Escape Theory

CHAPTER 12




Name: Isla Martin

Session Date: Oct. 3

Session #3



“I wasn’t sure if you were going to show up today or not,” Devon said. “I’m glad you did.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I’m going to talk to you about anything.” Isla stared up at the ceiling. “I know you’re just here to rat on us to Wyler.”

“But you’re here anyway. Is there something you want to talk about?”

Isla shrugged and turned the window, pretending to be bored. Let her talk first. She picked at her nails, which were even more ragged and chipped than usual.

“Okay, fine.” Devon gave in. “There is something I want to talk about with you. You and Matt? How long has that been going on?”

Isla pressed her lips together. The veins in her neck seemed to tighten.

“Did you hear what I said?” Devon asked, purposely being overly polite.

She slowly brought her eyes back to Devon. “Matt? We’re not like a thing or anything. It’s just that, since Hutch, you know, Matt’s the only person that really gets what it’s like.”

“What it’s like to lose someone close to you?”

“Yeah, that. And.…” Isla looked out the window again.

“And.…” Devon tried to draw out the answer.

“Forget it. It’s nothing.” Isla snapped. She lifted up her sleeve to scratch at her arm, and Devon noticed a series of scratches scabbed and hidden underneath Isla’s shirt. “I know who it is,” she added, answering an unasked question.

“Who what is?”

“The slut that Hutch was with. It’s your little freshman BFF, Raven.”

Devon forced herself to look down and pretend to write something in her notebook, frightened her face would betray her feelings.

“After Bodhi got arrested at the game, Matt told me that Bodhi and his little sister worked on the Hutchins vineyard over the summer,” Isla went on. “That little day student with her crappy Volvo. Just cause she surfs, she thinks she’s all local and cool, but they’re just a bunch of losers.” She glared at Devon as she spoke, daring her to defend Raven and Bodhi.

“I heard that they worked there this summer. But that doesn’t—”

“I knew it! I knew you would defend the lying bitch.” Spit flew from Isla’s mouth as she yelled.

“Isla, I’m not defending anyone. I just want to help.”

“Spare me, Devon. You’re not my shrink. That’s why Hutch got the pregnancy test for her. She was too afraid to tell her pharmacist brother because he and Hutch were tight. Bodhi would have killed Hutch if he found out.” But all Devon heard was killed Hutch. Even though she didn’t want to believe it, Raven could have been, could even still be, pregnant with Hutch’s baby. And when she factored in that Bodhi had access to the car and the beer and the Oxy—and could have easily met Hutch at the Palace by driving up one of Reed’s fire roads—Isla’s theory wasn’t too far from the one Devon had been halfway to forming.

“What makes you say that? I mean, ‘kill’ is a big word.” What did Isla know about Bodhi that Raven didn’t let on?

“Please, you saw Matt’s face. All those Monte Vista guys are the same. They’re not smart enough, so they think beating everyone up is the solution to their problems.”

“Yeah, I was wondering what happened to Matt.” Devon tried to look curious.

“Duh. They jumped him. Of course they see some rich Keaton kid walking down the beach, so they think it’s cool just to beat him up and take his money. Anyway, Matt told me that you saw the whole thing. Let’s just stop bullshitting each other, okay?”

Devon let the slightest laugh out.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just, I’m not sure that’s the only side to that story. Bodhi did get a scholarship to MIT. Is it possible that Matt told you what he wanted you to believe?”

“What does that mean? I’m actually telling you something here and you think I’m lying? Nice work, they teach you that in therapy school?” Isla scratched at her arm again.

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me. Forget I said anything.”*

“Look, I trust Matt, okay? He wouldn’t lie to me.” Isla laughed to herself. “He wouldn’t.”

“What are you laughing at?”

“It’s just our thing. We don’t lie to each other. When we got together we promised that over the summer we wouldn’t lie unlike everyone else in our lives.”

“Wait? Over the summer? So you got together last year?” Devon sat a little straighter in her chair.

Isla looked out the window again. Studied her nails, trying to look nonchalant. But Devon could see the raised veins in her neck again. Finally she sighed. “Whatever. It’s not like Hutch is around to be all shocked now. Yes, Matt and I started hooking up a little last year while I was still technically with Hutch. We didn’t see each other over the summer or anything, so it’s not like we totally stabbed him in the back.”

“Right. You just slightly stabbed him in the back?” She bit her lip. Stupid. Above all, a peer counselor was never supposed to condemn a subject for any behavior, but Devon’s mind wasn’t on her training right now.

“I don’t have to take this from you,” Isla said.

Focus on the session. “Hey, I’m just trying to put all the pieces together. Like, when Cleo got you that pregnancy test you thought it was because she heard something about the night Hutch died? What would she have heard, Isla? That you were sleeping with his best friend on the night Hutch died? Was that it?”

Isla shook her head, but she wouldn’t meet Devon’s eyes. Devon shifted in her chair. Maybe she was playing “bad cop” now and yelling at Isla until she owned up to her mistakes, but she knew she had already crossed any counseling boundaries and there was no “good cop” to save the day. Isla had disrespected Hutch, lied to him, cheated on him. Devon couldn’t change that no matter how much she hated her for it. She steadied her breathing and tried to bring herself back to the moment. This was all about how to help Isla. How to help lying, cheating, drug-abusing Isla.

“No,” Isla said after a long silence. “You’re spinning this to make me look like the slut here when it was that freshman who went behind my back and slept with Hutch and got herself pregnant. It’s her fault. All of it.”

“Isla,” Devon sighed. Isla wasn’t making sense. Her illicit relationship with Matt had been exposed but instead of justifying it, or even lying about it, she was fixated on Raven. This pregnancy had really hit a nerve for some reason. That’s what Devon needed to help her with. “Whoever Hutch may have gotten pregnant doesn’t have anything to do with you. That was Hutch’s business. It’s not a judgment about you.”

“No, no, it’s all connected.” Isla shook her head, sure of herself, getting worked up. “It’s all part of the same thing. Hutch always thought he was better than me.” Isla scratched at her arm again, digging deeper into her skin without flinching.

“Okay. Let’s just calm down for a second, take a few deep breaths.”

“And you. You sit there thinking you’re better than me, too. You just wish it was you with Hutch last year, don’t you? Yeah, that’s it. You’re jealous I got to screw him all year long and you sat in your little room holding onto your virginity like you were a princess or something. Well, you and your little friend Raven better watch your backs because Hutch isn’t here to protect you anymore.” Isla’s hands were shaking now. She squeezed her eyes shut and fell back into her chair. “I don’t feel good,” she whispered.

What do you do when your subject freaks out? Where was that in the training book? “Isla, are you on something right now? I know this isn’t you talking; it’s the drugs. What are you taking?” Devon reached out and held onto Isla’s hands. Devon couldn’t watch her scratch herself up anymore. “We’re going to find Matt. Okay? Matt can help you.”

“I don’t need any help,” Isla said as her chest heaved.

“It’s okay to ask for help if you need it.” Did she have a reason for not wanting to accept help or was this simply denial that she actually needed it? Isla ripped her hands away. She stood up Devon could see the beads of sweat along her hairline. “I’m fine. I don’t need you. I can see what you think about me. And you know what, you and this counseling shit can f*ck off. You don’t know anything.”

“Isla,” Devon stood up but Isla turned back with a growl.

“Stay. Away. From. Me.”



MATT WAS ALONE, OUTSIDE the Dining Hall eating a banana, when Devon spotted him. She debated approaching him; was it violating Isla’s confidentiality to tell Matt about this morning? No, this was for Isla’s safety, she needed to tell someone.

“Matt, wait!” Devon clutched her backpack straps as she hurried to catch up.

Matt’s shoulders slumped when he saw her. “What?” he said. His voice sounded sharp. He threw the banana into a garbage can.

Devon waited until she was close enough to talk quietly. “It’s Isla. Would you check in on her. I’m worried, and she doesn’t exactly want to hear any lectures from me. Figured you might know best what to do.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Matt said. He looked over Devon’s shoulder at a gaggle of freshman girls exiting the Dining Hall.

“Matt, I don’t think she’s fine.” Devon stepped closer, invading his personal space. “She needs help.” She made a point not to blink, not to act like Matt was a full foot taller. She couldn’t flinch now; Matt had to know that this was important. His eyebrows pushed together for a brief moment and he blinked.

Raven in her Volvo honked the horn from the driveway down the hill.

“I gotta go,” Devon said. “Just make sure Isla’s okay, will you?”

Finally he nodded, “Okay, I will. Thanks. Good looking out.” Matt gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder.

“HOP IN, WE GOTTA pick up Bodhi.” Raven’s Volvo spit and sputtered as it pulled out of the parking lot. Devon tossed her backpack into the pile of towels in the back and hopped in the car. “Right one’s—”

“I got it. I got it,” Devon muttered, gripping the speaker in front of her. She and Raven smiled at each other. “I’m a pro, remember?”

The Volvo bounced down the hill into Monte Vista. Devon closed her eyes and tried to organize her thoughts. She liked Raven. They were even friends. But, she still needed to find out more about Bodhi. She hoped the arrest was all a simple misunderstanding, and that the various things that seemed to connect Bodhi to Hutch’s death in her mind could be easily explained. Wouldn’t that be the best case scenario? That Hutch’s murderer was still out there? She sighed. The best case scenario would be Hutch, still alive. It was a downward spiral of thought with no end in sight.

Past town, the ocean swept into view at the end of a winding suburban street. The houses got bigger the as they neared the water. Newly remodeled balconies and rooftop decks were positioned for the optimal sunset views. The car turned down an alleyway lined with garage doors.

Raven parked the car in front of a guest house with sun-bleached coral-painted wood and a splintering front porch. “I’ll be right back,” she said. “Better if you stay here.” She slammed the door behind her and Devon watched her glide up the stairs in two long steps. Raven and Bodhi lived here? Just as quickly as she had gone in, Raven came bounding out. Devon caught a glance at a man standing near the door.

“Bodhi’s already at Reed’s. Let’s head there,” Raven said starting up the car again.

“Was that your dad?” Devon asked. “This is your place, right?”

Raven rolled a cigarette as she steered with her knee down the alley. “Technically, yeah, that’s my house. My dad is, well, he’s not really going to coach anyone’s Little League team anytime soon.”

Devon nodded. She didn’t understand completely, but she knew enough to let the subject drop there.

THE BLACK RANGE ROVER was sitting in the driveway when Raven pulled in. Bodhi was unloading a duffle bag from the back and for an instant Devon thought with a pang of Hutch taking his bags out of the same car. Raven parked and jumped out. “Hey, missed you at Dad’s. He’s always such a pleasure.”

“Yeah, I got outta there pretty fast,” Bodhi said. They walked inside and Devon followed. “Hey, Devon.”

“Hey,” she said back, quietly. It was awkward to be so close to Bodhi in person. She didn’t want to look back two weeks from now and think, I spent all that time with a murderer. But it was a stretch. For one thing, Raven couldn’t be that blind to that possible side of her own brother. On the other hand, she knew all too well that people saw what they wanted to see, especially in someone they loved.

“You’re okay, right?,” Bodhi asked Raven. She nodded and Bodhi wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. “We don’t need to go back there. Never again.”

“Never again,” Raven said, nodding at her brother.

The dark wood floors and window frames of Reed’s guest house gave it a classic craftsman house feel. A kaleidoscope of colored glass wrapped around the lighting fixtures in the hallway and dining room. In the living room, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the Athena vineyards. It was breathtaking. Devon felt herself relax instantly. The silence of his living room, the organized rows of vines, the empty blue sky—all of it created a sense of calm.

“Sorry, Dev,” Raven said. “You gotta take your shoes off.”

Devon slipped out of her Toms and padded down the thick carpet. Raven stepped into a bedroom and shoved a pile of clothes off the bed, then plunked herself down. School books and notebooks covered a nearby desk. A tall chest of drawers on the other side of the room had make-up, nail polish, and surf wax scattered on top.

“This is me,” Raven said.

Photos taped to the wall made Devon step closer. Raven and Hutch were smiling at the camera in one, screaming at the camera in another, glaring at the camera in the last. “We took those this summer,” Raven said.

“What were you doing?” Devon’s throat went dry.

“When Reed didn’t need help with his computer or security system, we’d go for walks in the vineyard. Hutch said the vineyard was a horror movie waiting to happen. We were the victims in that one, getting hunted in the other, and then we did the twist ending where we were the killers in the last one.” Raven laughed. “Crazy Hutch, huh?’

“Yeah,” Devon said. It seemed like a very Hutch-ian game. “So, do you basically live here?” Judging from the clothes in the open closet, this didn’t seem like a weekend stopover.

“Really couldn’t live with my dad anymore. It got ugly. I dropped out of school in Monte Vista.”

“Ah. So that’s why you’re a freshman who can drive.”

“Yeah, this is my second attempt at high school. That’s also why Bodhi came home from school. He couldn’t be across the country while everything last year was going down. We got hooked into Reed’s world, hung out with Hutch when he came down this summer. After Hutch died, Reed seemed to like having us around. It’s kind of a mutually beneficial thing.”

Devon nodded, her curiosity prickling. “So, will Bodhi go back to MIT? I heard he got a full scholarship.” This was the stuff she needed to find out. Ask questions, but don’t be too obvious.

“Don’t know. He’s working with Reed now, not sure he has to go back. I mean, you’ve got this crazy famous scientist right here, what else could MIT offer him?”

“Scientist? I thought Reed grew grapes and rode horses.”

Raven laughed. “Nah, the vineyard was like a retirement project. Reed made all his money ages ago in the bio world. But he’s always been a cowboy. Come on, you gotta see the hub.” Raven led Devon further down the hallway, and down a flight of stairs, which opened into a large room. Windows covered two walls in an L-shape, and a counter crammed with security cameras and computers wrapped around the other two walls of the room.

“I don’t get it,” Devon said.

“Reed’s a bit of a nutty professor. He’s got projects going all the time. You should see the patents he’s got in the works. Major.” Raven sat in a fancy ergonomic chair at one end of the desk and typed a few things into a nearby computer. “You didn’t know he was like a famous scientist at one point? I thought knowing that was a Keaton requirement.”

“Reed? Um.…”

“Cell proliferation,” Bodhi said coming down the stairs—followed by Reed Hutchins, himself. Devon recognized his silver belt buckle with the three trees on it. “Reed was one of the first guys to identify the various stages of cell proliferation. In the bio world, he’s kind of a rock star. He’s practically Elvis.”

“Don’t bio dork out on us,” Raven said to her brother.

Reed stopped when he reached the bottom step and spotted Devon. Their eyes met. His were the same blue as Hutch’s, though rheumy and crinkled. He took a long, raspy breath. “So, Devon,” he started. He had to catch his breath before continuing, “We meet in better circumstances.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you properly, Mr. Hutchins.” Devon managed, extending a hand. He shook hers with a surprisingly strong grip. He sat himself in a nearby armchair and gestured to Devon to grab a seat. She swiveled an office chair around to face him.

“Please call me Reed. Besides, I owe you an apology,” Reed began. “When I went to your room, I know I must have given you quite a scare. I should have called first. Or waited outside until you arrived. I’m embarrassed. I needed to lie down to rest a moment. That’s why I was in your bed.”

“I’m sure I could have acted better,” Devon said sheepishly. Seeing Reed’s beautiful house here, his high-end office setup, it was embarrassing to even consider that she had thought he was an asylum escapee who’d accidentally wandered onto campus.

“Hutch mentioned you. That you two were good friends.” Devon felt her ears get hot. That’s how Hutch had described her? It was shocking and flattering at the same time. Maybe Reed was confusing her with someone else? “A fellow not-supposed-to,” he continued. Wow, Devon thought, maybe he was talking about me.

“Yeah, I guess so. Hutch and I talked about that once.” Devon relaxed into her chair a little more. She was a welcome guest in this house; she could feel that now. Reed was trying to reach out to the people in Hutch’s life, and Devon was one of them.

“There’s something going on at Keaton we wanted to tell you about,” Reed started. Devon noticed Raven and Bodhi were both staring at her, their faces serious. Had Raven planned this when she invited Devon over for a Wednesday afternoon excursion off campus?

“Oh?” Devon’s throat felt dry. “What is it?”

“Headmaster Wyler is the one that had Bodhi arrested,” Reed stated. “His camp is claiming that Bodhi was selling drugs on campus and they had him removed.”

“Of course Bodhi wasn’t holding so they looked like idiots,” Raven said. “But the arrest pissed off the pharmacy and they axed Bodhi yesterday.”

“Whatever, that wasn’t meant to last anyway,” Bodhi said with a huff.

Reed’s craggy face darkened. “I’ve told you. You’re far too talented to be wasting away there. I think our arrangement now is much better.”

“So true.” Bodhi nodded.

“Devon, that’s why it’s important that you keep your wits about you,” Reed continued. “Your counseling puts you in a rare position. And we’re not the only ones that know it.”

“What do you mean?” Devon asked.

“You’re the only one with all the puzzle pieces,” Reed said. His eyes flickered back and forth between Raven and Bodhi.

“The Isla and Matt puzzle pieces,” Raven added.

“We don’t trust them anymore,” Bodhi said. “And we think they might have had something to do with Hutch’s death.”


* “Never lose trust with your subject.” —Peer Counseling Pilot Program Training Guide by Henry Robins, MFT