Stranded with My Stepbrother Chapter 25

-Caleb-

All things being equal, I’d have rather been back at the motel having sex therapy with Jocelyn. As it was, I was now sitting at a table across from Pierson, who had taken out a recording device and a notepad.

“Mr. Killeen, do you mind if I record this conversation?” Pierson asked.

“Go right ahead,” I replied.

Pierson turned on the recorder and said the date and the crime in question. Then he looked at me. “Please state your name for the record.”

“Caleb Killeen,” I responded clearly.

“And you’re sure you don’t want an attorney present?” Pierson asked.

I shook my head. “Not at this time, thank you. I’d just like to get this off my chest.”

“Fair enough. So, Miss Collins was saying you killed a man in defense of another. Her?” Pierson said.

I nodded. “Yes, sir. Bill shot at me and winged me on the side of the head.” I gestured to the spot that was still an angry red. “I fell to the ground. I think he must have thought I was dead, but he went chasing Jacey through the woods, and when I got to her, he’d cornered her against a tree and what he was saying...”

“What was he saying?” Pierson asked.

I shuddered. “I don’t remember the words exactly, but he intended to r-rape her. Probably kill her after.”

“So... what did you do then?” Pierson prodded.

“I picked up a rock and surprised him from behind. I bashed in his skull.” I scrubbed my hands over my face, trying to make the image go away.

Pierson kept taking notes. “Did he still have a gun?”

“Yes, sir. Shotgun. I don’t know anything more than that—I’m not familiar with types of guns,” I admitted.

“That’s okay. Let’s back up a little bit. How did you come across this man?” Pierson asked.

I gave a short history of our situation, starting from the family fishing trip to the fight we’d had with Hank to the storm. “I wish I could tell you where we ended up. There were a lot of rocks. I don’t think many fishermen go that way because of the rocks.”

“Um... just to clarify... Miss Collins is your sister?” Pierson inquired delicately.

“Stepsister. We’re not related,” I said quickly.

“I was going to say, you seemed rather close for... brother and sister. Closer than a brother and sister are supposed to be,” Pierson went on.

“It just kinda... happened. It’s a long story. She had a crush on me, I pushed her away, she grew up, I grew up...” I tried to explain.

“Son, I’ve seen her. You don’t need to explain,” Pierson chuckled.

I scowled.

Pierson held up his hands. “I’ve also seen how supportive she is of you. You’re a very lucky man.”

“Our parents don’t know, so if we could keep it that way, that’d be great,” I said.

“You’re a grown adult, Mr. Killeen. So is Miss Collins. There’s no crime there, and nothing for me to report,” Pierson replied.

I sagged back in my chair with relief. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now, keep going. I’d like to get the full picture,” Pierson said.

“Okay. The canoe overturned, and Jacey hit her head. She was out cold. I dragged her to the only piece of land I could see and got us up over the rocks. That was not a fun experience in socks, let me tell you,” I continued.

“I’d like to take some pictures. May I?” Pierson asked.

I nodded and stood. Pierson took out a phone and took a picture of the side of my head. I also showed him my shins and my feet, still angry and a bit cut up from the rocks and the walking overland in my socks.

“Thank you, Mr. Killeen,” Pierson said.

I sat back down and waited for more questions.

“How did you happen upon... Bill? Do you know his full name?” Pierson asked.

“No. Just Bill. And we learned that from the loggers. He never gave us his name,” I said.

“Well, hopefully the Mounties will be able to find these loggers. I take it you didn’t stay exposed on the shoreline?” Pierson continued.

“No. We decided we needed to get to shelter. That’s how the trouble started. We found one of those cabins that Jacey once told me were ‘grandfathered in’ by the Canadian government. It seemed to be empty—no, it WAS empty until Bill came. He surprised us when we were coming back from having a bath,” I explained. “He first told us to clear off. Then he saw Jacey and... changed his mind. I told her to run. He shot at me.”

“How did he change his mind?” Pierson asked.

My jaw worked, the white-hot rage from that moment washing over me again. “He asked if that was ‘a woman’ and said maybe we owed him for his hospitality. I filled in the blanks. I told her to run.”

“And he had his gun pointed at you when he made that demand?” Pierson inferred.

“Yes,” I said.

Pierson nodded. “I think Miss Collins was very lucky to have you around.”

“... Thanks,” I mumbled.

“And after you killed Bill?” Pierson asked.

“Jacey and I decided we needed to find some kind of road, in case Bill had friends. We couldn’t wait around to be found anymore. I mean, we were there for two days without a peep. I even tried spelling out ‘HELP’ with rocks on the shoreline, but with the rocks just past it, you’d have needed a helicopter to see it,” I said.

“You did find the road, though.” Pierson was taking notes on his notepad.

“We did. We heard a logging truck. If there’s a logging truck, you know there’s going to be a road,” I continued.

“You thought you were saved,” Pierson murmured sympathetically.

I laughed, and it was all bitterness. “We weren’t. It was an illegal logging operation. They only gave first names, too. I don’t even remember what they were. We were scared shitless. They were talking about killing us, then they threw us in a shed for two days. At least there was food and clothes in there.”

“Obviously, they didn’t kill you,” Pierson said.

“They knocked us out with some kind of chemicals. When we woke up, we were at the old fly-in camp across from our campsite,” I went on. “There was a representative from the Natural Resources department there, and he looked us over and decided we were okay. So Hank decided to just continue our trip like nothing happened.”

“You didn’t report the murder or the illegal loggers at the time,” Pierson stated.

“They left a note that we burned at the fly-in camp saying how much we were going to regret it if we said anything. They also took care of Bill’s body, I think. He was a friend of theirs,” I said.

“So... you don’t know exactly where you were, and you’re fairly certain there is now no body to find...” Pierson concluded.

My shoulders slumped. “That’s basically it, yeah.”

“You’re a good man, coming in anyway,” Pierson said. “You could just have never reported this crime, and there would never have been an investigation or anything.”

“We’re still not sure what the loggers are going to do to us, but Jacey thought if I got some closure, it might help my mental state,” I replied.

“Mental state?” Pierson echoed.

“I’ve been having nightmares,” I explained.

“Ah. That’s to be expected. We’ll get you some counseling resources around where you live,” Pierson said.

I stared at him. “I’m not... going to prison?”

“Nope. I’ll go ahead and file this with the district attorney and get the report up to our Canadian friends, but as long as Miss Collins’s story matches yours, there is no need to take this any further,” Pierson replied. “It was a horrible thing, but it sounds like it was necessary.”

“Okay,” I said quietly. “Okay, thanks.”

“Thank you. Not a lot of people in your shoes would come to report a crime just because it was morally right to do so,” Pierson praised me. “Now, I imagine the Mounties might start looking for your illegal logging operation. If it seems like they’re going to give you trouble, you go to the authorities, okay?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m just going to go make some calls and interview Miss Collins. You sit tight. I’m filing this report with the district attorney, but I honestly don’t see it going anywhere. I’ll probably know within the hour, okay?” Pierson said kindly.

“Thank you, sir,” I replied.

Pierson stopped the recording and picked up the recorder and his notes, put his phone in his pocket, and headed out the door.

I closed my eyes, missing Jocelyn. Her solid presence was already a pillar holding up my life, and that shocked and scared me in equal measure. I’d never had a girlfriend become so entrenched in the bedrock of my life, not even my first college girlfriend who had broken my heart.

It was probably all the trauma we’d muddled through together, I reasoned. Maybe when things died down, I’d be less dependent on her, and she’d be less dependent on me, and we could take things slow like a normal couple.

Then I remembered the sweet way she’d given her body to me under the stars, the sweet kisses, the laughter, and the snuggling, and the way she held me when I’d had a nightmare. Nope, I very much doubted we were going to be able to take it slow at this point.

After an hour or two, Pierson showed up again with a woman I didn’t recognize.

“Mr. Killeen, this is District Attorney Amanda Nelson. She’s been negotiating with the Canadian government on your behalf,” Pierson said.

Ms. Nelson held out her hand, and I took it tentatively. “Um... hi?”

“Mr. Killeen, the Canadian authorities are prepared to drop any and all charges against you and Miss Collins—” Ms. Nelson began.

“Wait, why would there be any charges against Jacey?” I asked.

“Conspiracy to cover up a crime. Don’t worry, a good barrister in Canada will make that go away in a day. I just thought it would be easier if you and Miss Collins could go back to Canada, to Shimmer Lake, and try to help the Canadian authorities find the illegal logging operation,” Ms. Nelson said.

I blinked at her. “So, if Jacey and I go back to Canada and help find the illegal logging operation, this all goes away?”

“It becomes a report in a file in a box in a warehouse,” Ms. Nelson said with a nod.

“I’ll have to talk with Jacey about it,” I responded after a pause.

“Of course. We’ll have her brought in here so you can make a decision,” Ms. Nelson assured me.

Pierson and Ms. Nelson left, and Bailey returned scant minutes later with Jocelyn.

Jocelyn immediately pulled the opposite chair up next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. “Did it all go okay? Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “You?”

“Yeah.” Jocelyn took my hand and threaded her fingers through mine. “Pierson said there’s no reason to tell our parents anything about the murder. We can just go back to Shimmer Lake and help the authorities find those assholes who were going to kill us.”

“Those assholes might still try to kill us if we help catch them, Jacey,” I reminded her.

Jocelyn squeezed my hand. “I don’t want to live in fear, Caleb. They’re always going to be dangling in the background if we don’t stop them.”

“True.” I turned my head and kissed her temple. “You’re sure this is okay? With you?”

“Yeah. We’ll go up and come back, maybe in time to continue our reservation at the motel,” Jocelyn suggested.

I grinned at that. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s let the motel owner know we’ll be gone a couple of days at the most and extend our stay a bit.”

“Okay. Because I still want to see Grand Marais with you,” Jocelyn said.

I gave her a light kiss on the lips. “Me, too.”