The Crime Left Behind (Casey Summit Series, #1), page 16
Ty was dressed and sitting at her little table with a pot of coffee in the middle and two mugs on either side. His was already full and he was sipping from it while scrolling through his phone.
He looked up as she approached, gave a big smile, and rose to pull out a chair for her. She plopped down.
“Good morning,” Ty said, pouring coffee into her mug while planting a kiss on her cheek. “Do you take anything in it?”
“Good morning,” Casey yawned. “And no. Black is fine. Anything interesting online this morning?” She dipped her head towards the phone he was holding.
“Ah, well, the ‘Florida Man Games’ will be happening later this month...”
“The... what?”
Ty read from his phone screen, “‘Touted as a legal way for all to enjoy the Florida Man lifestyle, the various competitions include ‘Evading Arrest Obstacle Course’ and ‘Beer Belly Sumo Wrestling;’ the weekend is capped off with a much-anticipated mullet contest.’”
She laughed. “I love the ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em’ attitude.”
He shrugged at this. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
Casey picked up her phone and, seeing the time, sat up straighter. “Oh shit. It’s eight-thirty? Crap.” She instantly got up and grabbed her mug. “Alex has a swim meet at nine—I’ve got to go!”
She ran to the bathroom. “You can stay here if you like, but it’ll be a few hours,” she shouted back over her shoulder as the shower turned on. Turning around, she realized he followed her in.
“Can I join you?” he asked, helping her take off her robe.
Casey smiled. “In the shower or at the meet?”
“Both.”
“Yes, please.”
CASEY AND TY ARRIVED at the Salvation Army pool around 9:15 am. She’d shot a text to her mother to let her know she was running late and to wish Alex good luck. The two quickly found Helen and Twila sitting together in the folding chairs set up for family and friends.
Twila saw them coming first, elbowing Helen while giving Casey a knowing smile and a slow nod of her head.
Helen briefly turned her head in Casey’s direction as she lifted her purse to reveal a saved seat next to her. She did a double take when she saw Ty, but a tentative smile crossed her face.
Twila, knowing her best friend better than she knew herself, lifted her bag to reveal a second empty seat.
“Good morning, you two,” Twila said. “Take a seat—Alex’s first heat is next.”
Casey plopped down beside her mother and let Ty take the seat beside Twila, instantly regretting the decision. If anyone was going to make him feel uncomfortable, it would probably be Twila. She could just imagine the grilling questions. So, you two just happened to meet up at 8 am? Or, Investigating must have gone on REAL late last night, huh? This realization occurred just a little too late.
“She needs a new coffeemaker, doesn’t she?” Twila turned to him and asked. “I’ve been telling her for years. And those towels? I mean, she’s got a good job—spring for something 100% cotton, at least.”
Ty stared at her, blinking, unsure of how to reply.
“Twila, did you talk to Alex before the meet? How’s she feeling?” Casey changed the subject and Ty looked instantly relieved.
“She’s pumped—you know her. That chick loves competition.” And with that, a man standing at the end of the pool with a large red bullhorn introduced the next heat. A trail of swimmers came out from the Women’s locker room.
“Go Alex!” Casey yelled over the clapping.
Alex turned and gave a quick smile and wave. Then, she lowered her goggles into place and her face instantly turned into a picture of raw determination and razor-sharp focus. Casey called it her ‘beast mode.’
The swimmers took their places on the starting blocks as their names were announced, bending over in a mock dive position, waiting for the countdown. The audience became silent; one inquisitive toddler could be heard repeatedly asking, “Mommy, why?” but no other noise from the crowd came through. Then the countdown beeps began: beep, beep, beeeeeeeeep. The swimmers plunged into the water for the two-hundred-meter freestyle.
Casey loved watching Alex swim. Alex was a picture of grace in the water; on land, her arms and legs sometimes fought her brain signals and worked in jarring or slightly spastic movements. But in the water, it was like a new and different world; in the water, Alex’s body acted like anyone else’s—only faster.
When Alex was 7, she started to attend sports camps sponsored by local chapters of the Special Olympics. Alex had loved watching Casey compete in baseball and volleyball, but because of her various physical issues and surgeries, she was having a hard time. She’d spent a number of her early years having her hip dysplasia fixed, and she suffered from ‘loose tendons’ that plagued a lot of Down Syndrome kids. Helen thought the Special Olympics volunteers would be best suited to help find her niche.
After about a month of the weekend sessions, the kids moved to the pool. Alex was a natural and instantly fell in love with the sport. From then on, swimming was a huge part of her life. She loved the local swimming chapters that allowed her competitive streak to thrive. When Helen pushed her towards actually trying out for the Special Olympics, Alex just shrugged and shook her head. She proclaimed that she wasn’t interested in ‘going pro,’ but had bigger plans for her future. No matter how much she tried to convince her that she could compete at a higher level and still pursue other interests, Alex refused.
Still, the girl lived for these weekend swim meets.
As the swimmers progressed, it was easy to see that this weekend’s meet had attracted both the veteran swimmers and those newer to the competition. By the sixth of eight lengths, two swimmers were a full length behind, and one had already been ‘lapped’ by both Alex and another competitor. On the eighth lap, the competition was down to Alex and two others. The three finished close together with Alex in the lead.
Casey and her group cheered and stood on their feet. Alex tore off her goggles and gave them a wave, then quickly turned to the large scoreboard to see her time.
“Wow. Alex is fast,” Ty murmured. “I mean... wow.”
“Twila, can we please switch seats?” Casey jumped at the opportunity between heats to ask the favor of her best friend. Twila gave a dramatically long sigh, picked up her bag, and stood up. They shuffled forward and back, maneuvering around Helen and both nearly falling into Helen’s lap, before Casey finally plopped down beside Ty and smiled at him.
“You don’t have to stay. I can get a ride from Twila. It’s going to be at least an hour before Alex’s final heat,” Casey offered. They had arrived together in the Bronco, per his insistence that he drive them. She was not one for chivalry, but supposed she could wait another few days before bringing that up.
“No—I’m enjoying this. Really. You forget I’m an athlete, Case. I could watch any sport as long as the competition is real.”
The rest of the morning passed quickly. Casey was pleased to see that Ty was into the atmosphere. He got caught up in the competition just like the rest of them. Every heat he’d ask the women, “Who are we cheering for here?” and seemed to be one of the loudest participants.
For the second heat, he stood up and made Alex beam with pride. “Come on, Alex! Just like last time! You got this!”
Helen looked over at Casey with a smile and a nod. He was making a great impression on the family and she knew that they were seeing the genuine Ty.
Finally, at around 12:30 pm, the last heat finished and the families milled around outside waiting for the swimmers to get showered and dressed. Alex came bounding out of the building, wearing her silver medal around her neck and a giant smile on her face.
“Wow, Alex! Looking great out there!” Helen said, pointing at the medal and giving Alex a big hug.
“It’s the rule, you know,” Alex said.
“What is?”
“The day you win a medal, you get to wear it all day without looking like you’re bragging!” This got a round of laughter from the group, and Alex looked down at her medal, transfixed. Suddenly she remembered something and looked up.
“Ty, I didn’t expect to see you this morning. Thanks for meeting everyone so early!” Alex smiled up at him and Casey blushed.
“Wouldn’t have missed it, Alex. You were awesome out there.”
Alex grinned at that, ear to ear.
Twila started to ask Alex if her friends finished where they had expected to or if there were any big upsets, but Alex wasn’t listening anymore. Instead, she was focused on a group of people just behind Twila.
“Just a sec, guys. I need to go congratulate a friend.” And Alex was gone. She was such a social butterfly. They watched as she went from group to group, patting her teammates on the back and taking the compliments from them in stride.
“...later, then?”
“Hmm?” Casey turned, realizing he’d been talking to her. Then she noticed her mother and Twila; all three were alternating between looking at her and scanning the small groups of people around them. Casey started to do the same. She saw stares in their direction. Whispers were heard and fingers were pointing.
Ty, it seemed, had been recognized.
“I was saying that I think it’s time for me to go, but I hope to see you later.” Ty kept his eyes on Casey, but his head was down, and his posture had sunk. His size made it impossible to hide, but he was sure trying.
“Oh no, Ty. Mom takes us out for hot dogs after a meet. Can’t you stay?” Alex asked, returning to their group just in time to hear Ty beg off. Casey knew her sister wouldn’t notice the social cues that were practically drowning their small group, but Ty handled it like a pro and thankfully, they hadn’t had to explain the situation.
Ty smiled and casually put his arm around her. “Next time, Alex. My parents are redoing the landscaping in our backyard, and against Mom’s advice, Dad’s trying to do most of it himself. I’m afraid if I don’t help, that man will kill himself. But thanks for the great time this morning—and awesome job, Alex.”
He then paced away and reached for Casey’s hand. “I’m going to hold you to meeting up later.”
Then he was gone, half jogging back to the Bronco.
“What a great guy,” Alex said while he was (likely) still within earshot. “And coming all this way just to watch me swim!” She shook her head in disbelief and waved as he left.
Twila nodded her head, stifling a laugh. Helen just looked at Casey.
“Right. Let’s go eat. You can grill me over hotdogs,” Casey said. The four of them walked towards the car, and she took one last look over her shoulder at the still-gawking crowd.
People were shaking their heads. People were standing with their arms crossed. People were judging.
They really needed to clear Ty’s name.
Chapter 22
Again, Casey woke to the smell of coffee. I could get used to this, she thought, shuffling over to her robe and slippers. It was almost 9 am. She had stayed up and watched movies with Ty last night before moving things to her bedroom. She smiled at the memory and lumbered out of the room towards the dining table.
She noticed he had gone out for coffee this morning and winced a little; perhaps she did need a new machine. He’d also managed to pick them up some bagels and cream cheese.
“You’re spoiling me. I’m going to start expecting this every morning. What happens when you aren’t here?”
“Well, I’ll just have to keep being here, I guess.” He gave her an embrace and pulled out her chair. “Hope you like bagels.”
She had already grabbed a multigrain bagel and was spreading cream cheese on one half before he was able to sit back down at the table. She smiled at him and nodded, taking a giant bite.
“So, today—” Casey started, but was interrupted by a knock at her door. She furrowed her brow. No one had asked to be rang into the building.
She got up and went to the door, looking through the peephole. It was Grant—in his police uniform. Casey immediately glanced over at Ty, remembering the warnings Grant had given her just a few days prior about getting too close to him It also flashed through her mind that she hadn’t given Grant her address. Was that a perk of being a member of the police force? What else could he dig up about people on a whim? She held up a finger to Ty and mouthed the words, “one sec,” then opened the door just wide enough to allow herself to slip out. She held it open a crack so it wouldn’t lock behind her.
“Officer White—nice to see you. I guess this,” she pointed at the uniform, “is why I didn’t need to buzz you into the building?”
Grant smiled. “Yeah, the uniform is kind of a door opener. How are you? Can I come in?” He made a motion to move forward and she moved to stand in front of the gap.
“Uh, well. It’s... kind of a mess. I’m in the middle of a deep clean and wasn’t expecting any company today. What’s up?”
“I just came to let you know that I was able to get most of the police file you asked for.”
“So...where is it?” She looked over him, noting his empty hands.
“Well, your sister tricked me.” Grant looked down sheepishly.
“What? Alex? When did you talk to her?”
“We’re Facebook friends. She sent me a friend request after the day we had lunch.”
Casey should have known; her sister was turning into a little social media queen.
Grant continued. “Anyways, I messaged her and told her I had the file and asked where you lived. I figured I’d drop it off and surprise you. She gave me the address, and as soon as I pulled into the neighborhood...”
Casey laughed. “She sent you to her and Mom’s place, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, well, I knocked, she opened the door to the house, snatched the file from me with an ‘Okay, thanks, bye,’ and closed the door as quickly as she had opened it. I stood there, kind of shocked for a second, really unsure of what to do. Then your mother opened the door and invited me in... Alex already had the file spread out in front of her on the living room floor—” He stopped short as the door behind Casey swung open.
“Case, Alex has the police file!” Ty said excitedly, looking down at his phone.
Ty looked up at Casey and then across to Grant. The sight of the uniformed officer standing at the door made him freeze, eyes wide and mouth open. He dropped his phone and didn’t move to pick it up.
He must think the police officer is here for him, she thought. Ty would be reliving the nightmare of being arrested, held, and questioned. He’d be panicking that the ordeal was happening all over again.
“It’s—no. It’s okay. He’s... a friend.” Casey put her hands on Ty’s arms and tried to redirect his attention. She glanced in Grant’s direction, willing him to help defuse the situation.
On the other side of the doorway, she watched Grant’s recognition of Ty and the long intake of breath as he quickly put together what was going on. Then, Grant held out his hand and smiled, seemingly keeping his composure.
“I’m Grant White—the one that gave Alex that file.”
“Oh. I’m... uh...” Ty stammered, staring down at Grant’s hand, unable to raise his own to meet it. Grant slowly dropped his hand.
“Grant, this is Ty Burnesh,” Casey said, looking up sheepishly.
He just looked at her. “Right. Well, I just wanted to let you know that I gave the file to Alex, but I guess that news already made it here. Please thank your mom for giving me your actual address and I’ll let you two get back to... all your cleaning.” He looked down at her robe, gave a half-hearted smile, and walked away.
“Thanks again, Grant!” she called after him and without turning around, he lifted his hand as a parting gesture.
Once she was sure he was gone, Casey pushed Ty back into the apartment and closed the door. He was still staring, frozen in place.
She picked up his phone off the floor and held it out to him. “Ty?”
He snapped back and gave his head a small shake. “Yeah. Just... hadn’t seen any cops since the trial and it was like... I was right back there again. You know? Like, worried he was here for...” Ty’s voice broke on the last words and she could see the pain was still fresh.
She wondered if a person could ever really get over an experience like that. Would Ty trust authority again? She doubted he would—she doubted that she would if she had gone through the same experience. They were both quiet for a minute, Ty looking down at his hand where he now held the phone.
“So... Alex?”
“Uh, yeah,” Ty said, activating his phone and opening the text messaging app. He turned the phone towards Casey so she could read. Alex had sent three texts, one after the other.
Got the file!
Adding to the murder board!!
See you later today!!!
She briefly wondered why Alex hadn’t texted her but then realized the first line would’ve led to Casey calling Alex, asking her questions about how exactly she got the file, and then yelling at her for tricking Grant. If she messaged Ty first, she would have no choice but to be excited along with him, stifling any questions until later. The deviousness of that girl, Casey thought, shaking her head.
Casey moved to Ty and took the phone, putting it down on the table. She grabbed both of his hands and looked up into his eyes.
“You okay?”
He slowly nodded his head and gave her a small smile. “Yeah. I’m okay.”
She hugged him. “Let’s finish this fantastic breakfast and I’ll text Jack and make sure everyone is still on for the meeting today.”
She led Ty back to the table and sat down in front of her coffee and bagel, shooting Jack a quick message. He soon replied with a question about what was in the police file, prompting Casey to respond.
No idea. Alex has it. Tell you later.
