Chapter 8
"What do you remember?"
"We were walking down seventy-fifth, and he said, 'Carter can have you'. That's all I remember." Abby didn't even think about who she was telling this to.
It was just a wisp of a memory. She had turned towards Luka, and he had said, "Carter can have you," and then...what had happened next? What had happened before that? And why couldn't she remember it?
"Did he tell you what else happened?" Carter asked.
Abby nodded. "And I know it doesn't make any sense, but I believe him. He just seemed sincere this time. I really felt like he was telling the truth."
"So what are you gonna do?"
Abby shrugged. "I really don't know. I mean, I don't think he did it, but I don't have any reason to, except for the fact that it doesn't sound like him. Should I drop the charges just on the basis of that?"
"I don't know. I don't know what to tell you. If you want my opinion, yes, you should press charges. You've been dating Luka for a year, so of course you want to believe in his innocence. But let's face it, all the evidence is pointing to him. There are two eyewitnesses, he lied to the police, AND he lied to you. Doesn't that tell you something?"
"I guess you're right," Abby said reluctantly. All the evidence was pointing to Luka; why should she believe he wasn't guilty?
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"It's fifty cents, mister."
Luka rifled through his pockets and discovered a hole in the bottom of it. "Nevermind," he said with a sigh as he placed the paper back on the newsstand. Could anything else go wrong today?
Well, at least he was still free. He would be standing trial soon for the attack on Abby, and he had a feeling that after that, freedom would be a thing of the past.
Abby sighed as she walked through the park, absently kicking a can down the path. Her head hurt, and she was still lightheaded, but she had to get out of the house.
She needed to think. Did she believe Luka's story, or was he lying to her once more?
She was concentrating so hard on Luka that when she saw him walking across the park, she thought it was her imagination. But then she realized that he was really there, and that apparently, he didn't see her.
"Luka!" she called out.
"I was trying to have fun, is that a crime?"
"Why don't you just call me a whore and get it over with?"
"You're not that pretty, you're not that special."
"At least I'm not married to a ghost."
"I put up with a lot, Abby."
"Why don't you just break up with me?"
"I'm done, I'm done, okay? Carter can have you."
"Abby, are you okay?" Luka asked, shaking her gently. Abby was standing stock still, a shocked expression on her face.
"I remember," she said, slightly dazed. "I remember what happened."
It was like a bucket of memories had just been dumped on her head. One minute she knew nothing, the next she knew everything. All the information came crashing in on her, and it was like having old wounds opened. She remembered the sting of Luka's words; she cringed when she thought of the things they had said to each other.
Luka was almost as shocked as she was. "You...remember? Everything?"
Abby nodded. "Everything," she said. She felt awkward now. To him, the words of last week had probably already been forgotten; but to her, she was living them all over again. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she said quietly. "I just didn't know-"
"It's alright, Abby," Luka said. "You had no reason to if you couldn't remember."
"I should have believed you," she said, clasping her hands in front of her. How had she ever thought that Luka could arrack her like that? Sure, he had yelled, and called her names, but he would never hit her over the head with something just because he was mad.
"We have to go to the police," she said, grabbing his arm, dragging him towards the El. She had no idea where the nearest police station was, but she knew how to get to the one by her apartment.
Luka was relieved. So the truth was finally going to come out. He felt relief like he hadn't in years. Maybe these weren't the last of his free days.
"Everyone thinks you're guilty. We have to tell them you didn't do it," Abby said quickly, pulling him up the stairs of the platform. Luka felt relief like he hadn't in years. He finally had an ally; finally, someone who believed him. Really, she was the only one who mattered.
Abby ran up the stairs and he was right behind her. He felt almost giddy; for the first time in a long time, things were going right in his life. Abby could tell the police what had really happened, and the charges would be dropped.
Luka was so eager to get to the police station, he got to the top of the stairs ahead of Abby. She was still several steps behind, and as she put her foot on the next step, the dizziness that she had been battling for days came over her again, and she swayed, then leaned backward, her eyes closing momentarily. Luka tried to grab her, to reach out and catch her before she fell, but he was too far, and she was just beyond his grasp.
Abby fell backwards, plunging down all 36 stairs. When she finally got to the bottom, she simply laid there motionless, and Luka knew that this was the worst thing that could have happened.