“Hello?”
“Hi. My name is Hunter Turner, I’m a sheriff in Boggy Creek Valley, New Hampshire. I was wondering if I might be able to speak to Lori Dexter-Wright.”
“I know who you are, Sheriff Turner. And I’m not surprised to be getting a call from you.”
That had me raising my brows as Kyle and I exchanged a shocked look. “Is that right?”
“Arabella talked about you a lot when I met her.”
“Then I won’t beat around the bush, Lori. Arabella broke up with me about ten years ago, no reason or explanation at all.”
Lori exhaled on the other end of the line. “I was afraid she’d do that.”
“I only just recently found out she was raped. We’re back together now and taking things slow. She won’t tell me who the guy was. All I want to do is talk to him, and I was hoping you might be willing to give me something on him. First name, last name. Anything.”
Lori let out a bitter laugh, and I felt my breath stall in my throat. She was most likely going to tell me to go to hell. I braced myself to hear she wasn’t going to help me, and for her to wish me a good night.
“His name is Colby Wilkins.”
Kyle nearly fell out of his seat as he quickly reached for a pen and piece of paper.
“Colby Wilkins,” I repeated, letting the name roll around on my tongue.
“He’s thirty-three, single, lives in Cape Elizabeth, and works for Miller and Miller Engineering in Portland, Maine. His father is a retired congressman, and lives right down the street from his beloved asshole of a son.”
Kyle and I sat there, stunned again while we both stared at the telephone on my desk. I was positive my mouth was hanging open.
“If you don’t mind me asking, how do you know so much about him?” I asked.
“I made it my business to know where that shithead was at all times in case you, or someone close to Arabella, finally reached out. I had actually given up hope, though I still prayed that Arabella would report the rape at some point.”
“Um, wow. I don’t really know what to say, Lori.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I work as a therapist now, mostly with women who’ve been abused or raped. I see it every day, and every day I wish I could do more.”
I sighed. “Thank you for making my job that much easier. I only want to—”
“Hunter, I didn’t keep track of that jerk all these years for you to go and talk to him. Now, if you love Arabella—which I’m guessing you do or we wouldn’t be having this conversation—then you pay Mr. Wilkins a visit and make him regret what he did to her. I’m also going to guess Arabella isn’t the only woman he’s raped. The guy is scum. His father has bought him out of a few problems. Drugs was one of them, and a few years back another woman came forward stating that Colby had tried to rape her. His father paid her off, and she silently went away. So, you see, I really don’t want you to simply talk to the guy. If you get my meaning.”
Kyle jerked his head back and mouthed, I like her.
“I can promise you,” I said, “he’s going to regret the day he ever laid a finger on the woman I love.”
I heard her let out a breath before she cleared her throat. “Good. I’m glad to hear that. And let me know if there’s anything else I can do for Arabella. We kept in touch for a little bit, but she stopped writing to me after about two years. I think she got tired of me begging her to tell you the truth.”
“Thank you for trying, Lori.”
“Well, I wish she’d listened to me, but sometimes, for certain women, they’re so engulfed in their own shame and guilt that they can’t seem to find their way out. You take care of her, Hunter.”
“I will.”
“Take care of yourself, too, and good luck.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I will. And, Lori, are you…are you okay?”
She sighed softly through the line. “Thank you for asking. I am.” It was clear she was telling the truth. I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m married, and I’m expecting my first child in about three weeks. A little girl. We’re naming her Hope.”
Smiling, I replied, “Congratulations.” A part of me felt such an overwhelming sense of relief to hear Lori say she’d been able to move on. If Lori could, then it gave me hope that Bella could as well.
“Can I offer a piece of advice, Hunter?”
“Yes, please.”
I took the phone off speaker while Kyle pushed over to his desk with this laptop. I knew he was already getting busy finding out information on this Colby asshole.