Page 297 of Cross Checked
Lansen’s face did not change. Harrison’s personal lawyer, who stood in our room with a tablet tucked against his side, watched the screen with the calm focus of a man who already knew the answer.
“I will not discuss graphic details out of respect for everyone involved,” Lansen said. “What I can say is that investigators are looking closely at Mr. Dempsey’s behavior leading up to the incident, including evidence that he may havebeen in an unstable psychological state when he entered the arena.”
Lie.
Not because Luke wasn’t disturbed.
He was.
The lie was in the delivery language.
I had learned enough in three days to understand that truth and justice were not always the same thing, and sometimes people with power took the ugliest truth in the room and dressed it in something the public could swallow.
Luke was a crazed stalker now. Luke had a mental break. Luke had attacked Cade for reasons nobody understood yet. Luke had done strange, violent things before the attack turned outward.
Lie after lie, all carefully arranged around the truth they were smothering. Every lie was building a wall around Cade.
And me.
Knox returned to the podium to answer on behalf of the investigators. “We also understand Mr. Dempsey had experienced a series of personal and professional struggles in recent years. He was no longer employed by Kimball Falls Fire Department and had been under investigation related to suspicious arson activity. I want to be very clear that this is an active investigation, and we will not speculate beyond what police have confirmed.”
My head turned slowly toward Ryker and Ryan, who were already looking at me.
Suspicious arson activity… Fired from the fire department… Under investigation.
My mouth went dry, and my dad’s face had gone gray. Lyon swore under his breath, low and vicious. Kellen whispered, “What the hell?”
Ryker’s expression tightened, but he didn’t speak.
Not yet.
Lansen returned to the microphone. “Coach Little will now speak on behalf of KFU Fury hockey.”
Coach Little stepped forward, and somehow that was the moment I almost lost it. Not with Knox in uniform. Not with Lansen lying beautifully. But with Coach Little standing in front of those microphones looking like a man trying to talk about hockey when his captain was breathing through pain down the hall.
“Cade Mercer will not be returning for the remainder of this semester,” Coach said. “His health is the priority. He will take the time he needs to recover, regain strength, and return to the ice and his studies when his doctors confirm he is ready. Our expectation is that Cade will rejoin the Fury next semester to complete his senior year. Until then, the Fury team, the university, and his family ask for privacy.”
Another reporter pushed forward. “Coach, can you comment on how this affects Mercer’s future with the Saginaw Icers? There are reports their head coach has been following him closely and that Mercer was widely expected to be drafted after the season.”
Coach’s expression shifted for half a second. A little pride and a lot of grief, like fury wrapped in loyalty.
“Cade Mercer’s future is bright because Cade Mercer is one of the best hockey players I’ve ever coached,” he said. “That hasn’t changed. If anything, Friday night proved what everyone in this room already knows. He is a fighter. But hockey can wait. Right now, our captain needs to heal.”
Briggs made a broken sound and turned away. Easton’s jaw clenched as Aura gently stroked his back. Rider stood and turned to look out the window, probably hiding whatever emotion swarmed through him at Coach Little’s words.
Ryan just closed his eyes.
I stared at the television until Coach Little blurred.
Our captain needs to heal.
The press conference ended ten minutes later with Lansen Hawthorne refusing questions about me, refusing questions about Luke’s family, refusing to discuss Cade’s injuries beyond serious but survivable, and refusing to let anyone turn the attack into a spectacle while the man who had saved my life slept beneath layers of bandages and prayers down the hall.
The second Knox returned from the press conference, Harrison turned to me.
“We need to talk.”
No one argued with him. No one said not now or she’s too tired or let her rest.
