by H K Christie
I’d been careful to not bring Zoey around my mother. The last time Zoey saw my mother, she was only two years old. When we had arrived for the visit, Betty had already been three sheets to the wind. Ironically, I didn’t want my daughter around an alcoholic. At the time, I hadn’t realized that I was living in a glass house. “Well, maybe I can find a picture to show you.”
“How come we don’t see her, like we see Grandma Mimi and Grandpa Jay?” Jared’s mother and father. They lived out of state, but they always visited a few times a year, ever since Zoey had been born. They had come out a few times after Jared’s death to see if I needed help, but of course I’d sworn I didn’t, but I’d been wrong. Luckily, Jared’s parents hadn’t witnessed the worst of my worst.
After my accident I feared that my entire world would be blown away. If they had deemed me unfit, they could have taken Zoey away, and I could’ve lost my job. I’d fought every day since then to stay sober and be there for Zoey and my clients. I needed to be that person for Zoey and for Jared. I could only imagine what he’d have done if he’d known how I’d spiraled out of control. “Well, I think Grandma Betty’s pretty busy.”
“I think it would be really cool to see her. Does she bake cookies?”
“Not that I can remember.”
Claire leaned up against the refrigerator and crossed her arms. She said, “Your mother left a phone number for you to call her back. I spoke with her briefly as well. It may be a good idea to call her back.”
Zoey chimed in, “I think so too. You know what she told me?” Claire gave me a knowing look. Uh, oh.
“She said that she’s in AA now, too! Like mother, like daughter.” Zoey said with a silly smirk and a shrug.
Horrifying. So Betty was going to AA. I don’t know if this was her first attempt or how long she’d been in. Maybe she was calling to make amends, if she was at that step in the program. As an alcoholic myself, I supposed I should be more empathetic, but sometimes it’s hard to let go of so many years of pain. If I’ve learned anything in AA, it was to not only forgive myself, but others as well. You never really know what somebody else is going through, or what demons they have hidden and are fighting on a daily basis.
I took a deep breath. I hadn’t talked to Rocco in two days. I’d been proud that I’d gone that long without needing to call my sponsor, but that streak would end shortly. He was a great sounding board, although I had a feeling I knew exactly what he was going to tell me. She was my mother. She was an alcoholic, and she deserved forgiveness, if not for her sake, then for my own. “That is something, isn’t it?”
I looked back over at Claire. “Any other messages?”
“Just one.” She said with a worried look on her face. Claire eyed Zoey. “Hey, Zoey. Why don’t you show your mom the picture that you made at school today? I think she’ll love it.”
Zoey smiled and nodded before she hopped out of her chair and ran back to her room. When she was out of earshot, I asked Claire. “What’s the other message?”
“They didn’t identify themselves, but the voice was low and deep, like a man’s. He said to tell Martina to drop it or she and her daughter would be sorry. And then he hung up. That was it.”
Fury filled my being. “When did they call?”
“About an hour ago.”
The Gilmore case wasn’t the first time I’d been threatened to drop a case, and it wasn’t likely to be the last. However, it was the first time someone had called my private home phone number and threatened my daughter. God help the man who did that, because I was good at defense, but even better at offense. I would find him, and he would rue the day he messed with me and my family.
26
Martina
Stavros sat behind his desk and shook his head at me. What he was saying was outrageous. How could he expect me to walk away now? I attempted to plead my case one more time. “Stavros, I’m fine. In Pennsylvania I couldn’t carry my firearm, but here I can. I’m locked and loaded. I’m ready for whatever these people come at me with. I’m so close to uncovering what this family has been hiding.”
“Yes, the family may have covered up and faked Charlotte’s death. Yes, Charlotte may have lied and said that her family had died in a fire. That doesn’t mean it’s connected to Theodore Gilmore’s murder. You were hired to identify the baby in the photo and to learn more about where Charlotte came from. You have fulfilled your obligation to the client. Martina, it’s not worth yours or Zoey’s life. Now you need to walk away, that’s an order.”
“You don’t know that it’s not related to the Gilmore death. Kennedy has lost both of her parents and I’ve actually met the woman who was the baby in the photo.”
“Have you found a connection yet?”
“No, but that family is hiding something, something serious. Why else attack me and tell me to leave the Henleys alone?”
Stavros stared me down, practically giving me the chills. “That’s not your problem, Martina. This is your first real case back. You were almost killed and now they’re threatening you and your daughter. Why can’t you let this one go? You’ve gone above and beyond the expectations in this case. Your instincts were correct, and you needed to go to Pennsylvania to find out Charlotte’s true identity and where she grew up. You found the baby in the photo. I would say a lesser investigator would’ve taken a month, if not years, to uncover what you did. You found her in less than two weeks. Consider it a job well done. Now meet with the client, share the information, and wish her luck in her future endeavors.”
Stavros and I hadn’t butted heads too much over the years, and yes, the last nine months had been strained, but this was the first time he’d ever ordered me off of a case. I didn’t agree that it was over, or that I had fulfilled my duty to my client. Kennedy might be in danger if the Henleys wanted to wipe out anybody related to Charlotte. We didn’t know how they operated. I felt like Stavros was treating me like a child, and I didn’t like it. I disliked not having control over my work, or being able to help my clients - to help Kennedy. Why was Stavros doing this? We risked our lives in our jobs. It was who we were as people. We protect. Was that what he thought he was doing - protecting me? I didn’t need his protection.
“Well, then, I suppose there’s nothing more to it then.”
“No, there isn’t.”
I pushed myself off the chair and stormed out of Stavros’s office. My heart was racing, and my adrenaline was through the roof. There was no way I was walking away from this. I reached my desk, but I didn’t sit down. I was too amped up. I couldn’t sit at my desk. I couldn’t read emails. And I couldn’t lie down and take orders like this.
Yes, I had been a soldier and yes, I’d always done what I thought was right. Leaving Kennedy at this point wasn’t right. Stavros made a bad call, and we weren’t in the Army anymore. I didn’t have to follow his orders. My duty was to Kennedy.
I glanced at my watch. I was meeting Hirsch and Kennedy in two hours, downtown. I think I had enough time to go on a power walk, shower, and be ready to debrief Kennedy.
The stupid summary report could wait. I had everything I needed to tell Kennedy tucked away in my mind, and Hirsch and I needed to confer to determine if we thought any of the Henleys could be connected to Theodore’s murder. I was not going to let anybody stop me from finishing my job. I bent over, ignoring my rib pain, and grabbed my gym bag from underneath my desk. I slung it over my shoulder and hurried out of the office.
27
Detective Hirsch
I watched as she jogged across the parking lot. Even with battered ribs and kidneys, she was fast. Despite the attack, she looked good. She usually did. She was tall and lean, but a little on the muscular side, with striking features - dark hair and amber-colored eyes. She was beautiful and tough. “How are you able to run with your injuries?” I said with a bewildered grin.
She shrugged. “Sometimes you just gotta get the wiggles out even if physical pain is involved.”
“Tough day?”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. Stavros said it was an order.” She huffed.
“Someone attacked you in a parking lot. It’s a rich and powerful family who is clearly hiding something major enough to threaten you and your daughter. How can he have you just back down now?”
“I don’t know. Ever since I got back, he’s had me on a short leash and I can’t stand it.”
“You were out?”
She seemed to deflate. “I’d rather not talk about it right now.”
I could tell there was something she kept hidden away. She didn’t want to share it with me, and that was fine. We’d only worked together for a little over a week, but we made a good team. It was easy between the two of us. That is, now that she seemed over the urge to want to punch me in the face.
“Thanks for meeting me before our talk with Kennedy. I thought you and I could go over some strategy and a few of the things that I found out.”
“Sounds great. There’s a little café right here that has great French fries.”
She smirked playfully. “It’s been a while since I’ve a had French fry.”
“Well, if you don’t eat fries, they’ve got some other healthy options as well. Come on, it’s just up here.”
I opened the door, and Martina gave me a look like she was a strong woman who didn’t need a man to open a door for her. Either way, she walked in ahead of me. I hurried in and stood in line behind her. I listened as she ordered a garden salad with chicken breast.
No wonder she was so fit. She avoided the fries and cheeseburgers, unlike me. Not that I was out of shape. I hit the gym daily and didn’t drink too much. Not that I ever really went out. Maybe my soon-to-be ex-wife was right, and I needed to get a life. A life outside of murder investigations.
Somewhat inspired by Martina, I ordered a chicken sandwich and a side of fries. After finishing up at the cashier, Martina and I chose a small table at the back of the restaurant.
Sitting across from her, she appeared more tense than she normally was. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Well, I just did a quick workout at the gym to blow off some steam, and well, the pain is coming back something fierce.”
“Do you need anything? I might have some ibuprofen in the car?”
“No worries. I took some a few minutes ago. Thank you.”
“Sure.” I then filled her in on my interview with Diego.
She shook her head. “I’m not surprised. I remember him being a scumbag. It doesn’t exactly shock me he’s in jail for assault and attempted murder. Did you find anything in Donna’s financials?”
“Nothing yet. Once Diego’s story is verified, or not, I want to go back and find out what else he has to say. He may be a key witness.”
Martina raked her fingers through her cropped hair. “It’s strange, all of these memories and emotions coming back. Donna, my mother, and now Stavros is coming down on me hard. Life never really takes it easy on you, does it?”
Wasn’t that the truth? “Definitely. When I got the transfer to the Sheriff’s Department, it was shortly after - two days to be exact- that my wife filed for divorce. When it rains it pours.”
Her eyes appeared a little surprised, even sympathetic, that I had been going through a crap time. Martina seemed like somebody who’d had her fair share of adversity. She gave me a reassuring smile. “Well, my husband died almost two years ago, so I know from experience it’s weird starting over without the person you thought you’d be spending the rest of your life with. It’s as if life never gets easier. You just get tougher.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had lost your husband.”
She gazed down at her ring finger. “It’s never occurred to me to take off my wedding ring, but I have wondered if I should. I’d rather not have to keep explaining how I’d once had something so great and then lost it in an instant. It’s hard to talk about,” She mumbled.
Our food arrived, and a member of the waitstaff took away the number that sat on the table before telling us to enjoy our meals.
I’m not sure I’d ever seen Martina so vulnerable. This goes to show that we all have our own stuff we’re dealing with. Maybe she and I had similar personalities that drew us to the work we did. Investigations were a great distraction from the rest of our lives.
“How much are you going to tell Kennedy?”
Martina set down her fork. “I think just the facts. I don’t want to give her any of my theories. I don’t want to spook her. I’m not going to tell her I was attacked, either. I figure since you have twenty-four-hour surveillance on her, there’s no reason to alarm her even more. But, I will tell her she has family in Pennsylvania, and that she has an aunt named Amy that I suspect is, in fact, the baby in the photo.”
I nodded as I chewed on the crunchy French fries. I swallowed. “Have you heard from Amy since you’ve been back?”
“No, she was pretty shook by the information I gave her. Afterward, she got up from the table and walked into the back of the restaurant; didn’t return. She looked like it was more information than she could handle. I figure I’ll give her some time before reaching out again, especially in the event Kennedy wants to get in touch.”
“Now that you’re not allowed to work on the case, is there something I can do? I will continue searching the background of the Henleys, and we can keep in touch if you’d like. And I’m assuming you still want to work the Bernard case, as well?”
Martina nodded as she chewed on her salad. She swallowed her bite and said, “I’d appreciate it. Regardless of what my boss says, I don’t want to leave Kennedy not knowing if her family is dangerous. What if the Henleys see her as a threat and decide to take her out too?”
“My thoughts exactly.” I illuminated my phone and saw that we still had twenty minutes until we had to meet Kennedy. “So, what made you decide to become a private investigator?”
Martina wiped her mouth with the paper napkin and set it down on the table. “I kind of fell into it, really. Stavros and my late husband were in the Army together - both special forces. They were pretty tight, and when I left the Army, he offered me a job so I thought I’d give it a shot. It wasn’t necessarily a concerted decision, just an opportunity, and I ran with it.” She tipped her chin toward me. “Why did you decide to go into law enforcement?”
I should’ve known that was coming. I asked her about why she’d become a private investigator so it made sense she’d turn it around and ask me why I entered law enforcement. “Someone murdered my older brother when I was fifteen. The police never caught his killer. The cops thought it was a random mugging that turned violent when my brother fought back. I think it was during the last update from the detective, when he told us that the case had gone cold, that I decided I would become a homicide detective. I wouldn’t be one of these guys who just let cases go cold. I’d solve them and bring closure to the families.” I watched hints of skepticism roll across Martina’s face. I continued, “What I learned, once I made detective, was that the priority of bringing closure to families was important to me but not to the brass, at least not in my department at the SFPD. They were more concerned with stats and closing cases, even if they weren’t right.”
“Like the DeSoto case. Was it your choice to close the case? Or was it your LT?”
She was perceptive. “Off the record, I don’t think it was a robbery gone wrong. There wasn’t anything taken from the house.”
She shook her head in disgust. “So the case was closed in order to bring up the department closure rates, while Julie DeSoto’s husband, a murderer, is out there living his life.”
“Yep.”
“Is that why you chose to work cold cases, like Donna’s disappearance?”
I nodded. “For the loved on
es left behind, not knowing is the worst part. Not knowing who to direct your anger at, who to blame, and, worst yet, not having anyone being held accountable for taking away your loved one; it’s just not right.”
Martina nodded in agreement. This was more conversation I’d had with anybody in I don’t know how long. I wondered if Martina and I would become friends or continue to work together, if her boss allowed it. Martina pushed back her chair. “I’m going to use the restroom before we head out to meet Kennedy. I’ll be right back.”
I grabbed the last fry before I slid out of my seat. I exited the cafe and waited outside for Martina. I had little to give Kennedy in her father’s case, but I could tell her that there was a promising new lead and then I’d keep my fingers crossed it panned out.
Losing Martina’s help on the case would be a huge detriment. I wondered if there was any way I could talk sense into her boss. This case needed her insight. Not that I didn’t believe in my own abilities, but she could do things I wasn’t allowed to, like hopping on a plane to Pennsylvania and digging through yearbooks. By the time I got approved for that, it would be weeks from now, if ever. If Martina wasn’t allowed to help with the investigations, maybe I could convince the department to hire another private consultant, but probably not. Damn it. I needed to make sure Martina stayed on the case.
28
Martina
Detective Hirsch and I sat across from Kennedy as she fiddled with a tissue. “How’s it going, Kennedy?”
She shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess. All the arrangements for my father’s memorial are set for Saturday. You’re both welcome to attend. I know last time, Martina, you wanted to attend my mother’s to be able to question people.”
“I’d like to attend.” I turned to look at Hirsch.