Rainy Nights Pt. 1

It was a rainy night. I was driving home. I couldn’t see a thing in front of me at all. I turned down the Celine Dion song blaring from my car radio since I couldn’t hear the directions. BANG! I stop the car and go in front of it. Walking in the rain alone sounds like something most people wouldn’t do for a lot of reasons, but I personally loved it. As a writer, it’s one of the most invigorating things I can do. Being cooped up in my workshop all day doesn’t do anything. I suddenly see a car but I can’t get out of the way. After that, there’s nothing. There’s just a void. I frantically get out of the car to see where the person who came in front of the car went. I couldn’t find them. I called 911 since my car got banged up terribly. The cold rain landed hard on me as I desperately begged for help. No one seemed to notice me on the ground. The next thing I know, I get brought into the police station.

“Do you know what happened?” the officer asks me.

“No, not a clue. I was just driving home and it was raining, next thing you know I’m here.” I say, shuddering under my thermal blanket.

“Well, we’re keeping you in custody due to a hit and run case.” the officer says while they hand me a glass of water. I got up out of my seat in a frenzy.

“Where’s my car, what happened, I have no clue what’s going on at all.” The officer leads me into an interrogation room and sits me down in a chair.

“From the details we have, you hit a pedestrian and drove off.”

“That can’t be, I couldn’t see a thing tonight. Officer, you know how foggy it was outside.” I said pleadingly.

“Well, based on what we have, it’s what seems plausible at the moment. Mr. Madrigal. I suggest you find yourself a good criminal lawyer.” I sat in the chair sobbing. Me, a murderer? There’s no way, I was definitely being framed.

“Do you know who you hit?” The officer asked. I shook my head no.

“You hit a New York Times best-selling author. Her name is Jessica Haven.” I recognized the name. I have no idea from where, but the name seemed familiar.

“I have a question, how did you identify the body so fast?”

“We had her next of kin come in and identify her.” I nodded solemnly. I requested to make a phone call and called up my family lawyer.

“YOU DID WHAT?” she screamed.

“I didn’t mean to- I--” I blubbered through tears.

“Dominic, this is out of hand, even for you! I can’t believe you actually drove home in the pouring rain while you were tipsy.”

“You’re worried about me being tipsy, why don’t we actually talk about the fact that I killed the Jessica Haven?”

“Don’t admit to your guilt yet, there’s still a chance for me to prove you innocent.”

“I CAN’T, don’t you see, I can’t. I can’t do this.” I say with my head in my hands. The tears start rolling down my cheeks.

“Your time to call is up, Mr. Madrigal.” says the officer sternly. I hang up the call and sit there in silence as they process my details. I see the Haven family pass through. All the memories start flooding back. Lily... That night. The drinks and the party at Wesleyan. My thoughts get interrupted by the officer telling me to register my fingerprints. Just as I am about to, Lily jumps in.

“Officer wait, wait just a moment,” she says. The lilt in her voice, the angelic blonde hair she kept perfectly coiffed, and the way she carried herself regally. She looks over at me.

I don’t see the love in her eyes anymore. She clearly hasn’t slept for more than 48 hours. The black circles around her eyes and the redness in them give it all away. She knows. She knows it all.

TO BE CONTINUED...