The Broken Mother

by Thomas Fincham

  Fisher shook her head at the last thought.

  She was sounding like a hippie high on LSD. Society did not work that way. People were complicated animals.

  Holt came over to her desk. “I have to show you something,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Go to the complaint that was filed twenty-two days ago.”

  Fisher scrolled to the bottom of the screen and read it. Someone had hacked into the center’s website and posted vulgar and vile images on their main page. It had taken several hours before the images were taken down. During this time, the website had seven hundred thousand visitors. To make matters worse, the hacker had directed people to the website. The vandalism had gone viral on social media sites.

  “Okay,” Fisher said, “why are you showing me this?”

  “They caught the perpetrator responsible.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “They did?”

  “And guess what?” Holt said. “He lives in Milton.”

  Fisher jumped up from her chair. “Let’s go talk to him,” she said.

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  The moment Callaway entered the school gymnasium, he spotted her at the far end of the room.

  Patricia “Patti” Callaway had short dark hair, brown eyes, and what seemed to be a permanent smile. Patti could smell a lie a mile away, and Callaway was known to bend the truth whenever it suited his needs. Before they got married, she had made him vow to never be dishonest with her, no matter how difficult the situation might be.

  When Callaway could no longer stand being married, he sat Patti down and told her exactly what he was feeling. He loved her, but he felt confined being shackled to one place. He was suffocating—not because of her, but because of the position he was in.

  She was disappointed and heartbroken. To this day, he still cringed at seeing the pain on her face when he told her he no longer wanted to be married to her. But she respected his honesty, and she let him go without a fight.

  She got a lawyer who simply prepared their divorce papers, and she placed no restrictions on Callaway when it came to their daughter. She was far more mature than he could ever be. She knew how important a father was in a girl’s life. She wanted their daughter to know her father, even if he was absent half of the time.

  Callaway now understood the wisdom of her decision. By allowing Callaway access to Nina, she saw her father, warts and all. Nina had seen him broke, homeless, and drunk. Callaway was ashamed of this, but each time he disappointed her, he resolved to be a better man.

  It took a lot of work, but Callaway felt he was making good progress.

  He was back with Patti—until he screwed up again, which was something he would not let happen. And he was here to see his little girl compete for first place in her school’s science fair.

  Patti was talking to another parent when Callaway walked up to her. “Did I miss anything?”

  “No, you’re right on time,” she said. She spoke a few words with the other parent, and when the parent walked away, she turned her attention to him. “I’m impressed, Lee. I actually thought you might not show up.”

  “I told you, I’m a changed man.” He was grinning. He then leaned closer to her. He could smell her perfume. It was intoxicating. Even after they divorced, he continued pining for her. “Are you excited to see me?” he asked.

  She shrugged teasingly and said, “I know someone who will definitely be excited to see you.”

  “Where’s Nina?” he asked, looking around the gymnasium.

  “Her display is near the stage,” Patti replied.

  He rushed over and saw his little girl standing next to a table.

  Sabrina “Nina” Callaway had dark hair like her mother’s, but hers went all the way down her back. Her eyes were emerald, like his, but those eyes possessed the same powers her mother’s did. Whenever Callaway found himself fibbing to get himself out of trouble, he could see in her eyes that she did not believe him. He vowed to be as truthful as he could to a nine-year-old.

  When Nina saw him, her face lit up. “Daddy!”

  She rushed over and hugged him.

  He felt such warmth and utter peace that he did not want to let go of her.

  “Do you want to see my project?” she asked.

  He knew from Patti that Nina had been working on her contest entry for several weeks. “I do,” he answered.

  She had built a water turbine that generated electricity. The water flowed through a tube and into tiny plastic cups that spun the wheel, which was attached to a battery. The battery was strong enough to charge a cell phone, music player, or an electronic reading device.

  Callaway teared up at how smart his little girl was. “You’re gonna win,” he said to her.

  “I don’t know,” she said, looking away. “All the other kids’ projects are way better than mine.”

  Callaway was about to tell her that was not true when he saw that the other kids’ projects were indeed more advanced than hers. While Nina had stayed true to the competition’s instructions that all projects were to be created by students and with materials found at home, he saw that the other students’ parents had not only helped them but also spent money on their projects.

  He was seething with anger. He wanted to storm over to the judges and give them a piece of his mind.

  He then saw a woman holding a clipboard. She was walking to each table, inspecting the projects.

  He suddenly had an idea.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Holt and Fisher were in an industrial neighborhood. Factories and manufacturing plants were on one side of a major road, with tiny houses and apartment buildings on the other. Someone had decided to build a small community so the factory workers could get to work faster.

  They parked in front of one apartment building. The exterior was gray and dull, and the place resembled a concrete block rather than a place where people lived.

  The building had no security. Holt and Fisher were able to get inside as a tenant was walking out.

  They took the elevators up to the fifth floor. They stopped at a door and paused.

  Holt turned to Fisher and nodded as if to say, “You ready?”

  She nodded back. Her hand was already on her holster.

  They had driven all the way here to speak to Earl Munchin. Munchin had hacked into Emily’s Place’s website and covered it with crude content. He had professed online to be a hacker, but he had failed to cover his tracks properly. It did not take long for the authorities to link him to the crime.

  Holt knocked on the door and moved back. If Munchin decided to shoot at the door, Holt did not want to get in the line of fire.

  A moment later, a voice from inside asked, “Who is it?”

  “Earl Munchin?” Holt asked.

  “Yes.”

  “We are from the Milton Police Department. Can you open the door?”

  There was a pause before they heard bolts being turned. The door opened, and a man stood facing them. He was wearing a T-shirt and pajama pants. He was balding, had stubble on his cheeks and chin, and he squinted whenever he spoke. “Am I in trouble?” he asked nervously.

  “That depends,” Holt replied. “May we come in?”

  He moved aside for them to enter. The apartment was small, and it reeked of body odor and an assortment of foods. The place also looked like it had not been cleaned in months.

  “Do you want to sit down?” Munchin asked.

  The sofa was covered in clothes and other items. “We’re fine,” Holt replied and then got to the point. “We would like to ask you a few questions, Mr. Munchin.”

  Munchin swallowed. “Okay.”

  “Did you hear about what happened at Emily’s Place?”

  “I saw it on the news.”

  “A couple of months ago, you were caught hacking into their website.”

  His eyes lit up as he realized why they were there. “I had nothing to do with what happened there this morning.”

  “How can we be sure?”
/>   “I was home all morning.”

  “Do you live alone?”

  “I do.”

  “So, you don’t have anyone to confirm your alibi.”

  Munchin looked away.

  “Why did you attack Emily’s Place’s website?” Fisher asked.

  He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. “I was angry.”

  “At who?”

  He shrugged. “Women, I guess.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been turned down by so many girls that I wanted to vent.”

  “They didn’t want to go out on a date with you, is that right?” Fisher asked.

  His face flushed, and he nodded in embarrassment.

  Fisher was not sure why, but she suddenly felt sorry for him.

  “I took classes on how to talk to girls,” Munchin blurted out.

  “They have classes for that?” Holt said, surprised.

  “Yeah.”

  “And what do they teach you?” Holt asked.

  “How to make yourself more presentable. Like, the type of clothes to wear, how much cologne to put on, how to approach girls and make small talk. Stuff like that.”

  “Did it work?” Holt said.

  Munchin shook his head. “That’s why I was upset. I did everything I was taught, and it still didn’t work.”

  “What do you do for a living, Mr. Munchin?” Fisher asked.

  “I’m a plumber… or I used to be one.”

  “Used to be?”

  “I hurt my back on a job. Ever since then, I can barely lift anything or even bend down. I’m on disability insurance.”

  There was a moment of silence before Fisher asked, “Why did you target Emily’s Place specifically?”

  Munchin did not answer.

  Fisher got closer. “You have to be honest with us or else we can’t help you.” It was a line she had used on suspects many times, and Munchin had become a suspect at that moment. He had been charged with a crime against Emily’s Place, and he had no witnesses to confirm his whereabouts for that morning.

  Munchin sighed. “I saw them on the news, and I thought it would be fun to mess with them. Now I realize how stupid it was. As part of my parole, my computer access is restricted, and I have to take gender equality classes.”

  Fisher paused and then said, “Do you mind if we take a look around your apartment?”

  “Don’t you need a warrant for that?” he asked.

  “Are you hiding something, Mr. Munchin?” she replied.

  He stared at her and shook his head. “Okay, fine.”

  They spent twenty minutes going through the apartment. The mess did not make their task easy, but they did not find any weapons or anything that would remotely link Munchin to what had happened.

  As they were leaving, Holt said to Munchin, “Don’t leave town. We may be back to ask you more questions.”

  Munchin lowered his head and nodded.

  TWENTY-NINE

  When Nina’s name was called for the science fair’s first prize, everyone in the gymnasium was shocked. Except for Callaway.

  The moment he had spotted the woman with the clipboard, he knew how he could help his daughter.

  Prior to Nina enrolling at the school, Callaway had conducted his own background check on all the faculty members from the principal all the way to the janitor. He wanted to make sure his daughter was safe. If a teacher had a checkered past, he would go straight to Patti and tell her. What she did with that information was up to her. She was, after all, Nina’s sole guardian and made all decisions related to her. Callaway had forfeited that right when he chose to walk away from his marriage and his duty as a parent.

  There were no red flags, save for one. The woman who was acting as a judge had been caught many years ago depositing fake checks at several banks. The crime was considered a misdemeanor, and she was given probation but no time in prison.

  The school board may not have been aware of this when they had hired her, or they may have chosen to ignore it. Regardless, Callaway decided to use it against the woman.

  He hated resorting to blackmail, but this was his little girl. Nina stood no chance against the other students, whose parents had clearly given them an unfair advantage. Callaway wanted to show Nina that she could win by following the rules.

  Of course, Callaway was circumventing the rules by imposing himself into the situation and altering the outcome in his favor, but it was something he could live with.

  I’ve let her down so many times, I ought to make up for it, he thought.

  When the moment was right, Callaway approached the woman and told her what he knew. She was offended at first, and she grumbled that she would disqualify his daughter for what he wanted her to do. But when she realized the ramifications of what he knew, she quickly conceded.

  If word spread in the school that she had a criminal record, no one would trust or respect her. The teachers would ostracize her, and the students would mock her. Her reputation would be in ruins, and her career at the school would be over.

  After her name was called, Nina stood still for a moment. She looked at her mother, who was beaming proudly. She then looked at her dad. Callaway grinned and said, “Go get your prize, kiddo.”

  Nina walked up to the stage and shook hands with the woman, who smiled and handed her a gold trophy. The gym erupted in applause as Nina smiled, holding her award.

  Patti got closer to the stage and snapped photos of Nina with her cell phone.

  After a round of congratulations from her teachers and classmates, Nina, Patti, and Callaway walked out of the school.

  Patti leaned over and whispered to Callaway, “I saw you talking to the judge, you know.”

  “Oh, is that right?” he said with a gulp. He had vowed never to lie to her.

  “I’m not sure what you did, but you made Nina so happy.”

  “I’ll do anything to make her happy.”

  “I won’t condone whatever you did, but thank you.”

  Patti smiled.

  He smiled back.

  THIRTY

  When Holt and Fisher returned to the station, they were informed someone was waiting for them.

  They walked to the waiting area and recognized the person seated on one of the plastic chairs.

  They had seen Nikki Jones’s photos when they had entered her house. Now they were seeing her in flesh.

  “Ms. Jones?” Fisher asked, approaching her.

  Nikki immediately stood up. “Yes,” she answered.

  Fisher said, “If you are here about a break-and-enter at your house, it was us. We wanted to make sure you were okay. Especially after what happened at Emily’s Place.”

  “My neighbor told me she saw you guys outside my house. She was about to call 9-1-1 when she saw your badges attached to your belts.”

  “We apologize for going in without your consent, but like I said, we were concerned for your well-being.”

  Nikki nodded, but then she looked away.

  “Where were you this morning?” Fisher asked. “You were obviously not at your house.”

  “When I saw the news, I drove to a friend’s place. I was scared. I couldn’t believe something like that could happen to…” She fell silent. Her entire body shook. She wrapped her arms around her body and hugged herself.

  “Please have a seat,” Fisher said.

  She did, and Fisher sat next to her. Holt sat down across from them.

  Fisher said, “You were scheduled to be at Emily’s Place, but you didn’t show up. Can you tell us why?”

  “I wasn’t feeling well. I thought about going in, but I suffer from severe migraines, so I figured I’d take the day off.”

  “It was a decision that may have saved your life,” Fisher said.

  Nikki stared at her but then looked down at her feet.

  Fisher said, “How does it work when someone doesn’t show up at work?”

  “What do you mean?” Nikki asked.

  “I mean, who do you notify of your
absence?”

  “We call Emily.”

  “And you did?”

  “Of course.”

  “What time did you call her?”

  Nikki thought for a moment. “I don’t remember, maybe late last night.”

  “What time do you normally start work?”

  “Around nine.”

  “What about Paige and Melody? What time do they come in?”

  “They both start before me. Paige comes in a little after eight, and Melody comes in at around eight thirty.”

  “The center opens at eight, so why did Paige and Melody both come into work early today?”

  “They did?” she said, surprised.

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know,” Nikki replied.

  “We believe Emily had called to ask them to come in before the center opened. Do you know why she would do that?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “She didn’t call you as well?”

  “No. She must have gotten my message that I wasn’t coming in.”

  “Right.” Fisher paused before she asked her next question. “You work full-time at the center?”

  Nikki shook her head. “I started off as a volunteer, but Emily was nice enough to take me on as paid staff for a few days a week.” Nikki’s eyes welled up and she covered her face. “I can’t believe they are all dead,” she said between sobs.

  Fisher gave her a moment to grieve. She wanted to put her arm around Nikki and tell her everything would be all right, but she knew the words would come out hollow. Nikki had just lost three of her co-workers. Had she chosen to go into work, she might have ended up like them.

  Survivor guilt could be all-consuming, eating away at a person’s soul to the point where there was nothing left of them but a shell of their former self.

  Nikki was young. She still had a full life ahead of her. Fisher hoped that would be the case with her.

  Fisher leaned closer and said, “This isn’t your fault. You didn’t wake up this morning and decide to go into the center and shoot three people. The killer did. You did nothing wrong.”