by Caitlin Sara
“I didn’t say anything about my reputation. I don’t give a damn about that. Everyone knows I’m a good cop.”
Ara looked at him, her eyes pleading. “You know what I mean, Lane. If Maro and that asshole Ameno trust you, and everyone else on the force does, too, you can protect me. You can protect us. You said so yourself that both of our prints are on that gun, we know we didn’t do it and eventually everyone else will, too. Have you thought about us after this crazy nightmare is over? You told me you loved me, and we deserve one day to see if that’s true. Maybe we can actually have a life together without all of this.”
He sat back on the sofa considering all that she was saying. She knew she was winning him over.
“I need you to protect me, Lane. More than I need you to call in a lousy attempt at a sexual assault. I should have never gone over there, but that’s on me, not you. It won’t look good for you or me if you call this in.”
Ara straddled him in a way that more resembled a bear hug than a sexual advance. She rested her chin on his shoulder and pulled him into her. “I need you, Lane. Right now, I feel like I can’t lose you.”
Lane pulled her in even tighter, kissing her cheek. “He’ll get his. I’ll make sure of it.”
Ara closed her eyes, breathing in a successful attempt at getting her way, “Yes. I’m sure he will. You know what they say about karma.”
After a long silence, Lane said, “Please don’t run out on me again. Something worse could have happened. I don’t want you to feel you have to prove anything to me like you had to with Brad. You don’t need to run.” The guilt in his voice was apparent, biting Ara with her own. Did she ruin every good man in her life?
Sitting up, she looked Lane in the eye, tracing his brow with each hand before kissing him. She pulled him in once again. “None of this is your fault, and you’ve been so good to me. I don’t deserve a man like you, Lane Bene.”
CHAPTER 36
As a therapist, Dr. Dan had learned early in his career that it was much easier to work on someone’s past than hold high, unreachable hopes for the future. It was this notion that allowed him to see through Lane Bene, even back two years earlier, when he’d watched the happy wedding party from across the waterfront restaurant Ara had chosen for the rehearsal dinner. Not an invited guest, Dan had sat near the corner of the bar in an adjoining room, catching a glimpse at Ara every now and then as the happy couple mingled with the attendees, oblivious to his presence. Dan had wanted to break Ara free from Brad’s half-assed hold for some time now. He saw how Brad’s loose eyes were always drifting toward other women.
The way Lane looked at Ara directly contrasted with how Brad had. At first, Dan had assumed the best man may have had a few too many cocktails. It was only when the bride got to Lane’s table that it became evident that, like himself, Lane Bene was drunk on Ara, not the open bar. The poor sucker could barely make eye contact and kept a catholic school inch between the two when she went in for a hug. The real tell was the way Lane watched her as she worked her way around the room.
Lane’s hunger was not as primitive as Brad’s lust for the maid of honor, though. Those two were practically licking their lips across the table from each other, ready to pounce when no one was looking, stirring the sexual tension to a steaming, palpable pulp. Brad and Raina had been playing their own game now for quite some time, toying with getting caught by Ara. Or anybody for that matter.
Dan always knew Brad was going to get his. The way he flaunted his arrogance and untouchable swagger. He once told Ara, “Even a king is bound to board,” knowing his life would eventually catch up to him. For years, Dan had been certain there would come a time when the rosy façade would fade from Ara’s world and she would see Brad for exactly what he was. A self-serving man who disguised himself in confidence and charm. Dan tried to keep close, so when her world came crashing down, he could step in and be there for her. From his years sitting across from Ara in his office, he knew she would need someone to pick up the pieces for her, fill the void she desperately needed full since her father’s death. Sitting on the sidelines was not easy and patience was not a virtue he held. Yet for his Ara, he would have waited forever.
What he had not seen coming was Lane moving in on his queen.
Down at the station, he anxiously tapped his fingers together, one at a time, as he waited for the detectives. The bleak gray paint of the interview room and blasting air conditioning were meant to make people feel uneasy, nervous even, but he welcomed the simplicity of it and the cool air. It was easy for him to remain calm under pressure, even if his life was demanding as of late, even a bit overwhelming. Plus, he was there on his own accord. There was no reason for him to feel uncomfortable. Perhaps he would feel differently if he’d been dragged in off the street for questioning.
“Dr. DaVadere?”
Dan stood and shook each detective’s hand and unbuttoned his suit jacket before sitting back down again in his chair. “Thank you for putting aside the time to meet with me.”
“Of course, Doctor, what can we do you for?” Detective Ameno stood off to the side, back up against the wall.
“As you know, Ara Hopkins was a long-time patient of mine. She was one of my first, actually, right out of school and my continued education. Given our years of sessions, sometimes a few a week, I got to know her quite well. Those in her inner circle, too. Through her account, of course.”
Ameno stepped forward, placing both hands on the table. “Yes, her version of those in her inner circle, and from what we could tell, you haven’t treated her in a few years.”
“Yes. That is what I said. Obviously, all of what I have heard has been through Ara’s perspective, and it has been a while since we last met, however, in my experience you learn quickly to sift through and find out the reality within all these details.”
The humming of the overworked air conditioner broke up what could have been an awkward period of silence. Maro looked over to Ameno before saying, “Understood. Still confused on why you wanted to have a sit down here, Doc.”
“I am concerned with Lane Bene’s involvement with Ara. I would predict she is quite vulnerable right now and he seems very, what you would call it—”
“Involved,” interrupted Ameno.
“Yes. I know they were not particularly close before Brad’s death. When I last saw her, she even spoke of how she was afraid that Brad’s family and friends didn’t accept her. I am concerned that he has manipulated her into some sort of relationship she is not capable of handling right now, with the trauma and all.”
Maro, who seemed busy taking notes, finished jotting something down and said, “Got to be honest here, Dan. Not sure, one, how this is your concern, and two, why you thought to drag us all together to discuss who you think Ara Hopkins should be getting it from.”
“It is exactly who she is ‘getting it from’ that I think should be vital to your investigation. There were times in the past where Ara confided how Lane made her uncomfortable and was standoffish toward her. Clearly now that is not the case. The two are practically inseparable!” He knew he had slipped up the moment the word inseparable left from his mouth.
Maro caught it, too, and wasn’t about to let it slide. “And if you don’t mind me asking, Doctor, how do you know about how much time they’re spending together? You sure know a lot about Detective Bene and Ara for someone who hasn’t even seen her professionally in years, according to your last statement. Is there another reason we should know why you feel personally involved in Ara Hopkin’s life?”
Dan stood, but made sure to maintain eye contact. “I’m not sure what you are suggesting, Detective. I met with Ara earlier in the week to check up on her. I thought the facts I heard about Mr. Bene were concerning enough to come in. Clearly, I was mistaken.” Dan re-buttoned his jacket and made his way toward the door.
“It’s Detective Bene,” Maro said. Dan noticed him staring at his jawline and bruised lip. “Get in a fist fight there, Doc?”
> “Excuse me?”
“Your face. Looks like you took a right hook to the jaw.”
Dan stiffened. His fists clenching, he turned and exited without answering.
CHAPTER 37
The detectives followed Dr. Dan out to the hall, knowing that as soon as the doctor turned the corner, he would practically smack right into Ara Hopkins, her lawyer, and hopefully Lane, here to provide a second statement on the prints on the gun. It wasn’t exactly planned, but when the doctor called and said he wanted to come down to the station, Maro may have conveniently left out that they had a planned meeting with Ara. He’d been trying to connect the dots between the players in this case, and when the opportunity presented itself to see how they interact firsthand, he couldn’t resist. Although a few steps behind, Maro and Ameno were rewarded by witnessing Ara heavily interrogating the doctor, who appeared uncharacteristically irritated.
“What did you tell them about me?” she demanded, one finger pointed in Dr. Dan’s face. She’s like a rabid mouse, Maro thought. Tiny but fierce.
This was better than they could have expected. It was clear that there were things Ara Hopkins did not want said to the police. Wanting to allow the conversation to continue but close enough to jump in if needed, Maro and Ameno leaned back on opposite sides of the doorway. Barry Goldberg, who was clearly late for the appointment, was going to be sorry he’d missed this confrontation.
Dan at first tried to shoulder past her, however, Ara juked her way back in front of him, not wanting to be ignored.
“What do you not want me to tell, Ara? That’s the question.”
“That may be the question for you, but I’ve already told the detectives everything I know. Even the stuff you think I wouldn’t want anyone to know. All those secrets you’ve wanted me to keep all these years about you and me? I spilled every last detail to them.”
Maro made a mental note of the choice in wording and the way Ara spit the sentence at him, almost as a threat. It didn’t take a detective to fill the gap that there was more to their relationship than doctor and patient.
“So you filled them in on your new relationship with your stalker?”
With only a slight hesitation, Ara’s tone switched gears from accusatory to innocent. “What are you talking about, Doctor? To my knowledge, I’ve never had a stalker.”
“You know exactly who I am talking about. Your new boyfriend. Detective Bene. What a real gem he is. You see, I did have something to tell you the other night, something I’m sure you would have liked to hear first. Guess you should have hung around to listen, huh?”
Ara stomped, almost childlike, and was now even closer to the doctor’s face than before.
“Maybe I would have stuck around if you hadn’t tried to rape me. Doctor.” She spit the last word out in disgust.
Before Maro and Ameno could even process what Ara had said, Dr. Dan lunged at her, gripping her shoulders so hard that she was practically lifted from the ground. Ameno raced to get in between the two but not before the doctor spat directly on Ara’s face.
“You’re a no-good whore!” he yelled as Ara raised her right knee to meet his center. The doctor hunched over as Ameno pulled Ara back toward the interrogation room and Maro contained Dr. Dan, reading him his rights. They’d figure out exactly what he was being charged with later. In less than perfect timing, Barry Goldberg appeared at the front door, rushing in as he realized the confrontation he was witnessing involved his client.
As if a switch had been flipped, Ara began wailing, holding her chest. Despite being stronger, Maro saw that Ameno was struggling to control her. Barry was demanding answers and Ara was sobbing, her face stained with a mix of mascara and Dan’s spit. Scanning the rest of her body, Maro could already tell her arms would bruise where the doctor had grabbed her. What a shit show.
The porcelain doll the detective and lawyer were used to seeing had shattered. Ara held both hands around her stomach, retching and crying as her lawyer tried to calm her down. From the looks of it, Ara Hopkins had finally cracked.
CHAPTER 38
“Please tell me you had a stroke and lost control of your judgment. That you didn’t actually think this through and decide it was a good idea.” Hernandez had both detectives backed in the corner like beaten dogs, tails tucked tightly between their legs. Maro was hoping to get something from the planned interaction, but he never could have expected the dark turn it was going to take.
“It wasn’t planned, Hernandez, it was just a horrible coincidence.” Maro didn’t feel right letting Ameno take the fall on this one. Though his arrogant partner could probably use a slap on the wrist, it had been Maro’s idea and he knew it dallied with the line. But even he couldn’t have expected what transpired, to his knowledge Ara and the doctor hadn’t seen each other in years. How could he know that they had met up and worse, that an attempted sexual assault had taken place? Though he’d suspected the doctor was a creep since the first time he’d laid eyes on him.
“Coincidence? I wasn’t born yesterday, Maro, and knowing you and your—what did you like to call it? Gut instinct?—I know this little meet up was orchestrated. Goldberg’s going to go for blood. Your blood. Not mine. Got it? I’m not stepping in on this one, he can drag you through the streets, for all I care.”
Maro shifted in his seat, trying to avoid the uncomfortable bite of being called out in front of his partner.
“Goldberg called us. Said Hopkins wanted to give another statement documenting certain events. We scheduled the interview, and that was that.”
“And her old therapist, who allegedly tried to rape her just a day ago, happened to walk in the front door at the same time? Jesus Christ, you must really think I am a goddamn fool.”
“If there was an attempted assault, why didn’t Bene report it? And why was she meeting him off hours, at his home? Those are the questions you should be asking, Hernandez, and you know it.” Maro stood, allowing the anger to bubble through his body. Ameno stood with him, showcasing a united front.
“Don’t overstep here, Detective. I have my own questions I’m looking into when it comes to Bene and the validity of the rape claim. Either way, no more games, understand me? If you are going to get her, you are going to get her the right way,” she said, overly enunciating “the right way.” Like most DAs, Martina Hernandez was a by-the-books kind of woman. If she could not use something to her advantage to win a case, then she didn’t want to know about it. She stood, motioning for the door, saying, “Send Goldberg in, I’m sure he’s hanging around out there waiting to chew my goddamn head off.”
And he was. As soon as the door opened, Goldberg pushed past the detectives into the office.
“You mind telling me what the hell is going on here? Why is my client, a victim let me remind you, getting assaulted in the lobby when she comes to give a formal statement to help your god damn circus of a department?”
“A little respect, Barry? Are you forgetting I’m an attorney, just like yourself?”
“Let’s knock off sexism, racism, whatever card you’re trying to play to cover your ass today. I’m a Jew with a limp dick that needs Viagra, and you are no Jenny from the block with perky tits, we done with that, we cross out those lines?”
Martina would have hammered Maro if he ever spoke to her like that, but she just let Barry rant. “Barry, it was a coincidence. I’m sorry but it was a detail overlooked when scheduling. A mistake.”
“Please, Martina, you can’t even convince yourself this wasn’t set up to knock my client off of her barely-there kilter.” Barry threw a hefty file on the desk standing between the two. “Here’s her statements. We also will be pursuing charges against Dr. Dan DaVadere for assault, as well as the witness intimidation, falsifying records, and harassment charges against this department.”
“Intimidation? Now I think you’re off your rocker. You and I both know that won’t stick.” Martina glared at Maro. He was going to pay for this one, despite the fact Goldberg was probably jus
t blowing smoke.
She picked up the file and leafed through the documents noting, “Detective Bene’s name seems to come up quite a bit here, huh? Odd timing considering their new relationship status.”
“They are two adults who found comfort in each other after the untimely death of someone they both loved dearly,” he said. “But grief does odd things to people. I’m sure a detail like that could be overlooked.”
“Or this was a case of knocking off the one person who stood in their way.”
“You say potato, I say patato.” Despite the youthful remark, Martina and Maro both knew what he meant. Each could argue their side and paint whatever picture best suited the case they were spinning. They were both extremely gifted at their craft.
“If he loves her, as you say, why wouldn’t he report the attempted sexual assault?”
“We’re not pressing charges on the sexual assault, just what happened here today. There’s a lot of history between Dr. D and my client. History neither party is trying to stir up for the sake of their own reputations. Therefore, no reason to report it.” Maro and Martina exchanged knowing glances. Obviously, the doctor and his one-time patient did more than discuss coping skills in their hour-long sessions.
“Was it consensual then?” Martina asked.
“Who the hell knows? But there will be no charges other than those for your little charade today.”
“We’re booking the doctor for assault, Barry. He’s in the process of being photographed and processed as we speak.”
“Good, let’s go talk to my client,” Barry said, “And, Martina, you may want to tune into the news tonight. A little heads up, Ara will be making her first public statement.”