by H K Christie
Selena nodded. “It’s not Zeek. My mom. She. She died.”
Alida’s mouth dropped open and her hand flung over it. She composed herself and said, “I’m so sorry. What happened?”
“She was killed. I think by Fox. Zeek and I found her last night.” Selena looked away.
Alida wrapped her arms around her.
Selena began to sob. Saying it out loud made it more real. Selena sat up and wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands. “Yeah. So, that’s why I’m distracted.”
“My gosh. How horrifying. I can’t even imagine. Wait. Where are you staying? Have they got this guy Fox? Are you safe?”
“Zeek said that I can move in with him. I stayed with him last night and I guess that’s where I’ll live. He says he loves me and wants to marry me one day. Look at what he gave me.” She put out her hand and wiggled her fingers.
But Alida responded with a look of horror. “Are you engaged?!”
“Oh no, it was our one-month anniversary and he gave it to me as a promise ring. He says one day he wants to marry me, but he knows and I know, obviously, that we’re both too young and he needs to finish college and I need to go to college, but isn’t it sweet?” There was at least one happy thing in her life.
“I mean, that’s nice of him, but what about college? What about your applications? Have you finished? What about the senior project? Our written portion is due in two weeks. How well do you even know this guy?”
Selena became agitated. Alida didn’t understand what was like to have a real boyfriend. A serious boyfriend who loved her. She said, “I have all my Cal State applications in. The only ones I didn’t finish where the UC’s because my essays weren’t finished. Today is the deadline so I don’t see that happening, but the CSU system is fine for me. It’s cheaper anyways.”
Alida still looked at her as if she was making a horrible mistake. Alida didn’t know what was like to have an alcoholic mother and absentee father or to have her mother murdered. Why was she giving her such a hard time? Couldn’t she just be supportive? And be happy that she had found someone who loved her?
Alida furrowed her brow. “I can ask my parents if you can stay with us. I’m sure they’ll say yes. They really like you and it’s only for another semester and then you’ll go off to college. I’ll ask them tonight when I get home from school, okay?”
Selena shook her head. “Oh no, it’s fine. I want to stay with Zeek. It’ll be fine.”
Selena could tell Alida wasn’t buying that she was fine. As much as she loved Zeek, it was a little off-plan to move in with a guy at the age of seventeen.
Alida said, “Selena, honey, I love you. You’re my best friend. I’m worried about you. I think you’re a lot better off staying with me and my family. I’ll talk to my parents tonight.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. Really. I just wanted to tell you because you should know, but I’m fine. Really. I’ll be fine. Now let’s go join the others for lunch.” Selena would be fine. She was a survivor. This is was just one more bump in her crappy road to a better life, right?
“Are you going to buy lunch?”
“Not really hungry.” She wasn’t.
Alida eyed her and then said, “Okay.”
Alida and Selena rejoined the group at the table. Selena slid onto the metal bench. She tried to force a smile at the other girls talking about nail polish. A conversation that under normal circumstances she’d be into. Makeup. Nail polish. Hairstyles. Clothes. She’d loved talking over those things and imagining styles based on what her friends were describing. But now the only thing she could see was her mother’s eyes. The dim light that used to be there had been fully extinguished.
Selena’s phone buzzed on the metal table and she looked at the screen. She didn’t know the number. It was local. She answered, “Hello?”
“Is this Selena Bailey?”
“Yes.”
“This is Detective Renier. We met yesterday.”
Selena climbed out from the bench and walked to a quieter place in the corner of the bustling cafeteria. “Yeah, I remember.”
“We were wondering if you would be able to come to the station to give us more information about what happened yesterday. Do you think you could come down here after school?”
Selena shrugged to nobody at all. “Yeah, I can probably get a ride from Zeek.”
“My partner could pick you up, if that makes it easier?”
Selena gave it some thought. She didn’t want to be seen having a cop car pick her up from school. Did detectives drive around in regular cop cars? On TV shows they didn’t. She didn’t really want to be seen having two old guys picking her up from school either.
“Maybe you could pick me up across the street from school at the Chevron.”
“Okay, Ms. Bailey, we’ll see you at three o’clock at Chevron.”
She ended the call and headed back over to the table with the rest of her friends.
One teased, “Was that the boyfriend? Oh my gosh, you have to tell us all the details! Alida says he gave you a promise ring. That’s so romantic. I’m totes jelly.”
She forced a smile and told them the details of their romantic one-month anniversary celebration, but obviously she left out the parts about how she’d spent the night after fleeing her apartment and finding her mother’s dead body the next day.
After school Selena waited across the street at the gas station. A black sedan pulled up. She saw Detective Renier in the driver seat and a much younger man, presumably a detective, in the passenger seat. Detective Renier rolled down the window and said, “Hi, Selena. This is my partner, Detective Gates. Go ahead and hop in the back.”
She nodded and waved hello to the younger detective. She slid into the back of the car and put her backpack on the seat next to her. She wrinkled her nose at the scent of stale cigarettes, but otherwise it seemed like just a normal car.
They drove in silence to the station. Once they arrived, the detectives escorted her to their office area. There were desks everywhere. It looked like a call center on TV, where people were busy trying to sell you some stupid thing over the phone. Very retro. She realized this was the first time she’d been in a police station. It was surprising that she had never been inside one before.
She sat down in a chair next to Detective Renier’s desk. Detective Gates pulled up a chair. The two detectives faced her. The young detective had bright blue eyes and dark hair. He was kinda cute for an older guy. He said, “Like Detective Renier mentioned, I’m his partner, Detective Gates, and I’ll be taking over the investigation of your mother’s death. I know that you gave us a statement yesterday, but I was hoping to get a bit more information about Fox. I’ll need you to tell me everything that you know about him.”
Selena let out a breath. “I don’t know much. He was a jerk. He drank a lot. He never had a smile on his face. I stayed away from him. I don’t know his last name. I think my mom met him at one of the bars she goes to—went to—a lot. I think it’s called the Roundup and Inn or something like that. There’s a motel attached.”
The detective scribbled on a notepad. “You said the Roundup and Inn, is that like I-N, or like a hotel, I-N-N?”
“I-N-N like a hotel.”
“Okay, that’s really helpful. So far we haven’t been able to find Fox, but we’re still processing the scene. Hopefully fingerprints will help us catch the person who did this. Can you give us a description of what Fox looks like? It may be helpful to have you sit with a sketch artist. Would you be able to do that for us, Selena?”
She looked over her shoulder at a few officers standing in a nearby corner. There was a lot going on. A lot of crime.
“Selena?”
“Sorry. Yeah, I could give you a description.”
“Great, we’ll bring down the sketch artist.” Detective Gates nodded at Detective Renier. “Do you want to go get the artist? I’ll ask Selena here a few more questions while we’re waiting.”
Detective Renier
pushed himself off his chair with the assistance of his desk. The old guy wasn’t in shape. This was who was supposed to be fighting the bad guys? He said, “Aye, aye. Captain.” And trotted off.
Detective Gates lowered his voice. “You’re not eighteen, are you?”
She shook her head. He wouldn’t be asking unless he already knew. She had always been told she looked young for her age too. It always irked her, now more than ever.
“Where are you staying? It says here that you’re staying with a Zeek Tate. Is that correct?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s nobody else you can stay with?”
She didn’t think so. Maybe Alida’s family, but she had a feeling Alida was more optimistic than she should be. Sure, her family liked Selena, but were they willing to take on a teenage orphan? “Not really. A friend said she could check with her parents, but so far nobody else.”
“Do you know where your father is?”
She shook her head. “He left us a long time ago and I haven’t seen him. Uh, it’s probably been five, six years. He’s an addict.”
“No other family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, no one?”
“Not that I know of. I’m sure I have grandparents somewhere, but my mom wasn’t in touch with them. I only have vague memories from when I was little. I don’t get Christmas cards or anything.”
The detective seemed to be pained by her story. That was nice of him.
“I understand you’re a senior in high school. What are your plans for after graduation?”
“College. I’ve already applied to five Cal State universities. I should get in somewhere, I think. I have pretty good grades.” At least, she had up until recently.
Detective Gates nodded. “Okay, here’s what I’m gonna do. You seem like a good kid. Sounds like you’ve got plans for school and for your future. Between you and me, staying with a friend is probably better than with a boyfriend, but even with a boyfriend is probably better than putting you in the system. You’re close to eighteen, hopefully it won’t get flagged. But, let me ask you this, how well do you know this Zeek Tate? How long have you been together?”
“We’ve been dating for a little over a month. He’s from Ridgemont and he is a student at Cal State East Bay. He’s really smart.”
“How did you meet?”
“At Starbucks. It’s like my favorite place. It’s my home away from home when I don’t want to be at home, which is most of the time because of my mom and all her boyfriends …” Her train of thought shifted. Her mom was gone. She stared down at the ground.
“I know this is tough. It sounds like you were dealt a bad hand. And for that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for your loss and for your situation. I want us to keep in close contact until we catch Fox. He knows you saw him, and if he’s the one who did this, he may come after you. I’ll call you and check up on you daily. I’ll also give you my business card so you can call if something spooks you or you have any questions. Is that okay, at least until I can ensure your safety?”
She nodded, keeping her gaze on the floor. Her nose began to tingle. She sniffled and tried to blink the tears away. She had to be strong.
The detective handed her a tissue he’d plucked from atop his desk, she accepted it and dabbed her eyes. She sat there in silence, she wasn’t sure for how long. The detective didn’t leave or try to console her.
In a soothing voice he said, “The sketch artist is here for you. Are you ready?”
She looked at him. “I’m ready.”
“This won’t take too long. Afterward I can take you home, okay?”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
He gave her a warm smile. In that smile, Selena could tell Detective Gates was a good man. Why weren’t there more of them?
10
Selena reached the door to Zeek’s apartment and waved goodbye to the detective. She turned around and stood face to face with Zeek. His face was red and his eyes wide. “Who the hell was that?”
His tone was accusatory. She’d texted him from the police station, so why was he acting surprised that the detective had dropped her off? “That was Detective Gates. I told you he was driving me home.”
“That wasn’t the detective from yesterday. So who was it?”
Selena shook her head. Trying to keep an even tone, she explained again. “That was Detective Gates, Detective Renier’s partner. Detective Renier was that old guy we talked to yesterday. Detective Gates is taking over the investigation, like Detective Renier said yesterday. I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that he was young? Are you attracted to him?”
Selena was shocked. What had happened to her sweet, loving boyfriend? She watched as his eye twitched. She thought that if he had special powers, he would’ve burned a hole right through her. She said, “Of course not. He literally just drove me home. I love you so much. I would never even look at another guy.”
She put her arms up, hoping to give him a hug, but his chest was puffed out and his body rigid. She pleaded, “Zeek, you’re my whole world. Why would I be interested in some old guy? He has to be at least thirty. Zeek, come on. I love you. You know that.”
Zeek’s body relaxed and he put his hands around her waist. He bowed his head. “You mean it? You love me and only me?”
Selena brushed his hair from his brow. “Of course, Zeek. I love you so much.”
“I just don’t know what I would do without you. I love you so much. Thinking of you with another guy makes me crazy.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “You never have to worry about me with another guy.”
They embraced and he kissed her passionately. She never had a boyfriend who got jealous. It was sweet. No one had ever loved her so passionately before. It made her inside glow. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
They sat down at the dining table. She grinned across it at him. “How was your day?” She chuckled. “Is that so weird to ask? It’s something an old married couple would say.”
Zeek’s face returned to its normal color and his eyes shined at her. “I like it. I like you here. My day was okay. I went to class and then worked in the computer lab for a while. How about you?”
“Well, going to school was maybe not the best idea. I couldn’t really concentrate. All of it seemed so meaningless. But I was thinking about the future, and I’m going to talk to my boss about increasing my hours so I can help out around here. I don’t want you to have to support me. I’ll help pay for rent and utilities.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can take care of you. My rent is paid for by my parents, plus I have a job. You don’t have to worry about any of this. Actually, if you wanted you could even quit your job.”
She’d never quit her job. Not for a man, even the man she loved. She’d always been independent. She didn’t want to lean on anyone for anything. That much she knew. She said, “Oh no, I’m keeping my job. I’ll keep the same hours for now, that way I’ll have some spending money and I can still save for college.” What would he do, put me on an allowance like a kept woman? Does he not understand me at all?
He put his arms across the small bistro table, indicating he wanted Selena to put her hands in his. She did and he said, “If that’s what you want, it’s fine, but I’m more than capable of taking care of you and nothing would make me happier.”
She grinned. It was so sweet and such a loving gesture. She couldn’t imagine a life where all she had to do was go to school like a normal teenager. Not that she’d ever be a normal teenager, but the idea of someone taking care of her for a change was awfully nice.
A few days later, Selena stood in the living room with her phone pressed to her ear. She laughed. “Okay, thanks, Detective Gates.” She hung up the phone and looked up at Zeek. That look had returned to his eyes. That accusatory look.
He scowled. “The detective again?”
“Yes, he was giving me an update on the case. They got a hit on a set of fingerprints at the s
cene. They think they’re Fox’s. Detective Gates has an arrest warrant and is going to pick him up tonight. It’s great news.”
“Sure, but why does he keep calling you? He’s called every single day. More than once a day sometimes. I don’t get it, you sure there isn’t something going on?”
She didn’t know how to deal with Zeek when he was like this. How could she get him to understand? “No, the detective told me on Tuesday that until they caught Fox he wanted to keep an eye on me to make sure I was safe. He was worried that Fox would come after me, so he checks in on me, lets me know what’s going on with the case.”
“He doesn’t need to protect you. You have me. You can tell him to stop calling.”
Selena didn’t know what to say. He was a police detective trying to solve the murder of her mother and she was a witness in the case. Why did Zeek keep thinking it was something else? It was starting to get on her nerves. Did he not trust her?
She said, “He needs to keep me apprised of the case. Once they bring Fox in, he said I’ll need to pick him out of a lineup. I think this is all very normal.”
“Normal? Normal that some guy has been calling my girlfriend twice a day for the last three days? I think he’s into you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think that’s crazy.”
Zeek began pacing the length of the apartment. He raised his voice. “Are you calling me crazy? I’m not crazy. You’re beautiful and gorgeous and young. I’m sure he’s lusting after you every night. Why can’t you see that? Don’t you know how guys think? I’m a guy and I know. I bet he’s jerking off to you right now.”
Selena recoiled. Zeek had never been so vulgar before. It wasn’t attractive. She didn’t think the detective was pleasuring himself to thoughts of her. Where did he get these weird ideas from?
“What, you have nothing to say to that? Because you know it’s true! That’s why he calls you, to hear your sweet young voice. Oh yeah, I’m sure he fantasizes about you. His story about protecting you is his way of getting close to you. I can protect you. I’m here all the time with you. I will protect you. Not him,” Zeek fumed.