Chapter 34

34

After spending the night in the hospital, Candace had been released the following morning. The doctors said that resting at home would be the best medicine.

She had been looking forward to being home too—though she knew she was going to miss Ryan. Except for when he went to the station to write his report and then home to take a shower, he'd stayed by her side. He'd even gotten the nurse to let him spend the night in the chair by her bed. Every time she'd tried to convince him to leave, he'd taken a look at her face, seemed to understand that she was afraid to be alone, and said he was good.

It was because of him that she got any rest at all.

She knew her parents were a little taken aback by the way he'd hovered and the way she'd leaned on him for support. Actually, they seemed to be a little unsure about their relationship, but Candace didn't let that bother her too much.

She'd kept them in the dark about just how bad Scott had been. She also hadn't been very forthcoming about how close she and Ryan had become. Candace had assumed there would be a time and place for explanations, and she knew she'd have lots of time while she recovered.

In addition, those last moments in Scott's presence had been particularly frightening. She'd realized that her time on earth was fleeting and that anything could happen. If the police hadn't arrived when they did, she didn't know what else Scott would have done. He'd seemed to be getting increasingly unhinged with each passing moment.

When she got home from the hospital, her mother had helped her draw a bath. When Candace first sank into the steaming water filled with bubbles, she'd begun crying. In the privacy of the bathroom, she allowed herself to admit just how petrified she'd been. She'd been sure she was about to die. Or, at the very least, would be covered in cuts by the time Scott finished with her. She'd had no way to save herself—and worse, she'd just about run out of hope.

Her mother had found her sitting on the floor wrapped in a towel and shaking uncontrollably. To her surprise, all her mother had done was pull out another towel, wrap it around her, and then sit on the bathroom floor with her arms around her. Eventually she'd gotten dressed and fallen asleep in her bed.

Now that another day had passed, Candace was sitting on the couch and wrapped up in her favorite blanket. She'd eaten her favorite breakfast of pancakes and was half playing on her phone and half dozing.

In her best moments, the entire experience felt like a bad dream. It was surreal that such a short amount of time could transform the entire way she viewed both herself and her family.

At her request, she'd asked that her parents keep any visitors away. They'd agreed, especially since Ryan and Chief Foster were expected to come over between one and two and ask her more questions.

When the doorbell rang, she knew she should be ready for anything. But seeing Chief Foster and Ryan brought back everything in a flash. Her eyes filled with tears, and she began to shake. Next thing she knew, she launched herself into Ryan's arms.

He held her close. Whether he didn't care about the chief and her parents standing there or he'd simply forgotten about them, she didn't know. All that did matter to her was that he was holding her close and that some of the nerves and fears seemed to be held at bay whenever she was in his arms. "I'm so glad to see you."

He rubbed her back. "Hey," he said in the sweetest, softest voice ever. "Sweetheart, how are you doing? Still shaken up?"

"Kind of."

When he looked down to meet her eyes, she said, "I mean, yes I am."

He pressed his lips to her brow. "There's nothing wrong with that, is there, Chief?"

"Honestly, I'd be surprised if you weren't still shaken up," the chief said in a kind tone. "You've been through quite a traumatic experience, Candace."

Wearing a determined expression, her mother said, "Perhaps we should wait until tomorrow for this questioning."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't do that, Dora," the chief said. "We need to have Candace's statement to make sure our case against Scott Conway is solid."

"I can't imagine there are any questions about what that man did to my daughter and her cousin," her father said.

Walking Candace to the couch, Ryan said, "Let's sit down."

Candace sat next to Ryan, of course, but she knew for everyone's sakes that she was going to need to pull herself together. "I'll be fine." Looking at her parents, she said, "I can do this."

"Do you want them in here while we get your statement?" the chief asked Candace.

Candace felt she could go either way. Part of her wanted to tell her story only once. If her parents were here, then she wouldn't have to go over it in detail once again. Plus, the chief's presence would probably help them from getting too emotional. If her mother dissolved into tears or her father burst out into anger, she didn't know if she could handle that.

"Mom, Dad, I'd love for you to stay ... unless you think it's going to be too hard to hear."

Her father shook his head. "We just went through twelve-plus hours of not knowing if we'd ever see you again. We can handle the truth."

"All right then," Chief Foster said. "Candace, even though I know you already shared bits and pieces of your ordeal with Ryan and some of the other officers on the scene, I'd like you to answer each question as completely as possible."

"I understand."

"I'm also going to be recording your answers. Is that all right?"

"Yes, sir."

After getting out a small recording device, Chief Foster set it up. In addition, Ryan took out a notepad and pen.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready."

"All right. Please state your name for the record."

"Candace Evans."

"Candace, tell us what happened from the very beginning."

"I was at the Hostetlers' house for my uncle's fiftieth birthday party. There were almost a hundred people there. It was crowded."

"Okay. And when did you leave?"

"It was almost eleven at night. I was tired, and Bethanne felt the same way. When I told her I was going to go, she offered to walk me. I suggested she just go half the way to my car."

"Why only halfway?"

"It sounds foolish now, but I thought that was good enough. I also didn't want her to have to walk the entire way home in the dark."

"You were worried that something could happen?"

"No. I mean, not really. Nothing any different than most women feel when they're walking alone at night. You know, you don't want to do something stupid." Feeling like that was exactly what she had done, she felt her bottom lip tremble.

Ryan reached for her hand, squeezed slightly in support, and let go, then resumed writing on the notepad.

"So the two of you were walking. Did you notice anything unusual?"

"I didn't. But it wasn't my street. I guess I would say the whole evening was unusual. It's not like the Hostetlers throw big parties all the time."

"Understood."

Knowing she needed to continue, Candace wracked her brain. "Everything feels like a blur now, but I remember hearing noises in the woods. I figured it was an animal or something." She gulped. "And then he was there."

"Scott."

"Yes, but I didn't know his name then. I just"—she started breathing harder as she forced herself to relive the moment—"I was in shock. One second I was thinking about driving home and the next Scott was there and he was dragging us into the woods."

When she started having a difficult time catching her breath, Chief Foster said that he was stopping the tape.

Ryan pulled her into his arms. "I've got you," he whispered. "You are safe, understand?"

She was still struggling for air. Ryan held her close and rubbed her back. "Come on, Candace. Listen to me," he whispered. "Big, deep breaths. Slow."

Little by little, she was able to do what he asked. Eventually, she calmed down. She felt so weak and tired. All she wanted to do was roll into a ball.

"My daughter's exhausted. We need to stop for now," her father said.

"I agree," Chief Foster said. "Ryan, come out to the hall when you're ready."

"Yes, sir." When Candace turned to him, practically biting her lip so she wouldn't beg him to stay, he reached for her hand again.

"I'm not going anywhere just yet, you brave, brave girl. Chief Foster is just going to have to wait."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Close your eyes and try to relax." Kissing her brow, he whispered. "You need your sleep."

His calm reassurances rang in her ears as she fell into an exhausted slumber once again.