Cory's Shift

by Dan Petrosini

  Cory burst through the door. Linda and Ava were sitting in the waiting room.

  “I thought you guys were getting something to drink.”

  “Ava didn’t feel like it. She wanted to wait for you.”

  “All right then, let’s get going.”

  When they stepped outside, Cory moved next to Ava’s side. Linda said, “You want a drink?”

  Ava shook her head.

  “Okay, let’s head to the subway.”

  Cory said, “No. Let’s grab a cab.”

  “A cab?”

  “Yep.” Cory stepped off the curb and held his arm up. Ten seconds later, a yellow taxi pulled up and they got in. The cab turned west onto Twenty-Third Street. Cory hoped for traffic. He was dreading letting Linda know what Bruno said.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Back in their apartment, Cory locked the door and closed the blinds. Linda said, “You’ve got to pick up Tommy in an hour.”

  “Can you see if Joann can drop him off?”

  “Why?”

  He lowered his voice, “We should stay with Ava.”

  “What did Bruno say?”

  “I’ll tell you later.”

  “Tell me now.”

  “Make sure Ava is okay first.”

  Linda went into her daughter’s room and a minute later came back. “She’s going to take a shower.”

  “Keep her door open.”

  “Why?”

  Cory pointed to their bedroom, and Linda followed him in. He closed the door and explained what Bruno said about the chance of suicide. Tears streamed down Linda’s face, and Cory helped her sit on the bed.

  She put her face in her hands. “Tell me this is a dream.”

  “We’ll help her get over this. Bruno said we have to make her feel safe.”

  “She doesn’t leave the house. How can she feel threatened?”

  “Ava told Bruno she thinks the bastards who did it are going to get her again.”

  “But that’s crazy.”

  “It’s how her mind is working.”

  “Do you think Bruno can help her overcome it?”

  “I hope so. But if they caught the bastards, she wouldn’t be worrying about them.”

  “You should tell Grillo and that FBI lady how this is affecting Ava.”

  “They don’t care.”

  “If they have kids, they will.”

  “While we’re waiting on somebody to do something, our daughter is suffering.”

  “Call them. It’s worth trying.”

  “Go check on Ava. I’ll go in the studio and make the calls.”

  Cory hung up and dialed again. “I want to talk to Detective Grillo.”

  “Who’s calling?”

  “Cory Lupinski.”

  “Hold on, sir.”

  “I was holding, for ten minutes.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but Detective Grillo is very busy. Why don’t you leave your number, and he’ll call you back?”

  “Why? I’ll tell you why. Because I’m still waiting for a callback from last week.”

  “I’ll let him know you called again. Is this a good number to reach you?”

  “Yeah, goodbye.”

  Cory made another call. “Detective Belfi.”

  “Hi, it’s Cory Lupinski.”

  “Hello, sir, how can I help you?”

  “That’s easy. Catch the bastards who kidnapped and mutilated my daughter.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. But that investigation is being handled by Detective Grillo.”

  “He never calls me back.”

  “Sorry about that, but the department is overwhelmed. You can thank the mayor and city council for slashing our budget. We have twenty percent less manpower, and crime is exploding.”

  “So, the hell with finding the bastards who mutilated Ava?”

  “No. It’s just that we’re putting out fires and trying to keep thugs from killing as many people as we can. We just don’t have the resources we used to.”

  “That’s bullshit.”

  “Tell that to city hall, not me. Now, is there something I can help you with?”

  “What’s going on with shutting down the illegal transplant ring?”

  “I’m afraid there’s not been much progress. We’ve had to back-burner it, but you’ve spoken to the Feds before. Give Knox a call.”

  Cory hung up. Everyone who lived in the city knew crime was rising and the police budget had been slashed. They were also dealing with the new no-bail policy, putting criminals back on the street hours after committing a crime.

  Cory wondered if Linda was right. When she suggested the family move, he’d dismissed it. Scrolling through his phone for the FBI agent’s number, he wrestled with whether it was time to move.

  As he waited for the agent to answer, Cory tossed around whether leaving the city would help Ava.

  “Agent Knox.”

  “Hi, this is Cory Lupinski.”

  “Yes, Mr. Lupinski. What can I do for you?”

  “I want to know where you’re at with taking down the transplant ring.”

  “There’s not much I can elaborate on.”

  “Last time you told me the DEA was involved. Are they making progress?”

  “There’s been a pause in the investigation. The new administration has redirected their attention to an initiative tamping down the proliferation of fentanyl.”

  “So, these thugs are free to do what they want?”

  “Of course not. You asked about DEA’s involvement, and I answered your question. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing.”

  “I don’t care about the DEA, the FBI, or any other alphabet-soup agency. I want to know when you’re going to catch the bastards who took my daughter’s liver.”

  “As I said, our investigation is ongoing.”

  “What the hell does ongoing mean? What exactly are you doing?”

  “I can’t discuss an active investigation.”

  “You’re hiding behind that bullshit?”

  “Please don’t use vulgar language, or I’ll have to end this call.”

  “Vulgar? ‘Bullshit’ is vulgar? Give me a break, man.”

  “Goodbye, Mr. Lupinski.”

  Cory tossed the phone on his desk. “Damn it!” He brought his hand back to swipe the top of the desk clean and stopped in midair. He had to maintain control.

  Cory leaned back, closing his eyes. He inhaled to a count of three. He held it a beat and released it slowly. Cory repeated the breathing exercise he’d learned.

  He felt his heart rate slow, and his mind cleared. His daughter was in trouble. It wasn’t easy, but he had to shove his emotions aside.

  Cory had to focus, not react. He opened his laptop. First item on the agenda was getting cameras and an alarm for the apartment. They’d think about moving, but there were several months left on their lease.

  Cory looked at two listings and bought the cheaper package of video surveillance. He wasn’t concerned with how well they worked. It was all about showing Ava she was safe. He paid with PayPal and went to check on Ava.

  In her pajamas, Ava was curled up on the bed, and Linda was sitting next to her.

  “How’s it going?”

  “She’s tired.”

  “Hey, Ava, I wanted to let you know I ordered some cameras, and we’re getting an alarm installed.”

  Linda said, “What? Why’d you do that?”

  “It’s time we got better security.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea, right, Ava?”

  Ava shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

  “I’m going to do everything possible to keep our family safe.”

  “Okay. I want to take a nap.”

  “You should do some of the schoolwork they sent home.”

  “I don’t feel like it.”

  Cory said, “It’s okay. You can do it after your nap.”

  As they left the room, Ava said, “Close the door.”

  “I’ll keep it open a crack, in case you need us
.”

  They retreated to the living room. Linda lowered her voice, “What’s with the alarm and cameras?”

  “Bruno said she didn’t feel safe. This might help.”

  “I hope so. What did the police say?”

  “Bunch of nonsense. With budget cuts, they don’t have the manpower, blah, blah, blah.”

  “How could they—”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look, it’s up to us. I’m through depending on anybody else.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Cory and Linda were in bed. When Linda turned over for the fifth time, Cory said, “Relax. Try breathing in slowly and exhaling to a count of five. Concentrate on your diaphragm, expanding as it receives the air.”

  “You’re teaching meditation now?”

  “It’s not meditation, or maybe it is, whatever, just clear your mind, or you’ll never get to sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep. I’m afraid she’s going to do something stupid.”

  “I’ll check on her every two hours and make sure she’s still sleeping.”

  “She could be faking it.”

  “I can tell. You just have to watch the way she’s breathing.”

  “You can tell?”

  “Yes. I’ll check every two hours. Go to sleep.”

  “You’re setting the alarm?”

  “I don’t need it. All I have to do is tell myself to get up when I need to, and I will.”

  “Now you’re a robot, too?”

  “No. It works. Go to sleep.”

  Cory silently repeated a message to get up in two hours. Satisfied it had sunk in, he cleared his mind to concentrate on his breathing. A couple of minutes later he felt his eyes closing.

  Cory rolled on his side and opened his eyes. He’d woken up in two hours. He tiptoed out of the room and slipped into Ava’s bedroom. He watched her chest rise and fall. Satisfied she was in a deep sleep, he went back to bed.

  * * *

  Filling the coffee machine with water, Linda trudged into the kitchen. She said, “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  “You were super restless.”

  “Sorry for keeping you up.”

  Cory put a pod into the coffee maker. “You didn’t. I slept good.”

  “You did?”

  “Yep, even checked on Ava every two hours.”

  “She was okay?”

  “Sleeping like a baby.”

  “I can’t stop worrying about her.”

  “It’s tough, but if you set your mind to it, you’ll do it.” He dug his phone out. “Here, look at these.”

  “A pool? What are you doing in a pool?”

  “It was super cold. Just fifty degrees.”

  “When did you do that?”

  “A little while back.”

  “Why?”

  “To prove I could. You know, to control my reaction to my surroundings.”

  “You’re talking like a teenager.”

  “I’m just trying to get control. It’s like shutting out everything else so you can put your energy into what you’re trying to do.”

  “I don’t see how jumping into freezing water does any good.”

  “It’s just training. If you stay in the water and not freak out, you can do anything.”

  “This is crazy, and it’s not going to help Ava.”

  “It may not seem related, but it helps to focus on what we can do to help her. Less worry and more action.”

  “What kind of action? She won’t even talk to us about what’s bothering her.”

  “As long as she talks to Bruno, we’ll find out what’s going on with her.”

  “I never thought I’d be wishing it were tomorrow so we’d be going to see Bruno.”

  * * *

  Bruno was wearing a navy-blue pants suit. She smiled. “Hello, Ava. How are you today?”

  “Okay.”

  “Your blouse is cute. It goes beautifully with your eyes.”

  Ava shrugged.

  “Come in. Make yourself comfortable.” She waved at Cory and Linda and shut the door.

  Cory dug into his backpack. He pulled out earbuds and a notepad.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Working on the lyrics for a track I just wrote.”

  “How can you do that here?”

  “Easy. You have to focus, that’s all.”

  “How can you focus while our daughter is in there?”

  “Sitting around worrying isn’t helping anybody. Why not make use of the time?”

  “The only thing that counts is her well-being.”

  “Well, if I’m not earning enough to support the family, all our well-being is going to suffer.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “It’s not easy, but we have to stop spending energy on things that don’t help and concentrate on doing what we can to help her.”

  “You sound like a self-help guru.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  “No, seriously, hon, try to stop worrying and look for something to help her.”

  “Like what? I don’t know what to do.”

  “What about reaching out to her friends. Maybe you can find a way to get them to accidentally pop over to see Ava.”

  “I’ve tried that.”

  “Try again.”

  “I can’t do it.”

  “You can do anything you set your mind to. Keep trying. You’ll see, it gets better. Try taking a couple of deep breaths.”

  She inhaled deeply. “Like this?”

  “No. Breathe in through your nose. But do it slowly and exhale through your mouth.”

  Linda did as instructed.

  “Good. Anytime your mind starts wandering, do the breathing.”

  “Okay.”

  Cory put his buds in and played the song he’d composed. He restarted it, playing the first four bars. Then he toyed with words, looking for a rhyme that fit the gratefulness theme he wanted to express.

  He’d written a phrase and a half when the door to Bruno’s office opened. Ava was staring at the floor. Bruno said, “We did some wonderful work today. If possible, it’d be a good idea to talk again on Monday.”

  Linda rose. “Sure. That’s fine. We’ll see you Monday.”

  “Mr. Lupinski, the insurance company sent a request for you to authorize payments. Can you sign them for me?”

  Cory shoved his things into the backpack. “Sure.”

  He stepped into her office, and she closed the door. “We had an interesting session today.”

  “Interesting?”

  “Yes. I’d like to suggest that when you speak with your wife about Ava that you ensure you’re talking privately.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “She overheard you telling your wife the police weren’t doing anything about apprehending those responsible for what happened to her.”

  “She did?”

  “Yes, and it heightened her fears they’ll come after her again. Her paranoia over this gang seems to have worsened.”

  “I feel terrible.”

  “Don’t. Though it confirmed her belief, her anxieties are deeply rooted. She’s afraid of these people.”

  “I know she has a right to be scared, but it’s overblown.”

  “It’s irrational because she’s unable to define the threat they pose. The fact she doesn’t know what they look like actually adds to the fear. In her mind, it can be anyone and everyone.”

  “Geez. It’s terrible to be afraid. She say anything else?”

  “She’s been dreaming of getting retribution.”

  “Like what?”

  “Dreaming she kills the people responsible for assaulting her.”

  Cory’s shoulders sagged. “Oh boy.”

  “Subconsciously, she’s acting out her desire for revenge.”

  Chapter Forty

  Cory motioned with his hand to let Linda know he wan
ted to talk. He headed into the bedroom. She followed him, and he pointed to the bathroom. He closed the door behind them.

  “What’s going on that we have to talk in the bathroom?”

  “Ava told Bruno she heard us saying that the police weren’t doing anything to catch the gang.”

  “Oh my God. Poor Ava. I’m heartbroken.”

  “I know.”

  “She’s terrified of them.”

  “It’s crazy how scared she is. She told Bruno again that she thinks they’re going take her again.”

  “I know you’re against it, but we’ve got to move. It’ll help Ava if we do.”

  “I’d do it for her, but I asked Bruno about moving, and she said being in new surroundings would make things worse for Ava.”

  “Really? Even if it was far away?”

  “That’s what she said. I get it, though.”

  “Mom? Dad?”

  Linda pulled open the door. “Yes, honey.”

  “I didn’t know where you were. I thought you left.”

  “We would never leave you alone.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I thought no one was home.”

  Linda put her arm around Ava. “There’ll always be someone with you. You don’t have to worry about that. Either Daddy or I will be home. All the time, you’ll never be alone.”

  Ava’s face crumpled and she began to cry.

  “It’s okay. You were scared. But we’re here, there’s nothing to cry about. Come on, let’s go in the kitchen. We’ll get dinner started.”

  * * *

  Tommy was in the shower. Linda came out of Ava’s bedroom. Cory said, “Come here, I need you to listen to this riff I just wrote.”

  They went into the studio. Cory said, “I never finished telling you what Bruno said.”

  “What else did she say?”

  “That Ava said she dreams of killing the people who did it to her.”

  “Oh my God. That’s horrible.”

  “Bruno said it’s normal, that Ava is expressing a need for revenge.”

  “I don’t like that. She has so much anger in her.”

  “Bruno said it’s typical after what she went through. She said if they catch these guys, it will go a long way toward making Ava feel secure again.”

  “Why don’t you call Detective Grillo?”

  “They’re useless. They’re up to their eyes in murders.”