The next morning, Rose was just getting into Jack's car when her phone rang. She frowned, wondering who would be calling her at this hour before school.
"Who is that?" Jack leaned over and kissed her in greeting.
Rose shrugged. She really couldn't think of who would call her so early. She picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Rose Dewitt Bukater? This is the detective in charge of your father's case," a semi-familiar voice spoke, bringing Rose to full alertness. She hadn't been expecting this call, but the fact that the detective was calling meant something.
"Yes, this is she. What about my father's case? Have you found the person responsible?"
"We'd like to discuss it with you in person, Miss. Can you come down to the station?"
Rose glanced at the dashboard clock and winced. There really was no time. They had ten minutes to get to school. "I have to get to school...but I can stop by after school lets out."
"That would be preferable. I will be here waiting," The detective replied before hanging up.
Jack watched as Rose hung up. Her expression this time was unreadable, but he noticed the tension now bunched up in her posture. He took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. "Who was that?"
"The detective in charge of my father's case. I think they've solved it. You don't mind driving me down there after school do you?"
"Of course I don't mind,"Jack chuckled.
"I'm almost scared Jack. What if they didn't find the person and is closing the case?"
"I think it'd be a little too early to close it," Jack shrugged, pulling out of the driveway and driving towards school. "Relax, Rose. I'm sure that whatever they found out, it'll be one step closer to solving the case. Soon, you'll have closure and can move on...well as much as you can anyway. Losing a parent is something you don't ever really get over..."
Rose inwardly winced, remembering that Jack too had lost his parents. He, more than anyone, would know how she was feeling, even though his parents death was an accident and not out right murder.
"I feel like I'm losing the people I care most about...like they're slipping through my fingers somehow," Rose sighed. "I wanted so badly to talk to Katarina about last weekend...to share with her that I had made more progress...we had talked about it so many times. But I couldn't because she's...gone...," Rose squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the on-coming tears, hating herself for them. She had the time of her life this past weekend and should still be basking, not mourning her step-mother once again.
Jack's heart went out to his girlfriend. He wanted to take her in his arms and just let her cry it out, but he couldn't. All he could do was squeeze her hand. Let her know that it was going to be alright. That she will always have him, no matter what.
"I'm sorry, Jack. You must think I'm a horrible baby," Rose sniffed, wiping away her tears.
"I think no such thing. What I think is that you've lost more than any girl your age should have lost. That you have a lot to deal with. You miss Katarina. You miss the relationship you had. There's nothing babyish about that."
"What do you think, though? Be honest."
Jack sighed and looked at her before turning his eyes back to the road. "To be honest, I think that after today...you should put it to rest and start on the road to healing. Obsessing over who killed your father and step-mother won't bring them back and is unhealthy. Not to mention dangerous depending on who the killer is. I can't tell you what to do, but that's my thoughts on the situation."
"Noted," Rose sat back, not know what to think or how to react. On one hand, she was angry. How dare he say that she should put it to rest? Would he put to rest if he was in her situation? On another hand, he was right. Obsessing wouldn't bring them back and may draw unwanted attention from the killer.
…..
The school day dragged by for Rose. The lectures lasted too long and she could barely concentrate on what their friends were talking about between classes. Jack did most of the talking for them, realizing that she was preoccupied.
"Is Rose upset? Was the weekend not good?" Fabrizio asked at lunch, giving a worried glance towards Rose, who was zoned out, thinking of the coming meeting at the police station.
"Yeah. We thought the two of you would be more talkative," Helga replied.
"She's okay. She just has some things on her mind," Jack explained. "Don't worry about the weekend. It was great. Her silence has nothing to do with it."
Really, Jack was beginning to feel a little annoyed. Couldn't she at least try to pay attention to their friends? Then he felt guilty for feeling annoyed. Rose had lost her father and step-mother. The police may have found their killer, which was huge.
Finally the school day ended and Rose was eager to get to the police station. They drove in silence. Rose hoping that they had caught her father's murderer and Jack hoping that whatever this was would give Rose some closure so she could move on with her life. So she could concentrate on the future that they were to have together.
Rose had the door open just as Jack put the car into park.
"Rose, wait up!" He hurried out of the car and quickly walked after her to keep up.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I just want to hurry up and know what this is about. Get it over with."
"It's alright. Just don't leave me behind, alright? We're in this together."
Hand in hand, they entered the police station and approached the desk. This time the secretary didn't look so disinterested.
"You're here about the Dewitt Bukater case, aren't you? The detective is expecting you. Go on back. First room on the right," The secretary directed.
"Well that's different," Jack chuckled, giving Rose's hand a supportive squeeze.
They followed the secretary's directions and walked into a office that was brightly lit with beige walls. In front of a window, sitting behind the desk with files stacked up on it sat the detective that had called her that morning.
"Miss. Dewitt Bukater, I'm glad that you came by. I have some news on your father's case," The detective motioned for the teens to take the chairs in front of his desk.
"Have you found any information on who did it?" Rose asked, not wanting to jump to conclusions, but feeling hopeful all the same.
"Yes we have," The detective opened the folder, his face betraying no emotion as he looked back up at him. "Sadly, the DA had decided not to prosecute. That it would be too expensive and there's not enough proof...but I felt that you had a right to know so you can at least have some closure on this issue."
Rose's stomach dropped. They had the killer but weren't going to prosecute? That didn't make any sense. She had a sickening feeling that she already knew who it was and wasn't at all surprised that he wasn't going to be made to pay for what he had done. "Who is it?"
"The evidence that I had gathered points the blame at Nathan Hockley. The hardware store where the bomb supplies were purchased had described one of Hockley's men and another one don't have an alibi for the night before the explosion."
Rose sat back in her chair, not surprised at all. She had known it was Nathan Hockley. After all, her father had been one of the few lawyers willing to go neck to neck with him and call him out on his and his son's evil deeds. He had protected Constance from being railroaded in the murder of Cal. Of course it was Nathan.
"I take it that you are not surprised."
"I always suspected that it was him. Daddy had just defended the girl who had killed Cal in self defense. He had exposed Cal's crimes," She looked at the detective. "So when is he going to be arrested and put on trial?"
"He won't be arrested or put on trail, will he?" Jack answered for the detective, remembering what he had said. "The DA believes that it's an unwinnable case and that he's just too damn rich."
The detective guiltily looked away from the teens. "That's about the gist of it."
"What? But he killed my father and Katarina! They'd be alive today if it weren't for him!" Rose sat forward, rage and disbelief rushing through her veins.
"I know and I argued with the DA and argued, but they wouldn't budge. They don't want to put the time and energy to at least attempt to put the man away. They want a winning case and the way they see it, Hockley is too rich and will buy himself out of a conviction."
"That is bullshit...in that case, why prosecute mobsters or Hollywood directors? Why bother prosecuting anyone at all?! Poor Constance is in a mental hospital for killing that monster, yet Nathan Hockley gets away with destroying the only real family I had!"
"I'm so sorry. I wish it could be different. I wish I could lock Hockley up and throw away the key...but I can't. The only thing I can do is tell you who murdered your father so you can have some kind of closure," it was obvious that the detective meant his words. That he hated that there was nothing he could do to give this girl the justice that she deserved. It wasn't right how the justice system as a whole was failing her.
"Closure? What kind of closure can I get when my father's murderer can walk the streets without even a slap on the wrist? That's not closure at all," Rose got to her feet, just wanting to get out of there. "Thanks for letting me know, though. At least I know for sure who did it."
She walked out of the office, not saying a single word. She was just too angry...too devastated to know that her father and Katarina will never see justice.
…..
Jack could swear that he could cut the tension that now filled the car with a knife. He had never seen Rose so tense. Too tense to even cry, which he knew she wanted to, but just couldn't. She had a rage building inside her, almost the same kind of rage he had went through when his sister's rapist had been let out...except this was worse, because where his sister had some justice, her father was being denied his.
"I know it's not fair," Jack decided to speak, unable to take the silence anymore. "Nathan Hockley should be rotting away in jail for what he did. It's not fair that he's getting away with it. But you can't let it destroy you, Rose. That rage you're feeling right now...you need to release it...let it go before it does just that."
Rose still didn't answer. She couldn't. If she opened her mouth, she'll start screaming and most likely will never stop. She wanted to go somewhere and get a weapon and take justice herself. Do what the DA refused to do. But she was with Jack and she didn't want to drag him into anything.
The sound of seagulls brought Rose out of her thoughts and she frowned. She had thought that Jack was taking her home. As Jack parked, she wondered why he had brought her to the beach.
Jack got out of the driver's side of the car an went over to her side, opened the door, and held his hand out for her to take it. "Come on. Follow me."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see. You trust me, right?"
Rose simply nodded. "Of course."
"Well then come on. Come with me," Jack took her hand and pulled her out of the car. "You'll know where we're going soon enough."
She followed him a few feet away from where the car was parked and down to a cave that looked out onto the ocean, but was mostly hidden from view. Stepping inside, she immediately recognized it. It was the cave where her and Jack had decided to become more than friends.
"This cave is far enough away from the beach that no one can see or hear you, plus the tide covers up everything."
"Why are we here, Jack?"
"Because, you have all this pent up rage inside and it's going to build and build until it explodes. You need to release it...let it go."
"And how do you suggest I do that?" Rose frowned, not getting Jack's explanation.
"No one can hear you up here, Rose. You can yell, scream, throw something...you can do anything up here to release the rage building up. You don't have to worry about anyone hearing and seeing you."
Rose was quiet for a few minutes, not knowing what to do or say. "What if I don't want to let it go?"
"You have to. Or it'll come out on it's own why you least want it to. Besides, you're hurting yourself keeping it in," Walked up to her and gently took her by the shoulders. "Come on Rose. Let it go. It's just us here. Just let it go..."
She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling with herself. A part of her wanted to hang onto her rage and let it just propel her to do what the DA refused to do, but another part of her just wanted it to end. The pain, the grief, all of it. She just wanted to stop hurting.
"I...I don't know how to let it go..."
"Scream."
"What?"
"Scream. Ball it all up and send it out by screaming at the top of your lungs."
"I can't just do that, Jack. I need a reason to scream."
"Well I say that you have plenty of reasons. Your father is gone. Your step-mother who you had loved is gone and the man that took them from you will never have to pay for it."
"Shut up Jack," Rose stepped away from him, not wanting to hear anymore.
"He will never have to go to jail."
Rose stared at Jack as if he was another person. Why was he doing this? "Shut up, Jack"
He was getting to her. He could see the rage boiling up behind her eyes. All it would take was a few more pushs.
"He'll get to walk the streets, breathing, eating, doing everything your father will never do again."
"Shut up!"
"He took away your family and no one cares enough to make him pay...to.."
"I said shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
Rose's rage completely over came her as she demanded for Jack to shut up. Her small fists pounded on his shoulders as tears began to flow, his words striking her, digging up more and more of the rage that had filled her in the police station.
Jack just took it, letting her small fists beat against his shoulders painlessly, gripping her shoulders as her cries turned into screams of frustration and hurt and pain and finally died away into sobs, with her collapsing against him, exhausted and miserable. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered her down into a sitting position, where he had her sit on his lap and held her against his chest as she cried. He stroked her hair, kissing the red tresses as he held her in his arms.
"That's right, baby. Let it go. Get it all out of your system...all that rage and grief...purge it right here..."
They didn't know how long that they stayed in that spot, but it was long enough for the stars to be shining outside of the cave. Sniffling, Rose sat up, wiping away her remaining tears. Her voice was hoarse from all the screaming and crying that she had done.
"I'm sorry...for hitting you..."
"Don't be. It was for a good cause," Jack gave a wry smile. "You feeling better?"
"Some. What time is it?"
Jack looked at his clock and winced. "Ten o'clock. I better get you home..."
"I don't want to go home. I want...I don't know what I want...just don't want to go back to that house...it just reminds me that they're gone..."
"Oh Rose," Jack sighed, wiping away a stray tear. "I wish I could bring you home with me, but I think your mother would have a problem with that."
Her fingers gripped his shirt. "Can't we stay here a little bit longer?"
"Ten more minutes and then we have to go, alright?"
She nodded, snuggling closer to him. Now that she knew no justice was to be had, she felt at a loss at what to do now. She wanted to punish Nathan Hockley for what he did. But she was only a teenage girl. The only thing she could do was go on with her life, go to school, and perhaps someday become something that will make sure that people like Nathan Hockley will not get away with murder. Maybe...just maybe...by time that happens, she can be the one putting the murderous millionaire where he belongs.