He was waiting on the curb when she arrived. “I must admit it was a bit startling to have the police call me—at first I thought it was one of those scam attempts.”
“This is real,” Ellie assured him. “Could you tell me if you get a lot of traffic from MadMarket?”
“Most of it,” he said. “But I have to tell you that I meet very few in person. I sell all over the country.”
“Then it wouldn’t be hard to trace an instant camera or supplies you recently sold to someone local?”
“Funny that you ask about that. A guy came in a while ago, paid cash. Come with me, I can show you what he bought.”
“That would be helpful, thank you.” Ellie followed him around the corner and down a flight of stairs. He produced the key to a door leading to a basement studio that was filled with cameras, films and other supplies that seemed ancient in the digital age.
“Wow. You have some treasures here.”
“I agree, but not everyone values them anymore. Let me check something.”
He found an agenda on the cluttered desk. “Yeah, that was last week. I remember it because he blocked the neighbor’s car, and I went outside with him when they honked. No one has any patience anymore, right?”
Ellie wasn’t feeling extremely patient at the moment. Was this the breakthrough?
“You said you could show me the camera?”
“Oh yes, it was one like this. The same model, actually. Your parents or grandparents might still own one of them.”
Ellie didn’t correct him. She couldn’t let herself get distracted. “Those still work?” She remembered the actress’s statement.
“Sure, with the right film.”
“Can you describe the customer to me?”
“I’m sorry, I’m no good with people’s faces. Young, brown hair, I think…but I can tell you he drove a red Volvo.”
“Do you remember anything about the license plate?”
“Something B2…I’m sorry, I didn’t get the rest.”
“That’s okay,” Ellie told him though she had secretly hoped for more. She thought of something else and looked for a picture of Holmes on her phone that she showed to the photographer. “It wasn’t him?”
Burton shook his head right away. “No. He was about the same age though.”
“Okay. Thanks again.”
“Glad to help. Have a good day, Officer.”
Ellie drove back to the station, where she found Jordan and Derek in the conference room, moments before a meeting with the lieutenant. She passed on what she had found out at Burton’s.
“Good job,” Derek said just as Lieutenant Carroll walked inside. “You’ll check for that Volvo?”
“I’m on it,” Ellie promised, hoping that her future boss had overheard the small exchange.
By the end of her workday, she had narrowed the number of owners to less than a dozen, though not yet sufficiently enough to move forward from there.
She was happy to call it a day when Jordan came to her desk and asked if she was ready to go.
“I thought we could check in with Ariel and have dinner after. I made reservations.”
“In the middle of the week? What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I felt like something other than bar food, and I don’t think either one of us is going to cook tonight.”
“Cool. We can go home to change after seeing Ariel.”
Ellie was almost certain that there was something else on Jordan’s mind. Jordan would tell her later, no doubt. Come to think of it, with the decisions made lately, they had something to celebrate.
“This weekend we paint, but after that, maybe she could come spend some more time with us,” she suggested.
“Yes, that would be great.”
It occurred to her that in spite of the recent tribulations, Jordan appeared happy, not shaken by the curious connection to Darby’s case. Soon, he’d be out of their lives for good. Ellie was careful not to wish anyone harm, but it was hard to deny that this man’s death would be a relief for many. How anyone could find him an inspiration was beyond her.
She rang the doorbell of the group home twenty minutes later, sharing a look with Jordan that reflected what they both thought and hoped: Soon, they wouldn’t have to come back here. Most of the girls rescued from the compounds had family members, often the mothers, to take care of him. Others had already been placed into foster care or their adoption was in progress. It was a huge effort to clean up the mess the brothers had created. Ellie was proud that they could play a part in that, going beyond what their jobs required.
An employee opened the door to them.
“Thank you for coming,” she said. “Mary was trying to reach you, but she will talk to you now.”
Her tone alarmed Ellie instantly, and judging from Jordan’s expression, she had picked up on it too.
“Is everything all right with Ariel?”
“She’s fine. Mary is in her office.”
“Thanks.”
They walked along the hallway in silence. Jordan knocked on the door, and they entered. Mary Sherman got up from behind her desk to greet them.
“It’s good that you’re here,” she said.
“We wanted to talk to Ariel,” Jordan told her. “What’s going on?”
“There has been a new development,” Mary said, and even before she went on to explain, Ellie felt like someone had knocked the wind out of her. Perhaps, up until that moment, she hadn’t truly understood how important it was to her to have Ariel come live with them, to make sure she’d be forever free from the restraints of the life she’d known on the compound.
“What does that mean? We have all our papers in order.” Jordan had put on her interrogation tone. Sherman wasn’t all too impressed.
“I’m so very sorry. I know you were serious, but there’s an aunt of Ariel’s who got in touch with us. She hasn’t been in the country for some time, but she wants to take care of her.”
Silence settled over the room as they were both stunned.
“How is she related to Ariel?” Jordan asked eventually.
“She’s her mother’s sister.”
“Oh, good, then she’s probably not into that patriarchal crap.” Ellie’s throat was tightening with each word, and her attempt at sarcasm failed badly. She didn’t even know what to say, or think, other than this was a nightmare. A blood relative. Would she really be better for Ariel? The girl had never mentioned her. “Did you talk to Ariel yet?”
“I did. This is the reason why I’m glad you came. It’s hard to tell how she feels.”
“If we were to fight this, the blood relative would likely win,” Jordan concluded.
“Yes.”
“But we could. Besides, why didn’t we ever hear about her before? Even if she was out of the country, we tried to find relatives other than the ones in the cult.”
“I don’t know all the details. She would like to meet you though, and thank you for your efforts.”
“I’d like to meet her as well, believe me,” Jordan said. “Could we have a moment?”
“Of course. I can imagine this comes as a surprise.”
“It certainly does.”
As soon as Mary Sherman had closed the door behind her, they moved at the same time, embracing each other tightly. Neither of them wanted to be the first to talk, Ellie reflected, because words would easily shatter the fantasy they had built over the past weeks. She felt tears prickle behind her eyes, unwilling to give in to the emotion. But she could no longer stay silent.
“We’re going to lose her.” Ellie didn’t even have the energy to try and make it a question.
“We don’t know that yet. We have to meet the woman. If there’s any doubt…” Jordan let her words trail off. What she’d said earlier was still true. A court would likely side with biological family. There could be bias against a lesbian couple. Most importantly, did they really want to put Ariel through another trial after what she’d just endured?
�
�I don’t think I feel like going out today.”
“I understand, but we have to eat something anyway. I guess we could just cancel and go elsewhere. It doesn’t matter.” Jordan sounded heartbroken.
“This sucks.” It might not be the most mature thing to say, but it worked for Ellie. “Damn it. Why didn’t we ever hear about this sister? If she is so qualified to take care of Ariel, why did she never try to help her and Deborah while they were basically locked up at the brothers’?”
“We’re going to find out, learn every detail that we can,” Jordan said. She was clearly steeling herself. “Ellie…I know we had our hearts set on this happening, but this woman is Ariel’s family. If she’s serious and not a total screw up, this might be a good thing.”
“Are you serious?” Ellie wasn’t there yet, not by a long shot, and she assumed Jordan was only putting on a brave face to get them through the next hour or so. “We spent the past few weeks telling Ariel and everybody that family by blood doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“That is still true, but sometimes it does. Come on. Let’s talk to Ariel. We owe her that.”
* * * *
“I don’t understand!” Ariel was in tears. “Mom barely ever mentioned her, so why should I believe her?”
“She seems nice from what Mrs. Sherman told us,” Jordan said. The day that had started out so well was slowly turning into a disaster. There had to be some positive outcome in this. Becca Crane wasn’t Kathryn, a teenager overwhelmed with her circumstances. She might have her reasons for not contacting Deborah in years, or she had tried and been rejected. Dr. Crane had a daughter of her own. Perhaps she had more to put into her side of the scale. That didn’t mean they’d give up easily. But they also had to consider, all of them, that this might not be a fight they could win. It was surreal. There they’d thought they could talk to Ariel about the colors she wanted for her bedroom.
“So you’re okay with this?” Ariel asked in disbelief.
“No. No, I’m not, we’re not, because that is not what we planned. But this is not about me, or Ellie. It’s about you, and if it turns out that your mom’s sister cares about you, and she’s able to raise you, we might have to accept that. You are the most important person in this.”
“Am I really? For a moment there I thought now that the case is closed, and you have my testimony, you don’t need to make any more promises.”
“Ariel, that’s not true and you know it.”
“If you can’t have me, why are you even here?”
“Mary just told us,” Jordan explained. “Listen, this is important. When your aunt Becca arrives, and you both are okay with going forward, it’s all good. If you ever have doubts or feel unsafe, let one of us know.”
Ellie cast her a surprised look, knowing that this offer was potentially hard to keep.
“That’s true. You can always call us,” she said.
“That sounds like an experiment to me. See how the cult kid adapts to different environments.”
“It’s not.” Ellie looked like she couldn’t stand to be in the room much longer. Jordan hated to prolong her pain, but then again, this wasn’t about either of them.
“Ariel,” Ellie continued. “We could go to court over this, but only if we have good reasons. What you went through on the compound, that counts. But they won’t choose us over a family member who is qualified and willing.”
“Yeah, I guess. So I wait until Becca comes to pick me up. Thanks for hanging out with me, both of you. And your parents are very nice,” she said to Jordan.
“They loved you too. I promise we’ll be in touch. We’ll meet with your aunt Becca, too, and we’ll make sure she’s okay.”
“All right. I’d rather be alone right now.”
“Ariel, it’s going to be okay. We won’t let you down.”
Jordan sat in front of Ariel and took her hands. Ariel made no move to withdraw from the touch.
“I mean it, and Ellie does, too. If anything doesn’t feel right, let us know.”
Ariel looked up, then past her at Ellie, her sullen expression changing rapidly.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
* * * *
Jordan watched Ellie wipe her face angrily with a paper tissue. She felt like she had run out of words, to explain, to console either of them. How could they have expected such a bombshell? This was supposed to be a regular visit, to talk, to plan, to be clear that they were going to move forward. And she had planned something else, to take an hour or two out of the day to unwind, have a nice dinner and a glass of wine, and tell Ellie that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, make it official.
Now was definitely not a good moment for a marriage proposal.
The change of pace made her antsy, as if they were going to run out of time.
They had other things to worry about. Jordan remembered how hard it had been to trust in any sort of stability after first moving in with Jack and Pauline. She had been afraid that they might send her back, and afraid that they wouldn’t. It had taken a long time to understand that she had done nothing wrong.
She hoped they had done enough to reassure Ariel of the same thing.
“I really want to go home,” Ellie said. She shook her head. “I don’t even know why I just did this, when I’m going to cry again. Let’s get some takeout quick.”
“Sure.”
“Ariel is freaking out. I would be too.”
“She was okay when we left. Let’s see what Becca Crane has to tell us. We’ll go from there.”
After a quick dinner with the evening news, they decided to call it an early night. Sex had not been on their minds, but when Ellie snuggled into her arms, and Jordan kissed her shoulder softly, she found it hard to stop herself. The warm skin under her lips, Ellie’s quiet sigh, ignited a spark that left her both excited and feeling guilty.
They weren’t going to forget about the tasks ahead, the lives on the line. Nevertheless, their plans had been derailed today, and their shared intimacy had always helped them move ahead.
Ellie turned to her, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Her nightgown was riding up, and Jordan took advantage, touching, kissing her way down every square inch of skin revealed. Soon, Ellie wasn’t so quiet anymore.
“Shh,” Jordan whispered out of habit.
Ellie didn’t quite oblige, but she followed Jordan’s guidance in every other way.
If only everything else could have been this easy…
* * * *
The next morning, Ellie was still working on finding the owner of a specific dark red Volvo when Kate reached her.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Truth be told, Ellie felt bad about not contacting her. The time seemed to have flown by since Kate had all but run from the city and her job.
“I’m fine, but I guess I should ask you that. I knew about the house, but Libby tells me you and Jordan are going to adopt the girl from the cult? What else don’t I know?”
Ellie sighed. “What you don’t know is that it’s not going to happen. Ariel’s aunt turned up from out of nowhere. For some reason, no one knew about her. We’ll meet with her…but there’s not much of a chance.”
“Have you talked to a lawyer?”
“We want to talk to her first. There’s no need to expose Ariel to any more drama if it’s not necessary.”
“So what does Ariel want? You must have connected pretty well?”
“Yeah. But that aunt is her mother’s sister.”
Kate was silent. Ellie didn’t blame her. There weren’t many encouraging words to say in this situation, except that Ariel might truly benefit more from growing up in Becca Crane’s family. She was going to cry again.
“I hope you find a solution that works for all of you,” Kate said eventually. “The reason why I’m calling…I was hoping you might be able to join me for a day or two, you and Libby. I miss you—and with everything changing so quickly, I’m scared we’re going to lose touch.”
“Come on, that’s not going to happen…”
“Could you?”
“I’m not sure. There’s a lot going on at the moment.”
“There’s always a lot going on. How did your testimony go?”
“There were a few bumps on the road, but yes. You know, I’ll talk to Jordan and Bristol, for different reasons obviously, but I’ll see if I can make it happen. I miss you too. Any chance you are going to come back?”
“No.”
“What about Derek?”
“What about him?” There was a slight edge to Kate’s voice, indicating that this was still a touchy subject.
“I don’t know. I thought you might want to work things out. We had some good times hanging out together, didn’t we?” This sudden nostalgia obviously came from future plans not working out quite as they had hoped, and Kate didn’t share it.
“Yeah, folks on a detective’s salary always drinking our beer,” she said dryly. “Speaking of which, did you have any other interviews? I hear Homicide is tough to get into.”
“True. No, nothing else moved on that front. We wanted to get into the house first, and there was a bit of a rush to it, with Ariel. We even had a room designated to her.”
“I’m sorry. Sounds like you could use some old-fashioned girl on girl time—okay…so not what I meant,” she added quickly when all Ellie couldn’t help laughing at her mistaken metaphor.
“I got you, don’t worry,” she said, feeling the blood rush to her face at the memory of the previous night. “Okay, maybe if I can narrow down owners of this particular car model some more, I might be able to do a couple of days.”
“Please do. We can start planning your housewarming party.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later.”
When Ellie ended the call, it occurred to her that Kate had never answered her question about Derek.
Chapter Sixteen
They met Dr. Becca Crane the following evening in Mary Sherman’s office. They had spoken briefly to Ariel as well, who was moody and withdrawn.
Ellie could sympathize. She had hoped this would get easier, as long as they were doing the right thing. Learning that Dr. Crane had indeed hired a lawyer and was seeking to take Ariel with her by the end of the week, was disconcerting.
Intentions (Carpenter/Harding Book 6) Page 13