The Fire and the Veil (Veronica Barry Book 2)

by Sophia Martin

  “They have a different perspective than you,” Veronica said. “They have the bigger picture.”

  “And I have over a decade of experience as a cop,” Daniel said.

  “Look, it doesn’t matter now anyway.”

  “Until the next time you dream something that points the way into some dangerous situation.”

  “Yeah,” Veronica conceded. “Yeah. That has occurred to me, actually.”

  Daniel frowned.

  Veronica turned to him, grabbing one of his hands. “But maybe they wouldn’t lead me somewhere dangerous, Daniel. Maybe if I just pay attention, I won’t get hurt.”

  “You got hurt going after Angie and Grant Slecterson.”

  He had a point. She’d been following the spirits’ clues when she fell down the ravine and broke her arm. She could have been killed. And really, how much could she trust a bunch of dead people to avoid getting her killed? They were dead themselves. It was possible they didn’t see it as such a terrible outcome.

  “What am I supposed to do?” she asked. “Just ignore them if they tell me someone’s in danger? Tell the cops, who’ll just ignore me?”

  “I won’t ignore you!”

  “But there’s only so much you can do, Daniel! You told me so yourself. You couldn’t go looking for Amani without a statement from her father. I have a feeling that if all the necessary elements are there for you to investigate, I’m not going to be getting any messages about it anyway. Why would I need to?”

  “You’re not making any sense.”

  “The spirits contact me when there’s no other way.”

  “How can you be sure about that?”

  “I can’t, but it makes sense, doesn’t it? The police arrested the wrong guy instead of Grant when Sylvia was killed. Grant would have murdered Angie if I hadn’t been around to get those messages. And I might have prevented this fire, if I’d just paid more attention!”

  “Now you’re really not making sense! You said you’ve been dreaming about Lola, not Paul Carver. How would you have been able to stop the fire?”

  Veronica sighed. “I’m not sure. Maybe if I’d intervened somehow, it wouldn’t have come to it. Lola would be safe somewhere, maybe in foster care. Maybe Paul Carver would be in jail for whatever he did to her. He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to burn the house down.”

  “Too many maybes, Ronnie,” Daniel said, his voice more gentle now. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for what happened.”

  “But there has to be a reason why they sent me those dreams, Daniel.”

  “I’m sure there is. Maybe—” He stopped and gave her a quick grin. “Maybe we just don’t know what the reason is yet.”

  The clownfish darted around in their aquariums. Veronica watched them, thinking about what Daniel had said. She supposed the situation with Lola wasn’t yet resolved. “You said they arrested her?”

  “Yeah. She’s in Thornton, awaiting trial.”

  “Thornton?”

  “The Warren E. Thornton Youth Center. Juvenile Hall,” Daniel said.

  “Have you found Leinani?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What’ll happen to Lola if they convict her?”

  “How old is she?”

  “Sixteen.”

  “Well, it’s likely she’ll go to criminal court, then, as opposed to juvenile. The cut off is 14 in most cases—always if it’s a murder.”

  “If it’s a murder?”

  “There’s a chance the DA might decide to call this manslaughter. I’m not sure how much of a difference that’d make. It’s actually in his interest to put this through adult court, for budget reasons. I’m guessing she’ll go to criminal, not juvenile.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “Juvenile court tends to focus on rehabilitation. Criminal focuses on punishment. It’s too early to say what the charges will be or how the DA’ll go about this, Ronnie. But worst case scenario? They could call it first degree murder—two counts. And that’s not even considering the arson, the destruction of property, endangering the rest of the people in the neighborhood… Not good for Lola.”

  “She didn’t do it,” Veronica whispered.

  “I know that, and you know that. And Jerry Cohen knows it, too. But he’s the only one who’s said anything, and it may not be enough to discourage the DA from taking the murder case.”

  “Can’t you talk to the DA?”

  Daniel leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. “Easier said than done. I’m not even on this case. I got involved when I heard Lola’s name. I remembered you talking about her. Then I went by the scene and started talking with Jerry. He was pissed because those young guys were rushing things. And then later he called me. He’s the one that told me the detectives on the case picked Lola up.”

  “So what?” Veronica said.

  “So, I can’t just go stomping all over someone else’s case.”

  “She’s sixteen years old! How can you stand back and let this happen to her? Do you have any idea of what she’s already been through?”

  “Whoa! Take it easy. I’m not the enemy.”

  “But this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Veronica said. “You can’t do anything, so I have to try!”

  “Wait. Just wait. I said it wouldn’t be easy, not that I’m not going to try.”

  Veronica eyed him. “What will you do?”

  “I can’t just go directly to the DA. I have to try talking to the detectives first.”

  “Okay.”

  “Unfortunately, they aren’t my biggest fans. We’ve locked horns before.”

  “But you’ll talk to them?”

  “I’ll call them first thing in the morning.”

  “But what about Lola? She’s stuck in jail and she didn’t do anything.”

  “Come on, Ronnie, you can’t expect me to get her out tonight. I promise I’ll do the best I can, but she does have a rap sheet. She’s not an angel. It’s going to be hard to convince anyone that she’s innocent and a guy with no rap sheet is guilty. I’m not going to get anyone on my side if I start calling them up at seven at night.”

  “Don’t you have favors you can call in?”

  “To get her out tonight? No one owes me that kind of favor. That kind of favor you need a Mafia don for. In like, a Godfather movie, maybe. We ordinary detectives aren’t so lucky.”

  Veronica pressed her lips together and blew air through her nose. She didn’t want to think of Lola in jail, but the alternative—Lola on the street—wasn’t much better.

  “What if she does get released. What then?”

  “Probably a group home. If she’s lucky.”

  “If she’s lucky?”

  “She could pretty easily fall through the cracks, especially if she isn’t convicted of anything. They keep a closer eye on the ones who’ve committed crimes.”

  “What do you mean, she could fall through the cracks?”

  “I mean she could end up homeless. You said she was already hooking, right?”

  Veronica pressed her fingers against her eyelids. “Sort of. I’m not sure.”

  “Come on, Ronnie.”

  “Okay. Yes. She’s done some hooking.”

  “Well, if she’s like a lot of young people who don’t have a family to keep an eye on them, she’s headed for a pretty nasty future.”

  “God, Daniel. How can you be so cold about it?” she asked, lowering her hands from her face.

  “I’m not cold. I’ve just seen it going on for a long time.”

  “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

  “Maybe you can’t do anything,” Daniel said.

  “Then why am I having these dreams?”

  “You said you haven’t had one in a while.”

  Veronica bit her lip. True enough, she hadn’t. She knew she couldn’t have saved the Carvers. She had tried to report Owen’s abuse to CPS and it didn’t go anywhere. What more could she have done? But the spirits got her involved in Lola’s l
ife for a reason. She couldn’t just sit back and watch the girl go to jail or end up on the street.

  “I want to go home,” she said.

  Daniel gazed at her for a moment. “Are you sure? You could stay here, if you want. I’ll even sleep out here, on the couch.”

  Veronica shook her head. “I want to go home.”

  Chapter 14

  She was standing in the center of a narrow cell. Light came in from a window covered by a grate, illuminating two cots bolted to the painted cinderblock walls. In one cot there was a figure curled on its side, almost entirely covered by a white sheet and a worn-looking bedspread. It was hard to tell its color in the dim light. The other cot was open: hers, no doubt. Veronica knew she was seeing through Lola’s eyes again.

  Lola began to pace, from the wall with the window to the door—solid metal save for two narrow parallel rectangular panes in the upper half. The cots, although they were bolted to opposite walls, were almost too close together for Lola to be able to walk between them. She looked up and glared at a camera in one corner of the ceiling.

  The pacing continued. Lola’s legs felt tense, and she clenched her fists at her sides. Her heart was thudding against her chest and her teeth ground against each other. After a moment, a low moan escaped from her throat. She threw herself on the door and pounded against it. The thudding against the dense metal was not as loud as could be expected. Something yanked her shoulder, pulling her away from the door in a violent jerk. Her hair flew into her face so the first blow slammed into her cheek, unseen. Then Lola managed to wipe her hair away to see her roommate throw a second punch that hit her in the ear. The roommate was a brown-skinned girl of average build. She bared her teeth at Lola, standing over her.

  “Shut the fuck up,” the girl said. “You fucking hear me, whack job? I was asleep. You woke me up! I’ll fucking make you eat your teeth if you don’t shut the fuck up.”

  “Hey!” came a voice from outside. “It’s lights out, ladies!”

  Lola and the girl glared at each other until the girl turned and went back to bed. Lola didn’t get up from the floor but pushed herself over to the foot of her bed. She fumbled under the end of the mattress and her fingers found something. She pulled out a composition notebook and a rubberized pencil.

  FUCK YOU she wrote and then scribbled it out. After a few moments she turned the page. Leinani, she wrote. Hey girl. How’s it going. She stopped and looked up at the camera in the corner. Her eyes glazed over, and her sight blurred. Her fingers clutched at the corners of the notebook, bruising the paper edges.

  Paul says he’s got you with him but I don’t believe him. No way somebody would let him take care of you. Don’t worry, Lei, I’m gonna come get you out of there, I swear. Lola stopped again as water splatted on the page. She wiped her eyes roughly and her fingers came away wet. She bared her teeth at the notebook and then at the camera.

  She turned the page.

  I’m gonna cut his fucking balls off and feed them to him I swear I’ll FUCK HIM UP

  She cupped a hand over her mouth and choked down a sob. “Lei Lei, Lei Lei, oh god…” she whispered and the roommate stirred. Lola thrust her head forward and slammed it back against the wall, pain exploding with the impact. Sobs wracked Lola’s body and the roommate rose from her bed and made her way towards her.

  The room dimmed and then filled with smoke. Flames engulfed the door, and it wasn’t the cell anymore, it was the bedroom in the Carver house. Veronica gasped and struggled but the sheets had her pinned down—but it wasn’t the sheets. Oozing, meaty hands held her arms and her legs, the awful, burnt faces grinned above her as flames jumped around the bed.

  ~~~

  Fingers clawing the sheets, Veronica awoke. She moaned and began to cry, blinking her eyes wide—she was afraid that if she closed them, she’d see those faces again. She reached for her alarm clock and saw that it was one fifteen. Just enough light came in through the window to make shapes discernible. Harry put his nose on the edge of the bed, whining at her. She patted him and looked around for the cats, but they must have bolted when she awoke so violently.

  She forced herself to breathe. She couldn’t stop shaking. If only she had stayed over at Daniel’s. She didn’t want to be alone. How could she bear to go back to sleep?

  She felt for her cell phone and found it. Dialing Melanie, she sent her a silent apology before she heard her pick up.

  “What’s it?”

  “Mel. Mellie, I’m so sorry to wake you.”

  “Veronica?”

  “Yeah. Um. I’m sorry. Go back to sleep,” she said, but paused before hanging up.

  “What’s wrong?” Melanie sounded a bit clearer. “V? What’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry to be calling like this. Everything is okay, don’t worry.”

  “It’s one in the morning,” Melanie said. “Everything is not okay. What happened?”

  “Oh, Mellie. I had this nightmare, and today I saw the most awful things, and… and I don’t know what to do about it, but I’m scared to be alone.”

  “Honey,” Melanie said. “What kind of things did you see?”

  “There was a house that burned down… Daniel took me to the scene…”

  There was a pause. Veronica knew what Melanie was thinking. Before the whole Grant Slecterson thing, Melanie might have rushed right over. But now, she didn’t want to leave Angie in the house alone. Veronica couldn’t blame her, but she also didn’t have a car. She would have driven over to Melanie’s house if she had. Veronica could practically hear Melanie’s gears turning in the pause on the other end of the line. Should she wake Angie up and bring her along? Should she call Veronica a cab?

  “It’s okay, Mel,” Veronica said, trying to sound convincing. “I’m fine. I’ll come over tomorrow and have breakfast. I’ll tell you all about it.”

  “V, just hang on, okay. I’ll call my mom and have her come over, and I’ll be right there,” Melanie said.

  “No! No, Mel. Don’t wake up Grace. She’ll never forgive me.”

  “Forget it, V. It’s already done.”

  Melanie hung up.

  Veronica groaned and buried her face in her covers.

  ~~~

  Harry gave two or three half-hearted barks when Melanie got to the door, but he knew who she was and did it just for show. Veronica let her friend in. Melanie still wore her pajamas, with a jacket thrown on and her feet in gardening clogs.

  “Hey,” Veronica said.

  Melanie reached out and hugged her tightly. “Sweetie. You holding up okay?” She asked when she released Veronica.

  “Yeah, I am. I’m sorry I woke you up. You didn’t have to come over. Is Grace going to kill me?”

  “When I left she was still pretty confused about everything. I bet by tomorrow she’ll have figured out exactly how she wants you executed, though.”

  “Oh, god,” Veronica moaned.

  “Look, it’s my own fault because I’m so paranoid about leaving Angie alone. I don’t think I’m ever going to recover from all that.” Melanie took Veronica’s hand and led them to the couch, where they sat. “It’s just—what if she wakes up and she needs me and I’m not there? At least she has someone, if Mom’s there.”

  Veronica nodded.

  “Okay,” Melanie said. “So spill. What is going on?”

  “Do you want some tea?”

  Melanie raised her eyebrows.

  “I’m not stalling,” Veronica said. “I’ll tell you the whole long awful story. But do you want some tea first?”

  “Okay,” Melanie said. “Peppermint.”

  Veronica gave her arm a pat and got up to make the tea. She tried to organize her thoughts as she did, so that she could tell the story as succinctly as possible. When she got back and sat down with their mugs, she said, “Okay, you know how I’ve been dreaming about Lola Hekili?”

  “The girl in Angie’s class,” Melanie confirmed.

  “Yes. And you know how I was looking for that woman? The
one Khalilah was concerned about?”

  “Yes,” Melanie said.

  “Well, they both turned up at the Peach Walnut Motel. I wouldn’t have found Amani—that’s the woman—without your help. So thank you for that. But as it turns out, she didn’t need to be found.”

  Melanie blew on her tea and raised her eyebrows at Veronica.

  “She was in hiding, not missing or kidnapped. Some people staged her abduction—”

  “What?”

  “I know, it sounds crazy, but I guess it’s something these people have done before. It’s like an underground railroad for women stuck in these oppressive situations… anyway. So I realized that the reason I wasn’t getting very good clues from the other side was probably because they didn’t want me finding her. I mean, she was fine and I was sticking my nose in where it didn’t belong.”

  “Well, who can blame you? Those people made it look like she was abducted. That’s not exactly a good way to have someone disappear without anyone noticing.”

  Veronica nodded. “And so I was so caught up in this whole Amani investigation with Khalilah, that I really wasn’t paying very close attention to what the dreams were showing me about Lola. I wish I had, because things went from bad to worse with her.”

  “Really? Didn’t you tell me she was prostituting herself for a place to stay? And now it’s worse?”

  “Her house burned down, and her mother and step-father were killed,” Veronica said.

  “Oh my god.”

  “Yeah, and the police have arrested Lola for it.”

  “Oh no.”

  “Daniel came and got me yesterday and took me to the scene to see if I could get anything.”

  “He’s finally embraced that you’re psychic, huh?” Melanie said with a small smile.

  “I guess so.”

  “About time.”

  Veronica took a breath and explained what she knew about Paul Carver and his role in the fire. She frowned as she recalled Lola’s panic for Leinani. “I had another dream,” Veronica said. “Lola’s in this tiny cell. Her roommate hit her—it’s awful, Mellie. And from what I could tell, Lola’s terrified that Paul has her sister. At some point she must have talked to him and he told her he has her. So she’s totally freaked out.”