Currents of Sin

by Arleen Alleman

  “Oh, honey, I’m so glad you’re there. Sorry it’s late.”

  “Darcy, I’m happy to see you. No, it isn’t too late, but Anna is sleeping.”

  “That’s okay. Of course I’d love to see her too, but I need to talk to you. Something has happened here. Did your dad—I mean Brooks—call you?”

  “No, but you’re worrying me.” She brought her face closer to the screen. “Your face, you’re injured. Now what’s happened?”

  As gently as possible, I told her about the accident and Sid’s injuries. Rachael is the daughter of three sets of proud parents. Brooks and I are biological, while Mick and Sid are stepparents. Of course, she also has her adoptive parents, the Alosas. Since Sid’s marriage to Brooks, she and Rachael have grown closer despite the geography separating them.

  “Oh no.” She was crying, and it broke my heart to see her so despondent and unable to comfort her. I could only imagine how awful it would be to hear this news and be so far away.

  “Should I fly over there, Darcy? There must be something I can do for Brooks, if not for Sid. I see your bruises. Are you really okay?”

  “Yes, I am. I was very lucky. Mick is flying in from DC today. His support will help a lot. But there’s more to this than a regular car accident, Rachael. I think it was caused intentionally.”

  “What? Why would someone do that?”

  “I’m not sure, but there are other things going on.”

  She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Aren’t there always other things?”

  I ignored her sarcasm. “One relates to Penelope’s sister. You knew about that, right?”

  “Yes, she went to live with them in Seattle. Pamela, right?”

  “Well, she ran away back to Vegas, and Tom and I have been helping.

  Don try to find her. We’ve had no luck, and it turns out she might be a victim of human trafficking. We sort of got ourselves in the middle of some kind of gang operation downtown and might have pissed off some people.”

  “My god, Darcy, not again. You have to be kidding.” She thought about it for a few seconds, then added, “Oh, Mick must be so angry.”

  “Actually, not as much as you might think. Another thing is that Sid has been getting threatening calls, probably from Paul Denezza’s old group who are still in town somewhere. It’s possible he might have orchestrated yet another attack on her—us.”

  I watched her dry her tears and brush back her hair in a characteristic gesture that meant “I have it together now.” She shook her head in disbelief.

  “How can he keep doing these things when he’s in prison? Can’t anyone stop him?”

  An idea that was so disturbing suddenly rose up. I quickly filed it away for future examination.

  “I know it seems unbelievable.” That sounded lame. It truly was beyond unbelievable that this sort of trauma was invading our lives again and that Paul could be to blame—again.

  My daughter was forced to mature quickly over the past few years after Brooks and I entered her life. Accepting parents she didn’t know about who’d given her up for adoption was difficult enough. She’d also been traumatized by our ill-fated cruises, and on top of that, she handled an unplanned pregnancy and motherhood. Although she’s suffered through her own emotional ups and downs, overall, she has become a grounded, realistic woman who would make any mother—or three—proud.

  “I’m sure if you want to come to Vegas, Sid and Brooks will be thrilled. But maybe we should wait to see what happens. As I said, her condition is critical.”

  “But she’ll eventually be all right, won’t she?”

  “I honestly don’t know, Rachael. It’s apparently a spinal cord injury. I wasn’t able to see her, and Brooks is … well, beside himself. But the bottom line is we all want to see you, especially Mick. I know you spoke to him recently. Maybe if it turns out that you can come to Vegas, we’ll all get together for a visit. Would you bring Anna?”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that. If I come to lend a hand with Sid’s care, I could leave Anna with my mom. I would want to give my attention to Sid, and that would be hard with the baby.” After a brief pause, she amended herself. “Well, no, I probably won’t leave her here.”

  I knew that Brooks and Sid, like Mick and me, wanted more than anything to be part of our granddaughter’s life. “If you decide to come, let’s talk about that and get Brooks involved, okay?

  “What about you, Rachael? Mick says you are back into sculling and maybe some other things. Are you going back to school?”

  She looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. Uh-oh, she did not want her parents to hear what she was about to tell me.

  “Mom and Dad don’t understand why I want to get my degree now that I’m a parent. They want me to get a decent job somewhere and forget about school. So you can imagine their attitude about my rowing. But I’ve been practicing anyway, and I’m looking at options for school. Actually, until this happened with Sid, I was planning to call Brooks about possibly lending me some money for school and day care.”

  “Rachael, listen to me. Between the four of us over here, you don’t have any financial worries. If your parents are not supportive, we’ll help. Better still, why don’t you just come back and live with us again? Georgetown might still be a possibility.”

  She leaned in and whispered, “I really am thinking about that. It’s so hard to disappoint them again, you know?”

  “Of course I know what you mean, after all the trouble they had accepting your pregnancy and all. All I can say is you have many options, whether they understand it or not. You must do what is best for you and Anna. Rachael honey, think about it. They’ve come around before once they see you are not going to acquiesce to their will.”

  Ray and Marianne Alosa did a fine job raising Rachael, and I’m grateful. But they seem to have difficulty letting her grow into her own person. She is not like them, and I guess that is threatening. They tend to withdraw their support for her decisions when circumstances don’t conform to their ultraconservative opinions.

  “I know. I know that’s true. Maybe for more reasons than one, I’ll fly over for a visit. I love all of you and really want to see you, especially Sid. Oh, Darcy, you don’t think she could die, do you?”

  “Honestly, right now, I can’t even conjure that up as a possibility. I’ll ask Brooks to call you, or I’ll call back when we know her prognosis.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to tell her how angry Brooks was with me. She worships him whether she is near or far, and anyway, I had to believe he would come around eventually.

  39

  True to his word, my wonderful husband arrived midafternoon. I answered the door to find him leaning on the frame with a sad little smile. One stride into the room brought him tight up against my body. He dropped his bag on the floor and enfolded me in his arms. I sobbed into his shoulder until pains shooting through my head made me get a grip on myself.

  “How are you feeling, sweetie?” He pushed me back to get a look at my face. “Looks like bruises and scrapes that should heal with no problem. Is that it?”

  “Just more bruises on my legs and my back, but I feel terrible, Mick. Just awful. Sid is in really bad shape. She might not live.” I choked back a sob. “I called the hospital, and that’s all Brooks would say. Otherwise, he won’t talk to me. He’s so consumed by grief that, well, he’s blaming me for what happened.”

  “My god, he is? It wasn’t your fault—not in any way. I can only imagine how I would feel in his place, though.” He gave me a serious look. “Oh yeah, I do know how he feels.”

  The intensity in that gorgeous hazel stare was more than I could handle. Looking off toward the window, I said, “I know you had a similar scare when I was injured in Seattle, but I didn’t almost die.” Then meeting his gaze, I added, “Not only are her legs badly broken, but she apparently has a sever
e spinal cord injury. Mick, if she makes it, what if she’s paralyzed?”

  He took my elbow and steered me toward the small couch nestled in an alcove in front of the window. Sitting down beside me, he held both my hands in his. I felt intense relief for a few moments—until the guilt slammed me again.

  “I just don’t understand how I could walk away with no injuries to speak of while she might be near death or paralyzed. It doesn’t make sense. And that’s only one thing.”

  “How do you mean?”

  I squeezed his hand and offered a look I knew he would interpret as another shoe about to drop.

  “Brooks might have a point. I don’t think it was an accident.”

  “What are you saying? How could it not be? Maybe Sid wasn’t up to driving that car. I thought about that a lot during the flight.”

  “That might be true, but the more I’ve thought about the circumstances, I’m convinced that the boy on the skateboard darted across directly in front of us because someone in that car made him do it.”

  I went on to explain everything I remembered, including my impression that the man in the car had a gun.

  “I told all this to the police, and today Tom and I talked about it. Mick, how could there be a connection between the Asian gangs and street kids and also Paul and his vendetta against Sid? Because it feels to us like there is.”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out a lot more about it. Here, let’s get you into bed. I know you haven’t had much sleep. You know you’re supposed to rest when you have a concussion, don’t you?”

  We stood up, and he put his arms around me again. His wonderful soft lips—the ones made for me—covered mine. At least some of the tension and fear flowed away, at least for a few seconds. He pulled back the covers and made me sit on the edge of the bed while he removed my shoes and pulled off my jeans. Then gently pushing me down onto the pillow, he kissed me again.

  No matter what happens, we are completely devoted to each other. I had missed this intimacy so much. My neck hurt too much to raise my head, so I pulled him down and kissed his face and lips over and over until the effort exhausted me. Smiling, he pushed himself up and went to the window to pull the drapes closed.

  “Darcy, I mean it. Try to sleep. I’m going to call Brooks and see what’s going on. Then I’ll find Tom. I’m here now, and you can relax, understand?”

  Did I ever, and I promised I would try.

  “Before you go, I want to tell you I talked to Rachael last night—well, early this morning. I told her about the accident, and there’s a real possibility she’ll fly out here. I think she’s having problems with Ray and Marianne again.”

  “I got that feeling when we talked. That’s some good news, though, about her flying out here. Maybe it’s true that things work themselves out if you have patience.”

  “I’m afraid more trauma is the reason she’s considering making the trip. Besides, things don’t usually work out by doing nothing. Generally, it takes work to overcome obstacles, right, Mick?”

  Mick nodded. After he kissed my forehead and squeezed my hand, he left me alone. Before I tried to take a nap, I cancelled my plane reservation. We wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.

  40

  Without Mick and Tom lending their support, I don’t know if I could have faced Brooks at the hospital. He wouldn’t leave Sid’s side, and we weren’t allowed into the intensive care suite. When he took a short break, we intercepted him in the waiting room and asked for an update. Mick greeted him warmly, and Brooks thanked him for coming with a two-handed shake. He seemed sincerely grateful.

  His attitude toward me was a different story. He wouldn’t even look at me. As I listened to them talk, I experienced disturbing snippets of memory. Our terrible marriage, his debilitating alcoholism, my horrendous decision to give up our daughter, then his misguided attempt to reconcile with me after we found Rachael. That revisionist infatuation ended when he fell in love with Sid.

  We’d all been friends for nearly five years despite the terrible odds. Was that over? I had to be part of Sid’s life now more than ever, but I didn’t want to constantly battle Brooks.

  I tuned back in to hear him relate what the doctors were saying.

  “She’s out of immediate danger. The surgery early this morning went all right. Her legs should heal over time with physical therapy, but the neurologist wasn’t optimistic about her chances of getting that far. He said her spinal cord was partially transected just above her waist, and it was a little worse than they initially thought. Apparently, half of these types of injuries result from car accidents.”

  He began to cry as he explained that the doctor told him to prepare for a very long recovery and the possibility she would never walk on her own again.

  “On the other hand, he told me there are new methods of therapy, including stem cell treatment, that show promise for spinal injuries. But it will take a long time before they are proven.”

  I wanted so much for Brooks to accept my affection and sympathy. “I am so sorry, Brooks. I want to help any way I can. Sid is like my sister. You know that. Please let me be involved in her recovery.”

  Mick put his arm around my shoulder and waited for Brooks’s response. After an excruciatingly long interval, he looked directly into my eyes for the first time. Tears coursed down his cheeks, and when he shook his head, my sadness sank to a new level. Then he surprised us.

  “Darcy, I know it’s wrong to blame you. I’m angry with myself for forcing that car onto her when she really didn’t want it.” He pulled in a ragged breath. “She was driving. It wasn’t your fault and probably had nothing to do with what you’re doing with the kids downtown.”

  Possibly to relieve Mick and me from delivering more bad news to our friend, Tom took over.

  “Honestly, Brooks, we want to agree with that assessment.”

  That got Brooks’s attention. “What do you mean ‘want to agree’?”

  “This very likely was not an accident. The police are looking at the possibility there was a deliberate effort to cause the crash. I’m not sure they would be doing that if it wasn’t for our previous relationship with Metro and specifically Craig Hollister because the story is pretty bizarre.

  “Anyway, the boy who crossed in front of the car on a skateboard might have been forced into doing it at gunpoint by the man Darcy saw in the car. That means it’s still possible Denezza had his people stage yet another attack on Sid. We don’t know anything for sure yet, but maybe there’s also a connection with the street kids.”

  “I’ve been so consumed with Sid that I haven’t spoken to the police since right after they brought her in. Are they really investigating it as intentional?”

  I answered him. “I’ve given two detailed statements about what I saw. A couple of hours ago, we met with Hollister, and he seems to believe me. We also clued him in about the phone calls and Sid’s history with her ex.”

  Mick said, “My money is on Denezza being responsible.”

  Brooks squinted out the window as if looking for something beyond the parking lot that would relieve his pain.

  “I’ve prayed over and over again,” he said finally. “I don’t get why God is allowing this to happen to such a wonderful gentle person.”

  My ex has been quite religious ever since AA helped him get sober. I couldn’t point out to him that even more horrific things are happening to good innocent people all over the globe all the time, and if any god exists, it certainly doesn’t intervene to prevent pain and suffering—no matter how hard people pray.

  “What was I thinking?” he said quietly, turning back to us. “Sid and I never should have stayed in Vegas after Denezza’s first attack on her. As soon as Sid admitted she was getting the calls, I knew something bad would happen. We were living in denial.”

  “We’re getting Murray involved,” Tom said. “Between
Metro and the FBI, they’ll figure this out.”

  Brooks reached out to touch me for the first time. With his hand on my shoulder, he said, “Sid will need you more than ever, and you’re welcome to come and stay with us for as long as you want once she’s able to go home. But I’m going to have to think about a major change for us. There’s no stopping that guy, even from his prison cell.”

  His words lifted my heart and mind out of despair, but I was stuck on his last phrase. It was almost exactly what Rachael said last night about no one stopping Paul. The strange idea her words put in my mind welled up, and once again, I suppressed what I knew to be a notion no one else would find acceptable.

  41

  Sid could not have visitors yet, so we left the hospital and drove out West Lake Mead Boulevard to the John Lawrence Bailey Memorial Building, which houses federal offices, including the FBI.

  More déjà vu. Five years ago, we gathered in Grant Murray’s office to give depositions about Paul’s first attempt on Sid’s life. So much more has happened since then. Mick and my relationship became permanent, Sid and Brooks got together, Paul orchestrated another bizarre attack that nearly killed Tom, Rachael gave us our beautiful granddaughter, we helped solve Penelope’s kidnapping and thwarted a second attempt on Sid’s life during the Australian cruise. It was truly mind-boggling to think about all of it.

  Grant greeted us in the lobby and escorted us upstairs. He was exactly as I remembered—fit and dressed impeccably with short graying hair and eyes that never left your face when you spoke to him.

  We sipped coffee and nibbled Danish while Mick and Tom engaged in small talk with their fed friend. Then in response to Mick’s request, Grant filled us in on the federal perspective of homeless teens and trafficking.