sis. Today promised to be another long one, and caffeine would provide a good start.