“There are a lot of things that don’t make sense in this case,” Ash told Titus. “And I have to say that Detective Lowell is one of them.”
“Lowell is on the level,” Titus insisted. It had gotten fairly quiet on his end as though he had gotten into his vehicle and shut the door. “Just be patient. I’ve got a good feeling about that guy.”
“Yeah? Well I don’t. He left Mindy high and dry in that hospital with cops accusing her of being the one responsible for her brother’s overdose. I swear they’re about to try to pin her with something. Probably the dealing. And Caprico is the dealer!” Just thinking about it made Ash mad as hell.
“Just go talk to her at work and find out what happened,” Titus suggested. There was a dull hum of his engine in the background now. “I’m on my way over to the hospital. I need to talk to the nurses and the doctor. I want to get to them before the police have told them not to talk to me.”
Ash pulled his truck around the mirror maze castle complex and squeezed into a parking spot between two mini vans. “Sounds good. I’ll let you know what I find here.”
Ash didn’t even end the call. He just tossed the phone onto the dashboard and got out of the truck. He had a bad feeling in his gut. A really bad feeling. There was no way Mindy would ignore her phone without a reason. The sort of reason that involved a lot of force from someone with authority.
Pushing open the front doors, Ash was immediately sucked into the crowded cavernous hall where people waited for tickets and kids screamed and played as they ducked around the velvet line barriers.
“Hey!”
Ash turned around at the sound of a loud, female voice. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the gift shop.
“Hey, you! Mr. Detective Guy!”
As if anyone else in this throng of people was likely to be able to answer to that. Ash waved his hand and began pushing his way toward the gift shop. There was a young woman waiting there. Probably not too far off Mindy’s age, she was shifting back and forth from foot to foot as though she were seriously agitated.
“Are you Ash Forbes?” the girl demanded immediately. “I’m looking for Ash Forbes. I was hoping that was you. I saw you in here with Mindy Hall earlier. I’m Grace. I work in the gift shop.” The young woman was talking at a million miles an hour. “I called your office, but nobody answered and nobody returned my call either. I called the on-call number.”
Damn Caroline to hell and back. She was supposed to call them in the event of an emergency. But that was not right now. Ash nodded to Grace. “I’m Ash Forbes. Where’s Mindy?”
Grace was nearly dancing with urgency. “Sergeant Caprico arrested her and took her to jail! They handcuffed her and put her in a police car and everything!”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Admit it! Your brother was dragging you down. The business was going well and you just could not be bothered to keep taking care of that ungrateful little bastard. He’d been sucking you dry for years and you finally decided to put an end to it!”
Sergeant Caprico’s voice echoed around the small, windowless room. He was still wearing his uniform. Tiny droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead and rolled down his face. His lips were moist thanks to his shouting. He had both hands flat on the table between them. He was on his feet leaning over so far that Mindy was pretty sure he was going to lose his balance and crush her at some point.
Not that she would have minded that. At this point anything would have been better than this room. It was hot. So hot. Her throat was dry but she refused to touch the glass of water sitting by her right hand. Why had they brought a glass? Why not a bottle? It was harder to tamper with a bottle. She didn’t want them drugging her too. They might try to make it look like she took her own life while she was in lockup thanks to the shame of it all.
Caprico pushed back from the table and sneered down at her. “You had better defend yourself while you have the chance, Ms. Hall. If you don’t, you’re going to be charged and thrown into real lockup. And that’s where you’ll stay. You have no idea just how hard they will punish you now that someone has died thanks to your dealing.”
Mindy struggled to keep her expression flat and unaffected. She could not show him one hint of weakness. That’s what he wanted.
“Say something!”
Mindy’s throat was so tight that she wasn’t entirely sure that she could. She tried to relax her vocal chords just a little. Just enough. One word. That’s all she needed. But she’d said that word a dozen times or so now. She had already told Caprico she would not talk until she’d spoken with an attorney. Now she had to keep to that no matter what. She swallowed. There was no moisture.
“Lawyer.” Mindy managed to push the word past her lips.
Caprico made a frustrated sound and then he left the table to pace energetically from one side of the kitchen to the other. “I already told you. I called you a lawyer. They’re probably on their way. Until then, you’re mine for questioning.”
That wasn’t how it worked, but then why wouldn’t Caprico think that Mindy was stupid enough to believe what he was saying? She was a loser. Right? Just some low-life poor girl from the streets living with her drug addicted brother. And maybe the worst part was that Darren had been dragging Mindy down.
She felt the sting of tears. She could not think about that. She could not allow herself to go there right now. This was not the moment to mourn. There would be a moment. Later. When she was safe and alone and there wasn’t someone trying to make her admit that she had killed him. For now, she needed to stay strong.
“Look at you.” The derision dripping from Caprico’s voice stung even though she didn’t think much of the man. “Your brother just died. It was your fault. And you’re sitting here like you don’t even care! What kind of person are you? What sort of person doesn’t care that her own brother is dead?”
She couldn’t help it. Mindy tried like hell to hold the words in, but they slipped out before she could bite them back. “It isn’t that I don’t care!”
“Ah, so you do care that you killed your brother!”
The triumph in his expression was enough to make her want to scratch his eyes. She glared up at him. There was no holding back with that. Not like the words. The hatred that Mindy leveled at Sergeant Caprico should have felled him like a tree. But he wasn’t human. She was convinced of it. He was some kind of demon from hell and he’d come to torment her.
A knock at the door suspended their stand-off for a moment, but not before Mindy noticed Caprico’s slight change in demeanor. Beneath all of that bravado and his swaggering walk and loud speech, he was worried about something. The knock had been surprising to him. She could tell. It was after hours. The police station had been nearly deserted except for the duty sergeant. Caprico had offered to put her in a holding cell and do the paperwork all by himself. Why was that and who had come to check up on him?
Mindy wanted to relax when Caprico stepped out of the room. But for all she knew, this was part of some ploy. Some nefarious plan to get her to do just that. To relax her guard so he could come back in and start blasting her again. Besides, there might be a video monitoring system in here. Caprico could be standing outside the door watching her. So, instead of collapsing to the table she struggled to sit there and be unaffected.
Her mind wandered from Darren’s death to Ash Forbes. She wished he was there right now. Ash was strong. He was clever. He could probably stand there and exchange verbal volleys with Sergeant Caprico for the rest of the night. Mindy liked Ash. Not just liked him. She really liked him. He was the sort of guy you never expected to meet—intelligent, kind, witty, charming, and willing to actually have a conversation with a woman like her.
Mindy knew she wasn’t much to look at. She never had been. But living hand to mouth for so many years had taken a toll on her, along with the stress of raising Darren. She looked like a skinny old woman. She felt a hundred years old. And Ash was… well, he was Ash. He was so handsome that he probabl
y had his pick of the ladies.
He was kind to her. Mindy didn’t necessarily know why, but she was grateful for every bit of empathy she got. They weren’t exactly readily available in her world. Ash allowed her to talk of other things, too. She didn’t have to focus on how shitty her situation was every single second of the day. Plus, there were the chicken dinners and the pie. The man had a lot to recommend him.
Mindy suddenly became aware of raised voices outside the interview room. One of them sounded like Caprico. His voice had become the stuff of nightmares. The other voice sounded more than a little familiar, but she could not place it. They were arguing. That was for certain. Was it Sellers? Mindy would have thought that Sellers knew exactly what Caprico was up to. Wasn’t he part of the whole thing no matter how innocent he seemed to want to pretend he was?
The door went crashing open. Mindy flinched, but held her ground. She wasn’t the one in the wrong here. Caprico was violating her civil rights. She knew that. And her attorney was going to know it too.
“What is she doing in there?”
Mindy could not help herself now. She tilted her head and barely turned it enough for her to see from the corner of her eye that it had been Sellers out in the hallway with Caprico. He looked storm cloud angry and ready to blow a gasket.
“You told me there was nobody in there. You were just doing paperwork!” Sellers railed at Caprico. “Where is the paperwork then? I want to see it!”
Caprico glared hotly at Mindy as though he was daring her to say a word. She wasn’t going to. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think she was out of the woods yet either. There was something very strange going on and she was stuck right in the middle.
The door slammed shut. The shouts disappeared. Mindy fidgeted. She wished for someone to come and help her. That was it. Someone to let her out of this stupid room so that she could just go home. Or go somewhere. She wanted to see her brother’s body maybe. Or not. It was hard to believe she had missed being with him at the end. It made her feel bad. And maybe that was the worst part of this whole situation. There was truth to what Caprico was accusing her of. Not the murder, but the part about being tired of Darren.
Mindy had been tired of Darren. There were plenty of times over the last several years she had felt as though he was pulling her down. They were nothing alike. Their values had been so different that it had been impossible to find middle ground. He didn’t understand the concept of destitution. Her mother had been so careful to keep Darren out of it. She’d spoiled him rotten, letting him grow up in a world where he did not understand that everyone else in the house went without so that he could have what he wanted.
For the first time ever, Mindy felt bitterness towards her mother. If Mom had only done things differently when Darren was little, would that have changed things now?
The door opened again. Mindy stiffened. But this time, it was Detective Lowell in the doorway. “Ms. Hall?” He spoke as though they had never before met. She wasn’t sure why, but she figured she’d go with it. “You’re free to go.”
Mindy made a gesture with her hands. She was actually held down to the table by a loop wrapped around her cuffs. She saw the comprehension dawn on Detective Lowell’s face, and for just a brief second his mask of indifference slipped. Then he seemed to hastily bring it back under control as he extracted a set of keys from his pocket.
“So sorry about that, ma’am.” Lowell carefully unfastened her handcuffs and released her wrists to the free air. “Here you go.”
Mindy stumbled to her feet. She nearly toppled over. Her legs were weak and felt tingly from sitting so stiffly for so long. How long? She had no idea what time it was. She was supposed to be at work until midnight. Had she missed the rest of her shift? No doubt Kevin was going to give her hell for that. As if being arrested wasn’t a good enough excuse to leave work in the middle of a shift.
Mindy walked beside Lowell as he led her away from the interview room through the warren of passageways and old storefronts turned into police station digs. He did not speak and neither did she. Mindy wondered if he had decided she was more trouble that she was worth. Hopefully, her brief career as a drug dealer would never wind up on her record. There was a good chance she was going to need another job very soon.
“Ms. Hall?” Lowell stopped walking and turned to face her as they approached the desk sergeant’s counter in the front of the station. “I’ll be in touch.”
What did that mean? And was he honestly just throwing her out the front of the station with nothing? She didn’t even have her phone or her wallet or keys. She had nothing. Some of her stuff was still at work. But surely, they were at least supposed to provide her with a ride home?
Mindy nodded dumbly, because what else could she do. Then she pushed her way through the front doors of the police department and practically fell down the steps. Something caught her at the end. No. It was a someone.
“Mindy? God, look at you!” Ash’s low voice was filled with concern. He wrapped an arm around her and held her close against his warm, comforting bulk. “Can you walk? I can’t imagine how long he kept you locked up in there for no reason. Just give it a second and get your balance.”
She did just that. But Mindy wasn’t just getting her bearings. She was soaking up that welcome presence that was Ash. He smelled divine. So good. She closed her eyes and rested her face against his chest. She just stood there in his embrace. She didn’t care if it was appropriate or not. She didn’t care what he might or might not read into it. She just wanted to be close to him for a moment or two.
One of his big hands stroked her back. His other one stroked her messy ponytail. He tucked stray hairs behind her ear and lightly touched her cheeks. And then her stomach growled and ruined everything.
Ask gave a low laugh. “Well, at least we know you’re still functioning. Right? Let’s go get you some food. Can you walk?”
She wanted to say yes, but somehow her voice was still locked up tight. She was afraid to loosen up. If she did, she might collapse and begin to sob like a baby. Darren was dead. The full import of that was just starting to hit her. If ever there had been a failed attempt to parent someone, that label and distinction belonged to Mindy Hall.
“Food would be good,” Mindy finally managed to whisper.
He started to let go of her. Mindy grabbed hold. She didn’t want him to let go. She never wanted him to let go. It was dark out, dark and hot and there were almost no cars in the parking lot. Nobody to really see them. She just wanted to stay against him forever.
When he plucked her off the ground, Mindy felt a dizzying sense of vertigo for just a brief second before the security of his arms covered her like a blanket. He held her against his chest and walked toward his truck. She could see it a short distance away.
“Sweetheart, we need to get some food into you,” Ash whispered. “You’re lighter than a feather. You’re going to blow away this winter if we don’t fill you up enough to keep you on the ground.”
It was a humorous observation, but Mindy felt as though it were true. Her brother was gone. What was there to tie her to earth now?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ash knew Titus was still convinced Detective Lowell was a good guy. Perhaps he was. But the way this situation had been handled tonight was absolutely inexcusable and Ash intended to make sure every single person he could find knew that straightaway.
He wasn’t sure where to go. Mindy looked like hell. It was after midnight, so there was no use taking her to work. She needed food and comfort and someplace safe to stay. That rather left only an option or two in Ash’s mind.
“Mindy, I think we’re going to hit the drive-thru on this twenty-four hour burger joint. How is that?” Ash looked across the cab and waited. She still hadn’t spoken much.
But she was nodding now. He saw her gesture to her throat. Was it sore? Had Caprico actually thrown an arm across her throat and nearly suffocated her to death? Ash squeezed
his steering wheel until the leather wrap squeaked in protest.
They didn’t have long to wait in the drive-thru as the traffic was pretty mild. The twenty-four hour chain with its black and white stripes and red accents was just to the side of the highway that led to Ash’s house anyway. He wasn’t taking her back to that trashed out apartment. Her brother had died there. It was more or less a crime scene. As far as Ash was concerned, she was going to stay with him until they found her a better place.
Ash ordered several burgers and some shoestring fries and then a couple of drinks and milkshakes—anything he thought might tempt her appetite. It took a moment or two to get their food but he didn’t care. All of this time was good for Mindy to begin to process everything.
The truck was cool inside. The engine hummed and the fan blew as the compressor kept the air conditioning running. It was dark and quiet with the radio off and nothing but the dash lights to illuminate the space. He heard a sniffling noise and knew that she was probably just starting to break down.
Ash took the food through the windows and then the drinks in a big cardboard carrier. He placed the items carefully on the center console between them and fished a napkin or two out of the sack of spicy smelling burgers and fries.
“Here,” Ash told her gently. “If you need it.”
The drive home was quiet. She was sobbing. He could tell. But he didn’t look at her. After a few minutes, he put straws in the drinks, carefully maneuvering the truck down the dark highway as he did.
“If you need a drink, take whichever one you want. There are chocolate and strawberry milkshakes. I wasn’t sure what kind you liked. We’d never talked about it before.”
He felt lame, like he was trying to put a band aid on an amputation. But she picked up one of the milkshakes and started slurping it down. That’s good. Ash didn’t look at her on purpose. He wanted to give her the illusion of privacy, even if it wasn’t exactly a reality.
Rock Wolf Investigations: Boxset Page 87