by Jackie D
Chapter Ten
Maria Rodriguez shrieked when they came through the door. “Mija!” She rushed over and grabbed Lucy as if she hadn’t seen her in six years, as opposed to the five weeks it had been.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Miguel, get out here. Our daughter has finally come home.” She pushed past Lucy to get to Grayson.
Her father came out from the living room and quickly grabbed her, squeezing tightly. “My little girl.”
Lucy always felt like a little girl once inside her father’s embrace. The tight protective circle he squeezed her into was one of her most cherished places. She spent many nights wishing to be tucked away inside of it when she’d been reporting in war zones.
A funny looking, white and brown dog poked its head out from behind her dad’s leg. It had long, floppy ears; short, stubby little legs; paws that looked like shovels; and a disproportionately large body. Its eyes drooped as it sat down. It looked like it was melting into the ground. Holly struggled to get out of Grayson’s arms and ran right over. She bounced around the strange creature, sniffing every inch.
“When did you get a dog? That’s a dog, right?”
Her dad reached down and patted its head. “Yes, of course it’s a dog. Her name is Bella, but she doesn’t belong to us. She’s Erica’s.”
Holly sat next to her, mimicking Bella’s pose, minus the melting. “She’s Erica’s? That’s not what I’d expect.” She knelt on the floor to get a closer look. Her eyes, although red and droopy, were kind and soft. The giant snout came closer and left a trail of slime as her mouth and nose pushed across her cheek. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh at the gesture. “Is she a basset hound?” She immediately liked the dog’s disposition. The soft body, lazy sway, and droopy eyes were a sharp contrast to her owner’s, which made Lucy like her even more. She thought it strange, yet fitting that Erica would appreciate something so clearly different from herself.
“Yes,” answered her mom. “We watch her sometimes, when Erica is at work and can’t get away to check on her. Sheila has been doing it for a while, but Erica brought her over this morning on the way to work.”
“Who’s Sheila?” Grayson and Lucy asked in unison.
“Sheila is Erica’s current girlfriend,” her dad said.
“Oh?” Lucy was trying to act unfazed by the description, although her stomach dropped and she felt slightly dizzy. She looked at the pictures that had been added to the wall since she last visited. “Have they been together long?”
“I don’t think so, but they never are around long.” Her dad shrugged and looked at her knowingly.
Her mom interrupted her dad. “Lucy, don’t get any ideas. It took Erica a long time to get over you, and I don’t want to see her go through that again.”
Lucy crossed her arms at the harsh but true accusation. “You know, I’m your daughter.”
“Yes, of course, Lucy. But Erica is like a daughter to us as well. The daughter that we actually see several times a week.”
“That’s not fair, Mom.”
“Okay, Maria, that’s enough. Let’s let her get settled in before we start making her feel guilty for never coming home,” her dad said.
Thank you, Dad.
“Grayson, last time we visited, you said you collected baseball cards as a kid?”
This was something Lucy never really understood about Grayson. He had a kind of obsession with old baseball memorabilia. The confusing part was that he had no interest in the current happenings of the sport, only the old athletes.
“Yes, I did. I still have quite a few.”
Her dad motioned for him to follow him into his office and Grayson followed, Bella and Holly padding happily behind.
“A basset hound still doesn’t make sense,” Lucy said to her mom.
Her mom put an arm through Lucy’s and headed toward the kitchen. “You’ll need to ask Erica about how those two came to be. It’s a pretty funny story.”
“I’m not sure how much talking I’ll be doing to Erica while I’m here.”
Her mom opened the oven and checked on the enchiladas. The familiar aroma filled the room, and Lucy was taken back to the night her mom had caught her and Erica in a compromising situation.
“You look beautiful,” Lucy said as she watched Erica run her hands over the knee length red dress.
“I hate wearing this stupid thing.”
Lucy walked up behind her and kissed the back of her bare shoulder. “I know, but it’s only for the night. Plus, you really do look beautiful.”
“I feel ridiculous. I don’t know why we have to go to this stupid thing.”
Lucy wrapped her arms around her waist. “It’s prom, Chance. You’ll regret it if you don’t go.”
Erica turned in her arms and kissed her forehead. “My only regret will be not getting to go with you.”
Lucy felt the same way. She hated the fact that they had dates coming to pick them up. They would spend the evening at the same table, on the same dance floor, going to the same after party, but they wouldn’t really be together. “I know. I feel the same way.”
“Then let’s forget about the stupid prom and go do something, just the two of us.”
Erica started kissing her neck, and Lucy felt it in every inch of her body. This was how it always was, every time Erica touched her. Lucy could feel the intensity travel through every nerve ending in her body. “My mom is downstairs,” Lucy managed to get out in a heavy breath.
“She’s making enchiladas. She isn’t coming up here any time soon.”
Lucy was trying to calculate the amount of time her mom had been working to prepare dinner, in order to determine exactly how much time they had. She gave in and moved her hand up Erica’s leg as she started to pull her toward the bed. The door swung open, and she couldn’t move. She saw her mother’s shocked expression. The truth was, it would’ve been nice if it had been just shock that she had seen, but it was disappointment and a bit of disgust.
She pushed Erica backward, forcing her to turn around, to also see who had entered the room. Lucy’s mom wiped her hands on her apron and turned away. “You two need to come down. Erica’s grandfather is here and dinner will be ready soon.” She left the door open and disappeared down the stairs.
Lucy’s mouth was dry, her head hurt, and she could barely stand. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to go downstairs and eat dinner.” She took Lucy’s hand. “We’re going to go to prom and we’ll worry about all this tomorrow.”
“How can you be so calm?” Lucy thought she might throw up.
“There isn’t another option in front of us right now.”
“Lucy?” Her mom put the tray on the stovetop.
“Yeah?”
“Did you hear anything I just said?”
Lucy didn’t answer because she hadn’t been listening, and she hadn’t even realized her mom was talking. “Mom, what did you think when you caught Erica and me together?”
Her mother’s movement slowed. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I was just thinking about it. You didn’t talk to either of us for almost a week, and then it seemed like you were just over it. But we never really talked about it.”
“I was surprised, and I didn’t know what to say. You know, we’re Catholics and it was hard for me to wrap my head around.” Her mom shifted her weight back and forth, a bit uncomfortable whenever the subjects of Catholicism and Lucy’s sexuality were brought up in the same sentence.
“But you did.”
Her mom sighed. “Yes, because you’re my daughter. What choice did I have?”
“Some parents throw their kids out of the house. Disown them. Hell, sometimes they even kill them.”
Her mom stopped her movements and stared at her, her warm eyes reflecting her acceptance and love. “Lucy, you’re my only daughter. I just want you to be happy. And to be honest, I thought it might be a phase.”
Lucy smiled. “And now?”
“If it
is a phase, it’s the longest phase I’ve ever heard of.” She laughed.
“Why didn’t you talk to me about it? You just said Erica couldn’t spend the night anymore.” Lucy remembered the conversation quite clearly. Her mom had wrung her hands together through the entirety of what was only about three minutes, but felt like a zillion years. She hadn’t been able to make eye contact with her at the time. Lucy knew now that it wasn’t out of disappointment, but out of innocence. Her mom wanted to say the right thing, and she wanted to understand. She just didn’t have the tools yet.
“I figured you would talk to me when you were ready.”
“I wanted to talk to you when Erica and I broke up. I just didn’t know what to say.”
Her mom put down the bowl she had been drying and took Lucy’s hand. “I was heartbroken when I found out. I always found comfort in the fact that at least you were gay with Erica.” She put her hand up, a silent request for Lucy not to interrupt. “I know that’s not how it works. If you’re gay, you’re gay. I didn’t understand that yet, but I do now. But when I saw Erica after you two broke up, she was heartbroken. She would burst into tears for no reason; she would spend weeks, sometimes months, away from our house. It was like losing a daughter.”
“I’m sorry.”
Her mom put her hand over hers. “No, I’m sorry for not reaching out to you. I’m sure you were in pain also. I know it was your decision, and it couldn’t have been an easy one to make.”
Lucy closed her eyes. “It wasn’t.”
Her mom patted her hand. “But I meant what I said. It took her a long time to get over you. I’ve set her up on plenty of dates, but she’s very picky.”
Lucy felt the shock of the statement roll through her body. “You set her up on dates?”
“Sure! I joined PFLAG and met lots of people just like me. All of whom were more than happy to help me arrange a few meetings between their daughters and Erica.”
Lucy had no idea her own mother had been actively working against her all this time. Of course, it wasn’t intentional. Lucy had never vocalized her desire to have Erica back. But it stung all the same. Knowing her mom wanted Erica to be with someone else, anyone besides her, burned in her chest. It wasn’t logical, this feeling of betrayal. But it was there, all the same. “Let’s just talk about something else.”
Her mom rolled her eyes. “I’d set you up too, if you ever came home. Now, as I said earlier, we’re going over to Diego’s house tomorrow for dinner. MJ will be there with his new girlfriend, and you and Grayson are invited.”
MJ was Lucy’s other brother, the middle child, and forever player of the family. He went through girlfriends like Lucy went through shoes. Lucy also didn’t need a reminder of what tomorrow was. There was no possible way for her to forget, even if she wanted to. The date was tattooed on her shoulder. Erica had a matching one on her shoulder with Lucy’s birthday, or at least she did.
“It’s Erica’s birthday,” her mom said excitedly.
“I know what day it is, Mom.” Lucy let her sarcastic tone highlight her annoyance.
Her mom opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of wine, and poured some into two glasses. “Don’t get an attitude with me. You should come see your brother anyway.”
“Does Erica know we’re coming?”
“I don’t know. I’m sure she’ll assume.”
“I have a lot of work to do, Mom. We’ll see.”
“It’s always work with you. I’m sure you can carve out two hours to spend with your family. This is why you’re still single, Lucy.”
“We’ll be there.” Grayson slid onto the stool next to hers before Lucy had a chance to respond.
Her mom’s face lit up. “I’m so glad you came with her, Grayson. Can we do my hair tomorrow morning?”
“Of course we can. Can’t go to a party without being fixed up properly.”
Lucy shot him a dirty look, which he seemed to revel in. Grayson and her mother continued to chat back and forth as Lucy let her words wash over her. She had used the word “single” like a weapon, a magic bullet meant to pierce her subconscious, to make her aware of her shortcomings. But being single was by choice; it wasn’t situational, it was intentional. She had her career, friends, Holly, and she didn’t need a significant other to complete her. She was content with casual dating and no complications. But even as she let this practiced self-talk run through her head, she knew it wasn’t true. Being single was by choice, yes, but because no one ever measured up to the one person she compared everyone to.
Chapter Eleven
Erica sat in the squad room alone. She had sent Diego home hours ago and had already called Maria to tell her she’d be late picking up Bella. Maria offered to keep her overnight, and she accepted the offer. She hated leaving Bella overnight, but the Rodriguez house was like her second home and she’d hate to wake up everyone when she was finally finished at work. And she didn’t want to run into Lucy. She should examine that feeling, but now wasn’t the time. Claudia Ramos was dead and Jessica Vargas was missing, and they deserved her attention right now and nothing else.
There was no hard evidence the two were connected, but she couldn’t shake the feeling. They were similar in looks, age, interests, and hometown. Erica didn’t believe in coincidences, and she wasn’t going to start now. She continued to stare at the two pictures on the board, which each had their separate columns, information listed under each. The longer she stared at them, the more her frustration continued to mount. She was missing something; she just wasn’t sure what it was.
The chief had told her and Diego that he wanted this sewn up, with a resolute outcome as soon as humanly possible. He didn’t like the idea of his small town being afraid, and that’s exactly what these cases were causing. Their phone lines had been flooded for the last few days with questions about Claudia and now Jessica. Parents wanted to know if it was safe to let their daughters go out at night, and there were questions about how close they were to finding Claudia’s killer, and if Jessica was dead. People are scared, and maybe they’re right to be.
“Hey, Chance.” Robbie Kern had been with the Clearbrook Police Department for almost thirty years as a uniformed officer, and now he was a volunteer. Everyone knew how hard it was to let go of the badge.
“Hey, Kern. You’re here late.”
He sat next to her and sipped on his cup of coffee. “Chief asked for volunteers to be here to man the phones, so I took the night shift.”
She leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees and rubbing her head. She had to figure out what she was missing.
“Looks an awful lot like the double murders we saw twenty-five years ago.” He crossed his legs and continued to sip his coffee.
“What do you mean?”
“I remember it like it was yesterday. We had two murders in a matter of two weeks here. Angelica Peña and Mariana Cruz, about the same age as the two here.” He pointed to the board. “They were about ready to bust the whole world right open, never got the chance though. One went missing. We found her body first, and then the other about two weeks later. Damn shame, really. We spent months trying to crack the case, but we never could. Never caught the guy.”
“Do you remember how they were killed?”
“Of course I do. Blunt force trauma to the head. They were cleaned up, put on display.”
“I’ve never heard of these cases.” She was split between being angry about not knowing the old case and excited there was something, anything, else they might be able to go on.
“No one talks about it. Dark days around here, knowing there was a murderer out there, living amongst us, not knowing who it was. It was a terrible time and a blemish on our department. We had a few thoughts but were never able to put anything solid together.”
“Are the files still here?” She stood, ready to head down to archives, when she heard the dispatch radio. An abandoned car matching Jessica’s had been discovered down by the delta.
Kern smiled at her.
“Go, I’ll grab the files and bring them up here for you.”
“Thanks, Kern, I appreciate it.”
“No problem, kid.”
She thought about calling Diego, but there was no reason to at this point. Tearing him away from his family wasn’t necessary for a car. She also thought about calling Jessica’s family, but she wanted to assess the situation first.
It only took a few minutes to get to the small restaurant located at the waterway, which served as a natural border for their town. During the late spring and summer, this area would be bustling with boats, jet skis, and a variety of other water sport patrons. But right now, the only other lights in the area came from the police cruiser parked alongside the abandoned car.
Erica left her lights on and walked up to the officer who was jotting down information on a clipboard. He gave her a series of answers before she had the opportunity to ask anything. “Restaurant owner called it in, said he hadn’t been here in about four days, so it was left at some point during that time. Plates match the Vargas car.”
Lucy slid gloves on, pulled the driver side door open, and sat down in the seat. The officer walked up alongside the open door. She put her hands on the steering wheel and glanced down at the pedals. “Whoever took her left the car here.”
“How do you know she was taken?”
She opened the glove box and went through the papers inside. “Jessica Vargas is only five foot three. The seat would’ve been pulled all the way up, if she had driven it last. This seat is as far back as it goes.”
“I already called the tow company. They’re on their way.”
“Good, I want it taken into the station, and we need to check every inch for prints, fibers, everything.” She pushed the trunk latch and walked around to the back of the car. “Have them take pictures of everything.” There were bags in the trunk, along with an umbrella and a jacket. This proved, as far as Erica was concerned, that Jessica had been taken. Otherwise she’d have taken the items out of her trunk.
