They walked into a large, open room filled with two weathered couches, a wall-mounted TV, six beige recliners, and a wall of shelves stuffed with paperbacks.
Derek was sitting on one of the couches watching Nora lecture a man who Emily assumed was the group home’s night monitor. He was a little taller than Miller but thin as a board. His receding hairline made him look much older than his face, and his brown eyes were blinking abnormally.
When Emily got closer, she picked up on Nora’s conversation in mid-stream.
“—had a nasty fall down a flight of steps. He needs to rest for at least a week. No school and no strenuous activity. And until his jaw feels better, he shouldn’t eat solid food. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am. Crystal,” the tall man replied, nodding like he was hopped-up on speed.
“What about you?” Nora asked, glaring at Derek.
“Yes, ma’am. My orders are to lay around the house and eat. I think I can handle that,” Derek replied, with a huge grin on his face. “What about Em? Can she stay for a bit?”
Emily crossed the room and sat on the couch next to Derek.
The house monitor looked at Nora. “Is that acceptable?”
Nora folded her arms. “Yes.”
“Then, by all means, she can stay,” the house monitor told Derek without hesitation.
Alison broke in. “Thank you, Mr. Thomas. I’m Detective Alison, of the Phoenix PD.” Alison took out his badge and flashed it at Thomas. “If you provide the number, I’ll call Derek’s correctional supervisor and clear his absence for the next week. However, his CS might want to stop by and check on things before then.”
Thomas peered at Nora again.
She nodded.
The house monitor looked back to Alison. “I’ll find the number for you and make sure the staff is made aware, Detective. Anything else?”
“Is there a place where Mr. Miller and I can have a private conversation with these two kids?”
Thomas nodded. “You can use the study room. It’s just down the hall past the kitchen.” He gestured toward the back of the house. He turned and made a quick exit, keeping his head down and legs moving.
“And I think that we need to be going,” Nora said to the group. “We have kids waiting for us at home.”
She looked at Emily. “Do you have a place to stay tonight? You’re welcome to stay with us if you need to. Isn’t that right, D?”
Duane hesitated, looking at Miller before he answered his wife. “Ah, sure. I don’t see why not. The more the merrier.”
Emily couldn’t accept. “I appreciate the offer, but I have a friend expecting me down at the Phoenix Central Shelter. She’d be worried if I didn’t show up. That’s nice of you though. Maybe next time.”
Nora frowned. “A shelter?”
“Don’t worry. I’m used to it. I stay there all the time.”
Nora looked at Duane and shot him a concerned look. He nodded.
“Okay, then. I guess that’s settled,” Nora said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. She scanned the room, giving everyone a piercing look. “Who’s going to make sure she gets to the shelter safely?”
“I will,” Jim answered.
“Very well. Then I guess that about covers it. I’ll be back in the morning to check on things.”
“I’ll be here, too,” Emily told her.
Duane held out an open arm, aiming it at the front door. He bowed in front of his wife. “Your chariot awaits, my queen.”
“Thank you, Nora,” Emily said from the couch as Team Morris walked away. She nudged Derek with her elbow.
Derek seemed to understand and turned his eyes toward the door. “Yes, thanks Nora. Thanks for everything.”
“And Duane,” Emily added with an apologetic tone.
Duane looked back just before he went through the door. He pointed two fingers at his eyes, then turned his hand around and pointed one finger at Derek.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ten minutes later, Emily, Derek, Miller, and Detective Alison were sitting around the study table in the common room, chatting and getting to know each other better. Each member of the group had taken turns sharing something about themselves.
“Well, we should probably get to it,” Miller said, looking at Alison first, then at Emily. “Are you willing to hear what Detective Alison has to say?”
His change in tone worried Emily, but she needed to know more. “Yes. I’m all ears.”
“Me, too,” Derek added, scooting his chair close to Emily.
Jim motioned at the detective.
Alison cleared his throat, then began. “Lemme make a few things clear. First off, both of you are very fortunate. I hope you realize how damned lucky you are to have a good friend like Jim Miller going to bat for you. Without him, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here amicably like this. And I say that as a friend, not as a detective.”
Emily nodded.
Derek didn’t.
Alison didn’t appear to care. “Emily, Jim has gone into great detail with me about what’s been happening to you and as a result, I’m fairly certain you’re an innocent victim in all this. You’ve just been protecting yourself, like any of us would do. However, there are still a number of outstanding questions that will need to be answered once a few things blow over. But more on that later.”
Alison turned to Derek. “And he’s been vouching for you, too, kid. I know you’ve done your time and are trying to start over. That much is clear and I respect that. I can truly say I wish I knew more young men like you. Men who are willing to stand up and take responsibility when they mess up like you did. I’ve lived long enough to know that making something of yourself in this world takes effort and patience, especially when you’re at a disadvantage to start with. Let’s face it, everyone makes mistakes. Some bigger than others. But what you do to rectify them is what defines you and makes you either a stand-up guy, or a—”
“—street urchin,” Emily interjected.
“Yes, a street urchin. Not what I was going to say, but okay,” he said, pausing to look at Miller and then back at Derek. “Anyway, you’re young, and hopefully you’ve learned that there are consequences to every decision you make in this life. That being said, you’re someone else’s problem now. Follow the terms of your early release and you’ll be fine. Just no more bedpans, okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry about that.”
Alison continued. “I’ve known Miller too long to doubt him about any of this. But where crimes are concerned, I still have people I must answer to—and that’s part two of why you’re lucky.”
He focused on Emily. “What you probably don’t know is that the department is catching hell over you, young lady. Someone in our office let it slip to the media that you’re a person of interest in several incidents that have occurred over the past couple of years. And now the history of your case is biting us in the ass. ABC posted a video of you assaulting that cab driver and stealing his car. Now, it’s all over the Internet. At last check, it had two hundred seventy-one million views, and climbing by the second.”
“Oh my God,” Emily said, thinking about her privacy. It had just vanished.
“Wait. Wasn’t the video already online?” Derek asked. “People usually don’t sit on those things. They love to post them right away.”
“Yeah, sure it was, but it never caught on. Not until the national networks jumped on the story. Once they linked all the aspects of the case together and reposted it, the views went through the roof.”
Derek nodded. “Something needed to spark the viral.”
“It always amazes me how that occurs, once a tie-in to law enforcement happens. People with nothing better to do have gone out of their way to swarm the social media sites and hound us for harassing a teenage girl who they think is scared and in trouble. They’re fabricating all kinds of shit about why you were naked and in the middle of the street. Every one of their lies is making us look bad across the board.”
&n
bsp; Emily looked down at her hands, remembering the beating she gave the cabbie. “Sorry, I was just protecting myself. He tried to grab me. I had to get out of there.”
“The worst part of it—for us working stiffs at the department—is that the mayor’s wife has decided to make your case her sole mission in life. And everyone knows who wears the pants in that family. She’s a self-important, preening socialite who’s using her political position to make a big stink about you. Probably to help bolster her plans to run for office. Word has it, governor in the next election. She’s a real piece of work, I tell you. In fact, I’ve got a clip I should show you. It’s from an interview she gave on Good Morning America.”
Alison swiped his smartphone, clicked a few buttons, and played the video. A classy, middle-aged brunette with perfect makeup and hair appeared on the screen. Her vigorous voice was clear and concise, like a politician announcing her run for office.
“—I’m outraged at the sequence of events. Members of the Phoenix Police Department shouldn’t be wasting taxpayer money chasing an innocent young girl who’s probably the victim of a sexual predator. My husband’s office has received reports that this poor girl may have been abducted from her home and forced into a life of prostitution, and God only knows what else. City officials should be trying to rescue her, not have her arrested and treated like a common criminal. To that end, I’ve asked my husband, the mayor of this great city, to appoint a special citizen-led oversight committee to look into every aspect of this girl’s case. Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of this. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this helpless child, please get in touch with me immediately. As a society, we have a duty and a responsibility to protect our youth, and this girl obviously needs our full attention. I’m asking all citizens to unite in this quest and help when and where you can. Together we are strong. Together we can effect change. Together we are invincible.”
Alison tapped the screen and the video shut off. “That about sums it up, don’t you think?”
“Looks like you’re famous, Em,” Derek quipped.
Emily put her head in her hands. “That’s the last thing I wanted.”
Then she looked at Alison. “Why do they think I’m a prostitute? Where did that come from? Because I was naked?”
Alison shrugged. “Doesn’t matter why. The point is, it’s all terrible press for us. The entire world is watching, and the mayor is pressuring my boss to make this all go away. And that means my boss is pressuring me to make it all disappear. Combine that with Miller’s testament on your behalf, and I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to make it all vanish like it never happened. But you have to promise to stop showing up anywhere close to a crime scene. And you can’t be connected to any more bodies.”
Emily swung her head around and looked at Miller sitting to her left.
He nodded to her, gesturing with his eyes to Alison.
“Okay. I promise,” she said, trying to sound genuine and resolute. “But I don’t know anything about any bodies.”
Alison guffawed. “Listen. I’m willing to ignore the dead Locos in an Italian restaurant. I’m willing to ignore the dead Gatos on Fourth Street. I’m willing to ignore the dead biker outside a condo complex, too—that’s easy. All those guys deserved it, I’m sure. If not for what they did to you, for something else that’s transpired in their miserable past. They’re all lowlifes. Bad men. And they got what was coming to them—a bad end. And I’m even willing to ignore the fact that you disappeared from police custody, twice. Once leaving a dead officer in the front seat—a fact that we still can’t explain.”
He looked at Derek with eyes wide. “And you—I’m willing to forget the little incident in Miller’s hospital room, and forget the time you decided to play garbage can Frisbee during your escape. Want to know why I’m willing to bury this and let it all go?”
A tight knot formed in Emily’s stomach. She looked to Miller, whose eyes had narrowed. He shot a cutting glance at Alison. She realized he didn’t know what was coming, either.
“Ye—yes,” Emily stammered. “I want to know.”
Alison threw his hands up and smirked. “Because, apparently, I’m getting a promotion. How about that? A boost for being a complete and total failure with your case. The mayor himself called me yesterday and made me an offer. An offer he knew I couldn’t refuse. All he’s asking is that I help him make this entire embarrassment go away and get his wife and the media off his back. If I do that, then he’ll make me the next Chief of Detectives. If I refuse, then I’m fired and ruined.”
“What about your ethics?” Miller asked.
“At this point, Millsy, I don’t give a fuck anymore. I’m too old and too tired to care. It’s a losing battle, for all of us. Especially me. I’m the scapegoat here. Sometimes, you just gotta cut bait and run.”
“I guess that’s good news, right, Em?” Miller asked Emily.
“But there’s one catch,” Alison said, pointing at Emily. “The mayor’s wife wants to meet you, assuming of course that we can locate you and bring you in.”
“Me?”
“She wants to meet the Glassford Girl.”
Emily shook her head. “I don’t know about that.”
“Look, do this one thing for me—meet that big-mouth wife of his—and as far as I’m concerned, all of this is over. I’ll make sure all the charges are dropped and your file expunged.”
Emily felt the nausea continue to build in her stomach. The last thing on earth she wanted to do was meet some high-profile politician’s wife. But she didn’t see any way out of it.
“Okay. I guess I can do that. If it’ll make all of this go away, forever. My stuff and Derek’s, right?”
“It will. You have my word on that,” Alison said, sitting back in his chair. “Okay then, I’ll set it up. I’m sure the mayor will be pleased.”
“When?” Jim asked. “I want to be there for support.”
“Me, too,” Derek added.
“Thanks, guys,” Emily said, with warmth for both of them in her heart.
Alison touched Emily’s arm. “Luckily, she left the country today for a couple of weeks on a scheduled humanitarian mission in Africa. So we have some time to plan this. But as soon as she gets back, you’ll need to be available.
“Okay.”
“However, there’s one more thing you need to be aware of. She’s a publicity hound, so expect a room full of cameras and reporters. It’ll be a complete circus.”
Emily gulped.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Emily looked up when Mr. Thomas walked into the kitchen. She was across the table from Derek, eating leftover spaghetti that she’d found in the refrigerator. Derek was eating a bowl of chicken soup she’d found in a cabinet and heated up. When she saw Mr. Thomas, she smiled; to her, he looked like a big, awkward bird. He peered at them with his curious eyes.
“Okay you two,” he said. “Five minutes. Then I’m driving you to the shelter, as I promised the detective and your friend, Jim.”
“Okay.” Emily replied. “What time may I come back tomorrow morning?”
“Not before seven.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Mr. Thomas grabbed a banana from the bowl of fruit sitting on the counter, then walked out of the kitchen. Emily watched Derek eat his soup. He was taking one spoonful at a time, slurping like a five-year-old. When he opened his mouth too wide, he winced.
Nora was right, she thought—it looked like Derek had a painful couple of days ahead of him.
But Emily’s situation was worse. Confusion and doubt were ruling her insides, especially when it came to the impending meeting with the mayor’s wife. She’d made a promise to Alison, but she was scared to death of what was about to come. Deep down, she knew her life would never be the same now that the national media was fully vested in her case. Every time she ran through her options, only one answer came out—jump far enough into the future that nobody would remember her. It was the only way out, but that would me
an leaving Derek and her support group behind.
“So what do you think?” Emily asked, hoping Derek had some insight. Maybe she was missing something.
“About?”
“You know, Miller. Alison. Getting beat up. That kinda stuff.”
“I think you mean—the mayor’s wife,” he added.
“Okay, yeah, her. I’m not sure I can go through with it.”
“Babe, I don’t think you have a choice at this point. You heard Alison. This is too big now.”
“I know. But what if I say the wrong thing? She’ll totally hate me.”
“Actually, from the sounds of it, the whole world would hate you.”
She gasped, thinking about all the people who would be watching her. Judging her. “How am I going to do this? The whole world?”
“Yeah, it’s going to be epic.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’re not helping.”
He smirked, then shrugged. “Maybe you can put her off somehow. After all, people do get sick. That’s what I’d do. Make something up at the last minute.”
“Maybe,” she said, searching her soul for answers. She came up dry. She couldn’t think about it anymore. “So what about Miller? Do you trust him?”
“I think Miller is legit. Alison—not so much. I mean, he’s willing to forget about stuff, but it’s not like he’s doing us any favors. He’s doing it to get his boss off his ass.”
“And get a promotion.”
“That, too. And doing it because of Miller. That’s another reason I think you should trust Miller. He convinced Alison to back off. That couldn’t have been easy.”
“I think you’re right. About them both.”
“And by the way, getting beat up sucks. Let me say, I’m not a fan.”
“You’re gonna look like a badass with a black eye, though.” She scooted her chair around the table, closer to him, then traced her finger up his cheek and over his eye. “Let me get you some ice.”
She found a Ziploc bag in a drawer and filled it with ice cubes from the freezer while Derek finished his soup. She took the bowl from him and put it in the sink, then handed him the bag of ice.
Glassford Girl: Part 3 (The Emily Heart Time Jumper) Page 13