Love and Injustice

by Mary Crawford

  Jade puts down her sketchpad and silently walks over and puts her arms around me. “It’s okay. I believe you. I believe other people will believe you too. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t change who you are on the inside,” she murmurs softly against my temple.

  For a long time we simply stand there and I absorb her strength. After a while, I take a shaky breath and whisper, “Thank you, you have no idea how much I needed that.”

  “I don’t exactly, but I’ve been in a situation where my whole life was turned upside down and I lost my sense of identity. It took the love of another person for me to find myself.”

  “It’s funny you should say that. I told Cody the other day that it felt like I was stuck between love and injustice and I didn’t know which way the scales would tip.”

  “That’s actually a great idea for a tattoo. How do you feel about Lady Justice?”

  “I love Iustitia. We had this huge statue in my law library. Whenever I felt discouraged or too tired to study, I would look up at it and remind myself why I was there. She gave me courage to push through and study harder. I went to law school to make a difference in the world. All these years later, I still feel the same passion.”

  “Okay, give me a few minutes to draw something up. Where do you want this bad boy?”

  “I’m often accused of wearing my heart on my sleeve. Let’s make that literal. I’ve got nothing to hide. I’m going to have some fun pointing that out to some people in my life who can’t seem to get a clue.”

  Jade gives me a small salute as she picks up a handful of pencils and heads back to her light board. “It’s a plan. I love it when my tattoos can carry a message. This will be fun. Welcome to Ink’d Deep. I’m so happy you came in today.”

  Cody looks absolutely wrecked when he comes in my back door after work. He walks over to hug me and I back out of his arms. A blank look crosses his face and he tries to disguise his hurt. I place my hand on his forearm as he turns to leave. “Wait, don’t go. I’m just a little sore,” I confess as I pull up the sleeve of the baseball jersey.

  When he sees Jade’s artwork under the clear plastic, he whistles softly. “Gotta admit, I’m more than a little jealous. I’ve wanted Jade to scribble on me for a while. How did you talk her into it?”

  I shrug. “I got lucky, I guess. I just asked.”

  “Maybe I’m not as charming as you are. She’s always busy when I try to book an appointment. You know, she’s booked out like two years?”

  “Really? She never said a word. One of her clients had a dental emergency.”

  “Jade must adore you. She has a wait list a mile and a half long. How ever you got your piece, it is gorgeous. We should go out and celebrate. I’m feeling stir crazy. Does Jade care if you go outside with that?”

  “I’m sure she doesn’t want me to go sunbathing. As long as I keep it covered, I’m sure it’s fine.”

  “I feel like going to the beach. There is this awesome little crab shack that sets up shop near Crescent Beach.”

  I can’t hide my surprise. “I guess it’s a good thing I ate a snack. That’s a long way from home.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m a good driver. I took defensive driving,” Cody jokes as he grabs one of my jackets from the coat closet.

  “What about Calico Jack?” I ask.

  “He’s already out in your side yard waiting for us.”

  “Oh, I guess you were pretty certain I’d say yes?” I tease as I bump his hip on the way past him. I grab a bag of dog treats I was planning to take over to Cody’s house.

  Cody sees me out of the corner of his eye. “Hey! No wonder Calico Jack likes you best. Do you do that all the time?”

  I nod. “Of course. Don’t worry, he’s not the only one I spoil. Why do you think I make you chocolate chip cookies every week?”

  “You don’t always make me chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes you make me peanut butter cookies,” Cody argues sarcastically.

  I shrug. “What can I say? I like to keep the men in my life happy.”

  “You do make me incredibly happy. Calico Jack too, it seems,” he says as he eyes the treats glumly.

  I pat him on the top of the head. “Poor baby! You didn’t tell me we were going to go anywhere, so I didn’t have a goodie bag packed for you. Give me a minute and I can get one.”

  Cody grins like a seven-year-old kid. “You are the absolute best! Do whatever you have to do. I’ll go round up Calico Jack and get him ready to go.”

  I stand on my tiptoes and kiss Cody on the cheek as I hand him the bag of dog treats. “You may need these. I’ll have your treats later.”

  My face heats as Cody winks at me and murmurs, “Promises, promises, promises —”

  Cody pops the last bite of crab in my mouth. I close my eyes and savor the last buttery bite. It is all I can do not to moan. “Okay, I can’t believe I’ve missed out on this my whole life.”

  “What do you mean?” Cody asks as he laughs at my expression. “Haven’t you had fresh crab before?”

  “Probably not this fresh,” I admit. “I’ve never eaten at a place like this. Growing up, my mom was a real stickler for cleanliness. In her mind, that meant eating only at places with tablecloths and cloth napkins — of course, that ruled out any place like this.”

  “That’s too bad. That’s one of my favorite perks about being a cop. I get to go into people’s neighborhoods and find out the best places to eat. Some of them look pretty shady, but the locals know where the best food is. I’ve traveled to a lot of different places — especially working undercover — sometimes, the food is the best part. Contrary to what people believe, I don’t always eat donuts and coffee, although Dylan and I have consumed more than our fair share of those too.”

  I take a moment to ogle his body, pausing for a second to appreciate his ridiculous abs. “You keep saying that, but I find it hard to believe. You and Palmer are in remarkably good shape. You guys can’t eat as much junk food as you say you do.”

  Cody throws his head back and laughs. “We do! It’s only because Palmer busts my butt at the gym too.”

  “How is he? It had to be a big blow not to find Tallulah Johnson when you guys located Isadora.”

  Cody puts his elbows on the picnic table and rubs his temples. “It was hard on all of us. We want to solve every case as quickly as possible. When we didn’t find all the missing kids together, it was like a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Even worse, when Isadora found out there were three other kids her age who were still missing, she was destroyed. She saw other kids, but she didn’t realize they had also been kidnapped. She thought they might’ve been involved with drug deals or something. She had no idea they suffered the same fate she did. She’s worn herself out trying to remember every single conversation she had with Bex Michaels. She’s even trying hypnosis.”

  “Oh my gosh, poor baby. She needs to be moving on with her life — not trying to relive every second of her captivity. How awful for her.”

  “I feel the same way. But on the other hand, everything she can give us is helpful. I want to protect her. Fortunately, the agent in charge is being exceptionally careful and working with her psychologist so I feel better about it — but it’s still not an ideal situation. I’ve heard any suggestion to her to slow down and take it easy is being met with huge resistance. She wants to nail these guys and find the rest of the kids. She is driven and focused.”

  “I can’t imagine. Her whole life is forever changed by this.”

  “I know. I guess Toby Payne has kept in touch with her and is helping her with her transition back into the real world.”

  “That is sweet of him. This can't be easy for him either.”

  “I can’t imagine it is. But I think helping other people is a good thing for him. He spent a lot of years being the victim. Being a hero is a good fit for him.”

  “Speaking of being a hero, how are you? You spent a lot of time asking me how I was doing when you were out of town, but you didn’t talk much about how y
ou’re coping with all this.”

  “Well, I’m alive … and I should probably buy stock in the company who makes Tums and No-Doze. I worry a lot these days. I worry we won't get to the other kids in time, I worry about the damage being done to them while we scramble to find them, I worry about the damage already done to Isadora, I worry about the kids I didn’t even know existed before we found her. I worry about the nameless, faceless strangers who take these kids. Will we be able to find enough evidence to nail their balls to the wall?”

  “That’s a lot of worrying —”

  “Oh, that’s not even the half of it —”

  “When do you find time to sleep?”

  “I don’t. That’s part of the problem. That’s why we’re wandering around the beach eating crab legs from a mobile crab shack. I finally reached my limit. I’ve hit a wall where I can’t take any more. Reports are bleeding together and I can’t tell one Internet site from another. My soul desperately needs recharging, so I’m stepping back and playing hooky at the beach with you. I just can’t cope anymore.”

  I pull Cody up to a standing position and wrap my arms around his waist. As I rest my head on his chest and listen to the steady beat of his heart, the role reversal is not lost on me. “How hard is it for you to take care of yourself for a change?”

  Cody glances down at me and the corner of his mouth hitches up. “Am I really that transparent?”

  “I don’t get to take care of you often. Usually you’re the one fixing me up after life beats me up. This is nice. I could get used to holding you and kissing your boo-boos.”

  Cody reaches up and points to his bottom lip. “I think I’m a little sore right here Ms. Clarkson.”

  Grinning, I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him lightly. “There, is that better?”

  He scoops me up in his arms and takes his time as he explores my mouth with a sensual kiss. Just as I relax against his chest, his phone rings. It’s the theme song from Magnum PI.

  “Crap! That’s Dylan. He knew I was on a date with you. If he’s interrupting, it’s important.”

  I wiggle in his arms and try to reach his phone. “Answer it! If anybody understands how our jobs don’t fit into convenient hours, it’s me.”

  Cody reluctantly puts me down and digs through his jacket pocket which he left on the picnic bench. “If Palmer doesn’t have a life and death emergency, he’s gonna buy lunch for the next two months,” he grumbles under his breath. His phone stops ringing before he can get to it, but Palmer immediately calls back.

  When Cody answers the phone, he says “This better be important — you know what I had planned —”

  I can’t hear what Dylan Palmer says, but whatever it is, it sounds strident.

  Cody looks like he’s been hit by a two by four.

  “No sh —” He looks up at me with wide eyes. “Where is he now? I’ll meet him back at the station in two hours. If he only wants to talk to me, tell the captain to respect his wishes. His family doesn’t trust the police very much. I don’t want to freak him out. Is Dashonte with him?”

  As Cody listens to Palmer on the phone, I collect our belongings and stuff them into my oversized tote bag. After Cody hangs up, I try to contain my curiosity. I realize I’m not fully involved in the case even though technically I’m a paid assistant. I’m dying to know what’s going on, but I don’t want to jeopardize the case. So, I walk quietly beside Cody for a few minutes before I finally asked, “Does that mean what I think it means?”

  “I’m not exactly sure what it means yet. DeAndre just walked into the precinct to report his own kidnapping — but the only detective he wants to speak with is me.”

  “Any reason why?”

  “Not a clue. I guess we’ll find out in a couple of hours.”

  “You were part of Isadora’s rescue, is it possible he knows?”

  “Isadora swears she doesn’t know any of the other kidnapping victims, so on the surface, that doesn’t seem likely — but I guess you never know in cases like this. We’ll have to see how it all plays out.”

  As we get back to Cody’s car, he opens a safe in a hidden compartment in his trunk. He pulls out a laptop and tosses me the keys. “Do you mind driving? I have to review case notes before I talk to DeAndre.”

  I smile. “No problem. I’m always happy to play chauffeur when I get to drive your hot rod. I won’t get a speeding ticket because the car belongs to a law enforcement officer, right?” I add with a wink.

  Cody swallows hard. “Nah, that’s pure urban legend. You have to treat my baby much more gently — otherwise terrible things happen to her insides.”

  I grin mischievously. “Don’t worry. Responsible is my middle name.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CODY

  WHEN I ENTER THE INTERROGATION room, DeAndre gives me a sullen scowl. “Took you long enough.”

  I have to cover my shock when I see the gaunt teenager with swollen black eyes. If it were not for his defiant body language and the slight Jamaican accent in his voice, I’d swear I was looking at a different kid. Finally, I find my voice and respond to his criticism, “Sorry, I was out of town. Got here as quickly as I could.”

  “My brother said I could trust you,” he blurts. “Is he right? You’re not just BS-ing me and making me wait because you like to see me suffer?”

  “No, I wouldn’t lie to you. I was up at Crescent Beach. I can show you my receipt for the crab shack.”

  “Okay, I get it. It’s just that I don’t trust anybody these days. People suck.”

  “I don’t blame you. If I were in your shoes, I’d feel the same way.”

  “What did Dashonte tell you about what happened?” DeAndre asks.

  “He didn’t know. He was just worried because no one could find you.”

  “Yeah, I bet everybody assumed I took off with gang bangers again.”

  “It was something we investigated, sure. But all the evidence pointed to the fact you’ve been turning your life around,” I insist.

  DeAndre smirks. “I thought I was and then apparently the cockroaches in our apartment ate my brain.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, surprised by his odd statement.

  “Well, my mom and my parole officer were telling me to be careful about who I hang with. So, I’ve been paying attention to my peeps, or at least I thought it was. So, I’ve been minding my business and learning to skateboard. I’ve been watching vintage Tony Hawk videos and a bunch of stuff online. I was practicing my skills and getting pretty dope.”

  “That’s cool.”

  “When I started hanging out with a bunch of new people at the new skate park, I even had my PO run their names to make sure they were straight with the law because you know I didn’t want to mess with any low lives and start that all sh — stuff over again —”

  “Smart strategy,” I mumble as I continue to take notes.

  “I thought so too. We had a tight group and things were going great for a few months. So, then this new guy started coming around. Ig said he was documenting stuff for his YouTube channel. He had business cards and everything. I started following his channel. He had lotsa different channels. One was for extreme sports. He had another one for artists. He had another one for musicians — it was kinda cool. He had like this whole thing for underground artists and creative types. It was like the anti-cool kid thing. I knew some people from my school and from some other schools around the area. Lots of people posted on his YouTube channels. It seemed totally legit — even some of the kids’ parents were posting comments.”

  “Did this Ig guy ever ask to film you?”

  “No, not at first. In the beginning, he was filming the architecture of the park. Then, he was filming the graffiti for his art channel. Ig asked one of my friends if he could film some of his moves for his extreme sports channel. My friend said, ‘Sure.’ Pretty soon, the footage was up on the Internet and he made like this cool music video out of it. The video was like something you would see on ESPN — it was
totally rad. The next time, Ig asked me if I would throw down a few moves and I said, ‘Okay, just edit it out if I fall down’. He laughed like it was some huge joke and a couple weeks later, my video was up on his YouTube channel. It made me a huge hit with my friends at school. It was like I was popular, like a rap star or something.”

  “I bet that was a fun experience.”

  “Yeah, most people from my neighborhood don’t get noticed for much at school except when we get in trouble. My PE teacher even played it for our class.”

  “So, what happened next?”

  “The next time I talked to him, Ig said my video was one of the most popular he ever posted on his site. He wanted to know if I wanted to have my own channel. Of course, I was blown away. I always wanted to be an X Gamer, but I knew I could never get sponsors on my own, but if I had a YouTube channel, maybe someone would notice me. He told me it takes money to film all the stuff and he would have to meet with some investors down in Jacksonville.”

  “Did he want you to meet with these investors too?”

  DeAndre nods. “Yeah, that’s where I should’ve gotten a clue. He told me the only time that these investors could meet with me was during class. I lied to my mama and skipped school. I did all the stuff I knew not to do. I got in the car with somebody I didn’t know — heck, I still don’t know his real name. He just went by Ig. I didn’t know where we were headed, who we were meeting, and I didn’t tell anybody where we were going. My ma is going to kill me.”

  “I’m sure your mom is just grateful to have you back in one piece. Everybody makes mistakes. It doesn’t matter how old you are. That’s what makes predators so dangerous. They don’t present all this stuff up front with danger signs. They drip little pieces of information a tiny bit at a time so it doesn’t seem like a big deal. Of course, when you look back on it you can see all the mistakes you made — but when you were making them, they didn’t seem like dangerous moves.”