Mistaken (6 page)

“Everything okay Luciano?” Agent Decker looked at his partner as the front door swung open.

“Huh? Oh yeah... I'm still waking up, sorry.”  He mumbled in reply as he locked the door. Decker nodded, but wasn't buying his partners excuse.  They headed out to the black sedan parked in front of Agent Luciano’s building, Decker suspiciously watching his partner. Something was bothering him; they'd been partners over 14 years, and Luciano couldn't fool him.

“You're unusually quiet this morning. You sure you don't want to talk about it?” Decker glanced over at his partner as they pulled onto the highway.  Luciano furrowed his brows as he stared out of the passenger window, still contemplating the earlier phone conversation.

“I was just thinking about the De La Rocha bust,” He said, his eyes still on the passing buildings and signs.

“What brought that up?” Decker raised an eyebrow, glancing over at his partner.

“Oh nothing...was just thinking. There hasn't been any recent activity with the family, has there?” Luciano side-stepped his question.

“Not that I know of,” Decker scratched his chin thoughtfully, “Carlos De La Rocha was released a year ago though. He was captured in the bust, but not linked to any other activities, so he only got 10 years.”

“I didn't realize that...but no other activity from them otherwise?”

“Like I said, not that I know of...why are you so concerned with them?” Decker was more insistent. He knew his partner was dancing around something, bringing up an old case out of nowhere like this.

“You remember the kid we'd picked up?”

“Yeah... that was the easiest interrogation ever.” Decker laughed, “That kid was a scared little bunny. He rolled over real quick.” Luciano remained stoic, unamused with his partner's comments.

“Yes, that kid...I found out his brother was murdered last year.” He sighed.

“Really? His brother?” Decker sounded surprised.

“Yeah... I'm not sure if it's related though.” Luciano shook his head. “Either way, it's a damn shame.”

“Probably just dumb luck is all...” Decker shrugged his broad shoulders, “How did you find out about his brother though, did he contact you?”

“Yes, but that isn’t to leave this car. You and I both know that could get us in serious trouble,” Luciano's voice grew stern as he eyed his partner.  “I'm going to see what I can find out for him, but I am hoping I find nothing. At least concerning the De La Rochas.”

“If you need my assistance, you know I've got your back.” Luciano nodded in response to his partner's offer but kept silent, his attention turning back to the passing scenery. All he could think about was those two teenage boys sitting in his office that day ten years ago. Decker didn't think much of them, especially Alex. He really couldn't have cared less about what became of them after entering witness protection.

In Decker's defense, when they'd caught up with Alex, they could have slapped him with several charges, including attempted murder. But Luciano hadn’t seen a criminal. He had seen a naïve, scared, and misguided boy. Although the events that day were life-altering for those boys, he had hoped that their brief interaction and the steps he had taken to help them would have ensured them a better life. The fact that one of them now lay dead was certainly disheartening.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dillan stretched out as she slowly gave in to consciousness the next morning. Trey was asleep in her living room. He was a complete stranger to her until yesterday morning. She knew little about him other than the most obvious. Everything else about him was murky and unclear. The whole day had been spent awkwardly together as he tagged along on some random errands, then shared a silent dinner with her.  He didn’t talk much at all, which was just as well since she didn’t know what to say to him. She had hoped upon waking that she would realize it was all just some strange dream.  But no, he was here, only a few yards away. Passed out on her couch.

Sitting up in bed, she grabbed her robe off her chaise lounge, wrapping it around her tightly before swinging her legs off the bed and making her way out of the safety of her bedroom. Opening the door, silence greeted her. Either he was still asleep or he had decided to book it out of there. Part of her hoped for the latter.  As she quietly padded around the corner, he came into view, sprawled out across the couch, a blanket laying over him, his limbs and some of his chest exposed. He was sleeping on his back, just like Jamie used to. She sighed and looked toward the kitchen.

She needed to take her meds...and coffee...she needed coffee. Taking care not to wake him, Dillan reached into the cabinet, grabbing her prescription bottle, and dumped a couple of pills into her palm before tossing them back with a water bottle she grabbed from the fridge.  She peered over at him as she tried not to clank around the kitchen, setting up the coffee maker.

He moved, stretching out his legs in his sleep and softly sighing. She couldn't help but watch him. It was eerie seeing him lying there. Memories flashed in her head of Jamie. Times he had fallen asleep on the couch, in almost identical poses. Her finger pressed the power button on the coffee maker and it whirred to life, then she quietly crept back around the bar and into the living room, watching Trey as he turned slightly to his side.  In a way, it was comforting seeing him sleeping, remembering those quiet moments of contentment as she had watched Jamie.  But as much as Trey was identical, even now it was evident how different he was from his brother.

His slumber didn't seem peaceful at all. Dillan noticed just how much he kept shifting in his sleep, unable to get comfortable. His eyebrows pursed together, and his lips formed into a frown at something distressing in his subconscious. A few times his breathing quickened and his fists clenched. She wondered what could be running through his head at that moment.  The few times she did catch Jamie having a troubling dream, he would never talk to her about them.

Maybe it was the same thing that Trey was dreaming about. Maybe they were because of Trey...

As if he knew she was standing there, Trey's eyes blinked open to meet Dillan's. Caught off guard, she immediately averted her eyes, turning back to the kitchen as several shades of red spread over her cheeks.

“I-I-I made coffee, if you wanted some...” She stuttered, turning back toward the kitchen, her head down. She stole a glance at him, watching him stretch and pull the blanket off of himself before she returned her attention to the coffee maker.

Had he realized I’ve been sitting here watching him?

“Sure, that sounds good...thanks.” He answered, very aware that she had been watching him as he grabbed his shirt off the floor and slid it over his head. Dillan opened the cabinet, hunting for two coffee mugs, avoiding any eye contact.

“Did you want cream and sugar with it?” She asked as she opened the fridge.

“I'll just take it black.” He answered as he walked toward the kitchen.

“Alright then,” She grabbed creamer out of the fridge for herself, then turned toward the mugs of coffee, bumping right into him.

“Sorry...” He apologized, “At least you didn't have the coffee in your hands yet.” A smirk crossed his lips.

“Yeah...” Dillan laughed nervously, “So...I was thinking...after we finish our coffee, maybe you wanted to visit Jamie. Well...his grave.”

Trey nodded, looking down at the mug of coffee as she handed it to him, “I’d like that...thank you.”

“Okay then. It's a plan. I'll take my coffee with me and get dressed.” She moved past him, carrying her mug with her to the bedroom, breathing a sigh of relief once she was out of the room. How am I going to deal with him staying here? She knew Kay had been right, that this was entirely unhealthy. But she couldn't help it; she couldn't just send Trey away.

Placing her coffee on her night table to cool, she slipped out of her robe and night gown, and then pulled out a pair of straight-leg jeans, a fitted red t-shirt, and her worn black low-tops. Generally, aside from the work clothes,  her wardrobe looked the same. She was definitely a creature of habit.  She took a drink from her coffee mug before sitting down on the bed to tie her shoes once she had changed. 
Here goes nothing
, Dillan thought to herself as she downed the rest of the mug’s contents. Going to visit Jamie was always difficult for her.

What it represented to her, was an end. An end to something she didn’t want to be over. It felt too final, too definite. To her, there still were too many unanswered questions for a gravestone to be the end of everything she had lived for. She took another sip of coffee. A few more deep breaths.

As she walked back into the living room, Trey was ready to go, a sullen look on his face as he stood waiting for her by the door. She grabbed her messenger bag, then walked over to him.

“Dillan...” He stopped her as she grabbed the doorknob, looking down, sadness seeping through his voice.

“What's up?” She turned her head to look at him.

“If it's not too much trouble...can we stop for flowers?” His blue eyes looked almost childlike as he asked her.

“Of course.” She answered, somewhat surprised by his question and the accompanying expression. Then again, this would be the first time he would be visiting his brother's grave. It couldn’t be easy to hear the news and see the proof that he was gone all within 24 hours time. She supposed since he wasn’t able to be at the funeral that he wanted to do something for his brother now.   They walked together quietly; Trey in deep contemplation, and Dillan trying to keep up her strong facade as they got closer to the cemetery.  All she wanted to do was cry every time she visited his grave. He was six feet below her, but light-years away. The separation always became even more tangible as she stood there. But this visit wasn't about her. It was for Trey.

Keep it together Dillan...

As they approached the cemetery, they found a small flower shop across the street . They stopped off and Dillan watched as Trey looked through the variety of bouquets that were on display.  He finally chose a bouquet of assorted white flowers before they crossed the street toward the entrance of the cemetery.

It was expansive with small little cobblestone paths winding in various directions. If it wasn’t for the fact that Jamie was buried here, she could almost say it was a pleasant looking place, well manicured, with several large willow trees and an imposing yet picturesque stone wall that ran around the whole perimeter. Both of them paused at the entrance, Trey looking for her to take the lead.

“He's this way,” She said softly, turning down one of the paths to her right. His grave was in one of the back corners, right under the shade of a willow tree. Trey let out a sigh with a defeated look in his eyes. His shoulders hunched forward as they drew closer to the spot. His eyes examined the headstone, reading his brother's name. Not as he knew it, but what it had been.
Jamie Mcfayden, My Beloved.
  He drew in a sharp breath, standing a few feet in front of it, his hands gripping the stems of the bouquet tightly.

“I'm sorry to ask this...but do you think I could have a few minutes alone?”

Dillan wanted to be offended, but the pitiful tone in which it was asked completely disarmed her.  All she could do was nod, then as he turned back to Jamie’s grave she found her way toward another large willow that happened to have a bench beneath its expansive limbs.  She sat down, feeling she was far away enough to be unobtrusive, but after a few minutes, she shifted around to see what he was doing.

Dillan could see him kneeling on the ground, one hand running over the inscription of his brother’s name. Then in one violent motion, his body fell forward, shaking as one fist punched the ground, and the other crushed the stems of the flowers he had bought.  A moment later he lifted his head up, and Dillan could see tears trickling down from the corners of his eyes. She could feel the pain on his face as it contorted with anger and grief.

The few times she had seen Jamie upset, she had never seen him get like that.  Dillan couldn't help but wonder what feelings were running through Trey in that moment. A hand lifted to his face and wiped at the tears .She watched him take a deep breath, attempting to regain some composure.

Trey then gently unwrapped the battered bouquet from the paper they’d come in, carefully placing the still intact flowers in front of Jamie's headstone. Dillan could see his lips moving, but wasn't close enough to hear. She wanted to know what he was saying, even if it was only meant for Jamie. Slowly, she stood up and made her way back toward Jamie's grave, being as quiet as possible until she was just close enough to make out the last few things he was saying.

“This wasn't supposed to happen. I missed you so much. You were the only family I had left...and now you’re gone. What am I supposed to do now?”

The last question echoed in Dillan's ears. What am I supposed to do now? She had sat there speaking those same words. Asking the same question. Her heart broke for Trey. Maybe she didn't know anything about their relationship or their life before she  met Jamie, but she could tell, at least at some point in their lives that they were very close.

She stood there now, awkwardly, unsure whether to back away to the bench again, or walk over to him.  She chose the latter, and walked up behind him as he sat there staring down at his brother's grave. Trey jumped at the touch of her hand on his shoulder.

“I didn't mean to frighten you,” She apologized, kneeling down next to him. “You know, I feel the same way. Jamie and I had big plans, and life was moving forward. But now I just feel like my life is at a screeching halt without him. Coming all the way here, I’m sorry you had to find out he was gone.”

Trey's eyes remained fixed on the ground in front of him, his jaw clenched, fists gripping the grass as she spoke. He wanted her words to feel comforting, and he appreciated her attempts to console him, but they didn't help.

As it completely sank in that his brother was gone, all Trey could think about was that somehow, this was his fault. All he could feel was anger and guilt.
Crushing guilt
. He couldn't shake the feeling that his previous mistakes had ultimately led to Jamie’s demise. His brother wouldn't be lying in a grave if he hadn't screwed up.  Dillan's words only weighed him down even more. The aftermath of his stupidity had not only managed to swallow up his family, but it had spread, like cracks in the cement. It had managed to ruin Dillan’s life before he even knew her.