Brutality

by Ingrid Thoft

  “And I want you to stay away from Haley and all other little girls,” Fina snarled. “You do what I want, and I’ll do what you want.”

  “You don’t get to dictate the terms of my life. How dare you interfere with Karla?” Fina could picture him puffing up his chest in outrage.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said.

  “I know it was you,” Rand said. “It’s always you.”

  “This conversation is over,” Fina said. “Let’s not talk again—ever.”

  “Oh, but we’re going to. In fact, I think it’s time for me to visit, don’t you? See the family? Catch up?”

  Fina balled up her free hand and watched her knuckles whiten. “Don’t,” she managed to say.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  He ended the call, and Fina placed the phone on the table and rubbed her temples. When she’d hatched her plan to call Karla, she knew there would be fallout, but she’d hadn’t spent a lot of time contemplating it. Regardless of the consequences, she had to get her brother away from Karla’s kids, but what now? And what about the next girlfriend?

  “What’s the matter?” Cristian asked, sliding onto the banquette across from her, his face creased in worry.

  “It’s Rand.”

  “What now?”

  “He’s threatening me, saying he’s coming to town.”

  “Why now?” A waitress approached the table, and Cristian waved her off. “Did you do something?”

  “Yes, I did something,” she snapped. “I stopped him from molesting more little girls.”

  “Easy, Fina,” Cristian said, reaching across the table, taking her hand.

  “Fuck. What am I going to do?” She rested her head in her other hand and strained to blink back the tears that were threatening to fall.

  “I don’t know, but I’ll help you figure something out.”

  “Thanks, Cristian,” Fina said, sitting up and pulling her hand back from his.

  “So what’s the update?” he asked once she’d composed herself.

  “First, tell me what’s going on with Kevin Lafferty and Vikram Mehra.”

  “We’re waiting on the search warrants, but Kevin’s our guy for the bomb.”

  “Seriously? That douche bag,” Fina said, beaming. “Did Zack roll on him?”

  “Yeah. Zack got a lawyer who very wisely advised him to make a deal.”

  “But neither of them built it, right?”

  Cristian shook his head. “We’re looking for a third guy. I think Kevin hatched and bankrolled the idea, and Zack planted it, but someone else did the actual cooking. We’ll find him.”

  Fina shook her head. “Too bad you can’t arrest Vikram for being an ass.”

  “Actually, your pal Vikram is also in the hot seat.”

  Fina perked up. “Glad to hear it, but why?”

  “When we were at the lab executing a search warrant, one of the other scientists led us around, and he found some things that seemed out of order.”

  The waitress approached a second time, and Fina ordered a diet soda and a grilled cheese with fries. Cristian opted for black coffee to go.

  “What sort of things?” Fina asked.

  “Something related to the storage of chemicals. Anyway, this guy called in OSHA, and they’re investigating. Looks like Vikram may have been cutting corners.”

  “I hope he gets radiation poisoning,” Fina said.

  “Very nice.”

  “You’ve met the guy. He’s as mean as a snake.”

  “Okay,” Cristian said, pointing at her. “Your turn.”

  “Okay. Jamie is a drug addict and has been buying pills from Gus Sibley. Kelly Wegner has been the go-between.”

  Cristian rubbed his chin. “Do you have proof?”

  “I have a witness who saw Jamie buy pills in a club, and there are witnesses to Kelly and Gus exchanging something. I’ve seen the drugs, and Kelly admitted it.”

  “Did Liz know?” he asked.

  “Yes, according to Kelly.”

  The waitress dropped off the diet soda and coffee. “Things are supposed to be getting clearer, not more complicated,” Cristian said.

  “Sorry about that,” Fina said. “I thought you’d want to know.”

  “When did you figure this out?” he asked.

  “I’ve been working on it, but I didn’t have confirmation until this morning.”

  “Do you have a theory about how this all fits together? I’m not convinced that Kevin is a murderer in addition to hiring Zack Lawrence.”

  “I have theories,” Fina said, popping open her drink, “but something’s off. I can’t put my finger on it.”

  Cristian’s phone rang, and he glanced at the screen.

  “You need to go?” Fina asked.

  “Yeah, but there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Sure.”

  “The other night . . .”

  “Uh-huh.” Fina couldn’t help but smirk.

  “It was great,” he said.

  “I agree.”

  “So I was wondering if maybe we should move things in a certain direction,” Cristian said.

  Fina tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

  “Maybe we should actually date,” he suggested.

  She took a sip of soda. Suspects weren’t the only ones who liked to buy time. “But you just ended a relationship because you didn’t want to make a commitment.”

  “To her,” Cristian said.

  Fina made a silent O with her mouth. She waited for him to say something else.

  “I think we could do something different,” he added, bringing the to-go cup to his mouth. “I learned a lot in my relationship with Cindy about what I do and don’t want.”

  “So you want to date exclusively?” Fina asked.

  “Yeah.” He nodded.

  “With the idea that it would be serious?”

  “Yes.”

  Fina sighed deeply.

  “That’s encouraging,” Cristian said sourly.

  “I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting this,” Fina said. “I like how things are.”

  “And maybe you’d like them even more this way,” he said.

  “My head is in so many different places right now, Cristian. I need to think about this.”

  He nodded, but frowned.

  “Well, you didn’t actually expect me to agree on the spot, did you?” she asked.

  “Think about it,” he said, rising from the booth. “Let me know.”

  “But now you’re leaving mad at me,” Fina said.

  “No, I’m not,” he insisted. “I’m leaving frustrated, but I’ll get over it.” He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth.

  Fina watched him walk away.

  Why did life have to be so complicated?

  —

  Fina showed up at Jamie’s office hoping to catch him before he left for the day. She had no doubt that Kelly would have told him about their conversation and that Fina’s access to the Barone/Gottlieb household was officially over.

  “I don’t want to speak with you,” Jamie said at the receptionist’s desk.

  “Fine. Just listen.” Fina steered him by the elbow out the glass doors to the elevators. The receptionist gawked at them.

  “You need to come clean with Bobbi,” Fina said. “No pun intended.”

  Jamie shook his head. “No, and you can’t tell her, either.”

  “Legally, I’m obligated to tell her. She owns the work product from my investigation, which details your activities.” Fina enforced this rule on a case-by-case basis, and chose to invoke it this time. The situation was out of hand, and there were children involved. Not to mention, she didn’t work for Jamie; she worked for Bobbi.

 
“I can’t tell her, Fina.”

  “You have to, or I will.”

  “Why?” he asked. “Why does she have to know?”

  “Because I don’t want to be responsible if you wrap your car around a tree with your kids in the backseat. I’m not going to enable your addiction like Kelly does.”

  He shook his head. “Bobbi won’t understand.”

  The elevator doors opened, depositing a group of young men into the lobby. They exchanged hellos with Jamie before entering the office.

  “I think she might understand,” Fina said. “I haven’t known her long, but Bobbi seems like a fair and decent person. Give her a chance to help you.”

  “I don’t need help.”

  “Then give her the chance to prove that you do.” Fina pushed the down button and faced him. “If you decide you want my help, give me a call.”

  Jamie hung his head and turned toward the glass office doors. His shoulders sagged. He looked broken, even from behind.

  Fina got on the elevator and willed the doors to close quickly.

  She could only stomach so much self-destruction.

  —

  Fina went to bed early, hoping that sleep might lead to clarity about the case, the Rand situation, and Cristian’s revelation. Unfortunately, sleep was elusive; she spent most of the night rolling from side to side, her mind skipping from one quagmire to the next. Fina finally dozed off just after four A.M., only to awaken with a start an hour later.

  She sat up in bed, sweat matting her hair to her neck.

  She got it now.

  It made sense.

  But things were definitely going to get worse before they got better.

  35.

  Fina jumped out of bed and called Cristian. His phone went to voice mail, so she called Pitney instead, who was displeased by the wake-up call. She agreed to meet Fina anyway and promised to get ahold of Cristian.

  Fina threw on some clothes and grabbed a Pop-Tart in the kitchen. She ate it in the car on the way, washing it down with water from a nearly empty bottle she found on the car floor. It was still dark, and parts of the road were slick. Fina’s car slipped a couple of times, and she backed off the gas. If she got killed on the way, she’d never know if she was right, and she wanted to know.

  At the house, Pitney and Cristian climbed out of their unmarked police car and joined her on the front steps.

  “This is crazy,” Pitney said, “even for you.”

  “Bear with me,” Fina said, ringing the bell. Upstairs, there was a small light on, but otherwise, the house was cloaked in darkness. Fina rang a second time, and just as she felt her desperation growing, the door opened.

  A man in his late thirties stood before them, bleary-eyed, in sweats. “You know what time it is?” he asked.

  Pitney and Cristian held up their shields.

  “We’re really sorry to bother you,” Cristian said, “but we need to speak with your wife.”

  “Why?” He rubbed his eyes.

  “Is she here?” Pitney asked.

  “Yeah, but—” Before he could say more, slippered feet appeared at the top of the stairs. Kelly descended and put her hand on her husband’s arm.

  “I’ll talk to them,” Kelly said. “Will you go check on the kids?” She was wearing a pink chenille robe, and her hair was pulled back in a messy knot.

  “I don’t understand,” he said.

  “Please, Josh. It’s okay,” she said, and pushed him gently toward the stairs.

  He acquiesced, and Kelly led them into the living room. No one bothered to shed their boots or jackets.

  Kelly stared at the floor.

  “Okay, Fina. You’re up,” Pitney said impatiently.

  Fina looked at Kelly. “You pushed her. You pushed Liz, and she hit her head. I’m guessing you didn’t mean to kill her.”

  The next moment was laden with anticipation and dread, the four of them holding their breath.

  Then Kelly’s face crumpled, and a sob escaped her mouth.

  “Is that true?” Pitney asked.

  Kelly shuffled over to the couch and sat down. She buried her face in her arms and wept. Pitney looked at Fina with a question mark on her face.

  “She knew that Liz’s latest bill from the lawyer was thirty-seven hundred dollars,” Fina said, “but there’s no way she could have known that if she weren’t in the house that night.”

  “She told me about it,” Kelly cried.

  “No, she didn’t,” Fina said. “Jamie told the cops that they fought about opening the bill that morning, and Liz put it off until later that day. It was on the top of the stack when you stopped by her house. The only other people who saw that were the cops, the EMTs, and anyone who saw the crime scene photos. There’s a record of all those people.”

  Kelly rocked on the couch. “It was just a coincidence that I said that amount. A lucky guess.”

  “Then why are you so upset, Kelly?” Cristian asked.

  She didn’t answer.

  “It will be better for you if you come clean,” Pitney said. “It will help your case if it was an accident.”

  “Were you fighting about Jamie?” Fina asked.

  The three of them were standing over Kelly, asking their questions. Fina considered sitting down, but didn’t want to get comfortable.

  “I think Liz was angry that you were sleeping with Jamie and enabling his addiction,” Fina continued. “Meanwhile, Gus was providing the drugs and withdrawing support from her lawsuit.”

  Kelly gulped in air. “She was so unforgiving!” she exclaimed.

  Pitney snorted. “I wouldn’t expect her to be forgiving toward the mistress.”

  “Liz wasn’t doing anything to help him, but she didn’t want me helping him, either,” Kelly said, brushing her sleeve across her face. “She called me terrible names. I just wanted her to stop.”

  “Well, you stopped her, all right,” Fina said under her breath. “You know the worst part? If you’d called 911, you could have saved her. It didn’t have to be a fatal injury.”

  Kelly’s sobbing made Fina cringe—because it was both tragic and selfish.

  “Can I go, Lieutenant?” Fina asked.

  Pitney nodded. “You may.”

  Fina squeezed Cristian’s arm and left the house, pulling the front door closed behind her. She took a deep breath of cold morning air and returned to her car.

  Her work there was done.

  —

  Fina slept.

  When she opened her eyes, the clock said twelve thirty P.M. She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling. Reaching over to the bedside table, Fina grabbed her phone and dialed Bobbi’s number.

  “I was just talking about you,” Bobbi said when she answered.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I had a nice chat with your brother Scotty.”

  “Oh. That’s nice. Are you at Ludlow and Associates?” Fina asked.

  “Uh-huh. There was a meeting with some potential plaintiffs who might join the suit.”

  “Great. Are you going to be there for a little while? I need to update you on some things.”

  “Depends on how long a while is,” Bobbi said.

  “I can be there in half an hour,” Fina said.

  “I’ll be here.”

  Fina jumped in the shower, dressed, and was in her car twelve minutes later. She applied some mascara and lip gloss at red lights and arrived at the office right on time.

  She found Bobbi in a small meeting room reading some files and sipping a cup of coffee. Fina leaned over and gave her a hug before taking a seat. She reached out and nudged the door closed with her foot.

  “How’d the meeting go?” Fina asked.

  “It was good.” Bobbi’s eyes widened. “Definitely an improvement from Thatcher Kinney.”
/>   “I would hope so.”

  “Your dad is getting a bunch of people on board—actually, they’re coming out of the woodwork—and he thinks NEU will settle.”

  “He’s a good lawyer,” Fina acknowledged. “He fights for his clients.”

  “How have you been?” Bobbi asked. “You look tired.”

  “I had an early morning. Speaking of which, have the cops been in touch with you?”

  Bobbi shook her head. “No. Why?”

  “My early morning started at Kelly Wegner’s house.” Fina leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “Bobbi, she essentially admitted that she fought with Liz and caused her head injury, which in turn caused Liz’s death.”

  She blinked. “What?”

  “Kelly killed Liz. I don’t think she meant to, but she did.”

  Bobbi burst into tears. “But why? They were friends.”

  “Which leads me to my next question,” Fina said. “Has Jamie been in touch with you?”

  “No. Why?” Bobbi asked, her voice climbing with anxiety.

  Fina reached into her bag and pulled out a pack of tissues, which she handed to Bobbi. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you,” Fina said, “but Jamie and Kelly are involved.”

  “Involved how? An affair?”

  Fina nodded. “Not only that, but Jamie has a problem with pills.”

  Bobbi held up her hand. “Wait, Fina. This is too much.”

  “I know, but you have a right to know. Do you want some water? Or how about scotch? I can steal some from my father’s office.”

  Bobbi shook her head and blotted her face with a tissue. “Did Liz know all of this?”

  “She did. She also knew that Kelly was acting as a go-between for Jamie and Gus Sibley, who was supplying pills.”

  “Gus Sibley?”

  “He first prescribed them when Jamie hurt his knee and then stopped, but their transactions recently started up again.”

  “Pain pills?” She grimaced.

  “Yes. I’ve spoken to Jamie about rehab or getting some kind of help, but he isn’t interested.”

  “Addicts rarely are,” Bobbi said.

  “I also told him that he needed to come clean with you about all of this or I would tell you. Obviously, he didn’t tell you.”