“We’ll have some fun, baby,” he promised.
There was no party. Shawn had wanted a good time and knew Caroline was good for one. She had quite the reputation; she was the topic of conversation in the boys’ locker room on a regular basis. His parents were away and he had the house to himself. Once Caroline arrived, in her short skirt and low cut blouse, he plied her with alcohol. Shawn knew where the key to the liquor cabinet was, and he let Caroline help herself.
“You’re drunk,” he told her as he led her into his bedroom.
“Soooo.” Caroline could barely walk. She leaned into him and let him guide her. Once in the bedroom, she was on her back, against his mattress. He wasted no time, pulling up her skirt and ripping off her underwear. Caroline seemed oblivious to what Shawn was doing. Once he had a condom on, he plowed into her and had his way.
Caroline had passed out during the deed. Once he had finished and rolled off her, Shawn had gone and taken a shower. He figured he’d let her sleep it off and later, he could have her again. Out of the shower, Shawn peeked in on her. Caroline was still asleep. He watched TV for a few hours and realized he hadn’t heard Caroline stir. And he was horny again. Shawn went into his room, thinking he would wake her up. He found her in his bed, cold and dead.
Mikey didn’t hear about his sister’s death for over a week. Usually, they talked on the phone a few times a week. They only saw each other sporadically every few months. It was the day before Mikey was supposed to have lunch with Caroline that he was told the news. He had missed the funeral and had never been able to say goodbye.
If that fuckin’ judge had let me be on my own---she would have been living with me! She’d still be alive! Hate coursed through Mikey. He had lost his father, then his mother, and although there had been a missing persons case opened, she had never been found. Mikey figured she had to be dead. And now so was Caroline. Yeah, that judge is gonna pay, Mikey promised.
The first sliver of hope in revenge happened a few years later. Judge Howard had suffered a sudden, fatal heart attack. Mikey read about it in the Boston Herald. Accompanying the newspaper article was a picture of the judge’s widow and only son at the grave site during the funeral ceremony. At the end of the article, there was a mention that the son was not following in his father’s footsteps; he had plans on becoming a law enforcement officer. Up until now, Mikey had been working odd jobs, floating through life. Now, there was purpose. He was going to the police academy.
Mikey finished the police academy and managed to get himself assigned to the same precinct as the Howard kid. Both were beat cops. Mikey first met Jason when they had both responded to a store burglary in the dawn hours. He had recognized Jason as the same man from the newspaper photo. Although it had irritated him, Mikey had been impressed with Jason’s thorough crime scene assessment and confidence. A small voice within Mikey asked if perhaps, Jason wasn’t cruel like his old man had been. And then another, louder, stronger voice screamed that it didn’t matter. The Howards owed him and he intended to collect on that debt.
THE PRESENT
X.
Durrell was pissed. He had been calling Detective Howard for two days, leaving messages, yet, there had been no response. Was Howard stupid or guilty as hell? He wasn’t sure. But Howard had already been MIA for the first scheduled questioning with internal affairs. He had one second chance and it looked like he would blow it. The meeting was this afternoon and Durrell still hadn’t talked to Jason. Where the hell was he?! They don’t pay me enough to babysit this prima donna, Durrell thought.
The first snow began to fall as Mia made coffee. She had the day off and intended to spend it with Jason. She had planned on grocery shopping and driving the forty-five minutes to the nearest mall. The snow had dashed those plans; it was too cold and the roads to slick.
With the coffee brewing, Mia padded into the bedroom where Jason hadn’t gotten up yet. She slipped back into bed and kissed him. His eyes opened and he smiled. “Morning.”
“Good Morning.” She snuggled against him under the down comforter. “I’m making coffee. I was hoping you’d make a fire. Winter is here.”
Jason rubbed his eyes and glanced out of the bank of windows that overlooked the backyard and gave a peek of the ocean. He saw thick, fluffy white flakes falling to the ground.
He wrapped his arms around Mia and smiled again. “If you want a fire, I will make sure you have one.”
“Good.” Mia disentangled herself from Jason and returned to the kitchen. Jason stretched and moved out from the warmth of the bed covers, reaching for his jeans and T-shirt that were on the bedroom floor. “How do you want your eggs?” Mia called from the kitchen.
Jason didn’t answer right away; he had checked his cell and saw the missed call from the union rep. Shit. I am not going back today, he thought as he played the voicemail. That’s exactly what they expected. “Screw ‘em,” he muttered out loud.
“What?” Mia asked from the other room.
“Ah…scrambled,” Jason answered, deciding not to tell her about the voicemail. No need to ruin the day. He headed into the living room to start the fire.
They spent the day in front of the fire, curled up on the couch watching old movies. Jason had gone outside once, after lunch, and shoveled the porch and a path out to the garage. He had cleared around both cars and was anxious to finish and get back inside in front of the fire. The winds coming up off the harbor intensified the cold and even with several layers under his jacket, Jason found himself shivering.
He had just gotten back inside, and taken a quick hot shower. He was in the process of dressing when he heard Mia’s soft voice talking to someone. Who would come out on a day like this? Jason threw the clothes on and went into the kitchen.
Mia stood her straight back against the kitchen counter, arms crossed on her chest, with a weary look on her face. She was discussing---no, arguing with Lt. Ross. “You can’t just keep coming here and harassing. You searched the place and found nothing. And that’s what you’ll keep finding.”
“I appreciate your candor, Dr. Hitchcock, but I am not here to search today.”
“Then what? Can’t you leave us alone?” The irritation in her voice couldn’t be missed.
Lt. Ross looked away from Mia and towards Jason as he entered the kitchen. “What do you want?” Jason demanded. “I asked you to leave her out of this.” His jaw was firmly set as he tried to maintain control. Lately, his temper had flared all too often.
“I am not here regarding the doctor,” Ross answered. “I need you to come down to the police station with me.”
“Really?” Things were getting too surreal. “And if I refuse?” asked Jason, testing the waters.
Ross sighed. “Then I’ll put you under arrest and bring you down to the station. Make it easy. Just grab your coat and come with me willingly.”
Panic rose in Mia. What was going on? There was no way Jason could be involved in the poisoning---why didn’t they see that?! Jason recognized the look on her face and silently condemned the Lt. “It’s going to be okay,” he told Mia as he took her into his arms for a quick hug. “I’m gonna go with him and not make a scene, okay? Trust me, baby, it’s gonna be fine.” He pulled away and looked into her anxious eyes. “Okay?” Jason repeated.
“Should I call a lawyer?” she asked him. Mia had no idea what she was supposed to do in such a situation.
“I’ll let you know.” Jason grabbed his jacket that he had draped over one of the kitchen chairs, still damp from the snow and slipped it on. Mia watched as he exited and Lt. Ross guided Jason into the back seat of the police cruiser. She felt nauseous as they drove away.
The two men were quiet on the short ride to the police station. The brick building was old; it had been built over a century ago and the façade showed its age. Jason studied it intently as the police cruiser pulled up in front. He was trying to concentrate on anything but his currently reality and his growing nausea.
The car door opened. “This
way, Detective,” the lieutenant motioned for Jason to get out of the car. He climbed out; feeling the harsh winds off the bay hit him. They walked up the steps and into the building where Jason was led to an interrogation room. He was all too familiar with the dance that went on during an interrogation.
“For the record, are you speaking with me voluntarily?” They were sitting across from each other, on either side of an old, battered wooden table. Lt. Ross had switched on a tape recorder.
“Yes.” Jason stared down at a gauge in the table top.
“You are on administrative leave from your position as a Boston homicide detective?”
“Yes, you already knew that. And I’m sure you know why, too.”
“Tell me anyway,” Lt. Ross requested.
“I allegedly roughed up a suspect while interviewing him.”
Lt. Ross was staring directly at Jason, making Jason feel more than uncomfortable. He knew intimately how these things went---this is what he did for a living. And yet, he felt the intimidation factor of sitting on the wrong side of this interview.
“And did you?”
“I might have used some force.” Jason shifted in the uncomfortable metal chair. “I don’t see how that would involve you.”
“You recently bought a new cell phone on Sunday afternoon. What happened to your old one?”
“It broke.” Jesus, they had done their homework. They had already looked into his activity, and it scared Jason that they might not be looking for anyone else to collar for the poisoning.
“After you were put on leave, where did you go? There’s a good twenty-four plus hours between then and when you showed up here at Dr. Hitchcock’s cottage Sunday night.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed as he leaned back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest. He didn’t want to play this game anymore. “Are you asking me for an alibi?” he demanded in a rough voice.
“Yes, I am. Particularly for Sunday morning.”
“I want a lawyer.”
Lt. Ross stood and circled around the table towards his suspect. “Jason Howard, you’re under arrest----“
Jason was pulled to his feet and he felt the cool metal of the handcuffs slap around his wrists. He didn’t pay attention to his rights. He could rattle those off in his sleep. What the fuck was happening?
“We’ve impounded your car,” the lieutenant shared with him. “Is there anything you want to tell me before it’s searched? Still want a lawyer?” Jason said nothing.
After being fingerprinted, booked and processed for first degree murder, Jason was allowed his phone call before being locked in a cell. He called Mia.
“They took your car,” she told him, her voice shaky.
“I know.” Jason sighed; knowing the details of his afternoon was going to upset her even more. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She didn’t sound all that convincing.
“Look, baby, they arrested me. I don’t want you to worry. They’re building a circumstantial case that won’t go anywhere.” He hoped that was true.
“Arrested?” Mia felt her throat tighten. Were they crazy? There was no way Jason had been involved. “Who do you want me to call?”
“Grimes. He’ll know who to call for a lawyer.” Jason could tell she was crying and it pissed him off even more. Helplessness was not something he easily dealt with, and right now, he was about to be locked up and unable to comfort or do anything for Mia. “I love you,” Jason told her. “I promise everything will work out.”
Lt. Ross grabbed the phone from Jason and hung it up. “Time’s up.” He then led Jason to a cell and locked him in.
Jason stood in the middle of the cell dumbfounded. How had this happened? He glanced around and saw that he the lone prisoner. He blew out a deep breath and unconsciously ran a nervous hand through his hair. What if he was being set up? What if he couldn’t get out of this?
***
Keith could hear the panic in her voice as soon as he answered the phone. “Mia, he’ll be okay. Jason can sit in the cell for a few hours until we get him out.”
“How are we going to get him out?” She was overwhelmed, knee deep in this legal world she had no knowledge of.
“They have to arraign him. Set bail. We’ll pay the bail and go from there.” Grimes silently contemplated which criminal attorney to call for his partner. “You sit tight; I’ll call you back after I arrange for the lawyer.”
“He couldn’t have done it,” she whispered to Grimes. “Could he?”
“No Mia, he couldn’t have.”
It was early evening before a lawyer showed up to meet with his new client. As Jason alternated between pacing and sitting on the thin mattress in the cell, he had watched the sun dip down in the overcast, snowy sky and twilight roll in. He knew there would be no arraignment today and that at best, he’d be spending one night incarcerated.
Without a word, a deputy showed a well-dressed, short, balding man into Jason’s cell. “Mr. Howard, I am Darren Sparks, your new lawyer.” He outstretched his hand to Jason to shake. “I am sorry it has taken me so long to get here, but traffic from Portland was a nightmare and the roads are a little slick.” Jason shook his hand but said nothing. “Your partner spoke to one of my very good friends in Boston, who called me to represent you. I want you to know that I am the most successful criminal attorney in the state.” Sparks set his briefcase down on the cement floor and took off his long winter coat.
“This is a set-up,” Jason told him.
“I’ve read the indictment. There is no physical evidence. Everything they cite in the indictment against you is circumstantial.” Sparks smiled widely. “I’m sure we can have you out of here within the next twenty-four hours.”
“I didn’t do this,” Jason said quietly. Reality was starting to sink in. At first, he had been convinced that Lt. Ross had made some error and everything would be dropped. After sitting several hours in the jail cell, Jason knew there was no mistake. This was for real. His stomach was in knots.
“I wouldn’t expect a client of mine to say anything other than that.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t.” Jason shook his head, frustrated that perhaps even his lawyer didn’t seem to believe him.
“Detective Howard, listen to me. Until very recently, you have been a highly decorated police officer and detective with the Boston PD. Obviously that is in your favor. That is until you uncharacteristically lost your temper with a suspect. Why?”
“Personal.”
“Listen to me very closely. Nothing is personal anymore. They will dig and find all of your secrets so it’s best to tell it to me now.”
“I don’t want her dragged into this,” Jason muttered. “Mia, my girlfriend, had a miscarriage. We had some…issues after and she moved out.”
“I see.” Sparks took a few steps while he was processing the information. “And you didn’t refer to her as an ‘ex’ girlfriend.”
“We’ve worked it out.”
“Will she stand behind you during all of this? Or leave? If there’s a real possibility that she won’t stick around, I’ll need time to---“
Jason interrupted the lawyer, his tone openly hostile. Sparks had touched upon a touchy subject. Jason had wondered the same thing---what if Mia didn’t believe he was innocent? “Mia won’t be going anywhere. I’m sure of it.”
Sparks took notice of the silent warning to back off the girl. “So you were under stress and it bled its way into your professional life. You are only human.” He glanced around the cell and beyond the bars. “One of the pieces of circumstantial evidence they are citing is the fact that you completely shut off your cell phone for several hours and then you bought a new one. The theory is you did so to not be tracked via cell towers.”
“That’s bullshit. The battery died and I didn’t charge it for hours. When it was charged again, my house was being searched. I was a little upset and I threw it against the wall. It broke and I needed a new one.”
“Plausible,” Sparks
commented. “They haven’t found anything from searching your car. Are they going to?”
“No! I told you, I have nothing to do with this.” Jason shook his head, again in disbelief of the present circumstances. “What the hell was my motive?”
Sparks stared at his client intently. He wondered if Jason could be so cold and callous to have really been responsible for the crime. The man in front of him didn’t seem capable. “After your girlfriend left you, you snapped. They can demonstrate that with the reason why you’re currently on administrative leave from your job. You acted out against her and the community she moved to.”
“Weak,” Jason angrily commented. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, they’ll claim that you obviously weren’t thinking clearly and the stress of the miscarriage, break-up and whatever else they can conjure up pushed you over the edge.” Sparks picked up his briefcase and started to put his coat on. “I assume we are pleading ‘not guilty’ in the morning?” he asked his client. Jason just nodded. “If you give me her phone number, I will call your girlfriend and ask her to drop off something suitable for you to wear to the arraignment.” The faded sweatshirt and jeans Jason had on at the moment would not do. He looked Jason over again. “And perhaps a razor? You need a shave.”
After she had spoken with Sparks, Mia hung up and dialed Kate. She was grateful her friend picked up and was willing to talk. “I’m so sorry, Kate,” Mia told her. “I was horrible to you.” Her voice was shaking. She hadn’t known anyone else to call.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Kate recognized the fear in Mia’s tone. “What’s wrong?”
“Jason was just arrested for murder,” Mia said in disbelief as she said the words. And then she told her best friend what had happened.
Jason spent the entire night awake, lying on the thin mattress, staring up at the water stained ceiling. He had refused the dinner tray and wasn’t even hungry. His mind was bombarded by fears and questions, not allowing him rest. He worried about Mia and about what was going to happen. Would he be convicted? If so, what would happen with Mia? And having been a cop---Jason was sure he wouldn’t fare well in prison.
Dare to Trust Page 14