by K. M. Hodge
Jude sighed. “It doesn’t matter what we want anyways. Sally will do whatever she wants to do. She’s never been one to listen to reason.”
“Call me if she decides to go over there. I just got to the court house. I’ll be here all afternoon. I’ll call you when I’m out.” The loud ding-ding-ding of a car door opening and the sound of a loud crowd that followed made it hard to hear the detective.
Jude pressed the phone tighter to his ear. “I’ll text when I’ve talked to her.”
“Great. I’ve gotta run. I’ll call you later.”
Jude dropped his feet back to the ground. Something about the lawyer’s message didn’t sit right with him and a sinking feeling started to grow in the pit of his stomach. He shot Alex a quick text, grabbed his keys, and took off in search of Sally.
***
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
December 8, 2005
8:30 AM
~~~
Alex stood outside his boss’s office and pulled up the latest text from Jude.
Is Sally with you? Keep her away from the lawyer.
Alex quickly texted him back.
She’s not with me. Last I saw her she said she was going home. What’s up with the lawyer?
He leaned against the wall as he waited for Jude’s return text. His phone binged and his heart started to race. If anything had happened to her….
He emailed her asking her to stop by his office today. He got fired from a big job and I worry that he might snap.
Alex broke out into a sweat. Shit. He quickly texted back a reply.
I can head out in an hour. Text me if you hear from her. Please keep me updated.
Alex flipped his phone to silent, walked into his boss’s office, and said a silent prayer that Sally would be okay.
***
Sally and Billy’s Trailer
Ocean City, Maryland
December 8, 2005
Noon
~~~
Sally stood over the kitchen counter mixing together chili for Billy’s lunch. She glanced over her shoulder. From the other end of the trailer she could hear the shower on full blast and the muffled singing of her old man. Billy had looked like shit and had commented that the boss didn’t believe in sleep. She could use that to her advantage. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the pills Billy had given her. She glanced over her shoulder again and then turned back to retrieve two spoons from the drawer. She used them to crush the pills. Two ought to knock him out for the day, especially since he hadn’t slept in a while. All the beers he’d downed would only help to further sedate him.
The shower shut off and the singing stopped. “Lunch about done?”
Sally quickly blended the crushed pills into his chili, making sure to mix it so the white dust disappeared into the red liquid. “Yeah, babe. All done. Do you want another beer with your chili?”
Billy strutted into the kitchen and grabbed Sally hard by the hips. “This is more like it.” He nipped her neck, making her yelp. “Grab me a Bud and the paper.”
Sally set the table and then brought him his paper with the sports section folded over for him to read. “Do you need anything else?”
“You working the afternoon shift?”
Sally nodded.
Billy took a seat at the table and kicked up his feet on the spare chair. “Call in sick to work today.”
Sally paused at the sink with her hands under the running water. Working at the grocer always gave her a guaranteed out—and she needed it. Billy would get a bug in his ear sometimes and not want her to leave the trailer for days on end. She couldn’t do that now. Not with so much at stake. “I need to go in and get my check.”
Billy yawned and stretched. “Fine, get your money and get home. No dawdling.”
Sally nodded and bit her lip, afraid to say something that might make him change his mind. She washed the pot and tried to slow her breathing.
“You ain’t eatin?”
Sally glanced back at Billy and smiled. “I’m not hungry.”
“Why not? You eat somewhere else today?”
“No, just not hungry.”
Billy grumbled and shook out the paper. “Raven’s lost.”
Sally kept quiet. He was diehard fan but a shitty gambler—he must have bet on the team winning. Billy crumbled the paper and tossed it aside. He stifled another yawn and stood up—wobbling a little. “I’m going to bed. Clean this shit hole up would you?”
Sally took out the rag and started to wipe down the counter and table. “Okay, babe. Get some rest. You must be exhausted.”
Billy looked back at her on his way to their bedroom. He grumbled something under his breath, but kept walking and soon the door to their bedroom slammed shut. Sally did the sign of the cross, kissed her St. Rita medallion and let out a sigh. She quickly cleaned up the trailer and began to relax as the sound of Billy’s snoring could be heard coming from behind the closed door. She got her burner out of its hiding spot, scribbled a quick note about going to the store for her check and bolted out the front door. As she walked, she called the store and told them she wouldn’t be coming in. Then she read her messages.
One from Jude read: Where the fuck are you? Don’t see Michael today!!
She pocketed the phone and made her way through the park to the back of the laundromat. She checked around and found the place empty. She quickly dialed Michael’s number and he answered on the second ring.
“Michael speaking.” His voice caught Sally off guard. His tone sounded off. Or maybe Jude’s message just had her paranoid.
“Hey, it’s Sally. I borrowed my neighbor’s phone. I wanted to check in and see how you were doing. Is everything okay?”
Michael sighed into the phone. “No, not really. I lost a major client today and my morning case got postponed again.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Yeah. Me. Do me,” he said. It came out more like a command then a request.
Sally paused, again caught off guard. Michael never spoke to her like that. She must have paused too long because he cleared his throat and the urgency in his voice disappeared.
“I’m sorry. I’m an ass. Can I see you today? I really need to see you.”
The hair on Sally’s arms stood on end. Her mind shouted at her to say no, but when she opened her mouth she found herself saying, “Yes. I can come by and see you today.”
“Good. I’m at my office. Do you know where it is?”
Of course she knew. She knew everything about him. But she would need to stop at Jude’s sister’s place to pick up her coat, the MDNA watch and Jude’s voice-activated recorder. If she showed up without the coat Michael had bought her, she might arouse his suspicions. She knew a thing or two about paranoid men on the edge.
“Yeah, in West Ocean City. I can be there in an hour.”
“Good. Don’t keep me waiting too long.” His tone and choice of words screamed threat. What would he do if she made him mad? But maybe she could get him mad enough to talk, get him on record admitting some of the illegal shit he’d done. “I won’t.”
Sally ended the call and quickly sent a text message to Jude.
I’m going to Michael’s and I’m going to get a recording of him admitting some of the stuff he’s done. This needs to end now.
Chapter 17
Michael David’s Law Office
West Ocean City, Maryland
December 8, 2005
1:30 PM
~~~
Sally checked to make sure she had the voice-activated recorder in her jacket pocket and tried to ignore the tremor in her hand. Now or never. She knocked on Michael’s office door, three short raps that sounded like gunshots. No answer. She tried the door and it swung open easily.
“Michael,” she said, peeking her head into the darkened office. “Are you in here?”
An incoherent mumble sounded from the corner. Sally squinted and made out the outline of a sofa. She tiptoed across
the plush carpeting. “Are you okay?”
“Take me home.”
“Did you drive yourself today?”
“I won’t be having any more drivers now.”
Sally reached for the lamp beside the sofa, but he grabbed wrist. “Leave it off.”
Her breathing shallowed, and her ears roared with the racing of her heart. “Okay.”
Michael rose and placed her hand on his chest. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Of course.” Sally concentrating on controlling her breathing. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
He picked up his bag and keys. “You drive.”
She took the keys and linked her arm with his. They walked out of the office and into the bright afternoon light. Michael winced and tightened his hold on her arm as they shuffled along in silence.
“Which one’s yours?”
Michael sighed and pointed to the black sedan in the back of the lot.
Sally stopped for a moment and stared up at him—he looked like shit. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Michael groaned and squinted at Sally. “No, let’s go.”
She helped him into his car—It smelled of chemical pine scented air fresheners. Michael buckled himself in and then riffled through his bag. Sally didn’t know quite what to say, so she kept quiet. Years with Billy taught her the value of silence.
“Aha!” Michael pulled a small baggie out of his briefcase and held it up.
Coke.
Alarm bells went off in Sally’s mind. When Michael was sad he was easy to handle, but a coked-out Michael might test even her limits. She caught him giving her a sideline glance. “Just a little something to take the edge off,” Michael said as he stuck a finger inside and then spread some of the white powder on his gums. “We can really have some fun now.”
“I’ve never done cocaine before.”
He sat back in the seat, clutching the drugs in his fist. “Really? I thought all you gals from that side of town did drugs.”
Sally strangled the steering wheel and glared straight ahead. It took everything in her to keep her cool. “Nope. Never did.”
“Well, there’s a first time for everything. Because tonight you’ll be joining me in my pity party and there will be no teetotalers allowed.”
Sally clenched her jaw and prayed.
***
Hard Rain Trailer Park
Ocean City, Maryland
December 8, 2005
2:00 PM
~~~
Jude closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s not your fault, Mary. I’m sorry.”
His sister stared back at him with a stream of tears trailing down her dark cheeks. He didn’t know what to do, except wait. “Mary, are you sure she took the watch?”
His sister nodded, and then wiped her face. “I’m sure. She came for the watch and your recorder. Oh, and that pretty new coat.”
He touched his own watch. No vibrations. The project—still in the development stage—needed more work, but he felt certain the SOS function should be in working order. If it wasn’t…. Well, no sense worrying about that now. He needed to be prepared in case the distress call came in. At least Sally picked up the watch. It assured him that she hadn’t totally gone off the deep end into the pool of stupidity.
Jude grabbed a few things and put them in a bag to take with him, and then he called Alex. The call went straight to voicemail. After the beep, he took a deep breath and said, “Alex, she didn’t listen. Went off with the lawyer. I don’t know much yet, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do.”
Jude hung up and pocketed his phone. He couldn’t help but wonder if something hadn’t happened between Sally and Alex that had driven her to push the case forward this way. A screech a few trailers down caught his attention. It was in the direction of Sally’s trailer. He rushed to the front window and pushed back the curtains. It was just some kids playing with a motorized bike on the strip of concrete outside Sally’s trailer. “Is Billy home?”
His sister paused for a beat. “Yeah, he came home this morning.”
“Did Sally say anything about him?”
“Just that he was tired and sleeping.”
Jude didn’t want to push his sister, but he needed as much information as he could get. “Is that all?”
“Yes, she said he would be sleeping a long while.”
Jude jogged outside to Sally and Billy’s trailer. He pushed past the boys—who grumbled at him—and took a peek inside. Sure enough he could just make out the outline of Billy flat out on the bed through the crack of the curtain.
“What did you do, Sally?”
“Who you talking to, lad?”
Jude turned to see Henry, one of the top level thugs for The Syndicate walking up to him. He smelled like stale cigarette smoke, whiskey, and BO. “What you doing sneaking up on his trailer like that?”
“I heard a strange noise and just wanted to check in and see if Sally was okay. She’s still not doing so well since…since her accident.”
Henry’s shoulders drooped. “Yeah, lass needs to take more care.”
Jude closed his eyes for a beat before responding. “Yes, well. She’s not there.”
“Then you should be off.” Henry offered him a curt nod.
“Can I borrow your bike?”
The older man laughed and his belly shook. “Do you even know how to ride?”
“Yes, I do. And I need to find Sally. I’m worried about her.”
Henry looked over his shoulder and back. “All right.” He handed Jude his keys. “Bring it back in one piece or I’ll take you out? Understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
***
Michael David’s Home
Ocean Pines, Maryland
December 8, 2005
2:30 PM
~~~
Sally pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Here we are.”
Michael stared at her with bloodshot eyes and grinned. As he leaned in to kiss her, she jumped out of the car and went around to his side to help him out. “Let’s get you to bed so you can get some rest. Everything’s better after a good sleep.” She struggled to retrieve him from the car, but finally got him standing.
Michael’s gaze fell to her lips. “Sleeping isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Sally ignored his comment and shoved her good hand into the pocket of her coat and clicked on the voice-activated recorder. Michael grabbed her and pushed her up against the car door, which closed with a thud behind her. Having her pinned in place, he leaned in and gave her a crushing kiss that tasted like coffee and chemicals. As she twisted her head to break the kiss, he stuck his finger into her mouth and touched her gums and tongue. His touch stung and a numbness spread down her throat as she swallowed. The coke.
Michael laughed. “You need to loosen up, babe.”
“Michael, wait.”
He yanked her good arm and pulled her towards the house. She stumbled across the lawn, sending shots of pain up her leg, which still smarted from Billy’s assault.
“We’ve waited long enough, Sally. I’m done.”
“Okay, okay. You don’t need to drag me!”
Michael stopped at the door and looked down at her. “Oh, but I think I do.”
Sally pulled hard until he let go of her wrist. “No, you don’t.”
“Have it your way,” he said, as he unlocked the door. “You always do.”
She stumbled with him inside the spotless condo and then into the kitchen.
He pulled out a bottle of wine and uncorked it. “Grab us some glasses. Do you remember where they are?”
Sally opened the cabinet by the fridge and pulled out two wine glasses. Michael took pinches of cocaine and dropped them into his glass with the wine and then downed it.
“Your turn.”
Sally hesitated. She didn’t want to do anymore coke. The small amount she’d already ingested had left her mouth numb. The Syndicate’s dealers cut their stash with Nov
icane and baking soda, or so she’d heard. Sally filled her glass with red wine for courage and drank it before he could dose her again. Then she placed the glass down and went up on tip toes to kiss him. Better to distract him away from the coke. Michael groaned. “That’s more like it.”
He put his glass on the edge of the counter and fished around her clothing until he touched her bare skin. He grinded his hips into her making it difficult to breath. “Michael—”
He pulled a few inches away and pulled at her coat. “Why do you still have this on?”
“Michael, wait. My arm.”
A throbbing pain radiated up her broken arm to her shoulder and neck, but her plea didn’t slow his efforts. If anything, he yanked at the coat harder until it ripped a little.
“Michael, you’re ripping the coat.”
One last harsh tug and a clank of something hitting the floor set off her nerves. The recorder. Michael looked down and picked up the device. “What’s this?”
Sally avoided his eye and tried to catch her breath. “It must be my friend’s. She borrowed the coat.”
Michael rewound the tape and pressed play. Their voices filled the room. His face screwed up in a rage and he threw the device, causing it to skitter across the kitchen linoleum. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Sally!”
Sally glanced at the device. It seemed to have survived the fall. Hopefully the information on it was still there too. She straightened her spine and looked back at Michael. “It’s not a lie.”
Michael grabbed her hair, dragged her out into the hall, and pressed her up against the wall with his forearm. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
“Who do you work for?”
***
Michael David’s Law Office
West Ocean City, Maryland
December 8, 2005
2:45 PM
~~~
The lock pick slipped in Jude’s hand as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked the phone and saw Alex’s name on the screen. “Shit.”
Putting down the lock pick kit, he answered the call. “Hello?”