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When he got to her office, to Ben's dismay, Elizabeth was just locking up and there was no sign of Evelyn. Part of him hadn't expected to catch her, but the other part had been vehemently hoping she would be there.
"Ben?" Elizabeth greeted him with surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to catch Evelyn," he replied, panting slightly from having taken the stairs two at a time to the third floor. "I know she had a session with you this afternoon."
"You've just missed her. She left about ten minutes ago." Elizabeth peered at him, "Is everything all right?"
"How did she seem to you?"
"How do you mean?"
"Was she upset...or..."
"You know I can't discuss my patients with you, Ben," Elizabeth replied.
"Did she have any injuries? Did you see...?" he sighed, knowing that she was right and yet cursing the doctor-patient doctrine of confidentiality. "Claire told me that she had seen marks on her neck, like someone had grabbed her. She was meeting with her husband today and I don't know..."
"She was wearing a scarf," Elizabeth said thoughtfully. "I didn't see anything untoward but that's not to say there wasn't anything. Do you think he assaulted her?"
"Oh I'm almost sure of it," Ben replied shaking his head. "The man's an animal. Did she say whether or not she was going anywhere?"
"I..."
"Come on Liz, you can at least tell me that. You won't be breaching any confidences, surely?"
Elizabeth paused. "She said she was going home."
"Thank you," he said, "I appreciate it."
"Ben?" he turned back to face her. "Be careful. It's not breaching any confidence for me to say that Evelyn's damaged. You can see that for yourself, can't you?"
"Yes," he nodded, "Yes I can."
XXXX
She wasn't sure if it was her fourth or fifth drink, but it was certainly blurring the edges of her life. Everything was taking on a nice haze, the chatter in the bar sounding more like a pleasant hum to her ears, the music a low throbbing in the background. It wasn't the kind of place she would usually go, but it had been the nearest one to Olivet's office.
She had never been much of a drinker, not even in college. Eddie had hated seeing women drunk, claiming it was classless and tasteless and any time she had had more than he had deemed appropriate, he had berated her for it. So, for once, it felt nice to be in control of her own liquor intake.
There were two men further along the bar that kept looking over at her. At first she had wondered if they had previously been clients, then she wondered if they were lawyers before finally settling on the fact that they were simply men looking at a woman. Not that she was much to look at. Adjusting the scarf that still sat around her neck, she could tell even without looking that the marks would be bolder now, difficult to conceal, and her head still throbbed, even hours after it had struck the elevator wall.
She wished she wasn't on her own. She wished Ben was there. Not to join her in a drinking session, but to talk like they had that night at Fornelli's before an ill advised kiss had ruined everything. She missed his companionship both inside and outside of the office. A chill wind seemed to blow every time they were together now and it was almost more painful than anything she had endured with Eddie. Stupid, she said to herself, you barely know the man.
"Can I buy you a drink?"
Evelyn looked up into the face of one of the men who had moved down the bar to sit next to her. "Oh..." she said, "no, I'm ok thanks."
"Good looking women like you shouldn't drink alone," he said.
It was one of the worst lines ever but she still laughed. "That's a matter of opinion."
"In what sense?"
"Maybe some women like to drink alone."
"I don't believe that," he said, moving closer to her. "I don't think you believe that either. I'm Matt. My friend John over there dared me to come and talk to you. He didn't think I'd have the guts."
"What, are you guys in college?" she laughed.
"Young at heart," he replied. "So, are you going to tell me your name?"
XXXX
"My daughter isn't here." Susan looked at him suspiciously. "What did you say your name was again?"
"Ben Stone, ma'am."
"Oh yes, from the DA's office," her face brightened, "Evelyn's talked about you a lot. Won't you come inside?" She stepped back and he followed her inside, along the hallway and into a bright living room. "I would have thought she would have been with you given you work together."
"Uh...no," he replied. "She wasn't in the office when I left and I hoped to catch her here."
"Well I'm afraid I haven't seen her since this morning and I'm slowly remembering that she tells me very little about her life. Would you like a drink?"
"Oh...no..."
"Just a small one? You can keep me company." Before waiting for an answer, Susan headed over to the drinks cabinet and poured two small glasses of scotch, one of which she handed to him.
"Thank you," Ben said, his attention caught by a painting hanging above the fireplace. It was a watercolour, depicting a young girl with flowing auburn hair and piercing blue eyes. "Is that Evelyn?"
"Yes," Susan said. "Her father commissioned it for her eighteenth birthday. It was always his favourite, even more so than any photograph he ever had of her. She liked it too for a while."
"For a while?"
"After she married Edward, she came over one day and said that she wanted him to take it down. She thought it made her look fat." She shook her head."It was nonsense of course, but no doubt the thought was put there by someone. Anyway, my husband refused to remove it and I love looking at it. It reminds me of a different time."
"It's beautiful."
"Is my daughter all right?"
Ben looked at her, "How do you mean?"
"I'm not stupid, Mr Stone. It seems very unusual for you to come all the way up here to see her when she works in your office. Surely whatever you need to discuss could have been done earlier or at least wait until tomorrow." She took a breath. "Has something happened to her?"
Ben paused, wanting to tell her his suspicions and yet mindful how Evelyn might react if she found out he had been talking to her mother. And how much did she even know? Did she know Evelyn had been meeting Edward? Did she know she was in therapy? Did she even know Edward was capable of being violent?
"I hope not," he said, as honestly as he felt he could. "I really hope not."
XXXX
"Oh come on! Stay for another one!"
Evelyn drained her glass and put it down on the table. "No, I really can't."
"Please Rose, don't go."
She laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation, in particular the fact that she had given Matt and John a false name when the former had asked. It had been freeing in a way. Rose Wilson had none of the hang-ups, none of the problems, none of the concerns that Evelyn Burns had. She could concoct an entire background completely separate from the truth. She worked for an ad agency on Madison Avenue. She was single. She lived with her two cats. The lies had been endless and they had seemingly bought every one.
"Look, why don't we go on somewhere?" Matt suggested. "I know, let's go dancing!"
"Dancing?" she laughed. "On a Tuesday night?"
"Why not, it's New York!"
"I can't," she got unsteadily to her feet. "I have to work tomorrow, remember?" The thought of having to sit next to Ben in court at the start of the money-laundering trial with a thundering hangover was quickly working to sober her up.
"Come on..." Matt got to his feet and she suddenly realised how tall he was. "You can sit at your desk tomorrow and slowly die an alcohol induced death. Let's have fun tonight! I can tell just from the time we've spent together tonight that you're the kind of woman that likes to have fun."
"I really can't," she lifted her bag. "But thank you for the drinks. It was nice to meet you..." she made to move past him, but he grabbed her arm and, instantly, she could see Eddie's face.
"I don't think you understood me, sweetheart," he said, his voice low. "I want to go dancing and I want you to come with me."
"And I want to go home and you to go to hell," Evelyn replied, pulling her arm out of his grip and then running as fast as she could for the bar door, bumping into numerous other patrons as she did so. Once outside, she took in a deep lungful of air, turned around and had to grab onto a nearby lamppost to stop herself from falling to the ground.
XXXX
"I should go," Ben said, getting to his feet over an hour later and handing Susan his empty glass. "It's getting late."
"Yes I suppose so," she said mournfully. "I must say, it's not often I have a nice young man come to my apartment of an evening to talk to me, even if you were looking for Evelyn. She certainly didn't tell me what a good conversationalist you are."
Ben felt himself blush slightly at the compliment. He had managed to steer Susan away from worrying about Evelyn by talking about anything and everything he could think of. The older woman had eventually relaxed and had been regaling him with stories of her youth in Santa Barbra. She hadn't mentioned either Evelyn or Edward again. "Well it's been a pleasure talking to you," he replied.
"Do you see much of your own mother?"
"Well, she's back in Michigan," he replied. "I try to get back when I can, but..." a sudden bang caused him to break off and Susan to jump as what sounded like a door slamming back on itself, caused the apartment to reverberate.
"Shit," a female voice came from the hallway.
"Evelyn?" Susan got to her feet and moved towards the front door. "What in God's name...?" She moved out of his earshot but he could hear low murmuring voices coming from near the front door and a few moments later, Evelyn appeared.
She looked terrible. Her eyes were sunken in her pale face, her jacket was buttoned crookedly and the scarf Elizabeth had referenced had slid half off her neck. As she stepped further into the room, he could see for himself the marks on her neck.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her speech slightly slurred.
"I came to see if you were all right," he replied.
"Why?" He tried to keep his eyes on her face, but they involuntarily slipped to her neck again and, aware of it, she clumsily tried to retie the scarf with trembling hands. "I went for a drink."
"You reek of alcohol!" Susan exclaimed, coming in behind her. "Where have you been?"
"Does it matter?" Evelyn asked, her gaze never leaving Ben's face. "I'm a grown woman after all."
"Well, when Ben turned up here saying he was looking for you, I got concerned..."
"Well I didn't ask him to come."
"Uh...Mrs Nicholls..." he stepped forward, "would you mind terribly if I spoke to Evelyn alone for a minute?"
Susan looked between them, and whilst she looked as though she was about to object, she caught herself and nodded. "I'll be in my room." She left silently and neither Ben nor Evelyn spoke until they had heard the soft shutting of a door at the end of the hallway.
"What happened?" Ben asked.
"I went for a few drinks at a bar," Evelyn replied, taking off her jacket and throwing it onto the couch. "I got talking to some guys..."
"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it."
"Look Ben, it's been a really long day..."
"Edward did that to you, didn't he?" he gestured to her neck.
She sighed and sat down heavily on the couch. "So what if he did."
"Why did he do it?"
"Because he doesn't like the fact that I have a claim on his money and he thinks attacking me in a elevator is the best way of dealing with it. How did you know anyway?" she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes.
Ben swallowed hard against the anger in his throat at the casual way she depicted it. "Claire told me."
She laughed mirthlessly. "Good old Claire."
"She was concerned about you."
"Really."
"I'm concerned about you," he said, sitting down next to her. "First in the office, now this...you can tell me to mind my own business all you want but..."
"You're not my friend," she said pointedly. "Why do you care?"
Ben paused. "I am your friend."
"That's not what you said a few weeks ago. You reminded me that you were my superior and you've been reminding me of that fact ever since. Giving me the cold shoulder, treating me like shit...well, here's a fact for you, Ben. I don't need you." She tried to look brazen, but her eyes filled with tears and she ducked her head away.
Her words cut him, but he knew they were true. "I can come with you to the precinct."
"No."
"You could talk to Briscoe and Logan..."
"No!" she raised her head again, the tears now streaming down her face. "I am not reporting this! I'm not reporting any of it! Don't you understand? It would just make things a hundred times worse!"
"What could be worse than this?" he asked. "You're separated and he is still hurting you!"
"I can't..." her body started to shake with sobs. "I can't..." Instinctively, he pulled her to him, holding her as she cried, gently stroking her hair like he used to do with the kids when they were small and had nightmares. She clung to him as if she were a child and he suddenly realised that in the last fifteen years, she had most likely had nobody to cling to. Eventually, she started to quieten and her body grew still but she made no move to pull away from him. "The guys...the ones that I met in the bar tonight."
"What about them?"
"I think they wanted to fuck me. I think they would have too, if I'd given them half a chance. One of them grabbed my arm...is that all I am? Something to be grabbed, fucked and then...discarded?"
"No."
"Eddie never...he never wanted to...to hold me...afterwards...even if he'd been violent beforehand. He just...he just fucked me and that was that. A hole in a mattress. That's all I ever was." She drew back from him, her face inches from his own, her eyes dancing. Although he could hear his own voice in his head, could relive the conversation they had had three weeks earlier, he suddenly found his mouth moving against hers. He could taste the alcohol, could smell the smoke and yet he didn't care. He wanted her to know it didn't have to be like what she had had before.
"You wouldn't be just a hole in a mattress to me," he said softly when they broke apart.
"Ben..." she rested her forehead gently against his. "You said this couldn't happen again."
"I know what I said."
"Then we should stop." She shuffled to the other side of the couch and wiped her eyes. "There's no point in starting something we can't finish."
He felt instantly cold from the loss of her touch. "Evelyn..."
"Please Ben," she got to her feet. "My personal life is so complicated right now and...I'm drunk and I don't know what the hell I'm saying or doing so you'd better go before one of does something we're going to regret."
Reluctantly, he stood up. "Will you at least consider going to the police?" She said nothing and he decided it would be wrong to push it further. "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Bright and early," she replied. "Big trial starting after all." He stepped towards her, wanting to kiss her again, but she moved away from him and ducked her head again. "Goodnight Ben."
"Goodnight," he echoed. "Say goodbye to your mother for me."
"I will." She followed him to the door and as he made to open it, she put her hand on his arm. "Thank you."
"What for?" he asked, turning back towards her.
She shook her head sadly, "I'm not even sure I know."
