Chapter 10: Feelings

The clock and Jay were at war. He would go to the window, come back and stare at the clock, and repeat. Kim still hadn't come. 

“Jay, sit down.” David said wearily.

“I can't.” He protested. “What if they don't make it?”

“They will! And even if something happens, your pacing isn't going to fix it. Sit.”

There was a knock at the door, and Jay jumped back up.

“No!” David hissed quietly. “Stay here. I need to check.”

David pulled a gun from his waist and left the room.

Jay held his breath, not realizing that he was doing so until his chest got uncomfortably tight. The clock seemed to count off the seconds like they were years.

“Jay?”

With that one word, all the tension inside him washed away.

He spun around, and at the door, the dearest person in the world was standing, her hair rumpled, a large bag over one shoulder, a suitcase in one hand. It was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

Kim's eyes were full of tears, and she dropped her bags and ran to meet Jay. The moment they touched, their heavy hearts were raised.

Jay felt Kim's breath on his neck, and with her breath he felt his own come back to his chest. A wave of relief washed over him, and passionately, he kissed the top of her blonde head.

“Kim.” he whispered, holding her as tight as he could.

Kim squeezed him back. He pushed her away and held her at arms length.

“Are you alright? How have you been?”

She just nodded and threw herself back into his embrace. They stood there in silence, just taking in the bliss of each others company.

Jay buried his face in Kim's hair and closed his eyes. She snuggled closely against him.

Painfully, Jay remembered that they weren't the only people in the room, even though it felt like it.

“Hi, Nel.” he said, smiling at her.

“Hi, Jay. I'm glad you guys are okay. Two of you, anyway. Sorry about Will.”

Jay nodded, swallowed hard, and turned to face the other person.

Tyler shrunk away as Jay faced him.

Focusing his gaze silently on his friend, Jay wished he could burn holes through Fog's skin with his eyes. Tyler wouldn't look at him.

Jay looked approvingly at a fist shaped bruise on Tyler's cheek.

“Nel? Where did he get that nice bruise?”

“Alice.” She smirked a little.

Tyler looked down. Jay didn't move.

“I think we'll leave you two alone.” Kim said, taking Nel's hand and walking out.

Tyler looked pleadingly after them, silently begging them not to leave him.

Jay stepped towards Tyler as the women exited the room. Kim gave him one warning look over her shoulder as she shut the door, but Jay didn't doubt what needed to be done.

“Jay...” Tyler trailed off.

Jay put up his hand calmly.

“I'm going to give you one chance to explain yourself. Don't waste it.”

Tyler looked away.

“Come on, start talking. I have no patience for you.”

“I'm sick.” Tyler said finally.

“What?” Jay asked, concerned. “Why didn't you say something?”

“Not that kind of sick, Jay. I'm sick of trying to get our names cleared. I'm sick of having to put up with Will. I left to hide.” he shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “I gave up.”

Jay stared at him in disbelief.

“So you were just going to hide in Nel's basement forever?”

Tyler nodded slowly.

“You weren't trying to clear your dad's name?”

“I gave up on him, too, Jay, what did you expect?” Tyler shouted.

Kim stood up and hurried to Jay as he came out of the living room.

“Did you leave him alive?” Nel asked.

Jay just nodded. “You can go in, now.”

Kim looked up at Jay's face as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“How bad did you hurt him?”

“His nose is probably broken. He's out cold.”

Kim sighed. “Jay...”

Jay just held her tighter.

Nel was at Tyler's side when he regained consciousness. He was still lying on the floor in the makeshift hospital in David's house, exactly where Jay had left him.

His own blood was sticky on his face and neck.

“Hey you.” Nel said.

She had a damp rag in her hand. Carefully, she began washing Tyler's face.

“Do you have another shirt? This one's covered in blood.”

“Yeah, I've got a few in my bag.”

They were silent for a few minutes.

“You know,” Nel said quietly. “You probably need to reconsider some of your life choices. Your face isn't taking your choices too kindly.”

“I know, Nel. I can take a hint.” he groaned. “Is it broken?”

“Yep.”

“I'm going to kill Jay.”

“You didn't hear what I said, did you?” Nel moaned in exasperation.

“Nel.” Tyler said earnestly, sitting up and grabbing her shoulders. “Jay and David are wrong. I don't even have to tell you how wrong I think Will is. They're all wrong. I know it...”

“Slow down.”

“This isn't being handled right. We just need to leave the country. Disappear. Change our names, buy fancy houses and good food with the money we've got left.”

He laughed warmly and touched Nel's hair. “We have so much money, Nel. I have my dad's emergency money. I withdrew it all, so it's in cash. We have Will's cash that we found in the Yale library. We have Jay and I's money for the road trip that we were going to take. You and Kim have some money, am I right? Think about how we could live. And we're living like this? Jay and I can't go out on the street without the danger of someone recognizing us and landing us in jail or dead. Kim is getting hassled to no end by reporters and the FBI. You haven't had too much trouble yet, but I can guarantee it's coming.”

“Tyler...”

“Run away with me, Nel. Even if Kim and Jay won't come. I don't care. I just want you.”

Nel stood up and dropped the bloody rag on Tyler's chest.

“You coward. You unbelievable coward! You know, deep down, that this is right. It's not easy. I will grant you that. But it's the only way.”

Tyler's eyes blazed.

“Tyler, Jay is working so hard at solving this that he barely sleeps or eats. He's killing himself to do the right thing. Will saved you from the bombing and took a bullet for you. What have you lost? They have more reasons than you do to back out and leave. Step up and be a real man, for once in your life!”

“What have I lost?” Tyler was shouting now. “I lost everything. I lost my livelihood, I lost my peace of mind...I lost my father. My father! Nel!”

Nel shook her head and clenched her fists. “No.”

“No?” he taunted her. “No?”

“You already lost your father, Tyler. Or did you forget that he disowned you? You didn't lose him over this incident. You just finally saw the truth.”

She spun on her heel and stalked out, leaving him speechless and alone.

Marlowe tugged at her earring, like she always did when deep in thought. Her earrings had been through a lot of tugging lately.

The small scrap of paper in front of her was the reason for her contemplations. It simply had ten digits written on it, in one of the secretaries' painfully legible writing.

Marlowe's fingers reached out and touched her phone. She knew she had to call that number.

Three days earlier, she and Borjes had visited the home of Joseph; the man that had been referenced in Jay Burchell's evidence tape. Burchell had begged Marlowe to trust him and look into it, then he had run.

Marlowe couldn't blame, Jay, really. Unless he was guilty. She still doubted that he was guilty.

This Joseph guy appeared to be some sort of boss to Will Traveler. When Marlowe and Borjes had gone to talk to him, he'd tried to kill them.

Marlowe would never forget how cold the trigger was when she pulled it and ended Joseph's life. She wished she could have gotten some sort of information from him.

The number she was about to call was the one that had alerted Joseph. From the way he'd reacted, she guessed that the person on the other end of the phone conversation had warned Joseph of Marlowe's knowledge of the tape that documented his conversation with Will. Marlowe had to know who this mystery man was. The excitement and terror sent chills up and down her spine.

Finally, Marlowe picked up the phone and dialed, standing to pace around as the phone rang.

“Hello?” the voice said.

Marlowe's blood ran so cold that she couldn't move.

“Hello?” the voice repeated.

Slowly, Marlowe forced her numb body to turn towards the neighboring office.

Fred Chamber's windows were uncovered, clearly displaying him and his activities.

He was on the phone, speaking the corresponding hello that was echoing in her ears.

She punched the end key, and the phone tipped and toppled out of her fingertips onto the floor. She pressed herself against the wall and tried to breathe and convince herself that it was all in her head.

She knew that it wasn't.