Chương 6
Noah looked at the lawyer. “Can I hit him?”
“No,” Dana said without looking up.
“Legally?”
“No.”
“Morally?”
Dana lifted her eyes. “Also no.”
“That seems less certain.”
Elena sat on the edge of the bed while the nurse explained wound care, medication, signs of infection, and the importance of follow-up. Noah listened more carefully than she did. He asked about dressing changes, hand elevation, and what to do if pain broke through the prescribed medication.
The nurse handed Elena a folder.
Noah took it.
“I can hold paper,” Elena said.
“Sure.”
“Give it back.”
He gave it back immediately.
The victory felt childish and necessary.
Dana followed them to the parking garage. Before Elena entered Noah’s truck, the attorney handed her a different phone.
“Use this for sensitive calls. Assume your regular device and accounts may be compromised until we confirm otherwise.”
“What about my evidence account?”
“Do not access it tonight. We’ll use a clean computer tomorrow.”
“Maya’s recording?”
“The police have it. Maya’s sister has it. Maya sent a copy to her supervisor, who sent it to the catering company’s attorney. It is also online.”
Elena looked at Dana.
“How much is online?”
“Thirty-one seconds.”
“The assault?”
“Yes.”
“The part after?”
“Some.”
“Who posted it?”
“One of the guests. An account not directly connected to him.”
“Can we remove it?”
“We can request removal. Copies already exist.”
Noah leaned against the truck.
“How many people have seen it?”
Dana hesitated.
“Enough.”
Elena thought of the facility administrator’s careful voice.
“Give me a number.”
“More than two million views across several platforms.”
The parking garage seemed to tilt.
Noah cursed.
Dana continued quickly. “Do not read comments. Do not search your name. Do not respond to messages. Public attention is unstable and rarely kind for long.”
“What are they saying?”
“Elena.”
“What are they saying?”
Dana studied her.
“Most people are condemning him. Some are asking why you smiled. Some think the overturned grill endangered guests. Some think the line about eighteen months proves you set him up. Some believe the entire event was staged.”
Noah looked incredulous. “Staged?”
“People believe videos of the moon landing were staged,” Dana said. “We will not organize our decisions around the least serious minds available.”
Elena touched the edge of her bandage.
“What is Ivan saying?”
“Nothing publicly. His company issued a statement describing the video as an incomplete record of a private medical crisis.”
“My medical crisis?”
“They did not specify.”
“Of course not.”
“Peter Hale resigned an hour ago.”
Elena looked up.
“The CFO?”
“Yes. He also gave police a statement.”
“About the assault?”
“About prior behavior he witnessed.”
Elena remembered Peter beneath the patio umbrella, telling Ivan, Not here.
“What behavior?”
“I don’t know yet.”
A car entered the garage, headlights moving across them.
Noah opened the passenger door.
“We should go.”
Dana touched Elena’s elbow.
“There’s one more thing. Ivan’s attorney requested that you sign a mutual no-contact agreement and refrain from public statements. In exchange, he will consent to temporary financial arrangements and not oppose your return to the house.”
Elena stared at her.
“He was arrested four hours ago.”
“He retains competent counsel.”
“What would you advise?”
“Do not sign anything tonight.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Dana’s gaze held hers.
“I would advise you never to return to that house alone. I would advise you to seek a protective order. I would advise you to preserve every piece of evidence and prepare for him to attack your credibility, finances, mental health, work history, family relationships, and motives.”
“And the agreement?”
“It offers immediate money in exchange for uncertainty later.”
“My mother needs money now.”
“We can cover her care.”
“My studio?”
“We can protect the lease.”
“My employees?”
“You have one part-time assistant.”
“Lydia has a child.”
“And your responsibility to Lydia does not require surrendering leverage before we understand the case.”
Elena looked toward the ramp where traffic moved beyond the garage.
“What happens if I refuse?”
Dana’s voice softened.
“He becomes more dangerous in ways that may not look dangerous.”
Noah pushed away from the truck.
“Then why are we standing here?”
They drove through the night with the windows cracked because the truck’s air conditioner worked only at highway speed. Elena held her injured hand against her chest and watched shopping centers give way to darker roads.
Noah did not ask for the full story.
He talked about the hardware store below his apartment. The owner, Mr. Bell, had started selling homemade birdhouses near the register, though the roof angles were wrong and rain would collect inside them.
“People buy them anyway,” Noah said.
“People buy decorative ladders.”
“I’ve never understood those.”
“They lean them against walls and drape blankets on them.”
“Why not use a chair?”
“A chair doesn’t imply rustic restraint.”
“Is that what rich people call not knowing where to put a blanket?”
Elena smiled despite herself.
A few minutes later, Noah said, “I watched the video.”
The smile disappeared.
“Dana told you not to.”
“Dana isn’t my lawyer.”
“She should be.”
“I stopped after you screamed.”
“That was near the beginning.”
“I know.”
Elena looked out the window.
Telephone poles passed rhythmically against the dark.
“You don’t have to say anything,” Noah said.
“That’s new.”
“I’m trying something.”
“It doesn’t suit you.”
“Probably not.”
They drove another mile.
Then he said, “Did he do things before?”
Elena rested her head against the seat.
“Yes.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means people saw pieces. Nobody saw enough. Or they saw enough and found better names for it.”
“Did Mom know?”
“She knew we fought.”
“Did she know he hit you?”
“He didn’t usually hit me.”
Noah’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“What did he usually do?”
She did not answer.
The truck crossed a narrow bridge. Below them, moonlight broke across the river in thin silver lines.
May you like
Noah cleared his throat.
“The last time we talked, you said I was jealous of him.”
