BURN IN BELL

by Jeremy Waldron

  Tristan’s eyes lit up. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

  Hazel led the way as they got to work. Over the next fifteen minutes, Hazel and Susan walked Tristan through their two proposed routes. Once they were finished, Susan asked Tristan, “Well?”

  Tristan was staring down at his notepad, reading the notes he’d taken along the way. He shook his head and said, “I see potential problems in both options.”

  “No route is going to come without its risks,” Hazel said, reminding Tristan that even the old route had it’s fair share of challenges. There had just been plenty of time to alleviate them.

  “My top concern is the safety of race participants.”

  “As is ours,” Susan said.

  “I can already tell you that Chief Watts isn’t going to like closing down these roads so close to Union Station.”

  “Where else can we go?” Hazel asked as soon as her cellphone started ringing. “I’ve got to take this.” She excused herself from the group and took the call.

  With Hazel out of the way, Susan stepped forward. “We need this. It’s not just for Katie Garcia, but also for Officer Morgan. The city needs you to step up to the plate and help us convince Chief Watts that this is the only option we have.”

  Tristan’s eyes swayed inside of Susan’s. He glanced down at his notes and said, “Option A has the best chance of approval.”

  Susan touched his arm and smiled. “Then that’s the one we pitch.”

  “Hold up, people,” Hazel said, walking at a fast clip back to the group. “That was Chief Watts who called. We may have a problem on our hands.”

  Chapter Sixty-One

  “Did he bite?”

  After I got off the phone with King, I marched straight to my car and turned around to glance up at Walker’s office window. Something told me he was watching us through the mirrored glass—checking if we’d actually leave after his bombshell allegation.

  “You have to return the equipment,” I said to Erin.

  “Sam,” Erin’s shoulders sagged, “you’re jumping to conclusions.”

  She gave me a look that said we should have stayed to hear Walker out. But he’d said enough. Blatantly accusing Angelina Hill of putting the note on Erin’s door made me think the man was willing to do just about anything to throw my life into a downward spiral. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to drive me away from King, or if this was a calculated maneuver to get me to agree to his deal. Either way, it was a good reminder to tread lightly.

  “I don’t think I am. You heard what he said.” I reminded Erin what was inside the files. “Repercussions are real, and every action has a consequence. How else would he know if Angelina put that note on your door? He might as well have admitted his own guilt.”

  Erin was pressing her palm to her cheek when she glanced back at Walker’s building.

  “He’s blinded you with his offer,” I said. “If he didn’t murder Avery, then he at least had a hand in it.”

  I opened my car door but Erin didn’t make a move. “Did you happen to hear what Gemma said just before she left?”

  I hadn’t. “What does that matter?”

  Erin turned to me. “She left right after you asked Walker about Frank Lowe.”

  I remembered. It seemed like another obvious admission of guilt—not wanting to stay to hear why I was asking. Were they hiding something from us? I believed they were.

  Frank Lowe was behind bars, convicted in a fair trial. Who was he and why did it seem like Walker and Gemma were transfixed on his crimes? I was confused by what they really wanted from us and why they couldn’t let us go.

  “They’re hiding something,” I said. “Whether it’s murder or something else, they’re not telling us the complete truth.”

  Erin didn’t disagree as she dropped into the passenger seat. We both closed our doors just as my phone started ringing. I glanced at the display. It was Dawson.

  Answering the call, he said, “Please tell me you’re at the press conference happening right now?”

  “Dawson I’ve already reported on Avery.”

  “Then you must know who killed her.”

  I closed my eyes and rubbed my brow, again thinking I’d made a mistake when telling King to go after Marty. It was a short-sighted move that backfired almost immediately. “You know the photo of the suspect you decided to print?”

  “I do. I’m the one who okayed it.”

  “Where did you get it?”

  “Why does that matter? I trust my source.”

  “You should have run it by me.”

  “We didn’t have time with you running around town doing god knows what. And since when have you been promoted to editorial?”

  I raised my voice and asked again. “Who was it, Dawson?”

  He lowered his volume and said in a firm tone, “It came from the top.”

  “The mayor’s office?”

  “Sam, what’s going on?” Dawson dodged my question completely.

  I couldn’t believe Mayor Noah Goldberg had found his way into this mess, but that was exactly what seemed to have happened. I rolled my gaze over to Erin and shook my head. Then I told Dawson, “I may have made a mistake.”

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  We hit a red light and I tried calling my son. The line rang but he still didn’t pick up.

  Mason was usually good about answering my calls and telling me what he was up to. Except last night he failed to mention anything about being at the park, even though I should have assumed he was heading there when I saw him leave the house with a basketball tucked under his arm to meet Jamaal.

  My hopes spiked when the line clicked over. And they deflated equally as fast when realizing it was only his voicemail answering. I didn’t bother leaving him another message so I killed the call and tried the house line but got nothing.

  Erin asked, “Could he be screening your calls?”

  The light flicked to green and I punched the gas. The car lurched forward, but was slow to hit its stride. I asked Erin, “Why don’t you try calling him from your cell.”

  “My pleasure,” she said, taking my phone into her hand to get Mason’s number.

  My thoughts turned to worries when I began thinking about how I hadn’t had time to ask my son about why he was in the park, if there were others besides him and Jamaal—or if Jamaal was even there to begin with. Could it be he wasn’t answering my calls because of what he saw? Or was he afraid he’d get in trouble if he knew I had found out he was there?

  Erin lowered her phone away from her ear and shook her head no. She glanced to my hands and I followed her gaze to see what she was looking at. My knuckles were ghost white as my fingers clamped hard to the steering wheel. I immediately released one hand and shook it out.

  “He’ll be fine, Sam. Chelsea Kennedy has agreed to meet us at the station. If anyone can work this out in a timely manner, it’s her.”

  I nodded, thankful for Erin’s friend to agree to sit in with my son at such short notice.

  “Who knows, maybe Mason saw Marty at the park?” Erin pulled the visor mirror down and began touching her face.

  When I mentioned Marty Ray’s name to King, I was only thinking about myself. Now, there was a small part of me that regretted saying anything at all. Allison trusted me to do the right thing and I’d made the mistake of suddenly becoming the source of a published rumor that I wasn’t convinced was actually true.

  “We don’t even know it’s Marty who’s in the photo,” I said without conviction.

  Erin pushed the visor mirror back into the ceiling. “If he’s innocent, the police will pick him up, question him, and then let him go. Standard procedure.”

  I knew as much, but now that my son was facing the same standard procedure, suddenly it didn’t seem fair. I just didn’t like being the one to have started the manhunt. Marty’s reputation was already fragile and I was still hoping Walker would be questioned about his whereabouts last night, too. Yet, to my knowledge, there’d
never been any mention of him.

  “Why did the mayor intervene?” My thoughts were still churning.

  “A police officer was killed on his watch.”

  I was shaking my head as we turned onto my street. “I understand that, but Dawson suggested the image of Marty came directly from the mayor’s office.”

  “Sam—” Erin’s breath caught in her chest when pointing to the street ahead.

  When my eyes traveled up the block, I couldn’t believe it. Two cop cars were parked outside of my house and the front door appeared to be open.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Heather came running out of the house before I had the wheels stopped. My heart was racing with speculation as I pushed my car door open and asked my sister, “What’s going on?”

  Heather stopped a couple feet from my window. “Sam, they took Mason into custody.”

  The wind got knocked out of me as I twisted my neck around and found myself staring into the back of a squad car. Through the glare on the window I could see Mason in the back. His head hung low with shame—his spine curled over with fear. Either they were making a big mistake, or they had something solid on him to have made an arrest.

  I heard boots traveling through my house. “You let the cops inside?”

  Heather stuttered, giving a one shoulder shrug. “They said there was nothing to worry about.”

  Pushing my hand through my hair, I said, “And you believed them?”

  “I did.”

  “Why?” I squealed.

  “Sam, they said they were here on King’s instruction.”

  My cheeks were iron hot. King was supposed to be at his mother’s. What the hell was going on? “Is King here?”

  Heather shook her head. “How was I supposed to know they would take Mason into custody?”

  I swept my gaze to Erin and told her to head inside, make sure the police knew they weren’t invited. I also needed to know that Cooper was behaving himself and not adding to the drama.

  “They’re going to want to hear that from you since you’re the homeowner.”

  I told her to go regardless. Erin raced inside and I hurried to Mason with hopes of rescuing him. I banged on the window with my fists as I yelled, “I’m here. Mom is here. Don’t say anything. Got it?”

  Mason nodded—his round, scared eyes staring back at me.

  “I’m going to get you out of here. There is a lawyer already waiting for you at the police station.” Mason looked like he was about to cry. “Keep your mouth shut.” Mason nodded again. “I mean it. Don’t say anything without me present.”

  “I’m going to have to ask you to back away from the vehicle.”

  Footsteps sounded behind me. I spun around and faced the officer. He was an impressively tall and intimidating man. Looking up into his eyes, I said, “You arrested a boy?”

  “Are you his mother?”

  “I am.” Every muscle in my body tensed. “Did you read him his rights?”

  He gave me a look like it was the most ridiculous question he’d ever heard. “We’re taking your son in for questioning.”

  “Let him out,” I demanded. “I’ll take him myself.”

  He shook his head no. “Too late for that.”

  “He’s only sixteen years old.” I was livid and hot and I felt like my hands were tied. Where was King and why hadn’t he stopped this from happening? The two-hour window he gave me was barely half over, yet here we were.

  “Miss, please.” The officer held up one hand. “Step away from the vehicle before I forcibly remove you.”

  “And what the hell are you doing in my house?” I snapped, marching toward the front door. “You better have a warrant for that.”

  “We were given permission to step inside.” The officer rolled his neck and glanced to Heather.

  I hit my brakes and looked to my sister. Heather was sheepishly looking at me as I glared at her mistake. Running inside, I yelled, “Out now. Everyone, out of my house before I sue the department for misconduct.”

  “That’s all right.” Another officer stepped forward, exiting the house. “We’re done here.”

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Gemma Love walked easier after her meeting with Marty Ray. She left him there on the bench to think about who held the power. Though she saw doubt swirl in his dark eyes, she meant every word of what she said.

  Her heels clacked over the concrete path as a grin stretched her lips thin. If what Marty said was true, and it matched what was inside the packet he gave to her, then she and Walker were one step closer to completing the mission they first set out on.

  At the traffic light, she crossed the street and continued to head toward Union Station when an escalating commotion from the dog park behind her caught her attention. Turning on a heel, Gemma lowered her brow and smiled. She wasn’t surprised to see Marty arguing with two cops as they restrained his hands behind his back.

  “Don’t worry honey, we all must make sacrifices for the greater good.” Gemma smirked and shook her head at the sight of Marty’s resistance. “This will all be over soon.”

  A car horn honked.

  Gemma rolled her neck forward and saw a familiar black SUV with tinted windows slow and pull to the curb. The back door opened and Gemma climbed inside. Walker greeted her with a kiss to her cheek.

  She asked, “Did Samantha or Erin suspect anything after I left?”

  Walker straightened out his shoulder strap and shook his head. The driver turned the wheel and merged into traffic. “I distracted her by telling them Angelina Hill left the note on Erin’s door.”

  “Did she believe you?”

  “Doubtful.” Walker frowned when talking about how Samantha was still stuck on what he said to Officer Morgan. “Didn’t even bother to ask how we knew.”

  Gemma opened her tote and retrieved the folder Marty gave to her. “I’m doubting we even need Samantha at this point.”

  Walker said evenly, “I’m not ready to release her back into the wild.”

  Gemma pulled out a single piece of paper from the folder and scanned the text with her eyes.

  “Too much is happening for her to clearly see what we’re showing her.” Walker rolled his neck and flicked his eyes to the paper Gemma was reading. “I’m certain she’ll come around. We just need her to see what’s at stake.”

  “Holy shit.” Gemma’s voice was light with excitement. “He actually did it.” She turned to look at Walker, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Marty confirmed who we thought it was.”

  Their eyes met and they shared a knowing look. Walker held her eyes, a slow smile curling his lips. “If this checks out,” Walker tapped the folder, “then Samantha is the only one who has the power to free Frank Lowe.”

  Gemma’s expression pinched.

  “You don’t agree?” Walker asked.

  “I do.”

  “But?”

  “There might be a problem.”

  Walker’s eyes narrowed and his head floated back on his shoulders when Gemma showed him the photo of the man she saw watching her in the park.

  Gemma asked, “Any idea who he is?”

  Walker gave her a look that said, should I?

  “He was watching me just before I met with Marty.”

  “It’s probably nothing,” Walker turned his attention forward, “but we better find out who he is and see what he wants before we go any further.”

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  I rushed into the police station and checked in at the front desk. The lady rolled her neck and arched her brow when staring at me.

  “My son just arrived,” I said, hoping I hadn’t been lied to and Mason really was only here to be questioned—which meant he didn’t need to go through the official booking process of an actual arrest. “His name is Mason Bell. He came in a patrol car just a few minutes ago.”

  The lady turned her eyes to her computer screen and began pecking at the keys.

  “Chelsea’s in the building.” Erin’s hand pre
ssed between my shoulder blades. “She’s going to meet us here.”

  Relief swept over me. Formalities were taking too long. I had told my sister to keep her phone close in case I needed some assistance, but I still couldn’t believe the cops had been inside my house. I didn’t see anything missing, but I didn’t exactly take the time to check. More than anything, my frustrations were rooted in the principle of the fourth amendment and my desire to hold the department to a higher standard—even if they argued their visit was nothing more than a protective sweep to ensure everyone’s safety.

  My fingers drummed on the desk. The clerk was still on the phone. She covered the mic with her hand and asked me my name this time. Hesitant to give it because of my profession, I said, “My son’s name is Mason Bell.”

  “Your name, ma’am. That’s what I asked. That’s what I need.”

  I tipped forward and lowered my voice. “Samantha Bell.”

  She nodded and went back to talking on the phone without any indication she knew who I was.

  I heard footsteps hurrying toward me and, when I turned my head, I locked eyes with a long-legged brunette who had a lioness gaze filled with focus and determination. I knew who she was without ever having seen her before. She held out her hand and said, “Chelsea Kennedy.”

  “Samantha Bell. Mason’s mother.” I grasped her hand and thanked her for coming on such short notice.

  “Erin has filled me in with what’s happened so far. Anything else I should know before I go meet with your son?”

  I couldn’t think of anything, only adding that I wasn’t exactly sure what they had on him to make an arrest.

  “I’ll figure it out,” Mrs. Kennedy said, turning on a heel. She promised to have this sorted out as soon as possible. The desk clerk gave us access to head inside as well.

  We broke through the gates and Erin followed close behind as I hurried through the maze of corridors and hallways, not sure where I was heading or what interrogation room they had put my son inside. Knowing eyes glared as if I was the enemy, but I brushed off the intense stares, my son being the only thing that mattered.