by Ana Newfolk
“Please step away or we will have to arrest you too.”
“Arrest me too? What… what do you mean? Max?”
“Isaac,” Max said with a voice that was all too calm, “can you please call Peter? I’m being taken to the police station to answer questions about Lucy.”
And with that he was taken away. The officers gave me the details of the precinct he was going to be held in and left.
I stood there in the middle of the living room, paralyzed, wondering how the day had started so well, and was ending like this. How was I going to give Lucy the news?
There was only one thing I wanted to do, and that was to call my brother for some comfort, but considering the situation I called the lawyer, Peter, first, and then Joel.
Chapter Twenty-One
Max
I’d had my fair share of encounters with the police in the years since I’d worked at the hospital and volunteered at the Center. Most of the time I’d just carried on with my work and let them do theirs while I treated the patient. Both our professions carried a sense of duty to the community and that came with a shared respect for each other.
I thought the officers that turned up at my apartment were joking when they told me they had to take me to the station, I even joked, asking them if I was being arrested for crimes against suitable movie picking.
When they uttered the words kidnapping and minor, I nearly fell to my knees. Who would have made such an accusation? Who even knew Lucy was with me? There was only one possible answer to those questions. My parents.
I knew better than to argue with two armed police officers so I hoped that going of my own accord and without resistance would help my defense.
When Isaac walked through the door and wrongly assumed something had happened to Lucy, I wanted to take him in my arms so badly, and reassure him that Lucy was okay. The tension in one of the officers was unmistakable, so I had no choice but to tell him what was happening without the opportunity to soften the blow in any way.
From then on I was on automatic pilot. I made sure Isaac called Peter and was then taken to the police station. I tried not to think about Lucy and how she would feel when she found out what was happening. How had today gone so wrong?
The officers didn’t read me my rights since I wasn’t actually being arrested, but they still advised me to not say anything until I was in the presence of my lawyer.
When we arrived at the station, the officers made me fill in some forms and then asked me to wait in a room devoid of any furniture apart from a table and chairs that were bolted to the floor. Before they closed the door behind them they informed me that a detective would come in to see me shortly.
Two hours later there was no detective, and I was becoming more and more anxious because I didn‘t understand what was going on and had no idea what was happening beyond the walls of the station.
Would Lucy be home already? Did she know there was a strong possibility that our dad was looking for her? I just wanted to wrap her in a safe bubble and give her the love and family she’d lost when she lost her mom. Lucy had smiled her way into my heart, and there was no way I could consider a life where she wasn’t in it, and I was pretty sure Isaac felt the same.
I paced the length of the room, focusing on how many steps it took to go from one wall to the other, and wondering how many times I’d have to follow the same steps back and forth before I could see the floor wearing out.
How many people had already done the same? How many guilty people had sat in the room pleading innocence? How many innocent people had sat in the room and had to plead guilty so they could get the best deal?
The constant worry and pacing were making me overheat. I’d long ago placed my coat on the chair and then taken off my warm sweater, but even in a T-shirt I was sweating. Then I worried that if I was all sweaty, the detective would probably think I was lying, or guilty.
The turn of the lock on the door made me jump.
The detective that joined me in the room was nothing like what I expected. He was a short, stocky, and old man. He walked like something had injured him at some point in his career.
In any other situation I would have considered the man non-threatening, but his gaze alone pinned me down as guilty of all charges even if I hadn’t been charged yet.
“Mr. Moretti. Please take a seat.”
My stomach dropped when he called me by my old name and I knew this wasn’t going to go down well. I sat on the chair opposite his, wanting to correct my name but not daring to challenge the man.
“Can you confirm your name and address?”
My details were on the forms I’d filled in earlier. How did he know my old name?
“Detective, shouldn’t I have my lawyer with me for this? I haven’t—” He cut me off with his hand.
“Mr. Moretti, I only want to ask you a few questions, there is no need for a lawyer to be present until you are charged.”
I balled my hands into fists under the table. I’d given him my legal name, and he still insisted on calling me by the wrong one.
“Can I have some water, please?” I needed to calm down before I did something that would get me in more trouble.
“In a moment. Mr. Moretti, can you tell me the nature of your relationship with Mr. Isaac Pereira?”
“What?”
“What is the nature—?”
“I heard the question, Detective. What does that have to do with me being here? What exactly am I about to be charged with? Surely I have rights.” My head was pounding, and I was losing my patience.
“If you don’t answer the question, Mr. Moretti, you will be charged with obstructing an active investigation.”
“Fine. Isaac is my boyfriend.”
“Is it true that he works with minors?”
“He runs a youth center that helps homeless kids. Some of them are minors, yes.”
What was he getting at? Why did I have the feeling this was a trap?
“Detective, with all due respect, sir, I was asked to come to the station to answer questions in relation to my sister, Lucia Lopez. I don’t see how my relationship with Isaac or what he does for a living has any relevance.”
His eyes narrowed slightly at my challenge but after a pause he carried on.
“How long have you been conspiring to take Lucia from her parents’ home to live with you and your… boyfriend?”
I hoped that at some point the good cop was going to come through the door and clarify that this was all a misunderstanding. We’d all laugh about it and become lifelong friends.
Looking at the man in front of me, there was no way I’d ever want to be lifelong friends with him and I was sure the feeling was mutual.
“Mr. Moretti.”
Fuck me if I wasn’t going to punch the guy, police ranking be damned.
“I met Lucia just a few weeks ago. I didn’t even know about her. She turned up on my doorstep and told me who she was. She ran away from home and I didn’t want her to be out on the streets alone so I let her stay with me until we figured things out.”
That was the best summary I was willing to offer. Until I had my lawyer with me he would not get any more.
He got up and walked toward the door.
“Am I being charged?” I asked.
“There are still some checks that need to be done.”
“Don’t I have the right to make a phone call? I want to call my lawyer.”
I was hoping he’d see the request as a hint that I understood my rights. In reality, all my belongings, including my phone, had been taken away from me before I was put in the room.
My watch told me it was almost seven in the morning but I felt like I’d been at the station for days. I’d been moved to a room with a cot sometime between midnight and one, and given a bottle of water and some snacks. As appreciative as I was of being a little more comfortable it also worried me that I was more comfortable. How long could they keep me here for?
I hadn’t been able to sleep eve
n though I was exhausted. All the walking and sightseeing of the day before seemed like a lifetime ago as did the plans to watch a movie with Isaac on the comfort of the sofa and with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in my hand.
To think the last thing I was worrying about before all this was whether Lucy was old enough to start dating.
The officer that had escorted me to the holding room with the cot was a younger man, maybe in his mid-twenties. Hoping to appeal to his better nature I’d asked if it was usual procedure to keep someone here if they weren’t formally charged with anything.
He’d looked around to see if there was anyone within earshot before telling me to follow him. We didn’t exchange any words until we were in a room when he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, Mr. James, I wish I could tell you more but,” he looked around as though someone could hear us even though there hadn’t been anyone in the bleak corridor and it was just us in the room, “there was a shooting last night. We had to send all the resources to deal with that. My shift started after midnight and I had specific instructions from the deputy chief to keep you here until he’s back. I don’t think he’ll be long.”
“Thank you, Officer…”
He nodded.
“Officer, can you tell me if my lawyer has been called? Is my sister okay?”
He looked back toward the corridor.
“I’m afraid I don’t have that information, Mr. James.” He paused before leaving. “I would get some rest if I were you. It’ll be a long day.”
And with that I’d been left on my own again.
Without contact with the outside world I was getting more and more anxious by the minute. All my worst nightmares were coming to life in my head: Lucy being taken back to my parents, destined to more physical and emotional abuse until she was old enough to get away from them; Isaac being deported to Portugal for being involved in this so-called kidnapping; me being trialed for a crime I didn’t commit.
When I thought of Isaac my heart sank, and I felt so sick I thought I was going to throw up the contents of my nearly empty stomach.
Isaac couldn’t be in a relationship with me. His job and the kids he worked so hard to help were too important. He couldn’t afford to be associated with someone accused of kidnapping a teenager.
But I knew he wasn’t going to let me go, he was too good of a person, I knew that much. I was going to have to be the one to take that step, no matter how much it would break my heart.
Part of me wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all, part of me wanted to laugh at all the possibilities going around in my head. After all, what kind of evidence would there be against me? I hadn’t even known about Lucy until a week ago. She would be able to tell everyone that she’d run away from home and she wanted to stay with me. Wouldn’t she?
“Fuck!” I shouted to no one.
With exhaustion settling in and the frustration of the situation, I finally lost it and let go. I cried until I had no tears left, because I knew what I would have to do as soon as I could see Isaac again. I just hoped my memories of our time together were enough to last me for the rest of my life.
I hadn’t realized I’d fallen asleep until there was a knock on the door to tell me I had a visitor. I shot up from the bed ready to get out of there.
The door opened and a tall, broad-chested, blond officer came in holding a paper bag, and closed the door behind him. He looked to be in his early forties. There was something about him, an air of self-assurance and confidence, but also kindness. His expression as he asked me to sit down again was like a silent apology.
He pulled a chair and sat in front of me. He wasn’t armed like the lieutenant had been. Maybe he knew he didn’t need it since it was unlikely I’d be strong enough to match him. Despite the age difference and my relative good fitness level I wasn’t trained to defend myself in a fight. I didn’t even enjoy action movies all that much.
“Mr. James, I’m Deputy Chief Micah Nowac. Please accept my apologies for keeping you here all night.”
He handed over the bag he was carrying. Inside there was a coffee and a bagel. I wasn’t sure my stomach could take anything but as soon as the comforting smell of coffee hit me I decided to at least have some of it.
“Can I call you Max?”
“It depends on whether I can go home after this talk or not, Deputy Chief Nowac.”
He laughed.
“You are a free man, Mr. James, you can go home whenever you want, but I would like to talk to you about some things, and in particular the reason for keeping you here all night. And you can call me Micah, please.”
“Right, well if I can go home after this you can call me whatever you like.”
The coffee was strong and hot, and just what I needed to prepare for whatever Micah was about to tell me, and I was dying to get home to Isaac and Lucy.
“Max, first I want to assure you that Lucy is okay. She’s at home with Isaac. I have one of my officers supervising them.”
“Why do they need supervision? Are they in danger?” I couldn’t believe I was asking the question. What the fuck was happening to my life?
“No, they’re not in any danger. It’s just a precaution, and to help with evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“That Lucy is better off with you than with that piece of shit that is her father.”
I nearly choked on the bagel at the sudden display of emotion from the deputy chief.
“You know my dad?”
He shook his head.
“I knew Valeria Lopez.”
I took me a few seconds to figure out what he’d said. He’d known Lucy’s mom.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Isaac
I yielded the knife like I was doing something other than chopping vegetables. The angrier I got the faster the knife moved. There were lots of new cuts on the chopping board. I dropped the knife when I realized I was focusing on the patterns of the cuts and not so much on the vegetables, and the last thing I needed was a trip to the emergency room.
“Isaac?” Lucy called from the living room.
I had been hoping to knock on her bedroom door to wake her up and explain what was happening but it sounded like she was up already and must have seen the police officer that was there to watch over us. At least he was in plain clothes, which would prevent her panic before I had a chance to explain who he was and what he was doing here.
“Hey, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?” I gave her a hug that was tighter than usual.
“Where’s Max? Is he still asleep?” Then she whispered in my ear, “Who’s he? He’s cute.”
I laughed.
“We need to talk, okay? But first, why don’t you go get dressed. I’m making an omelet and bacon for breakfast.”
“Okay,” she said, eyeing the officer, and waving at him before going back to her room.
Officer Jones had turned up last night, shortly after Max had gone with the other police officers. He’d explained that the deputy chief of police had requested that he stayed with me and Lucy until further notice. He’d been nice enough to reassure me it was for our protection rather than that we were in any kind of trouble.
He’d also agreed to hide in the kitchen when Lucy came home from her date. After a day out that had resulted in her first date with Diogo I didn’t want her to come home to a police officer watching over us.
Diogo had walked her home and gave her a hug before turning around to go home. Lucy had sighed and put her hand on her heart as she’d turned and said how much fun she’d had.
“Isaac, can I tell you a secret?” she’d said.
“Of course.”
“I think Diogo likes me.”
“Of course he does.”
“No, I think he likes me, likes me,” she’d emphasized and then blushed.
“Anything else you want to tell me?”
“He held my hand in the cinema while we watched the movie.”
I’d put my arm around her sho
ulders and kissed her forehead.
“How did it feel?”
“It felt nice. I know a lot of kids my age do more stuff but I want to take it slow. Do you think Diogo will be okay with that?”
“You’ll have to ask him but my guess is that he’ll be more than okay with that.”
And that had been in my opinion the right way for Lucy to end her day. She didn’t need to know there was going to be a police officer with us all night, and she didn’t need to know that there was a chance her dad was trying to get her back.
Peter, Max’s lawyer, arrived as I was serving breakfast. He declined the food but accepted the coffee.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Lucy asked.
I exchanged a brief look with Peter and was glad Officer Jones was in the living room so we could break the news in privacy.
“Max is at the police station. He was taken in last night.”
“Why?”
I didn’t know where to start so I was glad when Peter took over.
“Max and I have been trying to figure out a way you can live here. There aren’t many options, in fact, the only option is to apply for custody until you are eighteen, and then you can make your own decision about where you live.”
“I want to live here, with Max and Isaac,” she said.
“The problem with applying for custody is that we have to find a reason for it. The easiest way is to prove that a parent is unsuitable to raise their child, and if there is another family member willing to take the child, then a judge is normally fine with that. Does that make sense?”
“Does it mean I have to testify against my dad and tell a judge what he did?” She pulled her chair closer to mine, so I put my arms around her, tucking her curls behind her ear.
“That is a possibility, isn’t it, Peter?”
“Yes, I’m afraid it is.”
“But what if I tell the truth and they still send me to live with my dad? Then it’ll make things worse.”
She cried and held me tight. “Please, Isaac, don’t let them send me back to live with them. They were awful. Dad’s wife doesn’t even want me there.”