Serena stumbled as Maria pulled, almost falling.
"Who has a gun?"
"Lester!"
Dragging Serena to the kitchen, she spotted her mom standing near the stove, clearly startled by the commotion. But no Dad... Maria turned from side to side...
Oh, God.
Where's Dad?
"Wait--Lester? Lester's here?" Serena demanded from behind her.
"He's outside!" Maria shouted, her gaze suddenly swinging to the sliding glass doors, hoping her dad was on the porch. "Lester Manning! The guy who was chasing me!"
He'll burst through the door any second...
He'll kill me and them, and then kill himself...
Just like Gerald Laws and Cassie...
With a surge of relief, she spotted her dad at the porch table, Smokey in his lap.
Serena was babbling; her mom had started asking questions as well, but Maria registered none of it.
"Just be quiet!" she shouted. "Both of you!" She slid open the back door. "Get in here!" she hissed at her father, motioning him inside. He responded instantly, leaping to his feet with the dog tucked under his arm.
Both Serena and her mom went quiet. Maria listened intently--for the door, for the sound of a window smashing.
Silence.
Serena stared at her, fear written on her face. Both of her parents watched her openmouthed.
Still nothing.
What if Lester was coming around from the back?
In the silence, Maria registered the sounds of the sirens again. Loud enough now to be heard from inside the house.
"I don't understand," Serena finally said, her voice trembling with tears. "Where was Lester chasing you?"
"In the yard," Maria said. "You saw him. He almost grabbed me."
But Serena only shook her head in confusion. "I saw you running but no one was behind you," she said. "I saw someone else running down the street..."
"He had a gun and he was chasing me!"
"No," Serena insisted. "He wasn't."
Before Maria could process her words, the sound of the sirens filled the house and the walls were flashing red and blue in steady rhythm.
The police, she thought. Thank God.
At that moment, the front door crashed open.
Maria screamed.
CHAPTER 25
Colin
All things considered, Colin decided he was okay with what he'd done. Though as the adrenaline drained from his system, leaving him feeling both exhausted and shaky, it was hard to ignore the fact that he was on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back, guarded by two glowering officers and most likely staring at a long prison term.
Maybe he should have pulled over for the officers who'd been following him.
And maybe he shouldn't have come to a screeching halt behind the squad car that was already at the Sanchez place while those officers had been approaching the door. And maybe he shouldn't have ignored them when they'd demanded that he stop his charge to the front door and simply let them handle it. If he'd made different decisions, the officers probably wouldn't have drawn their weapons, nor would he have faced a situation in which he'd wondered whether they might actually fire them.
On the plus side, he hadn't actually touched any of the officers after he'd kicked the door in, but none of them were in any mood to listen when he'd tried to tell them about the vacant house or the park, places that Lester may have run off to. All four were too pissed for that. They had him on speeding, reckless driving, and ignoring lawful directions, and they weren't going to settle for writing a couple of tickets and be done with it. They'd placed him under arrest, which meant his deal was going to be revoked.
His lawyers would fight it; no question about that, but more than likely, the original judge would be informed. That judge--as evidenced by his decision in the first place--was fair and reasonable, but he'd also been crystal clear in his expectations, and the court would know about it. Add in the fact that Margolis would be arguing on the other side for permanent placement among the dangerous and violent, and the writing was on the wall.
Prison.
He wasn't afraid of being locked up. As a general rule, he did well in places with rules and structure, even without freedom. He knew how to keep to himself and mind his own business and look the other way when necessary and keep his mouth shut, and after a while, the whole thing would likely become routine. He'd survive and eventually get released and he'd start over again. But...
Maria wouldn't wait for him, and he wouldn't be able to become a teacher.
He didn't want to think about those things. Given the same situation, he'd do it all again. Maria's stalker shows up with a gun? Had to try to save her. Simple as that. How could he have known that Lester would have been gone by the time he arrived?
Had they listened to him, Colin figured that the police could have found Lester already. But precious minutes had ticked by while they put on the handcuffs and read Colin his rights, and it wasn't until the officers had calmed their nerves that they were finally able to listen first to Maria's story, which came out in fits and starts, and then to Felix, who'd said that he didn't intend to press charges for the broken door and splintered frame. Both Serena and Carmen were crying throughout. Way too late, he'd finally watched two of the four officers leave in one of the squad cars in search of Lester. After that, surprising him, Maria asked the remaining officers to call Detective Margolis when her pleas to have Colin released were met with indifference.
Colin closed his eyes, hoping that the detective would be otherwise occupied.
A moment later, one of the officers announced that Margolis was on his way.
Margolis was going to love this. No doubt he'd put on one of his self-satisfied smirks while he gave Colin the whole I warned you all along that this would be coming speech that he was surely already rehearsing as he made his way here.
But again, no regrets. Maria and her family were safe, and that was all that mattered. That, and stopping Lester from showing up again... Maria had told the officers that Lester had become enraged as soon as he'd heard the sirens. Until that point, however, Maria had been able to keep him calm by talking to him. Or, rather, by letting Lester voice whatever was going through his deranged brain and simply agreeing with him. But what about the next time? Would Lester be so easily placated? Or would he just grab her and take her someplace where the police wouldn't find them?
The thought made him sick, and he wanted to kick himself for failing to check out the hospital himself. How had Lester gotten out? If he'd become delusional when the detective arrived this morning, why hadn't he been restrained? Or did they even do that anymore?
And there was another thing that was bothering him: How had Lester known Maria would be here? Maybe he went by the office and then her condo and saw that she wasn't around, but...
His thoughts were interrupted first by headlights, then by the sound of a slowing car. He heard it pull over and come to a stop, listening as a car door opened and closed with a thud a few seconds later.
Margolis.
"Do you ever get that feeling like Christmas has come early?" Margolis said, squatting down next to him. Approaching Maria, he'd done a double take at the sight of Colin on the ground in cuffs and practically skipped over to him instead. "Because I think it just came early for me."
Colin said nothing. Anything he said would just get thrown back in his face.
"I mean, here I am, just heading out to get a quick bite not more than ten minutes away, and I get a call urgently requesting my presence over here. And who do I find but my old pal Colin? I must say that I haven't seen you looking this good in a long time." Colin noted the reflection of Margolis's grin in his highly polished shoes. "What did you do? Get in an argument with your girlfriend here? Maybe pushed Mom or Dad when they tried to intervene? Or did you go after one of the officers after they showed up and tried to calm you down?" He spat out his toothpick, letting it fall dangerously close to Colin's face in
the grass. "You might as well drop the silent act and tell me. I'm going to find out in a minute anyway."
Colin let out a breath. "Traffic violations," he said.
Margolis cocked his head in surprise. "No kidding?" When Colin didn't respond, the detective shook his head, smirking. "I gotta admit that I never saw that one coming. But hey--I'll take it any way I can get it. So let me talk to your girlfriend over there--if you still call her your girlfriend, I mean. Even if you didn't so much as lay a finger on her, she doesn't strike me as the visit-prison-every-weekend-to-support-her-man type, and I've always been a pretty good judge of character."
Colin watched him stand. When Margolis turned and started toward Maria, Colin cleared his throat.
"Can I get up now?"
Margolis looked over his shoulder for a couple of seconds, then shrugged. "I don't know. Can you?"
Using his head to brace himself, Colin lifted his hips and shot his knees forward in a single flowing motion, landing on his feet.
Margolis waved off one of the officers, who had taken a step toward Colin. He smirked again. "With moves like that, I'm sure all the guys in prison will want to dance with you. But tell you what--why don't you wait right there while I figure out what's going on here."
Margolis signaled to the two officers to approach and Colin watched as they conferred in low tones. One of them thumbed toward Maria a couple of times; the other nodded in Colin's direction. By then, a number of the neighbors had come outside and were standing on their lawns or in the street, craning their necks for a better view. He wasn't the only one who'd noticed: Margolis did as well, and after a brief discussion with the family, everyone except Colin began to head inside. Surprising Colin, Margolis motioned for him to join them.
In the living room, Maria again went through the story from the top, including a description of what Lester had been wearing, only this time in a more linear fashion. Her family stood behind her, looking more upset than she did, while the two officers who'd arrested Colin flanked the front door. Colin watched as Margolis took notes, Serena occasionally interjecting. It wasn't until Maria was finished that Margolis asked his first question.
"Did he ever directly threaten you with the gun?" Margolis asked.
"He was holding it in his hand."
"But he didn't raise it? Or point it at you?"
"Why does that make a difference?" Maria demanded. "He showed up at the house with a gun. You need to arrest him."
Margolis held up his hands. "Don't get me wrong. I'm on your side. With his admission that he sent the roses to the office and had the drink delivered and now this, there's not a doubt that you'd be able to get the Fifty-C. I can't imagine that any judge would turn down the request, and I'll put a call in to find out if I can get it expedited. I was asking because I was trying to determine whether he additionally violated any gun laws."
"He's mentally ill. That makes it illegal for him to own a firearm in this state."
"Maybe."
Maria's eyes flashed. "He was in a psychiatric hospital this morning. Or so you told me."
"I have no reason to believe that he wasn't there, and trust me--I'll make absolutely sure the detective was correct about that. But when I was talking about mental illness, I meant legally. To this point, I haven't had access to his medical records, and in those instances when he was arrested, the cases were dismissed. I'm not sure his mental status has actually been adjudicated. There's also a difference between entering a hospital voluntarily and being committed involuntarily."
"You're splitting hairs," Maria said, her frustration becoming evident. "I told you how he was acting. He was talking to the phone, for God's sake. He's delusional and he threatened me with a gun!"
"Are you sure?"
"Did you listen to a single thing I said?"
Margolis stood straighter, defensiveness on display. "To be clear, nothing you said indicated that he raised the gun or compelled you to do anything. And when you retreated to your house, he ran in the opposite direction."
For a second, Maria said nothing, but Colin noted a flash of uncertainty in her eyes.
"What about the fact that he slashed my tires and stole my phone?"
"He told you he slashed your tires?"
"No, but..." Maria looked up at him. "Why are you doing this? Making excuses for him. It's like you're looking for any reason not to arrest him."
"On the contrary. I'm trying to find something that will stick. There's no reason to arrest him if I can't hold him."
"He had a gun! Doesn't that mean anything?"
"It would if he tried to conceal it. Or threatened you. But according to you, he didn't do either."
"That's... insane."
"That's the law. Of course, if he doesn't have a permit for the weapon, that's something I can use. But that won't be enough to hold him for long. Nor will the fact that he took your phone."
"What about slashing my tires?"
"Did he admit to that?" Margolis asked again.
"No, but..."
Margolis sighed. "I know this is frustrating for you, but I really am trying to help you here. I'm looking for something that might give rise to an actual arrest, on charges serious enough to keep him locked away."
"Okay, then. I was mistaken earlier. I remember now that he did aim the gun at me. Pointed it at me the whole time."
Margolis lifted an eyebrow. "You're changing your story?"
"I'm correcting it," she said.
"All right." He nodded. "But before we go that route, you should also realize that this entire situation may be more complex than you think."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not at liberty to say. It's still early in the investigation. For now, all you really need to know is that I'm exploring a lot of different angles."
Different angles? Colin thought.
Maria shot him a questioning look, then turned back to Margolis just as a knock sounded at the door. One of the officers who'd been searching for Lester poked his head in. Margolis excused himself and stepped outside for a minute, then returned to Maria and the family. The other two officers joined him inside, remaining near the door.
"The officers said they couldn't find him. They went through the neighborhood a couple of times, talked with a few people who were out, and no one had seen him."
Colin opened his mouth, then closed it again. Margolis noticed.
"Something to say?"
"I was wondering if they checked the park," he said. "And the house on the next block that backs up to this one."
Margolis stared at him. "Why?"
Colin told them what he'd learned, as well as his suspicions about the vacant house and Lester's spying activities. He also mentioned where he suspected Lester had been parking his car. At Margolis's prodding, Colin admitted he'd been visiting the neighborhood late at night and early in the morning, and had spent time researching license plates. Maria's parents looked sick at the revelations; meanwhile, Margolis's stony gaze never swerved from him.
"You're just telling me this now? That you've been playing private investigator all this time?"
Colin nodded toward the officers. "I told the cops when they were arresting me where Lester might have gone. They didn't want to listen."
It was quiet for a moment. One of the officers shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"But he wasn't running toward the park," Serena ventured softly. "Or for the house."
"Excuse me?" Margolis said.
"The park is a few streets over that way," Serena said, pointing in the direction of the kitchen. "And unless he wanted to take the long way around the block, he wasn't running toward the vacant house, either. He ran the other way, in the opposite direction."
Margolis absorbed this before excusing himself to huddle with the officers, two of whom subsequently departed. About half an hour too late, Colin thought.
Margolis returned to Maria. "Assuming Lester drove here, and since there are no cars registered in hi
s name, they'll find out if any of the cars have been stolen or if we can link them to Lester in another way. Of course, Lester may have doubled back and taken the car or he may have simply run off, but the important thing for now is that I'm confident that you're safe. Are you planning to return to your place?"
"She'll be staying with us," Felix announced. "Serena too."
Margolis thumbed over his shoulder. "Your front door is broken."
"I have some two-by-fours in the garage. I'll brace it, and then tomorrow, I'll have it repaired."
"Do you have an alarm?"
"Yes," he said. "But we don't use it much."
"Use it tonight, even though you'll have to bypass the front door. And brace the door and keep the shades drawn as a precaution."
"What about police protection?" Serena asked. "Having someone at the house?"
"I won't be able to swing that," Margolis answered. "Pick your reason: budget cuts, not enough manpower, limits on overtime, or even that the Fifty-C hasn't been filed. But I'll call the commander, and I'm pretty sure I can arrange for a patrol car to swing by every few hours."
"What if Lester comes back?"
"I don't think that's likely."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because he's afraid of the police, and for all he knows, there will be an officer here."
"Unless he's crazy and doesn't care."
"He ran off earlier," Margolis said, but realizing how cavalier it probably sounded, he went on. "I know you're frightened and upset, Ms. Sanchez. I get it. I'll make sure a couple of the officers cruise the neighborhood for an hour or so. And who knows, maybe they'll get lucky and pick him up. If they do, they'll bring him in and I'll stick him in the interrogation room and see what I can do. And tomorrow, either way, you file for the Fifty-C, and the next time he comes anywhere near you, he'll be arrested. And that arrest will stick."
Colin noted the conflicting emotions playing out across Maria's features. She glanced at the officers near the door before drawing a long breath.
"May I talk to you alone?"
Margolis debated before finally nodding. He motioned for the other officers to leave and they quietly exited through the front door. At the same time, Serena and her parents wandered toward the kitchen, and once they were gone, Maria sighed.
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