“Yeah, I have to agree. I don’t think anything will come of the search. Especially if, in the past, the killer has targeted high-risk victims like this one. Details on those cases always get lost in the shuffle. Good news for you, whoever killed her doesn’t seem to be criminally sophisticated. Shit, he didn’t even try and hide the body. I’d bet you a beer it turns out to be a drug deal gone wrong.”
“Hell, man. That’s no better. Feels like I have ten new drug-related cases hit my desk every day.” Mac blew out a breath. He was a damn good cop and took every case personally. “Sure as fuck hope the Mayor makes good on his campaign promise to clean up the streets.”
The laugh that ripped from my throat was loud, drawing the attention of nearby customers. “Goddamn, dude, that is the funniest thing I have heard all day. That dirty politician is more worried about covering up his mounting debt than the streets.”
“Hey, guys, you need anything else?” Laura asked as she refilled our coffee.
“Yes, please,” Mac replied.
Mac’s eyes narrowed as he fixated on the pretty waitress.
I looked up at Laura to see her focus was firmly on me, even though Mac had been the one to answer. Clearly, she was ignoring Mac.
“Please, Laura. In a to-go cup though if you wouldn’t mind.” I answered her. She quickly walked away. Mac had his phone out texting furiously.
“What was that about?” I asked.
He looked up from his phone. “What? What was what about?”
“Laura?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing is going on with Laura,” he responded a little too fast.
“Right.”
I had been watching those two dance around each other for the last six months. Something was going on there. If Laura was smart, she would steer clear of Detective Mackenzie. I loved the man like a brother, but he had player written all over him.
3
Titty Twisters and Nipples
Ava
I pulled up in front of JJ’s school and waited in the pickup line. Why was there always that one parent that had to hold up the entire line by chatting through their window to the crossing guard? I did not have the patience to sit there and wait. I wanted to get JJ and go for ice cream. I missed my son. Summer couldn’t get here fast enough. I wanted him at the café with me where I could visit with him all day.
I saw him running to the car, his book bag bouncing up and down, a huge smile on his face. That’s my boy!
“Hey, Mama!” JJ threw his backpack into the back seat and jumped into the car. “Guess what?”
“What?” I knew, what. But I played along. We did this every week.
“I got a ninety-nine percent. I didn’t even get the word wrong but Mrs. Smith said that my handwriting was sloppy on the word, beyond. She said she could see my eraser marks. I spelled it b-e-y-o-u-n-d, but then remembered what you said when we were studying, there is no u. I can’t help it if I’m not a good eraser. Kendall is a good eraser. She sits next to me now. We moved our seats around this morning.
“Mrs. Smith said that I should ask Kendall to help me learn how to erase better. She’s mean. Mrs. Smith, not Kendall. Kendall is pretty and smells funny, like she sprays that girl spray on herself like you do. Only, hers smells like peaches. The boys all say she has really pretty hair. The girls are mean to her. Mrs. Howard, the character counts coach, told her not to listen to the girls, they were just jealous because she was so beautiful, and she has an accident that is pretty to listen to. So, today can I get the extra scoop of chocolate since I got over an eighty percent?”
My head was spinning from the rush of information. He said all of that before we even drove out of the parking lot.
“Accent. Kendall has an accent, not an accident,” I corrected him. “And I don’t know. Can you have an extra scoop?”
“Oh, yeah. I meant, may I please have the extra scoop?” JJ corrected himself.
“Yes, of course, you may. I am very proud of you, little man. So, other than the big seat move today, the spelling test, you needing to learn how to erase better, and the pretty girl Kendall, what else exciting happened at school? Tell me everything.”
JJ prattled on while I drove us to the ice cream shop. I could sit and listen to my son talk all day. He had always been animated. He spoke with his whole body. His arms moved and he gestured with every sentence. He reminded me so much of… no, I wasn’t going to go there. I was going to stay in the moment and enjoy my son.
Two double-scoops of chocolate chunk later we were home, dinner done, homework completed, and I was beat. I still had household bills to pay and cleaning to do before I called it a night, but I could barely keep my eyes open. When I was at work, with the hustle and bustle of the café, I didn’t have time to dwell on all that I had to do by myself, and how much had fallen between the cracks. I didn’t have time to think about how lonely I was. I had JJ. He was my entire world and I loved him beyond measure, but I missed cuddling. I missed watching a movie and holding hands. Stolen kisses before work. And sex. I missed sex.
“Mama, why can girls give boys titty twisters but boys can’t give them back to girls?” JJ asked.
Wow, that came way out of left field.
“Well, girls shouldn’t really be giving them to boys, either. They hurt. And maybe we shouldn’t be using that word, titty.”
“Today Stacy gave Carver a titty twister. He screamed it hurt so bad. So, he gave her one back. A good one too, Mom. She cried and everything. Stacy was mad and told Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith told Carver that he cannot touch girls there because it was inappropriate. Carver asked why Stacy could grab his boy nipple, but he couldn’t grab her girl nipple. He said a nipple is a nipple. I agree, a nipple is a nipple. My nipple hurts after Stacy gives me one, too. So, fair is fair, right? I mean if a girl gets to touch my nipple, I should be allowed to touch her nipple, too.”
I tried, I mean I really tried to hold the laughter in, but I couldn’t. It bubbled up and erupted. I knew I needed to tell him to stop saying, titty and nipple, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t breathe, I was laughing so hard. It felt good to laugh, sitting on the couch with my boy having fun. My sides hurt and tears were pouring down my cheeks as I tried to stop myself from laughing.
“You look pretty, Mama. I like it when you laugh.”
I pulled my little boy, who was no longer so little, to me and snuggled him close.
“Thank you, little man. I love it when you laugh, too. Now, you cannot give girls titty twisters. Your teacher is right. It is inappropriate for a boy to grab a girl’s breast.”
“GROSS! No one was talking about grabbing a breast. I was talking about nipples. Stacy doesn’t have boobs. She looks like me. I heard Kendall telling Stacy that her mom told her she was starting to bud. Why would she bud? I don’t understand why Kendall’s mom would tell her she was going to start growing flowers. Do you think she means she likes to plant stuff?”
Sweet baby Jesus, save me now.
I wasn’t ready to have this conversation, especially right that very second.
“How about this? This weekend we will talk all about why boys can’t grab girl’s breasts, nipples, titty twisters, and why a girl buds. Until then, do me a favor? No more giving girls titty twisters.” I was silently begging him not to question me any further.
“Okay. What are we reading tonight?” JJ asked as he got up and stretched.
I was blessed that JJ had always been the type of kid that liked his sleep. He was out the moment his head hit the pillow.
“Anything you want, my sweet boy.” I kissed his cheek when I passed him to put my cup in the kitchen.
I was too tired to pay bills. I was too tired to clean up the rest of the kitchen. Hell, I was too tired to even shower. I wanted to get into bed with a good book and go to sleep. I was living the dream. Home in bed with a book by nine PM.
“I want to read Mr. Pine’s Purple House. And you can call me ‘sweet boy’ in the house, but please don’t call me that in
front of Uncle Mac or Reid. I’m ten now. I’m too old to have my mom call me baby names in public.” With those words, JJ stunned me into silence.
I had known this day was coming. He held my hand less and less in public. He never kissed me back if I was dropping him off at a friend’s house. He switched back and forth from Mom to Mama. He never called me Mommy anymore. I wasn’t ready for this, none of it. I wanted my baby boy to stay a baby. I already missed giving him a bath. I couldn’t remember the last time I washed my son’s hair. That day just came and went without notice.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and headed upstairs. Soon he wouldn’t want me to read with him before bed.
I wasn’t ready.
4
Trouble
Reid
“Not one more fucking step.” In one well-practiced maneuver, I had the would-be robber pushed up against the stucco wall, both arms tightly secured behind his back. “Wanna tell me why you’re lurkin’ around here in the dark?” I whispered into his ear.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” the scrawny little punk slurred, too drunk to even think about struggling.
This idiot picked the wrong house on the wrong night to fuck with. Not that I would ever take kindly to some jackass prowling around my neighborhood, but tonight was especially bad. I was clean out of patience.
I had just spent the last nine hours up in Diablo National Park helping the local PD collect evidence. I was dirty, hungry, and tired. I was not in the mood for this douchebag.
“I believe I asked you a question. What are you doing?” Capturing both his thin wrists in one of my hands, I used my forearm to push his cheek into the stucco.
“Ava’s my sister. I was checking to see if she was home.”
My body locked at his mention of Ava’s name. “Wrong answer, douchebag. Ava doesn’t have a brother.” I didn’t like that he knew who lived here. I was pissed off enough when I thought this was a random break-in.
My gut told me that shit was about to go bad for my beautiful neighbor. And my gut was never wrong. I knew every last detail about Ava. She was an only child. In the last five years, no man had come over to her house, with the exception of me, Mac, and a few other guys from the precinct.
The porch light came on and I silently begged Ava not to open the door. I heard the deadbolt click and the door slowly opened. Did that woman have no sense of danger?
“Reid? What in the world is going on out here? I thought I heard banging around,” Ava said as she started to step out the door.
“Ava, get back in the house! Call the station would ya? Ask the desk sergeant to send out Lance,” I demanded, probably harsher than needed if the deepening scowl on her face was any indication.
“What happened? Who is that?” Ava questioned further.
I tried to hold my tongue, but my patience was slipping by the millisecond.
Before I could answer her, the douchebag started to struggle, trying to turn his face in her direction. Not a fucking chance was he going to lay eyes on her.
“Ava! Please tell this idiot to let me go!” the douchebag yelled.
“Jimmy, is that you?” Ava walked further onto the porch.
“Yes. Now tell the big ape to let me go.”
“Reid, I know Jimmy. He’s my brother-in-law,” Ava explained.
And there it was, my gut was never wrong. Ava’s brother-in-law, James Kelley, was a criminal. He still lived in Texas. How did I know that? Because I kept tabs on the little prick. Before Jacob died he had also kept tabs on his little brother. James had always been bad news. Why the fuck was he here in San Fran at three o’clock in the morning? My instincts screamed at me to have Jimmy taken down to the station and questioned. Who shows up at his dead brother’s widow’s house at three AM? Drunk?
A lying, scheming piece of shit, that’s who.
Reluctantly I eased off the pressure allowing him to finally look in Ava’s direction.
I slowly backed away, not for one second would I let this drunken fool have a chance to do something stupid, like take a swing at me. Not that I was worried he would even make contact, but him swinging on me would mean I would have to beat his ass. That, of course, would be followed by hours of paperwork. Paperwork and time, I did not want to waste on this idiot.
I just wanted a shower and my bed. Screw the hunger pains. I would wait until morning to eat. That would give me the perfect excuse to check on Ava before I hit the office. I could stop in at the café. It wouldn’t be the first time I had stopped in there on my way to work. As a matter of fact, most mornings I was a fixture at the counter. Not because Del Mar’s food was stellar or it was conveniently on my way to the office. It wasn’t convenient. In fact, it was out of the way. Yet day after day I found myself sitting at her counter.
I watched in disgust as Jimmy wrapped his arms around Ava and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “I’ve missed you, Ava,” he slurred.
Fucking douchebag.
“It’s three AM, Jimmy. Have you been drinking?” she asked with the same sweet voice I had heard her use a thousand times before, but this time there was something different. Her tone was laced with hurt.
I had watched the sadness in her eyes fade over the years, but it was shining bright again. I had watched and waited. Waiting for the pain to lessen enough for me to make my move. I wanted Ava Kelley. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch this douchebag bring the sadness back. Watching her grieve the first time was hard enough. If not for me, for her wellbeing, I wasn’t going to allow Jimmy’s presence to break her again.
I knew Jacob Kelley. It was hard for me to believe that this scrawny, drunk, little shit was his brother. Jacob was a good man and a great cop. When the case ran cold on his killer, the detectives called in a marker and asked my crew to take a look at the evidence. Within a week, we had the cop killer delivered to the station, only slightly worse for the wear. He was still breathing and could stand trial. That was all the district attorney asked for. We delivered. I don’t think Ava knew that it was my guys that brought her husband’s killer in. I liked it that way.
“Ava, a word in private,” I requested.
“Sure, Reid.” She pulled away from Jimmy. “Give me a minute to get Jimmy in the house.”
She disappeared into the house with Jimmy. As the seconds ticked by the more I thought this was not a good idea, Ava and JJ being in the house alone with a drunk criminal.
Just as I was about to go into the house and voice my opinion, Ava walked out.
“What happened, Reid? Jimmy said you came out of nowhere and attacked him,” Ava asked.
“Really?” I chuckled, “Is that what he said? I suppose he would think that. I noticed him walking around your house as I pulled into my driveway. Obviously, I wasn’t going to ignore someone wandering around your house in the middle of the night.”
“Right. Thank you for checking it out.” She stopped and smiled at me. “I really need to remember to leave the outside lights on, too,” she added, more as a reminder to herself.
“Listen, are you sure it’s a good idea, him being here?” I asked.
“Oh, sure. Jimmy is harmless.”
No, he wasn’t. But she didn’t have the file I had on Jimmy, with his rap sheet. Over the last five years, he had been investigated for petty theft, robbery, illegal gambling, and grand theft auto. He was now running with a high-profile gang. It had been a few months since I had checked in on James Kelley. Him being here now, did not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.
“It’s after three AM and he is clearly drunk. He certainly has not been around in the last five years.” As soon as the words left my mouth I wanted to pull them back. The last thing I wanted to do was remind her of the last five years.
“We’ll be fine,” she snapped. “Thank you again, Reid.” With that, she turned and walked back into her house.
I waited to hear the lock click before I turned to leave. Mentally kicking my own ass all the way back to my house.
I t
ossed my keys on the entryway table and headed upstairs. As much as I wanted a beer or ten after my night, I knew it was not a good idea. I needed a clear head, just in case Ava and JJ needed me.
I rushed through my shower in a daze. Today’s events still plagued my mind. First, Sally’s findings on the dead girl in the alley. Something wasn’t sitting right with me. In my line of work as a private investigator, I had seen a lot of overdoses and investigated even more missing persons cases. Sadly, most of those ended up with my client’s loved one an addict. I had never heard of addicts using cloves to help with the side effects of withdrawal. Second, there was the badly decomposed body in Mount Diablo Park. The more I ran through what I knew, the more questions I had.
I got into bed only to toss and turn. I prayed that exhaustion would finally win out over the crime scene photos that were replaying over and over in my mind.
Then there was Jimmy. Why was he in San Francisco? And just how much trouble did he bring to Ava’s doorstep?
5
White Knight—no armor needed
Ava
“Hey, where is Jacob Junior?” Jimmy asked as he drunkenly stumbled to the couch.
My heart squeezed at the name. I hadn’t called JJ by his given name in years. It was too painful. I had taken to using JJ on school and medical documents as well. I couldn’t even write the name Jacob, let alone say it out loud. Hearing Jimmy use that name in such a blasé manner made me want to duct tape his mouth shut.
He had no right to say that name. None at all. Jimmy had completely checked out of our lives these last five years. If I was honest, he had checked out before Jacob died. When Jacob and I moved to California, Jimmy stayed in Texas. As much as Jacob tried to shield me from Jimmy’s criminal behavior, I knew. I could see it in Jacob’s eyes. He was heartbroken his little brother had followed in their father’s footsteps and became a shit-bird criminal.
Unbroken Page 3