When Darkness Falls(65)
She called Kari, which woke her, and asked if she could stay with her for a while if she needed to. Kari said yes and pushed for details. Haley promised to call as soon as she was back in town. She hated to impose on her friend, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to, but she needed to be ready for Devon to say no or her ultimatum would never work.
The last calls Haley made were to Devon. She left messages on the landline and on his cell phone with Joe and Diana’s address, telling him to come to the house at 5:30 A.M. Guilt would make him be there, if nothing else. She was sure he’d heard her drive past the church because in the rear view mirror, she’d seen him jerk away from Lydia.
When Haley checked her voicemail, she found two more of her friends had returned her calls and were in town playing in West Hollywood. They invited her to meet them after the show around midnight. It was a long drive, but Haley had no desire to stay in the house and do nothing but think for the next few hours. And, to be safe, she ought not to be in the house alone until the right time anyway.
? ? ?
Alone in her bedroom, Lydia called Devon’s cell phone voicemail and punched in the access code. She’d been calling every hour for the last twelve hours to keep tabs on Haley. This time, she was rewarded. How sweet of Haley to want to keep trying with Devon despite what she’d seen. Lydia grabbed a pen and scribbled down the address of the house in the desert where Haley was staying and deleted the message.
? ? ?
After showering off the smells of blood and sweat, Devon paced his motel room, resisting the urge to flee into the night again. Memories from earlier in the evening and of what Lydia had done to change him threatened to poke into his mind, and he shut his eyes against them, pressing his forehead against the window. Delusions, all delusions. That had to be it. He must be really ill, must really need help. He longed for Haley, but didn’t know how to reach her. She wasn’t answering her cell. Obviously, she hadn’t returned home as of this evening. Devon felt half relieved and half angry that she hadn’t listened to him about flying home immediately and completely terrified that he could never win her back. If she’d returned to Chicago, he might have been able to let her go without following. Yet he desperately needed her.
He checked his cell for messages. Nothing from Haley. Then he tried the landline and nearly leapt for the door when he heard she still was in California. But he stopped at the threshold, suddenly uncertain. Haley was here, a few hours away, but she’d asked him not to come until very early morning.
She must be afraid of what he might do at night. He paced the room, keeping clear of the windows and the view of the darkness. It would be better to see her at home, not here in L.A. where Lydia hovered so close. He should call Haley, tell her he’d meet her at the airport where they would be among reassuring crowds. If she would take him back, when they got off the plane, they could go right to a hospital. Because he might need a hospital. Not that he thought he would hurt her.
Blood on your hands, the voice in his mind said. Sure, you wouldn’t hurt anyone. You’d just end up with blood on your hands.
But not Haley, he thought. I wouldn’t hurt Haley.
? ? ?
The message Haley had left told Devon to arrive at the house at five-thirty A.M., but she wasn’t sure he would be able to follow her instructions. She had asked him to come at five-thirty because it would still be dark, he’d be able to travel, but it would be nearly daytime, so she’d be relatively safe. Haley shivered.
Her plan had been to stay out with her friends until at least three A.M. and simply drive around until closer to five-thirty. Musicians were generally late-night people, but not tonight. Other than Desiree, everyone trickled out soon after the last set.
A CD of Pete Seeger played in the background. Desiree got Haley another espresso on the house, and said, “I’m not sure you need this. If anything, you’re more wired than when I saw you earlier tonight.”
The tea tasted sweet and spicy, and though she might look wired, Haley needed the buzz. She felt both anxious and ready to drop from exhaustion at the same time. “I’m afraid Devon won’t show. And if he does show, I won’t find the right words to convince him to come home with me.”
“Maybe it’s better if he doesn’t,” Desiree said, “if you believe he’s dangerous. Why not talk to him on the phone?”
Haley shook her head. “It’s too easy for him to say no.” She’d also thought about meeting Devon in public, which would be safer, but he would be able to walk away. With her plan, once the sun rose he would be stuck in the house with her, and he would have to listen. And she could be alone with him, for what might be the last time in a long time. She also wanted to know what he’d say about Lydia. He might not tell her the truth, but she wanted him to face her. “In person, he’ll want to be with me, want to be close to me.”
“Want to get some, you mean,” Desiree said.
“That’s part of it.”
Desiree put her hand on Haley’s arm. “I’ve never met him, but it sounds like he’s exactly where he wants to be. Which is where most people are when it comes down to it—where they want to be.”
Haley hadn’t even told Desiree about Devon almost having sex with Lydia on the street. Or maybe it wasn’t almost, maybe they had gone right back to it after Haley drove away. But Desiree didn’t miss much, and she had always been outspoken. “I know it sounds like I’m being na?ve. And I know I’d be saying—or at least thinking—what you are if the situations were reversed. Devon’s scared and confused, maybe unbalanced, but he doesn’t love Lydia. If he wants to be with her, it’s because he’s so messed up. Not because that’s where his heart is.”