Don't Leave Me

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  Zoe was led in, wearing a prison jumpsuit, handcuffed. She was a short woman, late twenties, he thought. Mixed race, Latina, maybe. He wasn’t sure, considering the color of her light brown eyes. Her face was pale, and she was thin, and her expression was filled with a fear he hadn’t quite expected, that is, until she laid eyes on the badge he’d tucked into his belt.

  “Zoe, Chase McCabe. I’m a lawyer here to help you. This is Detective Tony Martin, who’s helping me clear up the confusion of what happened.”

  She said nothing as she sat in the chair, her eyes wide. He could only imagine what she thought.

  “Zoe, why did you confess to the shooting? Why did you say the gun was yours?” Tony asked, and she glanced to him and then over to Chase. He could see the sweat that popped on her brow.

  “I don’t understand. My son will be looked after, yes?” she said to Chase, looking to Tony again as if he knew something. A confirmation she was waiting for, he assumed.

  “Did someone threaten you, Zoe, and make you confess, say it was your gun?” Tony asked, and this time Chase pulled a chair closer to her and sat down, glancing back to Tony.

  “Detective Martin was not at the shooting,” Chase said, “and he’s been trying to piece things together much like I have. Do you have a lawyer?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Was told a public defender will come. Don’t know when,” she said. “I don’t understand. I did what that man told me to do. I was promised my kids would be looked after, my son would get the help he needed. What is this?” She sounded mad, frustrated.

  “Okay, Zoe. First, I am a lawyer, and I’m here to help you. Tell me who told you your son would be looked after. Who told you your kids would be looked after?” Chase asked her, and Tony didn’t like the way she pressed her lips together.

  She covered her mouth. “I can’t. I shouldn’t be talking. They said not to talk.”

  “Who said, Zoe? Who said not to talk? I have a witness who’ll say it wasn’t your gun, that it was put with your belongings.”

  She made a face as if she didn’t believe him and then went to stand. “And what about my kids? They took my kids, and if I don’t say it was my gun, they’ll still take my kids from me, but my son won’t get help. At least this way he will.” She sat in the chair again and leaned closer. “You can’t help me. Just leave it be. Please.” Pleading was what he heard.

  “And what about the three men who were shot?” he asked. “Did you know them? And what about the woman with her throat cut? Did you know her?”

  She paled and shook her head. “I don’t know who they are. A woman, I don’t know anything. Why did this happen?” she said, looking up to Tony as if he had the answers, but he had nothing, considering everything about the shooting was senseless. The black man at the side of the building had been shot in the chest, and the Hispanic man around the other side through the back of the head. The other black man, who’d been found with the knife that had slit the woman’s throat in his hand, was shot point blank, lying close to the woman at the back of the building. The exit would have been less than fifty feet, he figured, from the shopping cart and where Claudia and Zoe had been hunkered down. Every one of the dead had lived in the building. He didn’t understand what the motive was. The man and woman at the back door were both students, and the other two were said to have been dealing drugs. That was what the report had said, but again, everything about this didn’t sit right.

  “I don’t know, Zoe. That’s why I’m here with Chase to find out what really happened at the Waverly. Someone said you were pulling food from the dumpster.”

  She glanced from Tony to Chase, her expression distrustful. “Of course. We were hungry. Good food is thrown out all the time.” Then she leaned forward to Chase. “You want to fix this? I said I did it so my kids will be looked after. They were going to pin it on me anyway. They pulled the gun from my things in the cart. Of course the cop put it there, but who’s going to believe me? Don’t you get it? I can’t win this. The cops say it has to be this way, happen this way. I’m just a nobody with nothing, trying to survive for my kids. At least this way my kids will be looked after. Don’t mess this up for them. They’ll get a chance for something. At least my oldest will get the medical help he needs.” Then she stood up and walked to the bars. “Guard, I’m done,” she called out.

  Tony wanted to sit her down when the guard appeared, but Chase stood up, his hand to his chest. “Let her go,” he said, and Tony couldn’t believe what he was saying.

  “She didn’t do it! She’s just a mom trying to survive. Fuck!” He kicked the metal chair, and it crashed against the wall.

  “Hey, I get it, but right now there’s nothing we can do here for her. She’s scared, and she’s trying to do the only thing she can, considering someone has her backed against the wall. She made the only choice she could for her kids.”

  He couldn’t believe Chase had said what he did. “I didn’t sign up for this. There’s no fucking way she’s going down for something she didn’t do.”

  Chase put his hand on Tony’s shoulder and stepped closer so no one could hear. “Did I say she was going down for this?” He shook his head as if Tony had missed what this entire exercise was all about.

  “Well, you just said…”

  Chase shook his head. “No, I said she did what she needed. She’s against the wall. But we have what we need, what we came here for. Listen up, because everything that happens next is going to depend on you. And one more thing.” Chase’s light blue eyes suddenly turned a shade darker. “That moment in the park you shared with my sister. Yeah, we saw,” he added for effect.

  Tony didn’t know what to say. Did he find her hot, sexy? Did he want to kiss her, get to know her? Yeah, he did. “I like her, and she’s…” He needed to stop, because there was nothing friendly in the smile directed his way.

  “Don’t you fucking hurt my sister, because if you do, cop or no cop, I swear to god I will kick your ass, and then once Vic is through with you, you’ll get to meet Aaron, who’ll want a turn, and if you’re still around, there’s Luc, too, who’ll likely finish whatever is left.” Then Chase smiled again, and Tony got it loud and clear: The McCabe brothers would come for him if their sister was messed with. He saw it now.

  Yeah, tread carefully.

  Chapter 19

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She was seeing the yellow walls in her room differently. Even her dad had hugged her longer than she was comfortable with, and she’d had to push away because she couldn’t breathe. He was now in the living room with Vic and Aaron. She could hear them talking—about what, she didn’t know—as she put underwear and socks into a bag on her bed.

  “I’m fine, Mom. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you,” Claudia said, taking in the worry and how tired her mother looked. She must have been up all night worrying even though she looked neat and tidy in her capris and tank top, sandals on her feet, gold studs in her ears.

  “You did. Scared me to death. I panicked and called Chase, who called Vic, and your dad was on the phone with Luc and Aaron. I’m glad they came. But you getting caught in that mess, I’m so sorry. I wish I could have done something.”

  Her mom had her hands on her face again, and Claudia knew she wanted to fuss over the scrape as she lifted her dark hair and made a face, lifting an eyebrow. Before she could add anything else, there was a tap on the open door.

  “Hey, we need to wrap this up. Aaron’s loading the car,” Vic said as he filled the doorway. She was sure he came close to Aaron in size, both totally ripped, but Aaron was just that much more. “Mom,” Vic said and then gestured to Claudia as Shelley left, stopping once more in the doorway, taking her in.

  “You finished here?” he said, looking around, taking in her desk, the closed laptop. It seemed like another lifetime when it had been less than twenty-four hours since she’d stared at that blank screen and the homework she didn’t want to do.

  “Just about,” she said a
s she threw in jeans and shorts and shirts. Vic picked up her laptop. “You know what? Leave that,” she said, taking in the way he turned his head. “I know you wanted me to take the business courses, but, Vic, I hate everything about business.”

  What would he say to that, considering he’d sat her down and asked her about her future and she hadn’t been able to come up with a plan?

  He made a face and then shrugged. “What is it you want to do, then?” he asked as she took him in. “Taking those courses will give you options until you decide.” He wasn’t a pushover, and she knew he wasn’t going to give her a pass.

  “I get that, I really do, but I also know you’re tossing good money away at something that I’m putting nothing into. It’s a waste right now. Please give that money to those who need it.”

  He looked away, and she wasn’t sure by the expression on his face whether he was mad. Would he refuse, or what? He wiped his face. By the scrape, he too hadn’t shaved. “No, and I’ll tell you why. You’ve been through something pretty bad, and you’re reacting to it, understandably. I understand. I get it. You come up with a plan, and we’ll talk. Pack your computer, and think of this: Those homeless people, you’ll never be one. I would never allow that to happen to you. Another thing, having an education doesn’t guarantee that can’t happen, but it will open doors for you when you do figure out what you want to do. A business degree you can use in anything. Okay?” he said as there was another tap on the door.

  Aaron shoved his head in. “That detective is here with Chase, and he wants to see you,” he said.

  As she went to step around Vic, he touched her arm. “Claudia, I’m serious,” he said.

  She took him in, knowing this wasn’t just about another guy trying to tell her what to do. He cared a lot. He was family, her family, and she saw that now.

  “Okay, but I’m deciding my future and what it is, not you,” she added with a lot of attitude, then took in the puzzled expression on Aaron’s face.

  Vic smiled, and there was a light in his eyes. “Fine,” he said, and Claudia watched as he zipped up her bag and said something to Aaron before she walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where Tony was talking with her dad and Chase.

  She stopped, and her heart kicked up just looking at him. The energy that filled the room as his gaze locked on to her had her face heating. It could have just been the two of them, but then Chase made some excuse, pulling their dad from the room, leaving Claudia truly alone with Tony.

  “So what happened with Zoe and Sawyer?” she said. “Did he give a statement, what?”

  Tony slipped his hand around Claudia’s elbow and led her out the back door. It was still light out, and she stood on the bottom step, he on the ground, though she still had to look up. He shook his head. “Sawyer’s someplace safe. We have what we need, or what I need. We’ve got a plan, and if all goes well, it will be settled tonight, finished.” He slid his hand around hers and lifted it. “You go with your brother. Get out of here.”

  He wasn’t wearing his shades, and there was something there in his eyes, his expression, that told her he wasn’t just a cop, wasn’t just trying to figure out her role in what had gone down. She wondered in that moment when everything had changed and he’d started looking at her the way he was now, like a man interested in a woman.

  She lifted her hand and touched the roughness on his face, his cheek, seeing the response to her that he couldn’t hide. She allowed her gaze to lower to his lips, staring at the softness, remembering that first time she’d dared to kiss him. The taste had somehow gotten inside of her, and she wanted to do it again as he slid his hand around her head and pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. Her lips parted as he tasted and took, his hands sliding around, holding her to him so she could feel every part of him. The kiss said everything and nothing, but there was a possibility of something more.

  He was breathing hard as he rested his forehead against hers. His breath was sweet and addictive, and she wanted more. She didn’t want him to leave as she slid her arms around his neck, leaning in closer, feeling all his hardness as he kissed her again, holding her face between his hands and then letting his eyes take in her face as if burning it to memory.

  Then he walked away to his car without another word, another touch, and she watched him slide behind the wheel of his sedan and pull away.

  Chapter 20

  “Glad you called. Was starting to wonder whether you dropped off the radar,” Llewellyn said.

  Tony had met him in the back of the Hideaway, a bar frequented by all the cops, done in dark wood and dim lighting. The table had three beers and a bowl of nuts, and he spotted Hargraves at a dart board with one of the uniformed officers. He lifted his hand to Tony and gestured with his chin. It was the same group of cops that was always here.

  “Can I get you something?” the waitress asked, a dark-haired lady with a black skirt and white shirt. She had a tray and lifted off another two beers, setting them on the table and then taking the three empties.

  “Just whatever’s on tap,” Tony said, taking in the way Llewellyn was looking at him. His blue eyes seemed watchful, his dark hair in need of a cut as he worked a toothpick in his teeth. “Just had to take care of some things, following up on another case. So I heard the shooting is open and shut, everything done. The DA is charging her…”

  He waited as Llewellyn just stared at him, his expression hard, nothing there as he glanced up to the waitress, who rested the beer in front of him, foam spilling over. He took his time as he waited for her to leave.

  “Murder,” Llewellyn said. “Death penalty is off the table, but she’ll never get out.” The way he said it before he lifted his beer and took a drink was as if it were just one more case closed. Done. “Shame, really, but at least something good will finally come of it.”

  “How so?”

  “If you’d been around, you would have heard. We just got the okay from city council. All the media attention on this shooting and the good folks in the area put pressure on them, the mayor. Folks want to feel safe and are tired of finding these homeless bums in their parks, on the streets, stealing, killing, shooting up, rummaging through garbage. People want them gone, so the order is to cuff them and stuff them, and they’ll be moved across the state line to be someone else’s problem.” He smiled and lifted his hand to Hargraves, who walked over, darts in his hand.

  Hargraves grabbed the second beer on the table. “You should take the winner, Tony,” he said before putting the beer down. He slapped Tony’s shoulder, unusually happy, before he walked back and took a shot. The guys there were cheering on his bullseye.

  “So let me get this straight,” Tony said. “Because of Troy Johnson, Mike Hickman, Deke Ruiz, and Selma Margolis, the homeless are being relocated.” He’d heard it happen before, especially in places getting ready for some big event like the Olympics, something that would bring a lot of visitors to an area who didn’t want to see the downtrodden and less fortunate. The streets were cleaned up for the rich folks who were often bothered by them.

  “Who?” Llewellyn said. He really had no clue.

  “The victims,” Tony replied, and he watched the expression on Llewellyn’s face. It was as if those four young people were nobodies. What was worse was how easy it had been to find out who those four were.

  Vic’s PI had done the work that should have been done by his department. Troy was the man at the side of the building, the one he now knew Claudia had tripped over. “Mike Hickman has a father in Connecticut,” he said, “and a mother in Henderson who’s a payroll clerk at a grocery store. He had one sister and a younger brother and was enrolled in the medical assistant courses. He worked part-time at nights at a convenience store. Deke has a mother, father, three sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, currently on suspension from campus and up on misdemeanor charges for being caught with an illegal supply of a party drug similar to ecstasy. Selma was taking early childhood education, going back to school after walking out on eleve
n years of an abusive marriage, and Troy was a UPS worker with a kid and an ex-girlfriend, in and out of rehab, old ties to a gang, and two years in juvie for break and enters. His record’s now expunged. They’re all lying in the morgue on a slab of steel, cold and dead. That’s who they are, and what reason did Zoe Doucette have to shoot the three men?”

  The expression on Llewellyn’s face gave nothing away. “What are you doing, Tony? You want to be careful what you’re saying. Don’t forget she confessed to all of it.”

  “She confessed to the gun, that it was hers. But let’s talk about Selma. Her throat was slit, found beside the body of Mike Hickman inside the building, by the back door. What’s their connection, considering there was no evidence they even knew each other? Zoe just walked in and shot him? This would be after Mike slit Selma’s throat. The knife had his prints and was in his open hand, but that doesn’t fit, and neither does the time frame, considering witnesses saw the Doucette woman huddled with two kids while the shooting was going on.” Tony leaned forward, looking around.

  Llewelyn narrowed his eyes, pulling the toothpick from his mouth and jabbing it Tony’s way. “You talking about the McCabe girl? She say something? Or maybe there’s someone else, some other street bum, some junkie?”

  “Claudia McCabe’s got nothing to do with this. She understands exactly what she needs to do and how dangerous talking can be.” He lifted his hands carefully. “Just saying there’s some holes here, Llewellyn. If I can pick this out, a good defense attorney could blow this whole thing wide open. They’ll ask things like how the cops could even be there already when the shooting started. Like how a woman living on the streets got a hold of a gun. How there was just a glove stuffed in her belongings as if she planned to shoot these three men, yet she’s never taken drugs in her life. It doesn’t fit, and even if the DA puts this to bed, you’re going to have some human rights groups come along at some point and open this up, and everything that happened will be questioned. There were five of you there: you, Jackson, Flores, Smythe and Patterson. Are you sure everyone has their story down?”