Chapter 39 – The Outsider – Holly Hayfield

Lilith and I returned to my place mostly empty handed. All we really had to go on was a name and the image of this unknown girl standing off to the side of a picture. I would’ve liked to find context to that picture. Instead, we ended up with another mystery. Why wasn’t Malorie credited on her own painting? Who was Vivian Hale?

The thing that bothered me the most was Malorie’s exclusion from a piece of her legacy. Malorie, a gifted artist, was being denied her mark on this world in the form of credit thievery. The fact made me think of something that I learned about in a history class. The USSR would doctor photos to edit out political enemies and alter historical texts to fit their agenda. That was what this felt like. It felt like something was being covered up and this Vivian Hale person was obscuring the path to the truth.

None of this new information was lost on Lilith, of course. She wouldn’t let me hear the end of it on the way out of the library. I managed to get her to stop talking about it once my mom arrived to pick us up, but she started texting me. My mom didn’t seem to pay us any attention as Lilith sent me text after text inside the car. This was just like when we learned new information about Ms. Logan. She wasn’t going to stop until she had played out every single theory she had.

Once we were back in my bedroom she went back to talking about how mysterious it was that Malorie wasn’t credited.

“Doesn’t that part of the story depress you to think about?” I asked her.

“Which part is that?” She asked.

“Malorie poured her heart into her artwork. We know that for a fact thanks to her diary. In parts of her diary, she wrote about how much work she put in to get even a little better at painting. To have her most esteemed, tangible piece of work stolen from her like that hurts me in a way that’s hard to explain. That’s what I’m asking about.” I said.

Lilith sat beside me on the bed and plopped back into one of my pillows. She pulled her legs up onto the bed and stretched her arms and legs out. I was happy to see that she was making herself comfortable.

“Hmm… That’s a hard question. I can’t really answer it because I don’t have any real unique abilities like that. I’ve always considered myself creative but not anywhere near Malorie’s level.” She said.

“It forces you to put things into perspective, doesn’t it?” I asked. “Malorie went missing when she was what, 17, or maybe 18? If you had shown me that award winning painting without anyone’s name attached to it I would’ve thought it was professional.”

Lilith sat back up on the bed and looked at me seriously.

“That’s why Malorie’s name not being included in on the painting is a serious crime. I mean, I can’t imagine why they would leave her out of it.” She said.

“We need to learn the context that this artwork was submitted under.” I said. “It isn’t enough to know why.”

“That’s one issue amongst many.” Lilith said. “We can spend all weekend coming up with theories but nothing is going to progress until we go directly to the source.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“You want to go to Ms. Logan with all this? If we spill the beans then she could find out what we’re up to.”

“Not to her.” Lilith said, “I want to talk to the other girl, Vivian Hale.”

“We don’t have her contact information.”

Lilith grinned.

“No, we have much more than that.” She said.

She hopped out of bed to take her laptop out of her sleepover bag. She popped the lid open and sat back down beside me.

“We have her full name, the high school she attended, pictures of her from 10 years ago, and a general idea of the area she lived in based on school zoning. We just need to be creative about how we utilize this information.” She said.

“Yeesh, you might be a little too good at this type of thing. Don’t you ever think you might be taking your web researching skills too far?” I asked.

“Hah,” Lilith laughed, “This is one of the few noteworthy abilities I actually have. There’s no award for this type of private researching though, too bad.”

Lilith clacked away on her keyboard as she researched Vivian Ava Hale. I got my own laptop out and started my own investigation to see what I could find out about Malorie’s award winning artwork. There was a minor newspaper piece about the library art contest from back then. I found the article in the online archives of a local newspaper’s website. Their website was so unflattering and archaic that they didn’t even have a proper user interface for the system. All the old newspapers were just uploaded as image sets that had to be scanned through manually.

The particular article I found on the topic wasn’t much, but it did give me something critical. A date. The award ceremony happened in May of that year. That would’ve been the last month of school for Malorie’s graduating class. Then I cross referenced that information with another article I found titled “Missing Malorie” from the same year. Malorie went missing in March of that year.

“I’ve found something.” I said.

“Me too,” Lilith said.

“It turns out that Malorie went missing before her painting was submitted to the library’s competition.” I said.

“That just reinforces the theory that Vivian Hale and Ms. Logan had close connections with Malorie’s disappearance and wanted to keep things under cover. If the painting won with Malorie’s name on it then it would’ve been the object of media attention.” Lilith said.

“That means they were protecting themselves.” I added. “We can’t trust either one of them to be honest about Malorie’s fate.”

“That’s no surprise.” Lilith said, “I think we just came across a major suspect in the case.”

Lilith turned her laptop towards me and revealed a web file on Vivian Hale. The top of the page had Vivian’s identification information along with mug shots of her below it. I instantly recognized the file as a police arrest report. This file was the detailing of an arrest during a drunken altercation at a bar. At the lower part of the file there was extensive listings of prior offenses before this one. Vivian Hale was a repeat criminal.

The most amazing thing about the pictures in the file was just how much she had aged in 10 years. The stressful nature of her life showed in her prematurely wrinkled face. Her hair was graying dramatically in spots despite the fact that she was still fairly young. Going by the glassy, distant look in her eyes I didn’t even need to check the prior offense list to know that she had a history of drugs. This was the look of someone that had tapped out of reality.

When I read the prior offense list it was like reading a narrative of a troubled woman’s life. She had minor drug offenses that eventually led to larger drug offenses. During that same time period she had offenses of domestic violence in which she was convicted as the aggressor. She spent two years behind bars and another on probation. After that, she had arrests for driving under the influence and public indecency. This woman was suffering in a more self-destructive manner than Ms. Logan, which was saying something.

“Damn,” I said as I looked over the file. “What a damaged soul.”

“Not surprising,” Lilith said. “Given how Ms. Logan turned out I expected this woman would have her own set of issues. This was just more than I would’ve reasonably estimated.”

“So then the follow-up question is, was she always like this or was Malorie a catalyst in this woman’s life story like in Ms. Logan’s?” I asked. “I mean, she was probably a delinquent before she finished high school after all.”

“I don’t think we can assume that just based on a few pictures and the fact that she went to our school. Whether or not students from our school can become constructive members of society has more to do with their world-view, I think. If they go through their experiences and learn from them then they can potentially move forward.” Lilith said.

“That’s rather optimistic coming from you.” I said. “I would’ve expected a more pessimistic view given how you tend to keep your distance from the other students.”

“Yeah, well…” She grumbled, “I guess you could say I have a personal investment in that theory holding weight, being a student at the same school and all. It’s not that I hate people outright. I just don’t trust them.”

“Do you trust me?” I asked.

“I do, for the time being.” She said.

That was such a measured way of responding to my question. My status as her friend was being held in suspension, even now. If that was the way she regarded me then how did she regard the other members of Val’s student council nominee group? The phrase ‘for the time being’ felt so finite. It was like she was awaiting one slip-up from me to revoke that status.

“All of our questions about Vivian don’t need to be up in the air like they are now.” Lilith said.

“You know a way to get more answers?” I asked.

“I do.” Lilith said.

She reached over to where her phone was resting on my nightstand. She unlocked her phone and pulled up the dialing pad.

“Her police report led me to a home address. The home address led me to a phone number. That phone number gave me an idea.” Lilith said deviously. “I want you to call her pretending to be with the student council group from our school. Tell her we’re looking into past art from our school and want to talk.”

Lilith was once again coming at me with a dangerous request. It wasn’t like she was doing this obliviously either. She knew this was dangerous. We just went through a laundry list of past convictions this woman had and now Lilith wanted to cold call her? She was batting out of her league.

“You’ve got a serious issue if you think I’m going to just call her out of the blue to talk to her directly! Are you absolutely mad, Lilith? This woman is a convicted criminal!”

Lilith’s eyes turned fiery and she sat up on her knees.

“She might be the criminal that we’re looking for! We just need a way to confirm it!” She said.

I shook my head.

“Lilith, I’ve been helping you with your private investigation because I like hanging out with you. This is where I draw the line. You’re asking me to head into dangerous territory! You aren’t even willing to talk to her yourself! You’re volunteering me for the hard part once again!”

“That’s because you’re better at this type of thing!” She said. “I wouldn’t ask you if I didn’t think you’d be the best for it! We’re friends, right? You can do this for me, can’t you?”

“Don’t do that.” I said. “Don’t put me in a position like that. It’s not fair.”

“Think about it Holly, please? This woman could be absolutely crucial towards learning new information about Malorie, and about what really happened 10 years ago. If we don’t pursue this then it might be weeks or months before we get another lead! We might not ever get another chance like this.”

“I said no! I don’t want to get my hands dirty like this.”

Lilith slumped back and sighed. She looked down at her phone, perhaps to make the call herself. Then she looked back at me and reached her hand out to mine.

“I know I’m asking a lot of you.” She said. “But you’re the only person I can rely on. I can’t trust Sam, Valentina, or Jay the way I trust you. I know you’re the best one at creating a bridge between people because you even created a bridge between us. Will you at least consider it?” She asked.

Her eyes were working their magic on me. She had never shown me such a soft side of herself like this. I held onto her hand tightly.

“This means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” I asked.

“It means the world to me.” She said. “I know I can’t force you to regard Malorie’s story the same way I do, but maybe we can make a compromise? If you make the call then I’d be willing to do anything you want to do this weekend.”

“Anything I want to do…?” I asked.

“Yes, no matter how ridiculous it is. You can paint my nails. I could give you a back massage. Maybe you can take me wherever you want tomorrow? I’m willing to do whatever you want to do.”

This was quite the sacrifice she was willing to make. She was normally so resigned to her comfort zone that it was difficult to pull her out of it. This opened the door to potentially just hanging out like normal teenagers after one stupid phone call. That was all I wanted this weekend anyways. One call and we could put the Malorie business aside for the weekend. That sounded nice, but there was something I wanted even more.

“I’ll make the call under two conditions.” I said.

“Name them,” Lilith said.

“First, once we’re finished with the call you have to promise me no more investigation for the weekend. We can still talk about our discoveries and theories, but I really just want to hang out together.”

“That’s fine. This is the last thing I’ll ask you to do this weekend.” Lilith said.

“The next thing…” I started to say. It was harder to find the appropriate words for what I wanted. It was of a much more personal nature. “You have to let me hold you while I make the call.”

“What?” Lilith asked in confusion.

“When I call Vivian Hale let me hold onto you like a stuffed bear. It’ll help keep me calm and focused. Plus, I’ll put it on speaker phone so we can both hear. It’ll be best if we’re close together for that.”

Lilith laughed. I rubbed my hands nervously. I realized I must’ve sounded silly.

“Haha! What the hell kind of stupid request is that?”

She laughed some more and I was beginning to get a little frustrated.

“Fine, I won’t call her then.”

Lilith immediately stopped laughing.

“Wait! No! That’s not what I mean. I’ll definitely do it. I just thought the request was funny, that’s all. I thought you were going to ask me to do something more difficult or time consuming. Holding me in a bear hug wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. It just seems off the wall.” She said.

“Well, I just want to hold onto you. If you’re willing to do it I’ll call her.”

“Fine,” Lilith said, “Am I supposed to sit in your lap or something?”

“Not exactly, just sit in front of me. I’ll put my legs around you.”

Lilith did as I asked.

“Like this…?” She asked.

“Yeah, just lean back into me a little more.” I said.

When she was in place I put my arms around her waist. I wrapped my arms around her until my hands were resting on her sides. She was so incredibly soft and her body felt warm against me. This was the sort of contact I was craving for a long time. She smelled nice as well. She was wearing the same body wash and shampoo I was, but somehow the experience felt different when it was on someone else.

“Rest your hands on mine.” I said.

“How are you going to make the call with no hands?” She asked.

“Rest just one hand then,” I said.

“Fine. There, are you happy?” She asked dully as she did what I said.

“I am.”

“What’s the significance of this pose?” She asked plainly. “Is this supposed to be something sexually stimulating? I don’t get it. My body isn’t a body that can be considered arousing anyways.”

“It isn’t about that.” I said. “It’s about the physical connection between two kindred spirits.”

Lilith laughed mockingly.

“Don’t tell me you subscribe to some sort of metaphysical nonsense.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just saying that I like being this close to you.”

“Why?” She asked.

“It feels nice.” I said.

“I don’t get it.” She said.

“Maybe it’s a feeling that has to be acquired over time.” I said. “Back when I would hold my friend Ellie like this she’d let herself go and fall asleep. I think you just have to let your body relax.”

“It’s hard to relax when you’re holding me so tight.”

“Sorry, I’ll loosen up… Is that better?”

“I guess so.”

Here I was feeling as high as a kite while Lilith was bored out of her mind. Maybe she didn’t have any physical needs at all. Maybe I was the weird one, as she was suggesting. Still, even under these circumstances I was grateful to be in this position. I wanted to stay like this all night, although she’d never let me.

“Alright Miss Cuddle-bear, it’s time to live up to your end of the bargain.” She said.

She picked up her phone and handed it to me.

“The number is already dialed in. It’ll be listed as an anonymous call on her ID. All you need to do is press call and we’ll begin.”