Chapter 20
Inches from shattering, the pickup's window cracks as Grayson slams the door shut. Blindly he rushes onto the CH Tech property, storming the front entrance without a second thought. As he eyes the two men guarding the door he pulls his gun from his belt, shooting them pointblank before they can get a second look at him. The meager latch holding the door shut is quickly send crashing to the ground with the force of Gray's kick. As he bursts into the large dark hall he frantically searches for a sign of life, of light. In the darkness his thoughts blur together in a mass of panic and anger, losing all control as he shouts into the vacant space ahead of him. 'Riley!'
Hot tears warm Riley's frozen cheeks as her chin sinks down onto her chest.
'Stop it.' Bryn orders, pointing the handgun at Riley's stomach, forcing her to look up. 'You don't get to mourn him. Not when you're the reason he's dead.'
Gazing into Bryn's rage filled eyes, Riley feels the hatred emanate from her. 'You blame me?' Riley asks in disbelief.
Bryn's voice lowers into a deep ominous tone. 'If it wasn't for you and your whore of a mother, my father would still be alive.'
Leaving Riley stunned, Bryn turns around and walks towards her unconscious, dangling victim.
'So that's why you did all this? Revenge?'
As she stares up at Aaron's bloody face, Bryn attempts to push the red stained images of her father from her mind.
'But then... why did you go after Carrie? And Noah? And those other students? Why not just come for me?' Riley asks.
'Don't you get it? This was all for you. Because I couldn't just kill you. I had to make you feel what I felt. The pain, the loss, the helplessness. You had to know what you did to me!' Suddenly turning around, Bryn's enraged expression is now mixed with sadness. 'And now that you know that all this happened because of you, you'll finally feel the guilt you should have been feeling.'
Taking a few steps in Riley's direction, Bryn's desperate rage sinks back into dark satisfaction. 'But the best part was those hallucinations you had. How did you like watching the people you love die, Riley? Did it make you want to rip your own heart from your chest? Maybe now you understand how I felt...' Slowly Bryn raises the handgun as she moves backwards, finally touching Aaron's temple with the business end. 'And if not, you will in a minute.'
Raising herself up in the chair, Riley feels the rope around her wrists dig into her skin. Her eyes widen as she realizes what's about to come, and as she gets ready to plead for Aaron's life she's halted by Bryn's resentful eyes moving away from her.
'Drop the gun.'
The sound of Gray's voice behind her brings Riley so much comfort she almost loses all fear, like his presence pulls her out of reality and into a warm dream.
On impulse Bryn redirects her gun at Gray, taking a step forward as she attempts to burn him to the ground with her livid stare. 'If it isn't the low life criminal turned white knight.' Bryn mocks. 'You don't want to do this, trust me. You keep saving her and you won't end up in her bed, just in prison.'
Without even blinking, Gray closes in until he's right next to Riley. 'Yeah well, before that happens, I'm going to end you.'
A single flinch, lasting only a second, gives Bryn away. She's not entirely without fear after all. But this crack in her impassive attitude only makes her want to hit back even harder. 'I've had enough of you. For a while there you were the perfect scapegoat, but now that you've outlived your usefulness, an early grave will do.'
Riley watches Bryn's finger move along the trigger as all the angst she'd lost before returns to suck the air out of her lungs.
'No!'
When she hears a shot echo through the room she's certain it's all over. But then she sees Bryn collapse and land at her feet. Turning to Gray she finds him equally shocked. And in that moment, as if intuitively drawn to it, they simultaneously gaze up at the series of skylights in the roof of the building, 30 feet above them.
One of the windows is open. And in the opening they find Sofia, staring back at them through the scope of a sniper rifle.
∾
'Earlier tonight Bryn Hanley, daughter of Lily Hanley CEO of Hanley Realty, was arrested for the murders of Ivy Ross, David Bryant and Noah Ryu and the attempted murder of Aaron Rowe and Riley Clemens. Hanley was revealed to be highly unstable and in treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder as well as symptoms of schizophrenia. Hanley's mother has refused to release a statement at this time...' As the news reporter continues to list the general facts of the case, all Riley can do is stare at Bryn's mugshot spread across the TV screen.
Wrapped in a blanket, in a ball on the couch, she couldn't possibly feel any smaller. Despite the blanket, and her mother having set the thermostat to 77 degrees, she's still freezing. And desperately trying to keep her hands from trembling.
The night's events are playing on a loop in her mind. How she watched Sofia shoot Bryn in the leg, and how she wondered if Sofia considered a fatal shot. And if Sofia realizes that she saved not only Riley's life, but Aaron's and Gray's as well. Though he was taken to the hospital, it was quickly determined Aaron's injuries were superficial. He'll be alright in a few days, and discharged in the morning.
A warm smile and a steaming cup of tea are offered to Riley as Alice joins her on the couch. 'Here, drink this.'
With an attempt at a sad little smile Riley accepts the tea. 'Thanks.'
Looking back at the TV, she's shown images of Bryn at the police station, in a wheelchair, accompanied by her lawyer. 'It doesn't feel real.' Riley expresses.
Alice nods gently as she gazes at the screen. 'I know, I still can't believe it. All this time... I can't believe we didn't see it.'
'She didn't want us to.' Riley decides. 'All she wanted was to hurt me, she wanted someone to blame for her father's death. Our father's death...'
'You know you're not, right? To blame, I mean. The thought alone is absurd, you didn't even know about your mom's affair.'
'I don't think it mattered to Bryn. To her I was the daughter her father was going to leave her for, the reason her mother became a murderer.'
As they both lean back, sigh deeply and sip their tea, Sofia emerges from the kitchen. 'Can we not watch this, please?' She quickly switches off the TV before joining them on the couch. 'I'd rather watch the snow.'
They sit there in silence for a while, processing, grieving, and resting. Until Alice finally speaks her mind. 'At least it's all over now...'
Unwilling to deprive her friends of the little bit of peace they feel, Riley chooses not to say anything. But she doesn't feel peace at all. And perhaps the past month has made her paranoid beyond repair, but she doesn't believe it's over.
∾
At 11:15 AM, the bright winter sun finally pierces through the curtain of chestnut brown hanging in front of Riley's face. Stroking her hair back, she takes in her surroundings. Alice and Sofia are still right by her side, the seven-seat ivory leather couch easily accommodated all three of them through the night. Undoubtedly, they haven't slept like this in weeks. And as the clouds of blissful unconsciousness lift, Riley is hit by reality all over again. Even more so when she turns on her phone and spots today's date. The 31st of December.
As her bare feet touch the sheepskin rug she sees her mother in the open door to the kitchen, signaling her with coffee cups.
'The New Year's party at the Vancourts' hotel has been cancelled, for obvious reasons.'
As Riley accepts the coffee and sits down at the kitchen table her mother begins updating her.
'After a scandal like this no one feels much like celebrating. Anyway, I thought we could go visit Carrie this afternoon. And then just spent tonight at home.'
While carefully observing her mother, trying to determine what emotion is detectable, Riley nods slowly. 'Sounds fine.'
'Your fa... I mean, your... my husband...' Clearly struggling, Diana takes a sip of her coffee before continuing. 'He left, flew out early this morning. Rio, I think.'
'I'm not surprised. It's like him to run away from a situation like this. That way he won't have to face me in the aftermath.'
Gazing out the window for a moment, Diana is evidently working up the nerve to move past the general information to the underlying issue. 'I do... have to face you. I've been keeping too much from you for too long, and putting you in danger because of it. So right now, I'm an open book. Ask me anything, anything that's on your mind. About me, the affair... your biological father.'
This, Riley doesn't have to think long about. Questions have been piling up without pause in the last 12 hours.
'Did you know how he really died?' Riley asks.
'I had my suspicions, yes. But I was too afraid to go looking for the truth.'
'Did he know... about me?'
'Yes, and he always kept a watchful eye. Even though he couldn't be a father to you... he loved you, Riley.'
'Was he really going to leave Bryn and her mother?'
'I believe he was. He had expressed the desire to do so, even though I told him not to.'
'You did? Why?'
'Because he... we would have torn two families apart. You, Carrie and Bryn would all have been uprooted, it would have done more harm than good.'
'What was he like?' Riley asks.
'Oh, Riley... he was just like you. He was strong, and kind, and just. He fought for what he believed in, and for the people he loved. And he wrote too, about everything and anything that was going on in his mind. I think that's where you got it from. You were always more like him than you were like me. You two would have been close, I'm sure of it.'
As Diana remembers him fondly, Riley feels increasingly heavyhearted.
'I don't know what to do now, mom... How do I grieve him? How do I say goodbye to a father I never knew?'
Reaching out across the cherry wooden table Diana takes both of Riley's hands in hers. 'You don't, not right away. I have a few of his journals at the house in Long Island, you can get to know him first.'
With a grateful look into her mother's eyes Riley feels connected to her again at long last. But the moment lasts only a second as Diana's phone starts ringing.
'It's the police station. I'm sorry, Riley, I have to take this.'
As she moves away from the table, pausing in front of the window, her expression changes. 'But... how is that possible? How can it all be gone? It's a crime scene, how could your men have let this slip away from them?' Upset, she abruptly ends the conversation.
'Mom? What happened?'
Clutching the phone in both hands, Diana turns to face Riley. 'Those syringes you found at CH Technology, the drugs used on your sister... they were all stolen from the crime scene. It's all gone, every trace.'
∾
Only four hours away from a new year, Riley and Diana arrive home to find Sofia, Alice and Aaron waiting for them. Coat still on and bag still in hand Riley runs over to warmly embrace Aaron.
'I'm so glad you're okay.' As she releases him she looks at all his bandages and bruises. 'Though more than a little banged up.' Riley adds.
He smiles gently. 'Don't worry, it looks worse than it is. I'm just glad we're both still alive.' His expression grows with uncertainty as he prepares his apology. 'Look, Riley, about everything that happened...'
Remembering the last time she spoke to him, realizing the anger she'd felt has faded away, she cuts him off quickly. 'It doesn't matter anymore, it's over now. Let's just try and put everything behind us.'
Relieved, he agrees.
Soon they're all settled in front of the TV. Staring out over the edge of her champagne glass into the takeout sushi, Riley finds herself sinking deep into thought. And as Sofia and Alice voice their disbelief over the disappearance of all the Glow in Bryn's secret lab, she begins to question everything. Nothing quite makes sense to her, and then there's this overwhelming feeling she can't shake.
'Sof?'
Sofia gazes up from her California roll. 'Can we talk for a moment, in private?'
Riley's request seems urgent, so Sofia drops her dinner and follows her to the hallway.
'What's wrong?' Sofia enquires.
As Riley paces back and forth, shaking her head, she tries to put her thoughts in order. 'It just doesn't make sense...'
'What doesn't?' Sofia asks.
'Any of it. I mean... for one, the victims. Ivy Ross, David Bryant... they hardly had any personal connection to Bryn, or to me. Why them? I just can't believe her actions would be so random that she'd haphazardly kill students just to try and scare me.' Riley expresses.
'Well, you heard what they said on the news. Bryn is clearly unstable, crazy even. Her actions could have been entirely random because of it.' Sofia reasons.
'Okay, but what about the drug? Why customize your own narcotic just to exact revenge? Why set up a secret lab? And how did she even do it? Where did she get the skills? She barely passed first year chemistry in high school.'
Leaning against the wall, Sofia begins to feel anxious as she realizes Riley is making valid points.
'I'm just not convinced by the story Bryn is telling. Sofia...' Riley's voice lowers as her face tenses up. 'I don't think Bryn was working alone.'
They hear Riley's mother call out from the living room. Only a few more minutes till midnight.
As Riley begins to move out of the hallway Sofia grabs her arm. 'If you're right...' She begins. 'Then someone else could have taken my brother's body.'
With a piercing sense of doom they both return to the living room. And when the clock strikes midnight, and they all watch the ball drop, they hug and wish each other a happy new year. And they speak of a fresh start, and healing and moving on, even though they know they're lying.
Once everyone has left Riley pauses in the middle of the empty living room to glance out the window at the lively city, suddenly feeling so detached from the rest of the world. Until her phone buzzes and a text message pulls her back to earth.
'Mom! I'm going to get some air, I'll be back in 15!'
Without waiting for a response, she runs out the door. Ignoring the speeding of her pulse, she rides the elevator to the 3rd floor. Her head spins with possible scenarios as she feels awake again for the first time all night. Like a shock to the heart to pull her out of her trance. Until she bursts through the door to the stairwell, suddenly looking him right in the eye. And all the scenarios clear to make way for reality.
'I wasn't sure if I'd see you again.' Riley admits.
Gray nods, his expression even more burdened than usual, making Riley realize she was right.
'I just came to make sure you were alright.' Gray explains.
Unwilling to postpone the inevitable, she decides to push for the truth. 'And...?'
'And to say goodbye.'
She quickly casts her heartsick eyes to the ground.
'By now, Bryn will have told the police everything. They're probably already looking for me. It's just too dangerous, I have to disappear.'
'Where will you go?' Riley asks.
'It's better if you don't know that. The police will want to talk to you, and I can't ask you to lie for me any longer.'
'Will I ever see you again?' The attempt to keep her voice from breaking is futile.
Gray is clearly struggling to find the right words, by now his expression is as somber as hers. 'You're better off without me, Riley. Go, write, be a journalist. Be the good and honest person you're supposed to be.'
As he moves past her to the exit her mind begins to race again, wishing for something to do or say to keep him from leaving. She considers telling him about her conversation with Sofia. If he knew she was still in danger, maybe he would stay.
'Grayson!'
Barely able to raise her voice, she sounds almost squeaky. As she gazes into those deep brown eyes, memorizing his face, every angle and feature, every plea fades making way for one thought. But voicing that thought seems more impossible than breathing underwater. So something else comes out.
'Thank you. For everything you did for me.'
A mixture of sadness and endearment in the form of a rare smile are offered to her, and a moment later, he's gone.
Somehow Riley got back to the penthouse. By stairs, a decision she can't explain, she drifted upwards until she could go no further. The sensation that she's supposed to be crying, one she's felt continuously for the past two months, has returned. But instead, her body has numbed, like it's set to do so naturally. Unlike her usual inclination however, she now feels the undeniable need for motherly comfort.
'Mom?'
Slowly she moves along the hallway, glancing into the empty kitchen.
'Mom?'
Then she spots the open door to the study.
'Mom, are you...'
The remainder of the sentence gets jammed in her throat. Involuntarily, she begins to shake her head in panic. For the sight of her mother, motionless on the floor of the study, is too much for her to bare.
When the elevator doors open, Gray has to all but push himself out onto the lobby floor. All he wants is to run back upstairs, back to Riley, and never leave. Or even better, take her with him. But selfish is the last thing he can be right now. So instead he'll flee once more, and leave everything he knows behind. Saying goodbye to Milo wasn't even an option, he'd never let Gray go.
Pulling the hood of his jacket over his head he marches towards the fire exit. But as soon as he puts his hand on the handle he's overcome with doubt again.
Can he really leave like this?
As he remembers the promise he made to Riley, he realizes he didn't just want to keep it until the killer was found. To him, that promise lasts much longer.
As if a force greater than logic and reason reaches up and takes control, he veers around.
But only to find himself looking straight into the muzzle of a semiautomatic. And behind it a team of policemen.
'Grayson Chandler, you are under arrest.'
'Mom!' Falling to her knees, Riley's hands hover and shake above her mother's body. A syringe, just like the ones the cops' let slip from the crime scene, is sticking out of Diana's chest.
'O-oh my god...' Carefully Riley touches her mother's face, desperately trying to wake her.
'Mom! Mom, please!' But no word or touch manages to produce a sign of life.
As she begins to grasp reality, the tears she had longed for earlier finally set in. And her trembling hands pull away as she notices the piece of paper, pierced by the needle in her mother's chest.
Reading the note, her tears are halted by disbelief.
She was right, it's not over.
You take what's mine, I take what's yours.
- The Supplier
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