by Leonie Gant
The last time I had seen Detective Jake Griffin, his face had been worn and unshaven after sitting by my bedside for three days while I was unconscious after being shot. In the morning sunlight he looked great. His black hair was a bit longer than when I had seen him last. Those rebellious curls that grew at the ends were making a concerted effort to be more pronounced. His height and broad shoulders seemed to block everything else out of my line of sight. His green eyes though looked angry. In fact he looked really angry. His eyes were locked on the arm around my shoulder. He flicked out his badge.
“Detective Griffin, Homicide” he said to Ben. “We need to speak to the witness alone please.”
Ben nodded but was slow to remove his arm and I could tell that it annoyed Griffin.
“You going to be okay?” he asked softly.
I shrugged as I pulled off the blanket and handed it to him.
“Probably” I said. “Thanks for the chocolate.”
He smiled. “Anytime, I’ll just remember to stock up again for next time we meet.”
I smiled back at him and watched him as he walked off. Knowing there was no way that I was going to put off the inevitable, I looked up into Ramos’s impassive face and Griffin’s scowling one.
“So are we doing this here or down at the station?” I asked.
“Station” Griffin growled, spinning around and walking off.
Getting up I directed my next question to Ramos. “What about my car? Can I drive it to the station so I have a way of getting home?”
Ramos didn’t even have the grace to look apologetic. “You know the drill, crime scene techs need to look at it before we can release it.”
“Great” I muttered.
Ramos touched me on the arm. “Sorry Trudie, I really am.”
Yeah, weren't we all.
Chapter Three
I was even more sorry when I was left to wait in the interrogation room for almost an hour. Griffin and Ramos had left me in there saying they just had to get a couple of things and would be a minute. An hour later, I was out of patience. Getting up from my chair I headed for the door, only to have it open as I was reaching for the doorknob. Griffin came through and my libido, which had taken a vacation while I was dealing with Eric Wesson, came roaring back.
“Going somewhere?” asked Griffin.
“Actually yes” I said while taking a step back from him. Not far, just far enough that I was out of temptations reach. Despite the fact my head wanted nothing to do with Detective Griffin, my body was remembering that kiss, and was having a real hard time concentrating on anything other than the fact that his shirt was pulling tight across that chest. My lips felt dry and I swiped my tongue across them. Griffin seemed to zero in on the action and all of a sudden I started feeling very warm.
“I’ve got to go” I blurted out.
“You haven’t answered our questions yet” Griffin said.
“Then maybe you should have started asking them about an hour ago” I said, the annoyance clear in my voice.
“Seems you haven’t changed” Griffin said.
“What the hell do you mean by that?” I asked.
“Still can’t do anything the easy way.”
Okay, I’d just about had it. I sat down.
“I don’t know what kind of game you are playing, keeping me sitting here for an hour, but we’re not playing it anymore. You have ten minutes to ask any questions you want, and then I am walking. You can’t hold me, so when the ten minutes are up, I am out of here and if you need to speak to me you can contact me through my attorney.”
Griffin quirked his eyebrow. I’d forgotten how much that particular habit of his ticked me off.
“Very well we’d better get started quickly hadn’t we?” he said as he sat down. Ramos, who had followed him into the interrogation room took her seat beside him. “Tell us what happened this morning.”
“I got to work at about eight, same as I always do. I let myself into the house. Usually there is noise happening at that time but I couldn’t hear anything. I looked through the house to see if I could find Adele. I went to Eric’s bedroom last, knocked on the door, and opened it and found Eric and Adele in bed. Blood was on the pillow underneath Eric. I went up to the bed and saw that Adele was still breathing. I couldn’t tell anything with Eric. I called 911 straight away and waited until police arrived.”
“When was the last time that you saw them before this morning?” Griffin scribbled on his notepad.
“Last night, about seven just before I left.”
“You have been working with Adele Wesson for two weeks, is that correct?”
“Yes it is.” I wondered where he’d got that piece of information.
“Why did Adele Wesson hire one of Monique Petit’s PAs? My understanding is you guys are used for difficult placements. Was Adele Wesson a problem client?” Griffin asked.
“Oh no,” I said. “Adele is lovely, honestly one of the nicest clients I’ve ever had.” Of course with my clients, we weren’t really talking about the best examples of humanity but still.
“Then why were you sent?” asked Ramos.
I really did not want to go into this.
“Is there a problem?” she asked.
I drew in a breath. “The problem is not Adele Wesson, it is her husband Eric. In the past he has made the working environment difficult for Adele’s staff.”
“Is he abusive?” asked Ramos.
I really did not want to go into this. I know Eric’s behavior was not on me. That being said I was embarrassed talking about it. Looking down at the table I continued.
“Eric Wesson has a habit of seducing Adele’s staff, usually within the first few days of employment. Once he gets them into bed he ignores them and this can cause hurt feelings and at times, lawsuits.”
“And you have been there two weeks” Griffin said and I could see that he was dying to ask the next question, but I was not giving him the answer.
“Yes two weeks.”
Griffin looked at Ramos. The annoyed look on her face was priceless.
“Did you have a sexual relationship with Eric Wesson?” she asked.
“No, I did not.”
“You’re saying that a man who seduced every one of his wife’s employees never tried to seduce you.” Griffin sounded almost disbelieving.
“No, I am not saying that” I said. “Over the last two weeks I have written up nineteen sexual harassment reports against Eric Wesson. Wait a minute, make that twenty two. I did up a report last night for the three from yesterday.”
“Twenty two” Ramos said sending a warning glance at Griffin. “What exactly was he doing?”
“It would depend on his mood and opportunity. He would try to corner me, brush up against me or talk to me suggestively. He flirted constantly.”
“Why the hell did you stay?” Griffin asked and I could see from the look on Ramos’s face that she had wanted to ask that question.
“I don’t do the easy jobs. I knew going in what the problem was, but Adele needed an assistant to get her through to finishing her latest novel. Eric Wesson was not dangerous. He was just persistent and he couldn’t understand why I didn’t get in bed with him. The man exuded sex appeal. I don’t think anyone had ever said no to him before. He’d ramped it up a bit in the last few days but I was a challenge to him. If Monique had thought I would be in any danger I would not have been placed there. The reports I write are for Monique and they are just a record in case there is an issue that we haven’t anticipated or planned for. Before placement Eric was informed that I had his number and he was not to try anything, but the guy was like a moth to a flame. Could not understand the word no.”
“So you were willing to stay in a situation where you were sexually harassed on a daily basis.” Griffin sounded incredulous and just a little bit judgmental.
That made me angry. “This kind of thing happens to women all the time. I could have walked away at any point. Most other women can’t do that, e
specially not in this economy. If I walked away I would have possibly been replaced with someone else who couldn’t cope with it. Adele’s first assistant after marrying Eric was a nineteen year old who was absolutely devastated when she slept with him and he then tossed her out of the bed. Nothing the man did was illegal. I hate to speak badly of the dead but he was just a lousy human being. He never touched them first. It was a game of his that he would tempt them into touching him first.”
“How were the two of them yesterday when you left?" Ramos asked.
“They were arguing.” I shrugged. “They were always arguing.”
“Do you know why?”
“Adele had just walked in to find Eric had cornered me against the desk in the study. I used the distraction of her entering the room to withdraw from the situation. She apologized to me for what had happened and when I closed the door I heard them start arguing about it. It always happened that way.”
“What do you mean?” Ramos leaned forward.
“They had a strange relationship. Eric would sleep with anyone. I think Adele is still hung up on her first husband who died and doesn’t really care about anything Eric did as long as it didn’t impact on her work. They had separate bedrooms but they’d argue and then have sex. She once told me that despite his faults Eric was sublime in bed.”
“Why would she tell you that?” Griffin asked frowning.
“I don’t know” I said frustrated. “People tell me all kinds of things that they wouldn’t talk about normally.”
“Yes” said Ramos, “but if she’s trying to keep you out of his bed why would she tell you he was so good. I would think that you would keep that information to yourself.”
“Honestly” I said. “I don’t think she cared if I slept with him, just as long as I kept working with her and didn’t try to sue them.”
“That’s pretty messed up” said Ramos.
“Yes it is, but that’s why I get paid the good money, because I deal with the messed up ones. Now I believe your ten minutes are up. Is my car ready to go?”
“Why the hurry, did you manage to get a date at the murder scene this morning?” Griffin said as he leaned back in his chair scowling at me. I was beginning to think my mom’s warning was right. When you make faces like that all the time and the wind changes, they do become permanent.
Ramos jumped up. “Your car’s all ready” she said brightly. “If you could just follow me.”
As I left the station I looked back and saw Griffin leaning against the door frame watching me thoughtfully.
Chapter Four
Thanks to Ramos I was soon heading towards my apartment, just in time to make sure that my mom was on her plane home to Australia. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom. She dropped everything to come to LA and nurse me back to health two months ago, and she hadn’t wavered in looking after me. I love that about my mom. She is completely devoted to her kids and in the first few days after I got shot, I have to admit there’s a part of me that enjoyed having her take care of me. That being said, two months later, I was kind of over it. What was, in the beginning, comforting, was beginning to smother and much as I loved the woman, I needed to get her on that plane tonight. Driving up to the apartment I saw my mom chatting merrily away to Miss Betsy, the owner and sometimes maintenance person of the complex that I live in. The two of them had bonded during my recovery period and I had a feeling that I would be having a serious conversation with Miss Betsy about what information could be shared with my mother during the weekly phone calls which I knew were now going to happen between the two women.
“Hi Mom” I said as I got out of my car.
“Hi honey, I was worried you were going to be late. Then I remembered how desperate you are to get rid of me.”
“I wouldn’t say desperate.” I smiled at her. “Maybe just wildly enthusiastic.”
My mom stuck her tongue out at me. Sometimes she seems to have the wisdom of the ages and at other times the woman acts like she is in kindergarten. Looking at her, you wouldn’t pick her as my mother with her blonde hair, blue eyes, petite slim figure and bubbly personality. I am not overly tall but I feel like I dwarf the woman. With my brown hair, gray eyes and serious disposition I am more my father’s daughter. My younger sister Katie is like my mom. They are just people who walk into a room and ten minutes later have great friends who are planning on going away on holiday together. I am more likely to end up as agony aunt to some poor woman who’s just found out that her husband is cheating on her. Not sure what it is about me but I must give out some sympathetic vibe that people decide to dump all their problems on. My brother Jamie ended up a combination of the best of my parents. That being said he was also a teenage boy so that wonderful personality was currently hidden underneath layers of hormones and angst, only occasionally making itself known. I still missed seeing him though. The only downside to working on the other side of the world. Not easy to pop in to see them when you are looking at a twenty four hour flight.
“Are you ready to get going?” I asked brightly, realizing suddenly that the back of my eyes were prickling with heat. I shoved my sunglasses back on and went to grab her bags. No way could I let that woman know that I was about to start crying because I was going to miss my mommy. First sign of weakness and she would change her mind and I’d have her here for another month. I loved the woman but I needed a break.
Standing at the airport a couple of hours later, hugging my mother goodbye, I felt those tears come back.
“I love you Mom, thanks for everything you did for me.”
My mom smiled that beautiful smile that she reserves for the moment when her children actually thank her for one of the many sacrifices she makes for them.
“You’re my baby girl, I’d walk through fire for you” she said into my hair as she hugged me fiercely.
She started to walk away and then stopped and turned.
“I wasn’t sure whether I should tell you this” she said, “but you’re a smart girl and you need to know.”
She grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed tightly.
“A couple of days ago your father called. Paul went out to see him at the farm.”
She searched my face intently looking for my reaction. All I was thinking was that I hoped he wore a full suit of armor. My dad hated my ex-fiancé with a passion he reserved for politicians and people who talked in the movies.
Obviously thinking that it was safe to go on, my mum continued.
“He said he made a mistake, he should never have let you go.”
“He didn’t let me go” I said. “He dumped me when I needed him most.”
Look at that, the bitterness was still there.
“I know sweetheart. I’m not saying that you should do anything. I’m giving you the information. Toss it aside if you want, but he may try to contact you at some point. I thought it was only fair that you should be prepared.”
Right there, that is my mom. She will try to protect you from anything that comes your way, but if she knew there was something coming that she couldn’t protect you from, she would give you every weapon in her arsenal to protect yourself.
I hugged her again. “I’m okay Mom, don’t worry about me. Have a good flight and give Dad, Katie and Jamie all my love. Tell them I miss them so much.”
“I will” she said and I could see the tears glistening in her eyes.
Well at least I wasn’t the only one on the verge of crying. With that she walked away.
I got back in the car and headed home on autopilot, feeling numb. When I got to my apartment I couldn’t make myself get out of the car so I stopped and rested my head on the steering wheel. How could Paul do that? I took in a shaky deep breath. Since that day two years ago when Paul let me down I have never looked back and I wasn’t going to start today. I doubt Paul would even recognize me now. I was no longer anything like the girl he originally asked to marry him.
Chapter Five
I was startled by a sudden tapping on my window.
Looking up I saw the concerned face of one of my neighbors. Sean was a sixteen year old kid that I’d met a couple of months ago. His mother’s boyfriend had tossed him out and he’d been living on the streets when I met him. Small and skinny for his age, he had a crazy mop of red hair. He reminded me of my little brother Jamie and I couldn’t handle the thought of what could happen to him on the streets. Next thing I knew I’d ended up with him sleeping on my couch. After I got shot and my mom came to stay, I moved into one of the larger apartments with two bedrooms and Sean ended up staying in my old one bedroom apartment. The owner of the building, Miss Betsy, put Sean to work with maintenance to pay for his accommodation. We had also organized that he go back to school. Between Miss Betsy and I, we made sure that he was fed, did his homework and went to school. Between us we had become family. Not the ideal situation, but considering his other options included foster care or the streets, it was the best we could come up with.
“Are you okay?” he asked, a worried look in his eyes.
Unfortunately a side effect of my getting shot was that Sean was now perpetually worried about me. I was constantly being asked how I felt, whether I needed anything or if there was any way he could help me.
“I’m fine” I said with a smile. “Just missing my mom.”
Sean looked skeptical. I wasn’t surprised. I’ve been told that I am a shocking liar and Sean is a perceptive kid. Also when my mom found out about Sean’s background, the poor boy had been subjected to her special brand of motherly love, which could on occasion be smothering. I think he liked my mom, but the day he found her ironing his underwear was one that I don’t think he has yet recovered from.
As I opened my car door and got out I realized that Sean hadn’t been alone when I pulled up.
“Trudie” Detective Griffin said as he walked over to us.
“Detective Griffin” I nodded back to him, crossing my arms.
Hey, I know it was a defensive move but I was stuck with it until he turned away.
“I need to do a walk through at the Wesson property and was hoping you would help me” he said.