by Nikki Rose
“And when will he be home from work?”
“He’s out of town on business right now, so I’m not sure.”
“Mm-hmm, and when did he leave town?”
“Friday.”
“Friday? Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Has something happened to him?”
“Why would you ask that, Ms. Dae?”
“It’s not every day police come asking about Anthony’s whereabouts. Is he okay?”
“We don’t know any more than you do about Mr. Parker’s state of wellbeing. When was the last time you spoke with him?”
“Friday.”
“Interesting. Do you usually go that long without talking to him when he’s out of town?”
“Sometimes. Anthony is very busy when he’s away. He calls when he can.” Worry filled me. What is this about?
“And where exactly did he travel to?”
“I—”
Dante stopped me from answering by placing his hand on mine. “What are these questions about? Cut to the chase, detective.”
Detective Kelly seemed set back by Dante’s commanding demeanor, but I had to give him credit. He kept his cool. He glanced at Dante then addressed me again. “Ms. Dae, you do you know a Jessica Anne Harris?”
“Jess? Yeah, that’s Anthony’s ex.”
“And how would you describe their relationship?”
Dante sat up in his seat and leaned forward against the table. “Keep in mind that Ms. Dae is here voluntarily. What is all this about?”
“Ms. Harris was found dead in her apartment Saturday afternoon.”
“Oh my God.” My hand shot up to cover my mouth and it felt like the floor dropped out from under me. Poor Jess.
“The coroner placed her death at Friday evening. I have to ask, Ms. Dae, where were you between eight and midnight on Friday?”
“I was at the apartment.”
“The apartment that you and Mr. Parker share?”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“No, I was with Belle. Anthony’s daughter. Why are you asking—?”
“But no one else can corroborate your whereabouts?”
“The doorman and the building have security cameras,” Dante added in, and I was grateful for his help.
Detective Kelly wrote something in his notepad before looking at me again. “We’ll be sure to look into that. And you said that Mr. Parker left Friday night?”
“Yes.”
“What time was that?”
“It was around six.”
“Is this all really necessary?” Dante was getting annoyed.
“Do you have any proof that Mr. Parker was in fact out of town at the time of Ms. Harris’ death?”
I looked at Dante but his expression gave nothing away. “How exactly did Ms. Harris die?”
“Initially it looked like an overdose, but after some tests, it was clear she could not have administered that much of the drug into her own system. She would have been experiencing the effects before that.”
“And you think Anthony had something to do with it?” My voice rose and I sat up in my seat as everything fell into place in my mind.
Dante placed his hand over mine and squeezed softly to calm me.
“We are just covering our bases.”
“I work with Anthony,” Dante interrupted. “I’m going to call our boss and have him confirm his departure time and date.”
“That would be helpful, but we will need proof.”
Dante walked out of the interview room to make the call. Detective Kelly’s demeanor changed before my eyes. His face softened and he leaned forward, lowering his voice. “Ms. Dae, I’m going to be straight with you. I don’t think you had anything to do with this. I think you are a nice girl that just happened to get involved with the wrong guy.”
“Anthony didn’t do this.”
“Mr. Parker and Ms. Harris were preparing for a custody battle, were they not?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Parker really loves his daughter, doesn’t he?”
“Of course, he does.”
“Enough to kill the woman trying to take her away from him?”
“No.” I couldn’t believe what he was implying.
“It’s not very common for a man to get full custody of his child. Usually, courts favor the mother. Why would Mr. Parker think he had a chance?”
“Jess was always a bit…difficult, but lately she wasn’t acting herself at all.”
“How so?”
“She was aggressive and losing a lot of weight when she didn’t need to. Belle said that when she went over to visit her mother, she just sat and watched TV the whole time. The whole reason Anthony got temporary custody of Belle was that Jess has a drinking problem—had a drinking problem—and was drinking while she was with Belle. She once left Belle asleep in the apartment while Jess ran out for more alcohol. Surely all this is in the social service reports.”
“So, it’s safe to say you didn’t like Ms. Harris?”
“I felt sorry for her. I tried to talk to her. Anthony and I both wanted her to get her life straightened out, for Belle’s sake. Belle loves her mom, no matter what she does.”
Detective Kelly took notes as I talked. Anthony could never do anything to Jess. I just hoped the officer could see that too.
“So, she was experiencing behavioral changes recently?”
“Yes. I figured it was her drinking and depression, but I was worried she might have been on something more.”
“Do you know who she was hanging around with before she died?”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t. We didn’t exactly socialize.”
“Will you excuse me for a moment?” Detective Kelly walked out, leaving me alone in the stark interrogation room.
About ten minutes later, Dante, Detective Kelly and Director Graham entered.
“Rachel, good to see you again.” The director walked over and put his hand on the back of my seat. “Let’s get you home.”
I stood and looked between all the men, bewildered.
“I’ll look forward to speaking with Mr. Parker as soon as he’s back in town.” Detective Kelly did not seem happy or convinced of Anthony’s innocence.
Dante and Director Graham escorted me out of the station and we were standing beside the car when he turned to study me. “You didn’t tell anyone anything about Anthony’s work, did you? That jackass in there doesn’t have nearly the clearance needed for that.”
“No, of course not.”
“Good. You’re a smart woman. I assumed you wouldn’t, but those detectives know how to pry information from someone not trained to withstand interrogations.”
“He was just asking me questions. He wasn’t waterboarding me.” I chuckled and Director Graham gave me the first genuine smile I’d ever seen from him.
“Is there any word on when Anthony will be home?”
“He should be back this evening, tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, and don’t you worry about this case. We’ll get it taken care of.”
“Thank you, Director Graham.”
“Be safe.”
* * * *
Anthony came through the door just before I was heading off to bed. “You’re home!” I ran and jumped into his arms and he caught me in a tight hug.
“Hey, I told you I wouldn’t be gone long this time.”
“You can’t blame me for worrying.”
“No, I can’t. But I’m home now.” Anthony’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I take it the director told you what happened today?”
Anthony just nodded before plopping down on the couch.
“I’m so sorry, Anthony.”
I sat beside him and hugged him tight. He pulled me closer to his side, holding me to him. He took a deep breath and I could tell he was reining in his emotions.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all that today
without me.”
“Dante was there and he helped me through the interrogation.”
“Good.” Anthony gave me a little squeeze and I rested my head on his shoulder.
“Are you okay? You and Jess were together so long that I know this can’t be easy.”
“I wasn’t in love with her. Hell, I didn’t even like her half the time, but she was the mother of my child. I did love her in my own way. After all, she gave me Belle.”
I nodded. “Did you know she was into drugs?”
“I’d suspected it. Damn, I just can’t believe this. How am I supposed to tell Belle her mother is dead?”
“We’ll figure something out. I’ll be there if you want me to, or I can give you two space. Whatever you think is best.”
“I want you there. I think it will help Belle.”
I hugged Anthony tight. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be.”
“I’m fine. I’m just worried about Belle and how she’s going to deal with all this. I think we should do something fun with her before we tell her, give her a nice day before so much in her life changes. Maybe we can even have my mom and dad there with us for extra support.”
“I think that sounds nice. We could take her to the zoo? She’s been talking about it ever since they started studying new animals at school. She really wants to see the giraffes.”
“Yeah, the zoo sounds good.” Anthony slid back down under the covers and took me with him. “They ruled it a homicide,” he said more to himself than to me. “I’m going to have to look into things. You know I can’t just leave it up to the police if Jess really was murdered. I have the resources they don’t and I have to know what happened.”
“I know. I understand. Just be careful.” I snuggled up against him and we fell asleep in a tangle of limbs.
Chapter Nineteen
Anthony
“We’re here. We’re here!” Belle squealed as we pulled into the parking lot of the zoo. “I can’t wait to see the lions and tigers—and the monkeys.”
“I thought it was supposed to be lions, tigers and bears?” I joked.
“Oh my,” Rachel added with a laugh.
“They have bears now?” Belle asked, completely missing the reference.
“I don’t think so.” I turned off the car and turned to look at her.
“Haven’t you seen The Wizard of Oz?” Rachel turned to Belle too.
“The what?” she questioned with a scrunched face that made us laugh.
“The Wizard of Oz. You know, Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man—?”
“She’s never seen it.” I climbed out of the truck and opened Belle’s door.
Rachel gasped. “She’s never seen The Wizard of Oz? Oh, we have to fix that—like today.”
“Maybe we can watch it tonight after dinner.”
“Yay,” Belle squealed excitedly.
I paid for our tickets and we hurried to the first exhibit. There were the loudest monkeys I’d ever heard. Belle watched them excitedly for several minutes. She laughed as they swung and played. I tried to have a good time and enjoy myself, but the news we had to tell her later loomed over me like a dark cloud.
“Look!” Belle laughed and pointed at the black-and-white Colobus monkeys. “That one needs a haircut.”
We all laughed and Rachel took pictures of Belle as she pointed and grinned. I ushered us into the reptile and bug house, which was my favorite. We leaned in to get a better look at one of the large hairy tarantulas when I moved my hand like something crawling on Rachel’s back. She screamed and jumped so high that she lost her balance and tripped. I caught her and smoothly dipped her into a kiss.
“That’s how the prince kisses the princess.” Belle giggled. “Daddy’s the prince and Rachel is his princess.” She clapped her hands together and jumped up and down.
“Is that so?” I teased.
“Yep.”
“So, what does a prince do after he dips his princess and kisses her?”
“He lets her up?” Rachel squirmed as I held her in the dip still.
I lifted her and laughed.
We moved on through the zoo, spending extra time with the lions and giraffes, which were Belle’s favorites. We stopped at the concession stand and gift shop to get ice cream.
“Why don’t you girls go find us a good spot to sit while I get the ice cream?”
“Okay. Come on, Belle. Which spot looks the best?” Rachel asked her.
“Over here,” Belle squealed excitedly as she ran off and Rachel hurried to follow her.
When I came back, I watched as they talked quietly and giggled. It was such an amazing sight. I hoped Belle would be okay with all the changes that were coming. We ate our ice cream then headed out. When we got back to the front of the zoo, I asked a lady to take a picture of the three of us. I wanted to keep that memory forever.
Once we got back to the apartment, my parents came over. My mom was even nice enough to bring food. As dinner wound to an end, my heart pounded in my chest. I thought I might get sick. I wasn’t sure telling Belle about Jess was ever going to get easier. I hated the idea of causing her pain, but I had to be strong for her.
“Daddy, can I go play? I ate all my dinner.”
“Actually, Belle, let’s all go into the living room for a little while. I have something I need to talk to you about.” I stood from the table and my guts twisted until I thought I might be sick. I’d vowed to protect Belle from any pain, but this time I couldn’t keep that promise.
We all walked to the living room as though we were walking down death row. None of us were looking forward to breaking my little girl’s heart. As soon as we sat down, Belle spoke up.
“Are you going away again? You just got home,” she whined.
“No, princess, I’m not going away again for a long time.”
“Yay!” She grinned.
“But there is something I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to know it’s okay to feel sad. We are all here for you.” I pulled Belle onto my knee and Rachel scooted beside us.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?”
I cleared my voice and glanced at Rachel. This was by far the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. Rachel squeezed my hand, giving me more strength than she knew, just by being at my side. My chest ached, but Belle was looking at me…waiting.
“Do you remember Rocky?”
“Grampa’s puppy. He was funny.”
“Yes, and do you remember what happened to Rocky?”
“He got out of the fence and a car hit him and he went to heaven.”
“Yes, he did. Do you remember how I said it was okay because one day you’d get to see him again?”
“Uh-huh. Are we going to get to go see him?”
“No, sweetie. Do you remember what we did next?”
“I cried then grandpa buried him in the backyard and we put flowers all around to make it pretty.” She turned to tell Rachel, then back to me. “I miss him.”
“I know you do. And what did Grandma tell you about feeling sad and missing him?”
“She said if we missed him, we could go out there and talk to him. He just couldn’t talk to us back.”
“Did you know that’s true about when people die too?”
“You bury them in the backyard?” Belle looked shocked.
“No, there are special places where you can bury them. But you can still go there and talk to them when you’re feeling sad or when you miss them.”
“I missed Rocky a lot. We used to have picnics and talk to him.”
“But, after a while, you didn’t feel so sad about Rocky anymore, did you?”
“No, because Grandpa told me he was happy in heaven and that God gave him all the dog treats he wanted.”
I wasn’t sure how or when to tell her. I was putting off the inevitable.
“Daddy, did Finn die?”
“Finn? Grandma’s fish?” I let out a nervous laugh. “No, sweetie, Finn is still alive.”
“Then w
hy are you talking about Rocky dying?”
Belle is too smart for her age.
“Belle, something happened to Mommy.”
“Is she okay?”
“She— She had to go on to heaven.” The words finally spilled out.
“Mommy?” Her small voice cracked and tears filled her big hazel eyes.
“Yes, sweetie. Mommy died, but she’s in heaven now.”
“Did she go to heaven so she could rest and not have to take care of me anymore?” Her lower lip trembled as she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. I swore I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. Her words were like a jagged knife ripping through me.
“Oh no, princess, that’s not how these things work. Mommy would have never left you by choice. Sometimes these things happen.”
Belle buried her face in my chest and sobbed. Her tiny shoulders shook violently. I didn’t know what to say, so I just sat there, holding her while she cried. Rachel reached over and softly stroked Belle’s back. I glanced up to look into Rachel’s tear-filled eyes. I couldn’t even say how long we stayed like that, but after a while, Belle’s sobs began to soften. Her pitiful little voice was still uneven. “Will I get to see Mommy before she’s buried?”
“If you want to.”
“Is it scary?” Her breath shuddered.
“Mommy will just look like she’s sleeping.”
“I want to see her, so I can tell her bye like we did with Rocky.”
“Okay, baby. We can even draw her a picture to take with her to heaven if you want.”
Belle nodded and wiped the tears from her face. Rachel had been so quiet, allowing us our time to deal while still being supportive, but she finally spoke up. “Hey, Belle, would you like to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie before bed? Maybe some ice cream will help you feel a little better. It always helps me when I’m sad.”
She nodded and I saw a tiny light return in her sad eyes.
“Okay. I rented The Wizard of Oz for you to watch. Does that sound good?” Rachel forced a smile.
“Yes, I want to see the tigers, lions and bears,” Belle managed to get out between sad little hiccups.
“I’ll go get popcorn and ice cream,” I said and moved Belle to sit beside Rachel on the couch.
My dad put the movie on for us and Rachel wrapped Belle in her arms. I grabbed a blanket from the arm of the couch and wrapped them in it on my way to the kitchen.