Authors: Delia Delaney
Since Detective Bronson was requesting my help, I felt I had no choice but to comply. There hadn’t been anything that I was able to help with so far except answer questions, so I actually looked forward to the opportunity. I was anxious about it, but I wanted it to accomplish something.
Jared was a little freaked out. He kind of had the same reaction I had when I called him right after Michelle’s phone call. He understood why I needed to do it, but he wanted to come with me. I actually preferred that until he added, “But I can’t until Friday, hon.
We
’ve got s
ome important meetings tomorrow. I honestly
can’t
bail on it, not when
we’re getting down to the wire. I can see what I can do to change something, though…
”
I remembered that, which is why my flight to L.A. was for the evening when Jared was done for the day. “Keep your commitments, Jared. I’ll do this, help out with what I can, a
nd I’ll fly to L.A. as soon as I’m able to
. I think my dad might like to go with me, you know. I think… Yeah, I think he would feel it necessary to do that.”
“I definitely don’t want you going by yourself. If your dad can’t go with you, then let me know so I can make it work. Okay?”
I agreed, and
Jared fel
t a lot better about that. I
t wasn’t even until later that I wondered if it was because of Zack. I hadn’t even thought about that while making plans to return to Washington until my mom specifically asked me if I planned on seeing Zack.
“Mom, I hadn’t even considered it. I’m too worried about Rachel’s case right now.”
“Okay.
I was just wondering.”
I knew she meant well so I sighed and put the clothes down that I had been packing at the moment. “He’s called me a couple of times and left messages. I haven’t called him back.”
She was quiet for a few seconds. “Has he called since the news broke about you and Jared?”
I thought about that for a
moment
and then shook my head. “No, he hasn’t. But I’m sure he knows by now, and it was really chicken of me to let him hear about it that way.”
“You feel like you owe him a personal report?”
I looked at her and said, “I don’t know. Do
n’t
I?”
She took her time answering. “I don’t feel that you do. Unless…”
I studied her carefully. “Unless what?”
“Well, unless you’ve given him reason to believe that he still has a chance with you. I don’t think you’ve spoken to him since before your engagement, so there might have been certain things that you said to him at the time that might have changed since. I recall you were still undecided at that point.”
“I don’t
think I was undecided.
I believe that I had my answer but it was just
of matter of letting Zack go. E
verything fell into place just right
and I didn’t have any doubts
.”
“Okay, I understand that. But Zack never got that memo. Maybe
now
he has through the media, but
not from you directly.”
“What are we actually talking about? I know that I haven’t told him personally, so are you saying I should?”
“No, I’m just trying to understand why you called yourself chicken for not telling him yourself. Now I understand.”
“
What
do you understand?”
“That he’s been waiting for another conversation with you. He’s had hope this entire time that you’d choose him over Jared. He was giving you the time to consider it. I know I’m just saying out loud what you already know, but you don’t tell me everything, Taryn. I’m just kind of piecing it all together. I’m sorry for talking in circles, but I needed to understand entirely if I were to give my advice.”
“And are you going to? Give me advice?”
She paused at first and watched me finish packing. “Only if you want it,” she said as I zipped my bag.
I turned to face her and said, “Of course I want your advice. I’m heading back to Washington, Zack may or may not know that, but if he calls me again, I’m probably going to talk to him. I do feel like I owe him that because yes, we did tell each other how we felt
,
but the an
swer I basically gave him was “n
ot right now.” He knows I love Jared and he respects that, but yes, he did try to convince me to come see him when Jared tours, and I may or may not have
responded the right way. I’m not sure.”
I sighed with frustration and waited for her to speak. She actually sat on my bed, and I wasn’t sure if that meant I was going to receive a long lecture or what. Finally she said, “Taryn, you have something really special with Jared. I see the two of you together, and even though he’s not exactly the type that I wo
uld have pictured you with, you
seem to fit. I like him. A
lot
. He loves you unconditionally, it’s easy to see that, a
nd he’s amazing with Maggie. The three of you are going to be a very happy family, and when you and Jared start having kids of your own… There’s just something
amazing
about that. I just…”
“Don’t want me to screw it up.”
“Taryn, it’s not that you’re going to screw it up, but relationships are very precious. And when you’ve committed yourself to someone, there is a trust there that’s hard to get back if you break it.”
“I don’t plan on doing anything to damage my relationship with Jared.
I love him. I would never hurt him like that.
”
“Not knowingly. I believe that, sweetie. But sometimes things are said, or something that seems innocent may not really be.”
“Like what? You mean like talking to Zack on the phone? You don’t think I should?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I’m not you, Taryn. I don’t know how you feel about him. I just don’t want it to be harder for you than you think it will be. I don’t want you to have any doubts because of it.”
E
ven though I was slightly irritated that she seemed
to question my resolve, I could understand her point. Had I been avoiding Zack because I didn’t want to start doubting my decision? Maybe. But I knew I wanted to marry Jared and that was the
choice
I had made.
I was happy with my
decision
and I looked forward to my future with him.
Zack couldn’t be a part of my life
the way he had once been
and I was sure of
it
.
I didn’t like disappointing people, and giving him my decision was what I’d been putting off…
My dad and I arrived in Washington a few hours later. I wasn’t even set
on checking into our hotel yet
and I wanted to head straight to the precinct.
I was nervous again, but I knew I was doing the right thing. But that was until I saw the suspect that they had in custody.
I’d seen him before.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“What do you mean you’ve seen him before?” Detective Bronson asked. I could tell she was excited about the fact, but cautious at the same time.
I looked him over for a few more seconds to make sure. He was probably in his mid-twenties and had an average look to him, but I was positive.
“I don’t know where, but I’ve seen him before.”
“Recently or while Rachel was still alive?”
“Uh…
with
Rachel, I think.” Even that sounded odd to me, being that I never really saw my sister around any men. N
ot on a personal level at least, which made me consider—“At the banquet thingy that I photographed for her,” I realized. I thought more carefully and then nodded my head. “Yeah, I’m sure of it
. I remember him through my lens
.”
“
Did you take pictures of him?
Do you happen to have them with you?”
I shook my head. “No, but you could probably access them through the Miller and Harris website if they still have it on there somewhere.”
She motioned to another detective to do just that and he left the room. “What do you remember about him? Why was he there? Is he affiliated with the company somehow?”
I thought long and hard again, and finally shook my head. “No, I don’t think he was a part of the business in any way because he wasn’t in those photos. Which also means that he probably won’t be in any of the pictures of that event if they were posted. But I do remember taking at least a picture or two of him, like I did of everyone else there.” I thought about Jared, being that he wasn’t in any of the posed photos either. He was just there for his dad, not as part of the banquet.
“What are you thinking about?” my dad asked.
I looked at him and said, “I think Jared talked to him that night.
Maybe I should ask him about it.
”
“Didn’t you run that guy’s name by him already?”
“Yeah, I did. He didn’t recognize it either, but maybe he’d recognize his face like I did.”
“Can you send him a text or something right now?” Detective Bronson asked.
I nodded my head and stepped up to the glass with my phone.
Nathan
Oliver looked up at that same second and it startled me, like he was looking right at me.
“He can’t see you,” Detective Bronson told me.
I believed that, but it was still creepy. However, I took the picture and sent it to Jared, along with where I realized I’d seen him. It only took a minute for him to reply, and he did it with a phone call.
“That’s Kevin Harris’s brother-in-law,” he informed me.
“Uh, you’re on speaker phone by the way. You mean Mr. Harris of Miller and Harris? That’s his brother-in-law?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure of it. He’s
his wife’s brother.”
“That never came up in the family relations report,” Detective Bronson said.
“Uh…I don’t know,” Jared said. “I’m just pretty sure he’s his brother-in-law.
I just know him as
Nate
.
”
Detective Bronson didn’t respond at first as she mulled over the idea. She motioned for another detective to check out the information and then she asked, “Are you acquaintances with him? Have you been to other functions that he’s been at?”
“No, not really. Well, maybe one other one a
few
years ago.”
“Did you speak
to him much? Is there anything y
ou can give me, anything at all?
”
“Uh, I think I just remember him sharing my mutual dislike for those business parties. That’s all I remember talking to him about.”
“Did he know who you were?”
“Yeah, I think so. Well he knew I was John Miller’s son, but I don’t know if he knew I was a musician
the first time I met him
. He never mentioned it
, but I guess my band wasn’t really that big back then
.
And at the last banquet, we really didn’t speak but a few sentences. Neither of us wanted to be there.
That’s honestly all I know about him. I’m never at those things, but I do remember him.”
“Is Mrs. Harris a friendly lady?” she seemed to ask all of us. “She was very helpful and friendly to the police, but what is she like in real life?”
“I’ve never met her,” I admitted.
“I talked
to her a couple times over the years,” Jared said.
“
Yeah, she was pretty nice I guess
, but in a two-faced sort of w
ay—if I’m being honest.
I don’t really do well with people like that, so I didn’t spend much time conversing with her.”
“I didn’t like her either,” Detective Bronson
divulged
. “But we looked into her, along with every one associated with that company, and didn’t find anything earth shattering. But I did not know she had a brother,” she added, peering at him through the glass again.
“Half brother,” a voice corrected as Detective Ryan re-entered the room. “Jacqueline Harris’s maiden name is Sylvester, but
Nathan
Oliver’s father is not Jacqueline’s father. And the two are
eight
years apart in age, but it looks like there was a bit of infidelity
on the mom’s part
at the time.”
I got an uneasy feeling about that because of what kind of person my sister was. I didn’t have a chance to think about it because Detective Bronson asked me if I was ready to talk to
Nathan
.
I took a deep breath but nodded my head. She briefed me on a few things—what to do, what not to do—but mainly she just wanted me to get him talking. I was ready, so I followed her to the door.
She stopped my dad when he tried to follow too. “Just Taryn for now. Please. I think it will be better this way.”