by Sofie Hern
The next day he saw Adam’s yellow Jeep parked at the entrance. He waited to make sure it was in fact, Adam, who emerged from the Jeep and headed inside. Levy waited, and less than thirty minutes later, he saw the boy being pushed in a wheelchair and when the Jeep pulled away, Levy followed.
He drove a few car spaces behind and with the LA traffic so heavy it was easy to blend in. He followed them to the beach where the Jeep was stopped for a while. He was about to give up, but then the Jeep got back on Pacific Coast Highway. After driving for a few more minutes, the Jeep pulled into a driveway of a beautiful home and Levy drove on. Now he had the location which he has been watching since.
On Christmas day he followed the Jeep to the beach again but they were taking too damn long there so he gave up on the surveillance. Yesterday, he drove Rose’s car and followed the Jeep to the airport where they picked up a woman whom Levy had never seen. From the airport, they went to the hospital where they stayed for nearly an hour before heading back to the expensive-looking house where they unloaded luggage.
Later on in the day, he saw the same woman dressed in scrubs and she drove the Jeep to a nearby pharmacy where Levy learned that she’s the boy’s nurse. Now there are five people living in that house.
After a week of watching and following them, he learned that the owner of the house and Jaycob work at KTEY. He knows what time they leave and what time they come back. The hardest to learn has been Adam. He has no routine, which makes it difficult for Levy to predict his movements. All Levy knows for certain is that the boy is always with him.
Now that he knows all of their daily moves, he woke up thinking that there was no reason to leave the hotel today. He and his girl will stay in and wait for the New Year and celebrate by smoke some pot, get drunk and have sex. These were his plans, but now everything has changed.
With Adam nowhere near the boy he knows this is his chance. That house they’re staying at is pretty expensive and looks like the owner is loaded. How much of it would Adam pay to get his nephew back?
–
He drives by the expensive home and sees Adam’s Jeep parked in the driveway and the owner’s car is gone. This means the only ones in the house are the boy and his nurse.
He parks his black Honda across the street. This is gonna be easier than I thought. He gets out of the car and looks around to make sure that nobody’s watching.
The morning is strangely cold. Quickly he crosses the street, walks up to the porch and rings the bell. He knows he needs to act quickly. The woman has no idea who he is or what to expect so he has that to his advantage.
His heart is pounding with excitement and anticipation. He rings the bell one more time and the nurse opens the door. “Yes?”
He hits her on the left temple with his elbow; she hits the floor and is out cold.
He closes the door behind him, looks around then takes one step forward and Jaycob appears. Levy freezes and Jaycob looks down at the woman on the floor. What the fuck? He’s supposed to be gone, thinks Levy and curses himself for being so careless. He should have been watching the house today.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” asks Jaycob who Levy thinks looks nervous. He’s lost all the color from his face.
Levy smiles and sees Jaycob glance up the stairs. Levy follows his gaze and sprints up the stairs.
“Aaron, lock your door!” screams Jaycob as he chases after Levy. He grabs Levy by the legs and tries to pull him back down, but Levy kicks him in the face and he lets go.
When Levy makes it up the stairs, he sees the boy in the wheelchair on the landing. “There’s my son,” he says with a smile and slowly approaches the boy.
The boy is in shock, unable to move. Moments later Jaycob appears upstairs. “Leave him alone!” He says in a shaky voice.
Levy turns around and finds Jaycob holding a gun. He smiles when he sees that Jaycob is shaking.
“Put the gun down, kid,” says Levy with his hands on his hips.
“J-just leave, okay?”
“What? You’re gonna shoot me?”
Jaycob takes a step closer and Levy puts his hands up. The boy is finally able to make his chair move and goes around, hiding behind Jaycob who is standing by the stairs.
“Jake?” calls the woman from downstairs.
“Call 911!” Jaycob yells and Levy knows he’s done.
“Just put it down, man.”
“Go in there,” Jaycob points him to a room on the left. Levy keeps his hands up as he slowly makes his way to the room. Suddenly he sees an opportunity, but needs to time it perfectly. He approaches the stairs.
“In the room!” repeats Jaycob.
But Levy turns to the stairs and makes a run for it, pulling the boy behind him.
The woman screams as the boy tumbles down the stairs, right behind Levy, who loses his balance and falls as the boy tumbles over him. He hears a gunshot and he manages to crawl to the door. The woman tries to stop him, but he kicks her away and runs out.
–
He runs across the street, looking all around and runs to his car as fast as he can. With shaky hands, he starts the engine and speeds off. He looks behind him and sees Jaycob who fires another shot, hitting the back window, which explodes into a thousand pieces.
He isn't sure how much of a head start he has on Jaycob and the cops and he needs to get away. He drives south for about two miles looking in all the mirrors making sure he’s not being followed.
People look at him as he speeds through the streets, others honk when he misses a stop sign. He pulls into a motel, parks behind a building and turns off the car.
He gets out and runs behind another building. He hears the sirens and sees two police cars speed by.
“Fuck,” he whispers and leans against the wall to catch his breath. Moments later an ambulance goes by and he goes back to the car for his phone.
“Yes?”
“We have a problem.”
It was déjà-vu, all over again.
“What?”
“I fucked up”
“Again?” Irene is furious. “What happened?”
“The boy might be gone and… and the police are on their way.”
“What the fuck happened, Levy?”
He ends the call. He has no time for her. Not anymore. Not ever again.
He then called Rose.
“Yes?”
“I need your help,” he’s out of breath, and out of options.
“I'm at… 1022 Bernice in Santa Monica. “Get your ass here and bring our shit, but hurry!” he urges and ends the call.
He is in complete shock and disbelief. From the trunk, he retrieves a screwdriver and proceeded to remove the license plates. He knows he has to leave the car behind and needs to make sure he leaves no traceable evidence. When he’s satisfied, he sits in the car to wait for his ride.
23
JAYCOB
Jaycob rushes back in the house to find Aaron at the foot of the stairs. His entire body trembles as he approaches and drops to the floor where Aaron lies. He places the gun by his side as Beth tends to Aaron while on the phone with 911.
“Yes, he is breathing,” says Beth to the dispatcher.
Jaycob feels like he’s frozen, but gets to his feet and slowly steps back.
When the police arrive, they order them to come out with their hands up. “I’m a nurse… I am helping someone in here!” Beth yells then turns to Jaycob.
“Jake,” she calls, but he can’t take his eyes off Aaron.
“Jake… Jake, look at me,” she orders.
Jaycob turns to her, slowly.
“You’re gonna be okay… go on.”
He walks out of the house with his hands up and he’s ordered to turn around and walk backward.
“Hurry with the damn ambulance!” He hears Beth scream.
Someone takes Jaycob’s hands and puts handcuffs on him, then pulls him back. Once he’s taken, the EMTs rush inside.
–
They put Ja
ycob in a police cruiser and tell him to sit tight. He sees Beth emerge from the house, crying. One of the EMTs examines Jaycob’s nose and determines that it’s broken, then tells the officer that he needs to get treated at the hospital.
Another officer takes Beth to a different police cruiser, but she’s not cuffed. Jaycob assumes they are questioning her and after a moment he sees that she’s on her phone.
Jaycob’s gaze is now fixed on the front door as he waits for them to bring Aaron out. They finally rush Aaron out of the house and into the ambulance. Beth approaches them and says something that Jaycob can’t make out. The ambulance doors close and it speeds off with crying sirens.
Jaycob is shivering and he isn’t sure what will happen to him.
“We’re going to take your statement and then get you to the hospital,” says one of the officers and Jaycob nods.
Jaycob explains what took place in the house as they take notes. When the officers finish questioning him, they order him to step out of the car and when he does, they remove the cuffs.
Beth approaches and tells him that Howard is on the way to the hospital, the same one where Aaron was before and that she will stay behind while the officers continue with the investigation and then she gives him a hug. “You’re going to be okay,” she says, but Jaycob isn’t so sure. He sits in the cruiser and then is taken to the hospital where Aaron will be arriving soon.
–
He looks out the window as the officer takes his sweet time driving through the streets of Santa Monica. The outside world feels unreal and all Jaycob wants to do is hide.
“You’re going to get your nose checked, kid,” one officer tells him, but Jaycob doesn’t care if he gets checked or not. And why do people keep calling him kid, anyway?
They get on the freeway where traffic is light and they arrive at the hospital within minutes. He gets out of the cruiser and feels the sun on his face, making his eyes water.
–
The emergency room looks to be busy and Jaycob is glad that nobody is paying any attention to him as they go about their business. His heart is pounding as the officer escorts him inside, where he fills out some paperwork.
He looks around and hopes to see Dr. Barksdale and maybe she’ll let him know how Aaron is doing but there’s no one he recognizes. He’s asked to sign a few forms and then is taken to an examination room where the police officer tells him that he’ll be outside the door.
Jaycob feels like a prisoner and fears what will happen next. They should be looking for him, he thinks while he waits. The officer tells him that he isn’t under arrest, but Jaycob isn’t sure why the officer has to wait out there. He sits on the examination table and rubs his face and the pain reminds him why he’s there. A doctor walks in and smiles at him, but Jaycob might as well be made of stone.
He’s given nasal spray and asked to inhale. “It might sting a little,” the doctor warns but Jaycob doesn’t care. The doctor then opens the nostrils with a nasal speculum and says that he’s realigning his bones and cartilage.
“Very minor fracture,” he announces.
He then cleans the bridge of his nose with antiseptic wipes and places gauze over it and holds it in place with surgical tape.
“You’re good to go. You may use the nasal spray should you have any discomfort.”
–
As promised, the officer is waiting outside the door and becomes Jaycob’s shadow for the next few minutes. They walk back to the emergency waiting room and all Jaycob wants is to be left alone.
He needs to know Aaron’s condition. He’s standing in the middle of the chaotic floor, in a haze, and is told to step aside and he moves out of the way. The officer keeps a close eye on him from the opposite side of the room.
His breathing becomes heavy and the sounds of the room become louder and louder by the minute and he feels lost in the chaos. He leans against the wall and slides down to the floor where he hugs his knees and buries his face in them. He wants to disappear and wishes he were dead.
Moments later, he’s startled by someone who puts their hands on his shoulder and Jaycob jerks away then realizes it’s Howard.
He immediately gets to his feet, gives Howard a hug and buries his face in his shoulder. When he lets go, he sees that the officer hasn’t moved. Jaycob then turns to look at Howard then down to the floor and starts to pace.
“I… I did... I didn't…” Jaycob can’t speak.
“Come on. Let's go,” says Howard, who leads Jaycob to an empty waiting room.
“One second, please,” he tells the officer who follows them to the room.
“I’ll be right here,” the officer says, standing by the door.
–
Jaycob drops in one of the chairs and Howard crouches in front of him, with his hands on Jaycob’s shoulders.
“What happened was an accident, okay?”
Jaycob shakes his head. “I couldn't... I… I…” He’s shaking uncontrollably.
“Look at me.”
Jaycob does.
“It was an accident. Do you understand?”
Jaycob nods as he continues to cry. Howard gives him a hug, then goes to get a cup of water for Jaycob who takes it with shaky hands. He takes a sip, then throws the cup across the room as hard as he can and water splatters everywhere.
“Everything okay in there?” asks the officer.
“Yes, fine,” says Howard.
Jaycob stands and starts to pace the floor, scratching his head.
“Why are they taking so long?” he asks.
“Still in surgery. They need time,” Howard tells him and then there’s a knock on the door.
“Yes?” says Howard.
“We need to come in,” replies a woman and Howard tells her to come in.
The woman is dressed in a business suit, looks to be about forty and has an intimidating demeanor. She shows her badge. “Mr. Novak, I’m sergeant Soriano with LAPD, can we talk?”
Jaycob looks at Howard, who nods.
“Yeah.” Says Jaycob, and Howard steps out of the room.
24
ADAM
As soon as I leave Irene’s, I know what I have to do. I don’t understand her reaction. I don’t even recognize her anymore. I head to the restaurant to meet with Thomas and Colin. I am not only angry with her, but to some degree, I feel scared because I’ve never seen her so angry.
New Year’s in Las Vegas is a chaotic event and trying to get from point A to point B is a challenge, even at 11:30 in the morning. The weather is cold, but people don’t seem to mind. I’m hoping to leave for LA sooner than I planned, especially because Rita isn’t around.
–
I arrive at the crowded restaurant where Thomas waits for me. He stands and we shake hands.
“How did it go?” He invites me to sit down.
“Vandalism it is.”
“That bad?”
I nod.
The restaurant has an old western theme, complete with ragtime music which is too loud for my taste. It’s a lot more crowded than I hoped with people laughing and talking loudly as they eat and drink. I do my best to focus on the task at hand.
“I'm starting to learn who she really is,” I tell him as I take a drink of water from a glass that is placed in front of me.
“I'll get on that right away,” he says.
I’m still shaking from the encounter and start to wonder if perhaps Colin is right about Jordyn. No. I think, shaking my head. A mother would never do such a thing.
Colin arrives moments later and I introduce him to Thomas.
“I was just at your mom’s,” I tell him and share what had taken place.
“You can't let her get away with it,” says Colin.
“No, she won't. Thomas is going to take care of that for us.”
Thomas nods.
I can tell that Colin is upset and anxious to get started.
The waiter arrives to take our order and when he leaves, Thomas takes out a notepad. “Adam tel
ls me you don't believe your sister committed suicide?”
Colin shakes his head and leans in to speak. “I knew her better than anyone. She didn’t do it. Especially now. She was really happy and… I just know. I told her she could move to Colorado with me and finish school there. She was excited.”
Thomas takes notes.
The waiter arrives with our drinks, places them on the table and leaves with a smile.
“The investigator gave my mom his card and she threw it in the trash. If I’m her and my daughter is dead, I would keep it in case I remember some shit, ya know?”
Thomas writes this down. “Do you have the card?”
“I do,” I tell him and take it from my wallet.
“Can I keep it? I want to talk to this guy.”
“Yes of course.”
Our food finally arrives and we eat and talk.
“Was there anything unusual in the room when you arrived that day?”
Colin thinks about it as he chews on his steak. The lunch rush is in full swing now.
“The first thing I did was check her laptop, and get this, her last search was done the day before, while she was at school. But what caught my attention was that the searches were done within seconds of each other. If I’m planning to commit suicide and look up how to do it, I would take my time reading, you know? But those searches were done way too fast and all on the same day.
“I went all the way back to October and there was no search prior to this. And the big one? None of the searches contained anything about antifreeze.”
I’m actually glad about the noise and no one was paying any attention to our conversation. I’m confused and trying to understand what he’s saying. Colin has always enjoyed working with computers so he knows what he’s talking about.
Before coming here I was hoping that it was all an overreaction on his part, but hearing him and seeing Irene that angry changes that.
Suddenly I have no appetite and only nibble on some fries.
Thomas continues to make notes and when we finish our lunch, we make our way to the parking lot.
–
“Thanks again for doing this for us, I appreciate it,” I say to Thomas and we shake hands as my phone rings in my pocket. Beth is calling.
