Nolan laughed, but it sounded harsh and ugly. “I actually believed him when he said the relationship with her was all for show.”
He fell silent for a moment. “You know what he used to make me do?”
I knew he wasn’t expecting an answer, so I didn’t respond, other than to cover his hand with mine where it was clenched on his thigh. He hadn’t remembered to put his gloves on, and I’d taken mine off when I’d opened the cage for the raccoons, so our skin came into direct contact.
“He used to make me do these private performances for him and his friends. Sometimes his girlfriend would be there and I’d have to play while they held hands and stuff. It was like I became a possession to him…like that damn violin.”
The pain in Nolan’s voice hurt my heart and I found myself putting my arm around his shoulders and tucking him up against my side. I was glad when he dropped his head on my shoulder.
“It took almost three years for me to come to my senses and end the relationship. The day after I told him I was leaving him, the violin disappeared from my apartment. Trey told the police I’d taken it to get back at him because I was obsessed with him. He told them he’d only been helping me out by paying for the apartment and stuff because I was broke. When I told them I’d given all my money to Trey to invest for me, they didn’t find any proof of any investments.”
I stiffened and forced Nolan to sit up so I could type out a message.
He stole your money?
Nolan nodded. “All I had left was about five thousand in my checking account. I’d given Trey access to all my accounts, so I never knew when he took the money or what he did with it, but the police couldn’t link any of the transactions back to him. They believed Trey’s story that I took the violin. They accused me of stealing it to both get back at Trey and because I was hoping to sell it on the black market.”
What happened? Did they charge you?
Nolan shook his head and dashed at his eyes. “No, but it was close. The cops found surveillance footage of someone my size and height taking the violin from the building. But I had an alibi for when it happened. I’d flown to London to audition with the orchestra there. Trey hadn’t known about it. The cops were able to see that whoever took it had some kind of tattoo on his arm. They accused me of having a friend steal it, but they didn’t have any proof, so they couldn’t charge me.”
So it was never found?
“No. Trey told anyone who would listen that I took it. He was really powerful in the community and everyone believed him over me. He ruined my reputation – no orchestra will hire a musician who steals. The cops…they even came out here to question my parents,” he whispered.
Your parents, they believed you, right?
He didn’t answer, which was answer enough.
Is that why you came back to Pelican Bay? I asked.
Nolan shook his head. “Um, no. My plan was to take what little money I had left and just disappear. Maybe get a job teaching music somewhere. Then my mom called to tell me my dad had a partial stroke and told me I needed to come back to help her take care of him. I thought it would just be for a few weeks…”
The truth of the situation hit me when I remembered Nolan’s sheer desperation for a job. If he’d had some money saved up, it meant he hadn’t been the one with money trouble.
Which left his parents.
Jesus, had he really used his money to bail out the parents who hadn’t believed their own son when he’d denied taking the violin?
“You know what the worst part is?” Nolan said softly. He looked at me briefly before turning his attention back to the raccoons. “When Trey had the locks to my apartment changed, he left my clothes in garbage bags with the doorman. But he wouldn’t give me back the violin I’d been using before he gave me the Stradivarius.” Nolan shook his head. “I’d saved for so long for that violin. It was worth practically nothing to a guy like him. But he knew what it meant to me…what it meant to be able to play every day, whether I was performing or not.”
I fought the unholy urge to hunt Trey down and kick his ass.
After a few minutes of silence, Nolan turned to me and said, “Thanks for bringing me, Dallas. I like knowing he has a chance now.” He motioned to the family of raccoons. The baby Nolan had saved was slightly smaller than its adopted sibling, but it had grown strong under its new mother’s care.