Chapter 20: Danil

"Rory, slow down," I demand. "Take a deep breath and tell me what is going on."

Rory called me about an hour ago asking if he could come over, but he had sounded awful. I asked him what was wrong, but he said he wanted to talk to me in person. I have never heard him sound like that, so of course, I had agreed. Now he is standing in my apartment, and he looks, well, scared.

"The cops," Rory starts again, but his breathing gets faster, and I'm sure he is about to have some kind of panic attack.

"Rory, please, sit down," I tell him again, virtually leading him over to the couch, sitting him down, and sitting next to him.

"The cops," Rory mutters again.

"What about them?" I ask.

Rory stares at me, his eyes wide, and whatever happened with the cops, it has rocked him to his core.

"They think I'm involved in the accident that hurt Dom," Rory rushes out.

"What?" Not sure I heard him right. "Take a second and start from the beginning."

I watch as Rory takes a few deep breaths, letting them out slowly, trying to calm himself before he carries on talking.

"The cops, they came to my office today. Asked me to go to the station with them. That they needed to talk to me about a road traffic accident."

"Why the hell do they think you're involved?" I ask him. Who in the hell was trying to frame Rory for something so horrible?

"It's my truck," Rory says.

"Your truck?"

"Yeah, I own a truck. I move a lot of stuff around, and was sick of renting, so I bought a truck. I park it in a garage when I'm not using it," Rory explains, but this doesn't answer why the cops were talking to him.

"And?" I prompt him.

"And it was my truck that was used in the accident," Rory states, and I can see the horror on his face as he says the words. Telling me had caused him so much pain.

"I don't understand." How was a truck that Rory owned discovered to be the murder weapon?

"I didn't either," Rory says. "But the cops confirmed it. Found my truck a few blocks from the accident. It was hidden in an alleyway, surprisingly it took them some time, but they found traces of paint from Alessia's car on it."

"I am sorry, Rory, I still don't understand." This is making no sense.

"I told the cops that I was with you and Dom. That there was no way it could have been my truck, but they were pretty adamant. So, I took them to my garage. It had been a few weeks since I had been over, and someone had broken in and stolen my truck. I had no idea." A sob breaks from Rory as he explains, and I pull him into a hug.

"Of course, you didn't," I say to him, holding him tighter as his crying takes hold.

"I cannot believe it was my truck. If I'd known it had been stolen I could have prevented Alessia getting killed and Dom getting hurt," Rory says into my chest.

"But you didn't," I say to him, trying to make my voice as calming as possible. "This isn't your fault, Rory."

"But it is. If I had checked on my truck more often, I would have reported it stolen sooner." Rory almost wails.

"And yet, what happened still might have happened."

Rory pushes me back, his eyes wet with tears but they aren't red, like I thought they would be. I need to know his trick for not getting red eyes when crying. If one more person asks me this week if I am okay, I might scream. Losing Dom wrecked me. I end up in tears most nights, and so by the morning, I have red puffy eyes.

"How?" Rory asks, though it sounds more like a sob.

"There is no guarantee that your truck would have been found. Whoever stole it might still have been using it and the accident would have still happened."

"Maybe. But it still puts me under suspicion," Rory says, finally calming down a little.

"But there is no way you were involved. You were with us," I remind him.

That day he was in the bar with us. In fact, as we left, he was still finishing his drink. Then he was with me on the sidewalk. He would have been on his own for a matter of minutes. Not enough time to get to his truck and drive it into Alessias car.

"That's what I told the cops," Rory tells me. "But I'm not sure if they believed me."

"Did you give them my name? What about Dom?"

Surely the cops must have spoken to Dom, he would've confirmed that Rory was with us. That there was no way that he was involved.

"I told them," Rory replies, but then looks away from me.

"But?" I demand.

"But they said that they had already spoken with Dom, and he couldn't one hundred percent confirm I was still at the bar when you left."

"That's bullshit." I cannot believe that Dom would say that. How could he throw Rory under the bus like that? The urge to pull out my cell and text him is strong.

"But isn't that understandable? Didn't you say his memory of the accident is a little foggy?"

Rory is right, Dom had said that he didn't remember the accident, but it never occurred to me that this included the time right before it happened.

"True. But I am not impressed that he hasn't texted to warn me," I say over to Rory, whose eyebrow shoots up at my words.

"Are you still on texting terms?"

"Well no. It didn't end well," I confirm.

"Sorry Danil, then Dom's really not going to text you."

Considering what Rory has been through, how he still has a level head on him is impressive.

"That is a good point," I tell him. "So did the cops say they would give me a call?"

"I gave them your details. So, I hope so."

"If they do, I will let you know," I promise.

"Thanks," Rory replies, but is looking at his watch. "Shit, is that the time? I need to get home. Sorry about just calling out of the blue."

"Rory, you're my best friend. Of course, you can call."

Rory gets up from the couch and I get up and follow him.

"No, stay there. I can see myself out. I know the way," Rory tells me, giving me a smile. "Again, thanks for listening. See you soon."

"Bye, Rory."

When the apartment door closes behind Rory, I am left in the silence of the living room. Before Dom moved in, I had loved this time. From what G has told me, it's something I inherited from my Papa. The silence used to be comforting after dealing with the noise of a busy office and then a busier city. But now the silence was deafening. I hated it. Dom might have only been here a week, but he'd filled this place with life and love. Now it just feels empty.

Getting up off the couch, I pick up my wallet to do the one thing I do most nights now, head to a local gay bar and sit there nursing a beer for most of the night. Just trying to avoid the loneliness of the apartment. I haven't told Rory that I do this. I know that he feels bad about what happened between me and Dom. Almost blames himself, but as I keep telling him, he just helped me see what I thought already.

I had just gotten to the apartment door when my cell phone started ringing. Pulling it out of my pocket, the screen flashes with a withheld number. This has to be the cops, and so I quickly answer it.

"Hello?"

"Can I speak with Danil Evanoff please?" comes a strong male voice, which has to be a detective.

"Speaking," I reply as I make my way back over to the couch. I have no idea how long this call is going to take, so I may as well be comfy.

"I'm Detective Whitehorn, and I'm investigating an accident involving Domenico Romano, and was hoping you had a few minutes to chat."

"Yes of course," I reply.

"Can you confirm that you were with Domenico on the day of the accident?" Detective Whitehorn starts.

"Yes, we had gone to meet Dom's sister, Alessia and three of my friends at a local bar," I tell him.

"Can you tell me the name of these friends?"

"Yeah. Rory, Ambrose, and Remy," I tell him.

"Rory Connor?" the detective asks, ignoring the other names that I mentioned.

"Yes," I confirm.

"And what was the reason for you all getting together?"

Oh shit. Rory told me that the cops had spoken to Dom, but would Dom have told them that the reason for meeting was to tell them that we were in a relationship? I am guessing that he won't, just in case he was with family when the cops were talking to him.

"Doms brother is getting married to my father," I say. "So we thought it was a good idea to meet and get to know each other better," I say, hoping that I have matched what Dom had said.

The detective doesn't reply to this and is silent for a few seconds, which makes me think that he is writing down or making notes on my answers.

"And Rory was with you the entire time?"

"Yes, detective," I confirm.

"Who was drinking?"

"All of us except Alessia and Rory. They were driving," I explain.

"And you all left together?"

"Me, Dom, and Alessia left together. Rory, Remy, and Ambrose were just finishing their drinks," I tell him.

"How many drinks did you all have?"

"Not many, two maybe, it was the middle of the day. We were finishing the second when we decided to leave. Everything after we left gets a little hazy. But I know that Alessia and Dom walked back to her car. Next thing I know, the accident happened, and Rory was with me on the sidewalk. It would have only been minutes."

"Mr. Evanoff," the detective starts.

"Detective Whitehorn, please call me Danil."

"Danil, we have witnesses that state you were sitting on the sidewalk for twenty or thirty minutes before Mr. Connor came over to you," the detective states. "And he was seen coming from a completely different direction."

"That cannot be right. He was there with me from the beginning. Sorry detective, but the witnesses are mistaken. Rory was with me the entire time," I tell him defiantly.

The detective goes silent again before finally saying, "thank you Danil. You have been extremely helpful. Will it be okay to contact you if we have any further questions?"

"Yes of course," I reply. "I will do anything to help find Alessia's killer."

"Were you and Alessia close, then?" the detective suddenly asks, and the question throws me. Why would he want to know if me and Alessia were close?

"We weren't close, but we were getting there. Well as close as family can be, I suppose."

"Thank you again, Danil. You have been very helpful," The detective says before ending the call.

Placing my cell beside me, I just sit there for a few minutes, thinking back over the call. The detective said they had witnesses, plural, meaning there was more than one. But I was sure that Rory was with me, he even confirmed that himself.

Picking my cell back up, I open the text thread that I have with Dom, wanting to get his opinion, but at the moment, I don't think that he is going to answer me. I need to talk to someone who was there at the time. Who might have known how long I was on the sidewalk by myself. Then it hits me, Remy, and Ambrose. They were there. They would know. Scrolling to Remys name first, I hit the call button.

"Hey Danil," Remy says. "How are you? How's Dom."

This was the reason I called Remy over Ambrose. Remy was always the life of the party but looked out for others, too. I knew he would be straight with me.

"I've been better," I tell him honestly. "Me and Dom broke up."

"What, when?" Remy sounds surprised.

"About a week now," I tell him.

"What the hell happened? Was it Rory?" Remy asks.

"Rory? Why would Rory be involved?"

Remy is silent for a moment before trying to backtrack. "Ignore me."

"Remy, no. What did you mean by that comment?" I demand.

"Don't get me wrong, but Rory seems a little…" Remy starts.

"A little what?" Trying not to get annoyed at Remy.

"Obsessed with you."

"Obsessed with me?" And I am not sure if there is something in my voice that makes Remy think that I don't believe him, but his next sentence has me sitting up straighter.

"Yeah. There is something off about the way he talks about you when you aren't around. It's kinda creepy. I have wanted to talk to you about it, but with Dom being released from the hospital, I haven't had a chance."

"Strangely enough, my reason for calling you has to do with Rory," I say.

"Yeah?" Remy replies, but I can hear the hesitancy in his voice.

"On the day of the accident, after Dom, Alessia and I left, how long did Rory stay?" I ask him.

"Not long. Couple minutes. He didn't even finish his drink. Told us that he wanted to catch up with Dom. Why?"

"I thought that he was with me the entire time, but a detective investigating the accident states that witnesses saw Rory come over to me about twenty to thirty minutes later." Not sure if I should be giving Remy that information. But my gut is telling me something isn't right, and my Papa always told me to follow my gut.

"Rory went in the opposite direction of the way that you went. We saw him pass the window," Remy replies. "We presumed he caught up with Dom and Alessia."

"Did he say what he wanted to talk to Dom about?" But I think I know what Remy is going to say to this question.

"Nope, just that he needed to catch up to him."

"Thanks Remy," I say down the line, knowing that I am going to have to text Dom and see if he remembers Rory catching up with him.

"Danil…" Remy says down the line. "Please be careful." Which I find a very strange statement for Remy to make. If Rory is lying I'm sure that there is a very valid reason. Rory really wouldn't hurt a fly.

"I will. Bye." And I disconnect the call.

The detective seemed to imply that Rory was involved in the accident, and Remy, well he didn't seem to be Rorys greatest fan either. Had I misjudged my friend? But then I think back to how attentive he had been while Dom was in the hospital, and then when Dom was released. This week he had been incredible again. His distress over the cops was genuine, so why do I still feel like I'm missing something?

I need to talk to someone. Someone who was there the entire time. Someone who would know how long it took to get Dom out of the car and to the hospital. Someone who worked on saving Alessia's life. I need to talk to the doctor.

With the decision made, I quickly make my way to the hospital. I have no idea if I will be allowed to talk to the doctor. I have no idea if he is even working, but I need to get to the bottom of what is going on.

Getting to the hospital reception desk, I take a deep breath, and when the receptionist asks how they can help, I give the doctors name and ask if he is working, saying that I urgently need to talk to him. The receptionist gives me a look that clearly says that is not going to happen, but I beg. I ask if she can just call him. Say that it's linked to the accident, and important.

I'm not sure if she agrees just to get me away from the desk, but she says she'll give him a call and that's the best she can do, and points in the direction of the waiting area behind me. I go over, take a seat, and wait.

This is complete madness; the doctor is not going to come and talk to me. Why would he? I have waited thirty minutes and there has been no sign of the doctor. The only thing that I have gotten is a sympathetic smile from the receptionist that is tinged with I told you so. Deciding it's time to leave, I get up from my seat, just as a door in the corner opens and the doctor walks out.

"Danil," the doctor states, his hand reaching out in greeting, and I take it firmly. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's no problem. Thank you for seeing me," I say over to him.

"You wanted to talk to me about the accident," he starts.

"Yeah," I start, and lick my lips. "I'm hoping you might be able to clear something up for me."

"I'll try, but I have told everything to the police."

"No, this is something I need," I tell him. "How long were you working on Dom and Alessia?"

"Oh, wow." And I don't miss a flash of pain on the doctor's face. "Dom was relatively quick. I just got him stable. Alessia was in a much more serious condition. I worked on her for maybe twenty minutes, after the fire crew had taken five or ten minutes to get her out of the car."

This is not the time I wanted to hear, but that doesn't mean that Rory wasn't with me.

"Did you happen to see me at all?"

"Yeah, just after Dom was put in the ambulance. I got one of the cops on scene to move you. I didn't think you needed to see me working on Alessia," the doctor tells me.

Well, that explains why I was further down the sidewalk. I had wondered why I wasn't closer to the scene. I remember hearing the crash and racing back.

"And I was on my own."

"Yes," the doctor confirms.

"You didn't happen to see when a friend came over to me?" A hopeless question as the doctor's priority was Alessia, not looking around to see if I was on my own.

"Actually, I saw a man walk over to you just after I called time on Alessia. No idea who he was, but he seemed to know you. But I wasn't paying attention for long."

Rory lied. The only thought that runs through my head is that Rory lied to me, and I have no idea why. Why would he make out that he was with me the entire time when he wasn't? I want to call him, and demand he explain why he lied, but there is a voice in the back of my mind, which is linked to my gut, telling me something isn't right.

"Thanks, doctor," I say, and this time it's me stretching out my hand for him to take.

"Any time," the doctor replies, and I think he wants to say something else, but is hesitant to say it. And I know that I am not in the right mindset to listen, so I leave.

Walking away from him, I pull out my cell phone, open my contacts and scroll to the one person I know will understand my worry, the fear that I am missing something vital, and hit call.

"Danil," a voice sounds down the line.

"Hi Papa," I reply, because if there is anyone in the world who will know what to do, it's Papa.