One Step At A Time

by Brenda Adcock

  Dani clearly remembered Maddie’s lean, slender body, hugged by formfitting black leather pants that outlined her provocatively swaying hips and buttocks as she moved. Even though she hadn’t wanted to go to the concert with Jan, she had to admit that, at that moment, when Maddie embraced her fans, Dani was fascinated and drawn in just like all the others. Maddie demanded their undivided attention and adoration, and Dani didn’t know, or care, what became of the boa constrictor once Maddie approached her. Now, a decade later, Dani needed to locate Courtney Chalayne.

  Courtney could be anywhere, but all Dani really had was what Cat told her, so she clicked her Google icon and typed Courtney Chalayne into the search line. A brief bio popped up, but only said she had attended LSU and listed her hometown in Louisiana. On a hunch, Dani looked up the number for the Registrar’s Office at Louisiana State University. She would call the next day during her lunch break.

  Dani was tired and decided to relax in a nice hot bubble bath with a glass of wine.

  DURING HER LUNCH break the next afternoon, Dani called the LSU Registrar’s Office. After a little fast talking and a couple of white lies about trying to track down Courtney Chalayne as part of an estate settlement, Dani was given a number listed for Claude Chalayne in Ceour d’Mer, Louisiana. When she dialed the number, a woman answered, “Chalayne Charters.”

  “Is Claude Chalayne there, please?” Dani asked.

  “Out ona fishin’ trip. Won’t be back for a coupla days. I’m his wife. I kin answer any questions ya got,” the woman said.

  “Okay. I’m trying to reach Courtney Chalayne on a legal matter. Is she there?” Dani tried.

  “She don’t live here. What kinda trouble that ’ho got herself into dis time,” the woman laughed. “We ain’t bailin’ her skanky ass out agin.”

  “She’s not in trouble, Mrs. Chalayne. I just need to locate her,” Dani said.

  “Last we heard, she was in Nawlins, prob’ly hookin’ agin,” Mrs. Chalayne chuckled.

  “Do you happen to have a contact number for her, ma’am?” Dani inquired.

  “Might not still be good, but cuz she’s Claude’s sistah, we might need to get ahold of her. If this don’t work no more, contact the Nawlins Police,” Mrs. Chalayne said before giving Dani another number.

  When Dani ended the call, she took a minute and puckered her lips to exhale deeply before punching in the latest number, then doodling on her pad while she waited for someone to answer.

  “Good afternoon, sugar,” a smooth rich female voice answered. “This is Carlotta. How can I make your day sweeter?”

  Taken aback, Dani sat up straighter and was certain she was blushing. “Hello,” she finally managed, clearing her throat. “I was given this number for Courtney Chalayne. Is she there?”

  “Have you used her services before, sweetie? Her clients include men and women. She’s an equal opportunity provider,” Carlotta said.

  “I’m sorry, Carlotta. I just need to speak to her,” Dani said, smiling as she covered her eyes.

  “It’s the same fee for just talking as any other service,” Carlotta said calmly. “We accept cash as well as credit or debit cards. Shall I book you for an hour with Helena?”

  “I won’t need an hour,” Dani said.

  “Oooo, a fast worker, huh?” Carlotta rumbled with a deep laugh. “May I get your card number now? Helena is available this evening at seven.”

  “What’s the fee?” Dani asked.

  “One hundred for every hour,” Carlotta continued as if it was an everyday thing, like picking up a loaf of bread at Wal-Mart or Target.

  “A hundred bucks!” Dani exclaimed. When heads turned to stare in her direction, she ducked her head in embarrassment. “I only need fifteen minutes of her time.”

  “Do the math, sweetie,” Carlotta said.

  “Okay. Do I call this same number?” Dani griped.

  “No, I’ll give you her personal number after I get your card number,” Carlotta hummed. “And just as soon as your purchase is approved.”

  Dani read off her number and expiration date before writing down yet another number. By then her curiosity was running rampant and she was almost looking forward to the seven o’clock telephone rendezvous with Courtney, or Helena, or whatever name she was using now. However, Dani seriously doubted the County Attorney would consider authorizing a reimbursement.

  TIME WAS LITERALLY money as Dani rushed home after work, dropped off a spaghetti dinner for her mother from her favorite Italian restaurant and prepared to place her call to Courtney Chalayne, AKA Helena.

  “This is Helena. How may I please you tonight, darlin’?” a low whiskey smooth voice purred over the line.

  After thinking for a second, Dani said, “This is Dani. I need to ask you a few questions concerning Maddie James. Take your time, but I only paid for fifteen minutes.”

  Helena chuckled. “That’s too bad. I could probably make you go off like the Fourth of July in thirty.”

  “Already heard the sales pitch,” Dani snapped. “Is your name Courtney Chalayne?”

  “It is,” Helena answered. “Who are you asking about again?”

  “Maddie James,” Dani repeated.

  “Never met her,” Courtney said blandly.

  “She picked you up in Baton Rouge and dumped you in Wichita Falls, Texas about ten years ago. That’s what the members of her band say. I’ve spoken to all of them and they certainly remembered you, Miss Chalayne.”

  “She didn’t dump me, I split after she took off with some little loser she found outside their last venue. You can’t believe a thing those bitches tell you,” Courtney snapped. “They’re all chronic liars.”

  “So you do remember Maddie James then?”

  “Of course I do! Jesus! She used me to get drugs for her because, believe me, honey, she couldn’t perform, on-stage or in bed, unless she was blasted. Without them, she was an incredibly disappointing lover, a fuckin’ Girl Scout,” Courtney answered hostilely.

  “Did you abuse her sexually as well?” Dani asked.

  “She liked it rough,” Courtney gloated. “Came like a motherfucker and begged for more until she passed out. I could have done anything I wanted to her then, so I suppose it’s possible I may have gotten a little carried away a time or two,” she said without remorse.

  “So carried away she couldn’t get on-stage without assistance?” Dani asked.

  “She wanted it and I gave her what she wanted,” Courtney hissed. “Besides she was flyin’ so high she didn’t know the difference. It was more of a strange love-hate relationship than an intimate one. By the way, your time’s up, lover,” Courtney concluded and disconnected.

  Dani pushed her hands through her hair and leaned back in her chair, suddenly feeling dirty, and tried to imagine the life Maddie had lived. It began with so much promise, then was destroyed by poor decisions that finally broke her, emotionally and financially.

  A knock at her front door dragged Dani back into the present. She walked to the door, expecting to find her mother, but was pleasantly surprised to see Flo and Sal on her small porch.

  “Y’all come on in,” Dani invited as a chilly breeze danced inside. “I was just going to make some coffee,” she said while they removed their parkas.

  “Sounds real good to me,” Sal said, briskly rubbing her hands together, while glancing around. “We didn’t interrupt a private moment, did we?” she grinned.

  “I haven’t had a private moment in so long, I probably wouldn’t remember what to do,” Dani admitted with a shrug. “Hell, I even tried to seduce Maddie after our fishing trip, but she wasn’t interested. How pathetic is that?”

  Flo followed Dani into the kitchen and leaned her elbows on the counter, massaging her forehead with her thumb and index finger.

  “Are you all right, Flo?” Dani asked.

  “Not really,” Flo answered. “I’ve been to the damn jail to see Maddie six times, but she won’t talk to
me. Don’t want to see anyone. It ain’t normal.”

  “I know. She won’t see me either, and, unfortunately, I can’t make her,” Dani said.

  “Sal says you’re prosecutin’ Maddie’s case,” Flo muttered.

  “Yes, I am. I’ve already delayed it as much as I can, but the County Attorney told me to get in front of a judge and jury after the first of the year. Everything points to her guilt, Flo,” Dani said sadly. “There’s not much more I can do unless she talks to someone or starts defending herself.”

  A few minutes later, they carried three mugs of coffee into the living room.

  “I have some files I need to print out tonight,” Dani said. “Do you mind? I’ll be right back.”

  Sal followed Dani into her office and leaned against the doorjamb. “Why don’t I keep an eyes on those while you talk to Flo. Maybe you can make her feel better,” Sal said. “I won’t read anything. I promise,” she added with a smile.

  “Doesn’t matter, Sal. Probably won’t amount to anything. Just wishful thinking on my part,” Dani said, pausing to pat Sal on the shoulder as her printer started, before leaving the home office. “Might as well sit and make yourself comfortable. My printer’s not the world’s fastest. Holler if you need more coffee.”

  “Thanks, Dani,” Sal said, sitting in Dani’s office chair and leaning back.

  “I need one of these,” Sal said.

  Almost half an hour later, Sal came wandering out of Dani’s office holding a stack of printouts.

  “What is this, Dani? Looks like inmate records,” Sal asked.

  “They are. Just set them on the coffee table and I’ll get around to sorting them in a day or two,” Dani said.

  “What are they, really?” Flo asked.

  “According to the warden at Sand Ridge, those are the inmates who were in a prostitution ring run by Sabreena Douglas. I was planning to take out the inmates still incarcerated. That should leave anyone besides Maddie who may have been out to seek a little revenge. She was never able to recruit Maddie, but tried by intimidation and at least one attempt on her life to keep the others in line,” Dani explained.

  “I say we divvy these up and get some more coffee,” Flo said, her demeanor happier. “I can’t stand just sittin’ around.”

  “It might be nothing,” Dani said, “but I’m running out of options.”

  “Then get the coffee, woman, and let’s get on it,” Flo said. “Tell me what I’m lookin’ for, Sal.”

  Sal picked up a sheet and pointed at a box at the bottom of the second page. “Look for a box that says ‘Disposition’. Most will probably say something like, ‘Incarcerated—SR’ for Sand Ridge. Ask me if the initials are different. They may have been moved and I’ll tell you what the initials stand for. In fact, if it says incarcerated, just stick it on the throw away stack,” Sal said, leaning over to kiss Flo on the cheek.

  Three hours later, Sal stood up to stretch her back from hunching over to look through her portion of the stack. “You might have to massage my back tonight to get the kinks out, honey,” she said.

  “We’re almost done anyway, babe,” Flo muttered, setting another couple of sheets on their discard pile.

  Sal sat back down. “I only found a couple who’d been released and they’re both on parole, so they probably went back home,” she said. “One, Delores Elizondo, is from El Paso and has a five-year-old son there. The second, Hilda Figueroa, is from Houston, but ICE picked her up as soon as she walked out the prison gates. We can probably rule them out.”

  “I’ve got one,” Dani said. “Nope, can’t be her. She’s dead. A suicide about two years before our victim was killed. Unless you believe in ghosts, we can rule her out.”

  Flo grabbed the sheets from Dani to place them on the elimination stack in front of her, momentarily glancing at it. “I think I know this name,” she said, handing the papers to Sal. Sal looked at it and shrugged, “Sandiford. Not ringin’ any bells for me, but I don’t go to most of the places you do.”

  “Does it say who claimed her body or where it was sent for burial?” Dani asked.

  “Claimed by a sister,” Sal said. “That’s it.”

  “Can you get us more info, Sal? Like maybe an obituary,” Flo asked. “I know I know that name. Now it’ll drive me nuts until I can put it with a face.”

  “Let’s go home, baby,” Sal said. “I’m plum wore out and am on first shift tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Just let me clean up this mess we made first,” Flo said as she picked up their coffee cups.

  “Don’t worry about that, Flo,” Dani protested. “I’ve got all weekend to straighten this place up. Y’all get on home. It was worth a shot, so thank you.”

  Flo handed the paperwork to Dani. “Don’t lose these until we can get more info, okay?”

  “I won’t,” Dani promised, escorting the two women to the front door.

  “I’ll let you know if Sal finds anythin’ useful,” Flo said, hugging Dani quickly before stepping outside.

  “Hey, Sal!” Dani called out.

  “Yeah,” Sal answered, hunching her shoulders against the cold.

  “It might not do any good, but maybe you should pay Maddie a visit. Flo and I are striking out. Maybe she’ll talk to you,” Dani said.

  “Fat chance. We didn’t get along that well,” Sal snorted. “I didn’t trust her and she knew it.”

  “She talked to you more than me,” Flo said.

  “That was mostly tossin’ barbs back and forth. It wasn’t exactly a bondin’ experience. Besides, you’re the one who told her to stay away from Dani,” Sal said, her teeth chattering.

  “What!” Dani barked.

  “It was nothin’. I didn’t want her to hurt you is all, so I told her to back off.” Flo reached out and slapped Sal’s arm. “Big mouth,” she hissed.

  “Will you try to talk to her, Sal?” Dani asked.

  “If I get a minute, I’ll try, but can’t promise nothin’,” Sal finally relented. She squinted at Flo. “Can we get home and warm up now, baby. Please. I’m shiverin’ so much I’m liable to shake my bones apart.”

  “Poor baby. I know how to warm you up real quick,” Flo crooned.

  “P...promise?” Sal asked in a trembling voice.

  “Just as soon as you promise to go see Maddie,” Flo added.

  Dani chuckled as she backed into her home and shut the door.

  SAL’S SHIFT WAS relatively quiet all day, but as she was preparing to return to the police station to fill out her end of shift paperwork, she received a call from dispatch to go to a possible domestic disturbance reported by a neighbor. She responded, requesting backup. Sometimes domestic calls were nothing more than an argument over which channel to put on the television, but they could be unpredictable. Because she didn’t ride with a second officer, it was better to be safe than sorry. The closest unit was finishing up working on a fender bender, but would join her as soon as possible.

  Sal cruised slowly down the street where the disturbance was reported to be occurring, but didn’t see anything unusual. She pulled to the curb in front of the house and radioed in her location, then stepped out of her unit, jammed her hat on her head, and adjusted her utility belt as she killed a little time, hoping her back-up would appear soon.

  She glanced around the clean looking, middle class neighborhood as she strolled toward the front door of the red brick home. Just as she reached out to press the doorbell, she heard shouting from inside and the front door flew open. A large, angry looking man in jeans and a red and black flannel shirt loomed behind the glass storm door.

  “What the fuck do you want?” he said loudly.

  “Is everythin’ okay here, sir? We received a report of a domestic disturbance and are just checkin’,” Sal asked, her thumbs resting on her utility belt. She tried to see past the man, but his body completely shielded any view inside the home.

  “How about I step inside and just take a quick look aro
und?” Sal suggested.

  To her surprise, the big man cracked a smile and pushed the storm door open to allow Sal to enter. “Sure, officer,” he said. “No problem.”

  Now wary of his apparent change of attitude, she pushed the wooden door back all the way and stepped inside. “Anyone else in the house, sir?” she asked.

  “My wife,” he responded.

  “Where?”

  “She had a headache and is layin’ down.”

  “Could you ask her to come in the livin’ room, please?”

  “For what?”

  “I need to make sure she’s okay, sir.”

  “I told you she’s got a headache. Gets them all the time,” he insisted. “She’s fine, godammit!” He moved faster than Sal thought possible for such a big man, his arm cocked back and his hand fisted tightly. Her best hope of avoiding being hit was to close the distance between them and not give him enough room to throw a punch. She stepped into him and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back and sticking her leg in front of his to put him on the ground.

  His weight helped take him down and his face slammed into the floor, followed by a howl of pain. Sal planted her knee in the middle of his back and slapped her handcuffs around his wrists. Then she pulled him up and shoved him against the nearest wall, leaving blood from his broken nose smeared over the painted surface. She kept a hand on his back and pressed the button on her shoulder radio.

  “Where’s my back-up for that domestic disturbance?” she demanded, trying to catch her breath and slow down her heartbeat.

  “Turning on your location now. I see your unit,” a voice answered.

  “Just come inside. Door’s open,” she said. Before she could do anything else, she heard a scream behind her and a body slammed onto her back, arms wrapping around her neck, choking her. She took her hand off her prisoner and reached over her shoulder, grabbing the first thing her hand contacted. She bent forward and pulled the body over her. The woman landed on the floor on her back and the man leaned against the wall laughing. Grinning up at him was a woman almost as big as he was, wearing a thin housecoat that barely covered her large breasts.