Love and Injustice

by Mary Crawford

  I jog back over to where Cody is standing. He puts his arm around me and whispers in my ear. “Smart and classy. Way to diffuse a tense situation, Counselor.”

  “I hope they take our advice, but it’s not our fight. Besides, we’re here to celebrate the fact that I actually get to stay in the legal profession. No need to put that in jeopardy.”

  We reach Cody’s Mustang and he backs me up against it and puts his arms around me. “Well, we’ve eaten the best seafood on the coast, cuddled a little on the beach and been the grumpy grown-ups. So, what’s next?”

  I pull his face toward mine and place a line of kisses down his jaw. “I don’t know exactly. I just know this is the part of the date where I spill my guts. I tell you all the things I’ve been afraid to say over the last few months.”

  Cody captures my lips and kisses me deeply. He pulls away and helps me into his car. “Sounds serious. Let’s get some place a little more private.” He pulls the car behind some utility buildings on the edge of the parking lot and puts up his sun visor. “That’s better.”

  I swallow hard. “I was feeling braver a few minutes ago. For someone who makes a living persuading people about matters of life and death, I find conversations like this remarkably tough.”

  Cody grabs my hand and kisses the back of it. “Come on, it’s only me. I’m not that scary.”

  “Actually, this whole thing is scary. Remember when I told you my dad passed away when I was in elementary school? I often wonder if that was the beginning of my mom’s dementia. It’s almost as if her mind couldn’t cope with the loss. I was young, but I still remember my mom’s world completely falling apart. It’s as if she lost her whole identity. Everything my mom did before my dad died, they did as a couple. They took dancing lessons and were part of a couples bowling league in their church. With my dad gone, my mom didn’t know who she was anymore — even so, she had to pull herself together for me. The lesson I learned from all of that is you can’t trust someone to stay around in your life.”

  “That’s a harsh lesson. Probably not what your mom intended you to draw from the situation.”

  “Oh, definitely not. My mom loved my dad with a fierce passion. Before she got sick, she always talked to me about finding somebody just like daddy. The sad thing is I found you and she’ll never know. In all the craziness of my life where people were literally out to destroy me, you were there by my side like a knight in shining armor slaying all the nasty dragons in my life.”

  “Babe, first of all, you’ve slayed a few dragons for me too. It’s not as if you’re some helpless damsel in distress. You’ve been kickin’ some serious butt and taking names — I’ve just been cheering you on from the sidelines. Secondly, I think Velma does know who I am to you. She might not know from week to week whether I’m your milkman or the night nurse, but she calls me your young man. I believe that among all the lost thoughts in her mind, she knows that I love you and will always protect you.”

  I look up at him with teary eyes. “You jumped the gun, Cody Erickson. That’s what I was trying to tell you — despite all the insane stuff we’ve been through in the last few months, I’ve fallen in love with you. You’re everything I always dreamed of but was always afraid to go after. You tipped the scales. Love finally wins over injustice.”

  Cody struggles to get close enough to pull me into an embrace. “Until this very moment, I loved this car. Now I wish I had Dylan’s gas-guzzling pickup,” he mutters under his breath.

  I lean over and Cody rewards me with a long, lingering kiss. “What do you know? I think we finally nailed the timing.”

  The words no sooner leave Cody’s lips than his cell phone chirps with a ring tone I recognize as the one assigned to Dylan.

  “This better be important —” he grumbles. “His timing sucks.”

  “That’s what you said last time … answer your phone,” I urge.

  Cody puts his phone to his ear and listens for a brief moment before he shouts, “Son of a —” He straightens up and puts his seatbelt on. Following suit, I quickly buckle mine. “We’ll be there as quickly as we can. Make sure the captain doesn’t blow a gasket. It’s not good for his heart.”

  Cody starts the car and throws it into drive as he peels out of the parking lot. “What happened?” I ask, when I catch my breath.

  Cody glances over at me with a grim expression. “I can’t believe I have to cut another date short. I wanted to celebrate our love story with you, but our rookie cop just got arrested.”

  “You’re kidding! Pauline? The one we took with us last month when we went out with Jade and Declan and Stuart and Darya to sing karaoke?”

  “The very same,” he confirms.

  “I thought you told me Pauline is one of the best rookies you’ve ever worked with?”

  “She is!” Cody insists. “That’s why Dylan says the captain is about to implode. I don't understand what happened.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CODY

  BY THE TIME I FINALLY drop Tori off and get back to the station, Pauline is sitting in the corner of the dressing room tying her sweats and putting on her tennis shoes. Her face is freshly scrubbed, and she looks about twelve years old. Usually when she sees me, she has some smart aleck remark about my gray hair but today all she does is stare at me with tear-filled eyes. "Want to talk about it?"

  She shakes her head. “I can't. I have to give a statement in a minute to tell you why I did what I did. But I need the captain and who knows who else there first.”

  "Oh, it's already that serious? You must've stepped in it bad.”

  "Well, until a few minutes ago, I was wearing prison orange, if that tells you anything," she answers in a trembling voice.

  "Good point. You know me, I won’t form an opinion until I’ve actually heard what happened. I know you’re a solid cop with good instincts. I’m certain you haven’t changed overnight.”

  She smiles weakly. "Thanks. That means a lot. See you in there."

  As I grab my cup of coffee and a pastry and take a seat, my captain walks by me and mutters, “Can you believe this garbage? I'll be filling out paperwork until retirement.”

  He sits down two chairs away. “There has to be a logical explanation. Pauline is smart. She’s not your typical rookie. Let’s not jump to all the wrong conclusions.”

  The captain looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “You got a reason for sticking up for her? Maybe a personal one?”

  “No! I just think she’s a solid cop. We should give her the benefit of the doubt, that’s all I’m saying.”

  The captain rolls his eyes. “Whatever. That still doesn’t fix my paperwork problem.”

  Pauline comes in to the briefing room and sits down on the stool. All eyes are on her. “First, I want to apologize. I did this op totally backwards, and it cost our agency some credibility — but the opportunity came up and I had to take it.”

  “What op?” Dylan presses.

  Pauline’s jaw goes slack in amazement. “Are you freaking kidding me? Did the Feebees not even brief you guys?”

  The captain leans forward in his chair. “Brief us about what? We were told you were caught up in some prostitution sting.”

  “No, that’s not exactly right. It wasn’t prostitution at all — or at least not in the traditional sense of the word. I was caught up in a human trafficking sting. I was there because I put myself there. And I have good news I —”

  “You did what? Without backup?” I roar.

  “Okay, in retrospect it wasn’t the best plan. I found Bex Michaels … but he was about to get away. So I had to make myself bait.”

  “Are you crazy? You made yourself bait for a known pedophile without any radio communication or backup?” I clarify.

  “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I figured he could lead me to the other hostages.”

  “I take that back. I’m going to die while I’m filling out paperwork,” the captain says as he scrubs his hand down his face. “Were you aware of the
feds operation, at least?”

  Pauline looks down at her tennis shoes. “If I was a good liar, I would probably tell you I knew all about it and that I was merely helping them. Unfortunately, I didn’t. I was just focused on trying to get the guy who took DeAndre and Isadora. I was hoping he could lead me to Tallulah and Joey. I could see him getting away before I had a chance to get a formal operation together. For better or for worse, I followed my gut. I pretended to be a teenager who knew all about his website. I played fan girl, and he bought my act. Fortunately, I wanted to be a country music star when I was a kid. I play the guitar reasonably well and can sing a few songs off the top of my head. So he bought my whole cover story that I wanted to go to Nashville to become a singer.”

  Something about Pauline’s demeanor strikes me. “Guys, I think we’re missing the big headline here. Officer Lawrence, where the Feds able to recover any of the missing teens?”

  Pauline nods vigorously. “Yes, Two teens resembling Tallulah Johnson and Joey Ward were recovered safely and Bex Michaels was arrested in the process — along with a bunch of his cohorts.”

  The captain’s bushy eyebrows climb his forehead. “Nobody bothered to tell me anything … and I have families calling me every few hours. It would’ve been nice to know. By the way, next time you give a report about a rogue operation, you might want to lead with the most positive headline.”

  “Yes, Sir! Does this mean I’m not fired?” Pauline asks as she pushes her dark hair out of her face.

  “Not so fast!” the captain snaps. “You violated more policies and regulations than I care to count — but we have bigger issues to deal with right now. I would advise you to sit yourself behind a desk and make yourself as useful as humanly possible until we get this sorted.”

  “But —” Pauline interrupts.

  “But what, Rookie?” The captain scowls at Pauline, making it clear he didn’t expect her to have anything to say about the matter. Even I am shaking in my boots at his expression and I’ve worked for the man for more than a decade.

  “Tallulah and Joey were not the only kids found. The agency located nine other teenagers.”

  “I want you to make it your business to figure out how to contact those kids’ parents as quickly as you can. Who knows how long they’ve been waiting?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  The captain glances over at me and asks, “Erickson, don’t you know some sort of computer whiz who can help Lawrence find the parents?”

  “I do. I suspect Toby could work rings around us. Since time is critical, it makes sense to bring him in.”

  “Bring in your clerical assistant too. I’ve never seen your reports so organized. We’ll need her help to stay on top of this. In the meantime, I need to figure out why our agency was excluded from the loop.”

  Dylan stands up and levels an odd look at the captain. “All things considered, I think I’d rather trade jobs with you. I have to go tell a family who thought their child was dead and gone that she’s alive, but I don’t know how extensive the torture was because the feds are still debriefing her. I’m not looking forward to this conversation. Something tells me the parents would almost rather pretend their daughter was dead than acknowledge all the potential horrific things she’s probably been through.”

  The captain swings his head around to acknowledge the rest of the room before he scowls at Dylan. “Palmer, with all due respect, I have been on the receiving end of one of those death notices. Whatever hell the Johnson family has gone through, it is nothing compared to actually receiving a death notice. As upset as they currently are, they will feel much better once they are able to see an all there, living, breathing young lady. Even with all the wires and machines she is likely to be hooked up to, her presence in the hospital bed is far better than visiting her at the cemetery as they bury her.”

  Dylan blanches as he stuffs his hands in his pockets and looks down at the floor. “Sorry, my mistake. I know better than to make assumptions.”

  “It’s okay.” Captain Schumaker glances over at Pauline. “Palmer, Erickson and Nelson, I need you to stay behind with Officer Lawrence. Everyone else get back to work. Everything we’ve been doing just got kicked into high gear.” Pauline, Dylan and I sit around the table shuffling papers and feeling anxious as everyone piles out the briefing area. After everyone has gone, the captain makes a huge show of closing the doors behind them. When he’s finished, he turns around toward Pauline and says, “This is one hundred percent off the record and not to be repeated. Does everyone understand?” We all look at each other and nod.

  The Captain lets out a deep breath as we watch the last of the group file out of earshot, he glances over at Pauline. “I’m sorry the rules are what they are — but I want to say something to you privately. Whatever comes of this publicly, I want to thank you. You displayed great instincts. We can argue all day about whether it was prudent, or within policies and regulations — but at the end of the day, you saved nearly a dozen children and teenagers. It’s more than we at this office have been able to do in over a year. Good on ya. After this conversation today, I have to go back to doing my job and complying with rules and regulations to help keep you safe. But unofficially, I’m incredibly proud of the job you did for those kids in our department. Hopefully, when I have to act in my official capacity, I’ll be able to come to the same conclusion.”

  Pauline swallows hard and dabs away tears. “Thank you sir, I appreciate your support.”

  “Now, for the rest of you, let’s go do our jobs. We’ve got families to unite, evidence to collect and witnesses to talk to. I don’t want this perp to slip through our fingers again. Let’s cross all our T’s and dot all our I’s.”

  “Consider it done,” I pledge as I grab one of notebooks and start to make myself a list of things which need to be done.

  Dylan is uncharacteristically quiet on the drive over to the Johnson’s house. I’ve been on assignments often enough with him to know to simply leave him be when he’s in this kind of mood. Finally, he blurts, “That was a gutsy move from Lawrence. Stupid as all get out — but gutsy.”

  “It sure was — but don’t even pretend it’s not something you or I would’ve done as rookies. We always tried to come up with ways to do things better than our training officers. This is exactly the kind of stunt we would’ve pulled back then. Heck, there’s nothing to say we wouldn’t do something like this now if we had the kind of break Pauline got. I can’t say for certain if Bex Michaels was sitting right in front of me and I had the opportunity to dip undercover I wouldn’t have taken it.”

  “I know. I guess that’s part of the reason why it’s so frustrating. I know she will get her butt handed to her for something any of the rest of us probably would’ve done. She probably should too, because it was a breach of protocol and she could’ve gotten killed — on the other hand, it was ingenious and solved the case,” Dylan muses.

  “I hope they take the ultimate outcome into account when they mete out her punishment, that’s all I’m saying.”

  As we pull up in front of the Johnsons’ home, Dylan leans his head back against the headrest and presses his fingers into his eyeball sockets. “I have to tell you. I never, ever thought we would be having this conversation. Once the parents decided to have the funeral, I wondered if maybe the parents were right and I was just chasing pipe dreams. I’ve never been so glad to be wrong in my life.”

  Dylan and I walk up on the porch and awkwardly wait for someone to answer the door. I wonder how Dylan plans to approach this conversation. He has grown exceptionally close to this family and unlike many of the families we’ve been working with, this family was convinced their daughter had been the victim of foul play.

  The door flies open and Mr. Johnson grabs Dylan by the waist and spins him around. “Detective Palmer, I should have listened to you. You said my Tallulie was alive, but I couldn’t see it. I put my wife through the pain of burying an empty coffin. I’ll never forgive myself.”

  Afte
r Mr. Johnson puts him back on the porch, Dylan takes a deep breath and tries not to favor his sore rib where a suspect landed a roundhouse kick a few weeks back. “It’s been a hard time for everyone. It’s hard to know how these cases will turn out. Tallulah was gone for a long time. I don’t blame you for believing the worst had happened. Have you had a chance to talk to your daughter?”

  Mrs. Johnson steps forward and hugs Dylan. “Yes, thank goodness! Tallulah is fine and she’s on her way home.” Mrs. Johnson steps back and invites us into her living room. Reluctantly, we sit on the pristine white couch in a room that looks like it was decorated for a fashion magazine. “She sounds so good. She says nothing bad happened to her. Can you believe an old man bought her to sing to his dying wife?”

  I can’t hide my surprise. “Really, that’s it?”

  “She says that’s all that happened. She was terrified because the man’s wife died and he was about to get rid of her when the FBI did the sting. She was rescued just in time,” Mrs. Johnson explains as she wipes tears from her eyes. “Thank you for never giving up the search. You saved my daughter and so many others. There aren’t enough words to express what it means.”

  “Thank you works for me,” Dylan responds, his voice breaking with emotion. “I’m glad your daughter will be home safe. You have my number. Call me if you need anything.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  TORI

  CODY IS STILL TYING HIS tie when he comes out of my bathroom and sits down at the kitchen table. I don’t know why he keeps his own place anymore. He practically lives here. I slide a couple of pieces of toast and a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him, along with some peach jam I made. I walk over and kiss him briefly before I ask, “How are things going with the investigation?”

  “Toby is due back in Florida today to help Pauline match up families with the missing kids which were found. We tried to tell him we could do it remotely — but he wanted to be here.”