Tear Me Apart

by J. T. Ellison

  “No roadblocks, and no court, only necessary protections that will allow us to make the proper decisions regarding our daughter. My daughter.” Jasper straightens in his seat. “Though my wife does not have paperwork regarding her end of the adoption with Dr. Castillo, I do have the paperwork from my legal adoption of the child. I have rights, just as many, or more, than Mr. Armstrong. Custodial rights.”

  “I see.” Woody sits back in his chair, coffee cup abandoned. His tone changes. Gone is the loose, easy manner. Now he is all cop, and Lauren can’t help but wonder if Jasper has overplayed their hand.

  “I hear you loud and clear, buddy. But that’s not what we’re here to decide right now. We’re releasing the statement regardless of how comfy you are with it, and we would like to control the message from the get-go. We’re trying to help you out here, get you prepared. No need to get prickly with us. We’re your friends.”

  Jasper laughs, short and humorless. “Right. Friends. Got it.”

  Parks spreads his hands out on the table. “Seriously, let’s not get adversarial. We’re all in this together, and we’re trying to help you be ready for the media storm that’s going to roar through here the second this is announced.”

  “Yes, we are,” Juliet seconds. “And we want to make sure that this is painless for Mindy. That’s the goal here. She is the only focus for all of us. Right, Lauren?”

  “Of course.” The house phone begins to ring. “Excuse me a moment. I’ll be right back.”

  Lauren is relieved to step away from the table to gather her thoughts. Her husband is white-faced, the CBI agent’s eyes are hooded, the Nashville cops look like they are smelling something exceptionally tasty, and her little sister is smiling at her encouragingly, a fox to the chicken. She turns her back on them as she answers.

  “Hello? Wright residence.”

  “Mrs. Wright?”

  “Yes?”

  “Ma’am, this is Jeremy Finley, from WSMV in Nashville, Tennessee. Is it true you’re the adoptive mother of the missing child Violet Armstrong?”

  “I—”

  “And is it also true that Violet is now named Mindy Wright, and she lives with you in Vail, Colorado, and is a member of the United States World Cup ski team?”

  Lauren slams down the phone with a gasp, making everyone turn. Her face says everything.

  “Uh-oh,” Juliet says. “Was that what I think it was?”

  She nods, and Juliet can feel the distress coming off her in waves. “Some media person from Nashville. They know.”

  Lauren whirls to the table, the unholy cabal of parent and cops staring at her. “Who let it out? Someone leaked. It had to be someone in Nashville.”

  “It wasn’t us,” Parks says. “We’ve kept this super hush-hush.”

  “But we did pull all the files, and put Armstrong’s DNA in the system, and talked to University Hospital,” Starr says thoughtfully. “Entirely possible someone at the lab got interested and mentioned it to someone. Or saw we set up the flight here, or Andrea Austin said something—there’s any number of ways this leaked. Two plus two...”

  The phone rings again. “Oh, that’s just great,” Jasper says, standing. “So much for your help. We’ll attend to things ourselves from here on out.”

  Woody stands as well. “Mr. Wright, I wouldn’t recommend—”

  Jasper gives Woody a glare that would knock down a horse. Even Juliet feels a qualm.

  “Get out. Just...leave us alone. We’ve managed this long. We’ll manage this, too.”

  “No problem, we all need to head out anyway. I’ll walk you out,” Juliet says, hoping to diffuse the tension. She’s never seen Jasper quite so upset. Lauren is trembling, a fist to her mouth, eyes wide. She can sense her sister’s thoughts—This is a total disaster. What are we going to do now?

  “Go with them, Juliet,” Jasper calls.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Lauren and I need to talk, and it’s best for you to join the rest of the detectives and give us some space. And we’re needed back at the hospital.” To Woody, “You can direct the rest of your inquiries to my lawyer, Bill Conrad.”

  Juliet’s eyes shoot to Lauren’s. She sees resolve and fear in them.

  “Is this what you want?”

  Her sister’s voice is soft. “Yes. It’s best. We’ll talk later. Just...give us some time to wrap our heads around this.”

  The phone blurts again, and Jasper picks it up, slams it down, then unplugs it deliberately from the wall, watching Juliet all the while.

  “Okay. I can take a hint.” She clicks her tongue at Kat, who drags herself away from the fire with a longing backward glance. Juliet’s last glimpse into the room shows her sister bursting into tears.

  65

  Standing by the cars, Woody stares at the front door. “What the hell just happened, Juliet? One minute we’re having a nice conversation, the next...”

  “I don’t know. It’s like a flip switched in Lauren, and when that call came, Jasper picked up on it and manifested. He’s going to do everything he can to protect his family. I don’t blame him for being mad at us. I wish he wasn’t bringing in that jerk of a lawyer. Conrad’s a heavy hitter at the firm, and I don’t particularly like him. He’ll make sure we dot every i and cross every t, and then go back and make us do it all again. He’s a stickler.”

  “We should have controlled the message earlier,” Parks says. “Trying to get a family on board is sometimes the more difficult approach, especially considering it’s their world that’s being blown up. We should have just gone ahead with our original plan instead of trying to coordinate. Now they have their backs up, and they won’t ever trust us again.”

  “I’ll get them to see reason. I think it was the money thing. I wasn’t kidding about Mindy’s medical bills. They are outrageous. They’d never admit it, but I know they’re strapped trying to keep up with it. Mindy lost out on a couple of sponsorships because she wasn’t able to do publicity right after Worlds, and that’s big money. Jasper’s doing well, but Lauren hasn’t sold a painting in a year.” She scuffs her foot against the gravel drive. “Let’s give them a day to cool off, and we can go from there. In the meantime, I’d like to get Bai moving on the DNA. If the media is on this, we all have to play our parts, and the faster we move, the better.”

  “Agreed,” Woody says. “I’ll take the files down the mountain to the lab and get started there.”

  “Good. I’ll talk to Zack and see if he can help with Lauren and Jasper.” She turns to Parks and Starr. “You’re going with Woody, I imagine? Start in on the Castillo investigation?”

  “Right,” Parks says. “I know you’re recused from this, but we’ll keep you in the loop.”

  “I appreciate it. I think once the shock wears off, Lauren will want to know what’s happening. Jasper, too. He’s upset. I don’t think I’ve seen him lose it since Mindy was hurt and diagnosed. He’s been holding on so tight, trying to keep them all together. With Zack showing up, and the investigation being opened, and the media...the call was simply the straw that broke the camel’s back. He’ll come around. He needs some time to get used to his new life, that’s all.”

  Parks stares back up at the house. “I hope you’re right.”

  Juliet grins. “I am. Trust me. He’s really angry at my sister for putting us in this situation. She didn’t tell him about Mindy’s true parentage, and he’s stinging from that. This is him trying to get control of the situation. He blew up and took it out on us so he wouldn’t take it out on her. He’s a good guy like that. Plus, Mindy’s transplant is in two days. The stress of what might happen is getting to them, and the idea of media attention on top of that... The last thing any of us want or need is media trying to get into the hospital and get snaps of Mindy ill, or being treated.”

  “Makes sense,” Parks says. “I’m glad you know them so
well because I saw something different.”

  “Oh? What did you see?”

  “I saw a couple circling the wagons around a secret. But I could be completely wrong. As you say, this is a high-stress time. So down the mountain we go. You have my number. Call me if anything changes, and I’ll do the same.”

  They climb in the car, and Woody puts the window down. “Where are you headed?”

  Juliet glances back at the house, can swear Lauren is looking out the bathroom window, watching them, but then the window is empty, the curtains falling back into place. She flips her keys in her hand.

  “I’m going to go see Zack. He needs a warning that the hordes are about to descend.”

  66

  VAIL HEALTH HOSPITAL

  Juliet finds Zack outside the hospital, walking, talking on his cell phone. Kat sees her daddy and woofs excitedly. Juliet parks and lets her out. The Malinois makes a beeline for Zack’s side and glues herself to his leg. He smiles down at her and finishes his call.

  “How’d it go?”

  Juliet rubs her forehead. “I have a headache the size of Manhattan. Listen, the Nashville media has the story. We’re not sure how...”

  “I talked to them. I have a friend at Channel 4. I gave him a call. If we’re doing this, I want to do it my way.”

  She feels her mouth drop open unbecomingly, then forces it closed. “Could you have maybe given us a heads-up first? Lauren and Jasper were blindsided, and they didn’t take it well.”

  “Sorry. But I don’t know who to trust out here, and I know my friend. He’s not going to screw us.”

  There is a bench by the front doors. He sits on it heavily.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah. The medicine’s making me feel weird. I have my second round in an hour. They say it will be worse than the first. If I’m going to be incapacitated, I wanted to be in control of the message first.”

  “Still, Zack. This is a family decision.”

  His gaze is unreadable.

  “What did the reporter have to say?”

  “He was thrilled to hear we found Mindy and promised to handle the story as carefully as he could. I take it someone from the station called Jasper and Lauren?”

  “Yes. Jasper didn’t react well. Seriously, Zack, you should have talked to us first. We’re all in this together.”

  He glances toward the mountain before he looks at her. “See, that’s the thing, Juliet. You are all in this together. I, on the other hand, am alone. I realized that when we were talking earlier and decided I want to be in control. I also talked to my former colleagues, and I have calls in to Vivian’s doctors at University Hospital. The investigation will take its natural course, but I’m allowed to ask for answers, too.”

  “You’ve been busy.”

  “What am I supposed to do, sit back and wait? Mindy and I discussed it, and we decided it was the best course of action.”

  “You talked to Mindy?”

  “Damn straight I did. This is her life we’re talking about. Did everyone forget that? She is going to be the center of this maelstrom, yet no one stopped to think to talk to her. Well, I did. I wanted her to know exactly what was happening. Keeping her out of the loop isn’t good.”

  “She’s a sick little girl—”

  “She’s a strong, vibrant young woman who needs something to fight for. I will never keep secrets from her. Never. She deserves to be part of the decision-making process. It’s her life. One she’s had absolutely no control over for nearly a month.”

  Juliet opens her mouth to speak, then closes it, looking at Zack with new eyes. He ducks his head and puts a hand on Kat’s muzzle.

  “I don’t mean to yell. I feel awful, I’m scared, and my daughter is dying before I have a chance to know her at all.”

  “Don’t apologize. You’re right. Mindy should be consulted. Lauren and Jasper are grappling with some serious fear right now. Remember, they’ve had the care of her for seventeen years. They love her.”

  “I love her, too,” he says, teeth gritted.

  “I know you do. We all do. This isn’t a competition, damn it. We have to stick together, because the media—”

  “Juliet, I think you forget that I’ve been dealing with the media for seventeen years. It was especially bad the first couple of years. They were at the funeral. Outside the police station. At my wife’s grave. They lived on my front stoop. They had close-ups of every tear, every grimace, every scream in the night. It was a constant inundation. Of all of us, I’m the only one who knows what’s to come, and how important it is to get out in front of it. You’ve only ever been on one side of a situation like this, doing DNA to help capture a criminal. You have no idea what it’s like to be the sole focus of the media and police attention. I do.”

  Kat woofs and goes on alert. There is something in the trees to the side of the hospital. Deer? Squirrel? Could be anything. But her short bark seems to pull Zack together. He runs a hand over his face, scratches Kat’s ears. She calms but keeps a watchful eye on the woods.

  “We should go in and let you take a rest. You’re looking pale.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m tough. I’ll go in shortly. What else is happening? When will we have some answers?”

  Juliet shrugs. “Unfortunately, I don’t get to work on any of this, so I don’t know. Woody will be back with us soon, I’m sure. My assistant is doing a double-check run of the evidence the Nashville cops brought. By the way, Jasper and Lauren lawyered up. Do you feel like you need legal representation? I know some people.”

  He sighs. “I figured that was coming. They’ve been too kind. It’s one thing to acknowledge the man who fathered your child, but when push comes to shove, the reality of losing Mindy was always going to cloud their judgment. I have a lawyer in Nashville. I’ll let her know what’s happening, see if she wants to coordinate. But Mindy is the one who gets to make the decisions here. I’ve already told her I won’t stand between her and her parents, but that I’d like to be a part of her life.” A smile now, at last. “Silly kid said I should move out here, that I could get tenure at the University of Colorado in Boulder and we could all live together.”

  “It’s not a terrible idea, you know. I mean, it’s not like they have ski slopes in Nashville, and Mindy will never be separated from the mountains. They’re as much a part of her as her hands. If you want to be near her, Colorado it is.”

  He plays with Kat’s lead. “We’ll see.” His watch chimes. “We should probably go in. My next infusion is in fifteen minutes, and I’m not looking forward to it.”

  “Zack, wait. How is Mindy doing? Since she seems to be confiding in you...”

  “Honestly? She’s pissed. She wants the dog, but the doctor won’t let her.” They laugh together for a moment, easier with each other.

  Over Zack’s shoulder, Juliet sees a news truck glide into the parking lot.

  “We better get inside. The hordes are arriving.”

  67

  Mindy, stuck alone in the clean room while her immune system is crashed in preparation for the possible life-saving treatment, tries to wrap her head around her new normal. There has been so much to absorb, so many lightning-fast changes, that she hasn’t had time to process any of it. Her biodad, her mom’s weirdness, the letters...they are important. Why else would her mother have them stashed away?

  Mindy didn’t have a chance to get them back to their hiding spot. She’d spent hours in the bathroom, hiding from her mother, reading through them several times, practically committing them to memory.

  Now, the more she knows about Zack, the more disturbing the letters become. She recalls the last few, worrying a nail.

  August 1996

  V,

  Sorry it’s been so long since I wrote. I’ve been having a long summer. Mood swings galore, and I’ve been pretty down. I have to go back
on medication, or my mother threatened me with a weekend visit to the local nut ward, which I refuse to do. So back on the soul-sucking drugs go I. It’s fine, though. I need to get myself together. Before I fell down the rabbit hole again, I was accepted to an art college here. I must have been high to apply, but I was trying to impress a current boyfriend, who was very insistent that I must have a “life plan.” He didn’t understand why I wasn’t interested in the whole go to college, pledge a sorority, major in MRS thing. I’m dumping him before I leave, for sure.

  But here’s the deal. I’m concerned about my privacy at this new school. So if you write, can you please not mention anything about where we met? I’m not ashamed, I just don’t feel like it’s anyone’s business what happened. Cool?

  Love you,

  Liesel

  September 1996

  Liesel,

  You mean you want me not to mention we were both locked in school that taught us exceptional coping mechanisms and bitchin’ art skills, with an emphasis on interpersonal relations so we had the best chance in life to succeed? Copy that, Starbuck! (wink wink)

  In other news, Ratchet’s having another kid. Still no ring. Mystery semen!!

  Love,

  V

  January 1997

  Hey V,

  I have an email address!!! Now we can write immediately instead of waiting months between letters. My address is lieselt1@aol.com

  Hope you’re doing well–what’s been happening lately? It’s been a while–

  Email me!

  Love,

  Liesel

  January 1998

  Liesel,

  It’s taken me a while to answer you because I AM OUT!!!!! For good this time.

  I am living (sort of) on my own, in a halfway house near our old neighborhood, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s broken into apartments. I have a nice roommate, and I feel like I’m on solid ground for the first time in a very long time. One day soon, I hope to have enough money saved up to come visit you. You’re so far away now! I hope life has been treating you well. I also have a part-time job at a restaurant near my house, just bussing tables, but the owner said once I’m fully trained he will promote me to hostess. Can you imagine, me, a hostess?