by Wilder, L.
“Ms. Dawson? Who the fuck are you?” His eyes met mine in an angry glare. “And what the fuck do you want?”
“Hello.” I tried my best to sound unfazed by his gruff behavior. “I’m from the Department of Child Services. I’m here to have a word with Aniya.”
“Is that right?” he growled. “And why the hell would she want to talk to you?”
Before I could answer, Aniya came up behind him, and my stomach sank when I saw her black eye and the bruises that covered her wrists and arms. It looked like she’d been in a hell of a fight, and it had gotten the best of her. The strong, determined Aniya I’d seen several days prior had been replaced with a meek, terrified soul that reminded me of a wounded animal. I could see the hesitation in her eyes as she placed her hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Stephen, please.”
It took hearing his name for me to finally realize that the man was Aniya’s husband, the one who’d run out on her and the kids just a few months ago, leaving them to fend for themselves. From the looks of it, his return wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. I could see that she was hoping to defuse the situation when she told him, “Ms. Dawson has been really helpful. She’s the one who found me that job down at the coffee shop.”
“Well, now that I’m back, you’re not going to need her fucking help anymore,” he sneered. “You got that?”
“But—” she started, but quickly stopped when he raised his hand to her, threatening to hit her once again. “Okay, whatever you say. I don’t want to argue.”
As he lowered his hand, Stephen turned his attention back to me. “You heard her. She don’t need your help no more.”
“Yes, I heard her.” I was furious, but I tried my best to hide it. “And that’s fine, but I’ll need to see the kids and make sure they’re okay before I leave.”
“You got a court order?”
“No.”
“Then, you can get your ass off my property!” he barked. “’Cause you aren’t welcome here.”
“Stephen,” Aniya muttered, “You might as well let her come in. She’ll just come back with a police escort if you don’t.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” Rage flashed through his eyes as he took a threatening step towards me. “I’m not saying it again, lady. You aren’t welcome here, and if you come back with the cops, I’ll slit that pretty little throat of yours.”
It wasn’t the first time I’d been threatened. It was actually fairly common in my line of work, but it was the first time that I actually believed it was more than a simple threat. This guy was off his rocker, and if given the opportunity, he’d make good on his word. I knew better than to push the situation any further than I already had, so I simply nodded and said, “Thank you for your time, Mr. Strayhorn.”
I turned and hurried to my car. I was just about to get inside, when I heard him shout, “You best not be back. You’ll regret it if you do!”
Without giving him a response, I got in my car, slammed the door, and backed out of the driveway. Once I’d gotten a few miles from the house, I pulled over and made a call into the office, letting Mrs. Hawkins know what had taken place. I became madder and madder as I told her about the threats he’d made. I should’ve been terrified that a man of his stature had threatened me, but I was too angry to see that my life might’ve been in danger. I’d worked so hard to help Aniya get back on her feet. I wanted her to be able to provide for her children and give them a stable home environment, but it was clear that wasn’t going to be possible as long as he was around. The whole thing weighed on me, making it difficult to think about anything else, so I was relieved when she gave me the rest of the day off.
I’d hoped that some time away from work would help me clear my head, but it didn’t. Clay had to cancel because of something going on at the clubhouse, so I ended up spending the entire night alone thinking about Aniya and the kids. I hated seeing the terrified look in Fiona’s eyes and those bruises on Aniya’s arms. When I wasn’t obsessing over them, my mind was on Katie and her hearing the following morning. Everything was still weighing on me the following morning as I headed into the courthouse. As soon as I walked in, I spotted Katie sitting with Vicky, her guardian ad litem. She was wearing a dark, purple dress, and her hair was pulled back in a braid, making her look even younger than she really was. I could tell from her shaking knee and the tense expression on her face that she was nervous, and rightly so. Replaying to the judge what had happened at her home would be difficult for her, but thankfully, she wouldn’t have to do it inside the courtroom with her father and everyone else watching. Instead, she would talk to the judge alone in his chambers.
I walked over, and as I sat down beside her, I smiled. “Hey there, kiddo. How ya doing?”
“I’ve been better.”
“I know this whole thing is hard, but it’ll all be over soon.”
“I hope so.” Her eyes drifted to the floor with a sigh. “’Cause I’m really tired of all this. I’m tired of my dad drinking all the time ... scaring me and knocking me around ...” she paused for a moment, then looked up at me, “I love him, I do, but I don’t want him to be my father anymore. I want to have normal parents like my friends at school.”
In most cases, children didn’t want to leave their home, even when they were physically and mentally abused. It was just part of the vicious cycle they’d found themselves in. Having their parents approval was ingrained in them, and they sought it out even when it could never be attained. Katie, on the other hand, had come to the point where she’d detached herself from her father, and I hoped that it would make things a bit easier if she was taken from the home permanently. “Honey, I can’t make any promises, but I will tell you this ... Things will get better.” I placed my hand on her knee. “Just be honest with the judge, and he’ll do what he can to make things right.”
“Okay.” As she glanced over at the courtroom doors, she asked, “Do you have to go in there?”
“I do, but it shouldn’t take long. I just have to answer a few questions.”
“Are you nervous about it?”
Even though the thought of testifying had my stomach tied up in knots, I didn’t want her to worry, so I replied, “Umm ... a little, but it’ll be okay. Like I said, I shouldn’t be in there very long.”
“Okay.”
It was almost time for the hearing to start, so I stood and said, “I better get in there, but I’ll see you when it’s over.”
She nodded and watched as I turned and headed into the courtroom. There were several other cases on the docket, so I wasn’t surprised that the room was filled to capacity. When I spotted Danny sitting in the back row, I went over and sat down next to him. “You ready for this?”
“Yeah. Just ready to get it over with,” he grumbled as he glared over at Mr. Coburn. “Hell, just looking to see this guy get what’s coming to him.”
“You and me both.”
The room fell silent when the court officer ordered us all to rise. The judge walked into the courtroom, and in a matter of minutes, court was in session. I was thankful when the clerk announced that our case would be the first to be heard. Both attorneys stood, and just as the proceedings were about to begin, Coburn’s lawyer shocked us all by asking for a continuance. The judge gave him a disapproving look as he asked, “On what grounds?”
“The defense needs a little more time to gather evidence. We’re still missing some reports from social services, and we’ll need those in order to properly present Mr. Coburn’s defense.”
“Mm-hmm.” He cocked his eyebrow with a disgruntled sigh. “And how long are you going to need to gather this evidence for Mr. Coburn’s defense?”
“A couple of weeks, maybe a month at most.”
The judge turned to the opposing counsel as he asked, “Do you have any objections?”
“No, sir. I don’t have a problem with agreeing to a continuance as long as the child in question, Katie Coburn, remains in her current foster home until we can proceed with the hearing.�
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“Understood.”
“We’d also like to request a no-contact order.”
As soon as the words left the lawyer’s mouth, Mr. Coburn started mouthing off to his attorney. It was clear that he wasn’t happy about the stipulation, but that didn’t stop his attorney from replying, “Mr. Coburn agrees with the terms.”
“Then, the continuance is granted. Get the paperwork filed with the clerk and set up a date for the hearing in thirty days.”
“Yes, your Honor.”
With that, the attorneys started gathering their files, stuffed them into their briefcases, and headed out of the courtroom. Shocked, I turned to Danny and asked, “So, that’s it?”
“That’s it for now. Looks like we’ll be back in thirty days, but at least for the time being, the kid gets to stay put.”
“That’s definitely a plus.”
When we noticed that the next case was about to start, Danny and I got up and slipped out of the courtroom. Considering how things had turned out, I was hoping to get a chance to speak with Katie, but when we stepped out into the hall, she and Vicky had already gone. Since there was no reason for either of us to hang around, Danny and I headed out to the parking lot. As soon as we stepped outside, I spotted Mr. Coburn talking to his lawyer, and it was clear from their expressions that the conversation was heated. When Coburn turned and glared over at me, Danny reached for my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Hold up ... Let’s just wait here for a minute.”
“Why?” An uneasy feeling washed over me when I saw the cold, hateful expression on Mr. Coburn’s face. “You don’t think he’d actually try and do something, do you?”
“Never know, especially with guys like him.” Danny glanced over in Coburn’s direction. “I just have a bad feeling about the guy.”
“Well, hopefully it won’t be long until he’s behind bars.”
We both watched as Coburn shouted once more at his lawyer, then stormed off to his car. Once he was out of sight, Danny and I continued down to the parking lot and over to my car. We said our goodbyes, and as he started to walk over to his patrol car, he waved and said, “Until next time.”
I got in my car and pulled out of the parking lot with every intention of driving back to my office, but instead of heading downtown, I found myself going in a different direction entirely.
Prospect
I got the fact that Landry couldn’t tell me much about her work, just some trivial details here and there. It was her job to keep things under wraps and protect the privacy of the families she was working with, but that didn’t mean I liked it, especially when some motherfucker had threatened her. I might’ve never known about it if I hadn’t overheard her talking on the phone with her boss. I’d never heard Landry so upset when she told her, “I would’ve never gone there if I’d known he was there. You know that?”
There was a pause as she waited for a response. “Yes, but you didn’t see the bruises on her face and arms. It was obvious that he’d hurt her, and I needed to make sure that he wouldn’t do the same to the kids. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to them.”
Another long pause. “Yeah, he lost it. He got up in my face and reamed me up one side and down the other. The cussing and screaming was one thing, but he said he had people that would do things to me ... really bad things. Then, he followed me out to my car, took a picture of me and my license plate. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure someone followed me back to my apartment.”
At this point, I was ready to blow. I wanted to hunt down this motherfucker and handle him my-goddamn-self, but I knew nothing about the guy. Hell, I didn’t even know which coffee shop she was talking about. I should ask Landry about it, but even if I did, I knew she wouldn’t tell me. I had no other choice but to stand back and listen as she continued, “No, I didn’t actually see anyone, but I just got the feeling someone was watching me.”
Moments later, Landry explained, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll file a report right now and get it over to you. I’ll also give Danny a call and let him know what’s up. Maybe he knows something about the guy that can help.”
I didn’t want Landry to know that I’d been eavesdropping, so I stepped away from the door and went over to Duchess in the living room. I knelt down, and I’d just started to pet her when Landry came walking out of the guest bedroom. Her eyes and nose were red from crying, and she was still sniffling as she made her way over to me. I stood and walked towards her as I asked, “You okay?”
“No, but I will be.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“No, I’ve got to handle this on my own.” She wound her arms around my neck and forced a smile. “But thank you for asking.”
“Well, at least let me get you out of here for a little while.” If there was even a slight chance that someone had followed her back to the apartment, I didn’t want her to be alone, so I suggested, “We could grab some dinner and head over to the clubhouse.”
“Okay, but I need to send in my report to Mrs. Hawkins before I can go.”
“That’s fine. I can wait.”
She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine, before saying, “You’re kind of awesome.”
“Kind of?”
“Okay, you’re a lot of awesome, but don’t let it go to your head,” she teased.
“I’ll do my best.”
She kissed me once more, then turned and walked over to her bag. I watched as she sat down at the kitchen table and opened her laptop. I didn’t want to disturb her while she worked, so I reached for Duchess’s leash and led her over to the door. As I headed out the door, I looked over to Landry and said, “We’ll be waiting outside when you’re done.”
“Okay. I won’t be long.”
I nodded, then followed the sidewalk down to a grassy area near the parking lot. As usual, as soon as Duchess’s feet hit the dirt, she started searching for a place to take care of business. I stood still, trying not to distract her, and used the time to scan Landry’s parking lot. I was hoping something would catch my attention, and I could get a clue about who might’ve been following her. I didn’t see much. Just a few empty cars, and a sizable pile of cigarette butts between two parking spaces. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but as I stood there staring at it, I realized that someone had to have been sitting in their car smoking for quite some time to make such a big pile of butts. I led Duchess over to the spot, trying to see if they would’ve had a good view of Landry’s apartment. Just as I feared, I could not only see all of her front door, but through her windows, I could see parts of her kitchen and bedroom. Damn.
It didn’t take a genius to know that Landry was right about someone following her. From the looks of it, they’d spent a good bit of time watching her as well. Fuck. I was really working myself up into a rage when Landry stepped out of her apartment. With her overnight bag in tow, she started towards me with a smile. “You two ready to go?”
“Absolutely.” Easing past the mound of cigarette butts, I made my way over to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door for her. “You got everything?”
“I think so.”
“Good deal.” I closed her door, and after I got Duchess settled in the back, I hopped inside and started the truck. “So, you have two choices: I can pick something up on the way to the clubhouse, or I can order us a couple of pizzas when we get there.”
“I’m good with whatever.” When I glanced over at her with a disapproving look, she sighed. “I really don’t care.”
“Then, it shouldn’t be hard to choose one. “
“Okay, fine. Let’s just order pizza.”
“Perfect.” As I pulled out of her parking lot, I chuckled. “See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”
Landry just shook her head and smiled. On the way to the clubhouse, she barely said two words. I knew she was worried, and I hated that she couldn’t talk to me about it. I hoped that I could help take her mind off of things, but I wasn’t having much lu
ck. I got us a couple of pizzas and rented a movie, but as we sat there snuggled up together, she seemed a million miles away. I hoped it would pass, but even when we got into bed, she seemed completely lost in her own thoughts. When I couldn’t take it a moment longer, I looked down at her and said, “I’m gonna need you to talk to me, Landry. I need to know what’s going on in that head of yours.”
“I’m sorry. I know I’ve been off tonight, but work really got to me today. I can’t get into all the details, but I screwed up. I screwed up big, and it’s making me feel like a complete failure.”
“Why would you ever feel like a failure?” While I didn’t hear her entire conversation with her boss, I’d heard enough. From what I could tell, it was the husband that had been the one who’d fucked up, not Landry. “You work harder than anyone I know, and if you ask me, you’re amazing at what you do.”
“Not today. Today I overstepped, and I’ll be lucky if I don’t get a huge reprimand for it.” She brought her hands up to her face, hiding behind them as she muttered, “I should’ve never gone to her work like that. It will be my fault if she loses that job.”
“Why would she lose her job?”
“Because her husband got furious that I showed up there and …” Realizing she was saying too much, her voice trailed off as she groaned. “Let’s just say it’s complicated.”
I was just about to push her to tell me more when her cell phone started to ring. “Don’t worry. It’s probably my mother.”
She eased up out of bed and grabbed her phone off the bedside table. When she looked down at the screen, her brows furrowed with bewilderment. Concerned I asked, “Not your mother?”
“No, it’s not.” She quickly answered. “Hello?”
There was a brief pause before she said, “Yes, this is Landry Dawson. Can I help you?”
Moments later she continued, “No, not that I’m aware of.”
As she listened to the person on the other end of the call, a look of utter panic crept over her beautiful face. She was still listening when she jumped out of bed and started changing out of her pajamas. “Thank you, Mr. Evans. I’m on my way there now, and don’t worry about calling the police. I’ll call them once I’ve had a chance to check things out.”