Wrapped In Shadows

by Eugene, Lisa

  I must have gurgled a response because Michelle rushed on, “And you won’t believe this shit. The victim is Ms. Carmen from Sensations! Turns out he was there the same night we were! Can you fucking believe that? I knew some of the guys from here go there sometimes cuz I’d heard them talking about it once, but this was a fucking shocker!”

  “Michelle!” This time it was hard to keep the tremor from my voice. I blinked hard and my grip on the phone tightened. “Is Luke…Mr. Davenport okay?”

  My friend sighed on the other end. “I don’t know. Things are a mess here. Clients are calling, wanting to know what’s going on. Some accounts have pulled out. We are basically in damage control mode.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Mr. Davenport? I hear he’s being arraigned this afternoon. I feel so bad for him.”

  I fought to keep down the contents of my stomach. “Why would they arrest him? He didn’t do it.”

  “Ms. Carmen was strangled, remember?”

  “Yes, why would they arrest him?”

  “She was found dead in one of the rooms.”

  “Yes, but why would they arrest him?” My thoughts kept pounding my head over and over, like a pick ax chipping away at a block of ice trying to get to the answer in the center.

  “I don’t know. They must have some evidence. Maybe he was with her that night. Maybe they were lovers. Or maybe because of his wife.”

  “Wh-what?”

  “Because of his wife, Kay.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Luke Davenport’s wife, Roslyn, was murdered four years ago. She was found strangled to death just like Ms. Carmen. There were rumors that he'd done it in a jealous rage.”

  Entirely numb now and paralyzed with shock, the phone slipped from my cold fingers.

  *************************

  Luke

  I sat in a cell in central booking located somewhere in the Criminal Court Building at 100 Center Street. I passed a hand over my tired eyes, trying hard not to think of the crush of rioting news reporters and spectators me, my lawyer, and several officers had to forge a path through when I’d been transferred here. It had been a mob scene. I’d been shocked to see that so many had congregated outside the courthouse, but guessed the buzz of a murder committed by a prominent business owner at a sex club in New York City was a juicy morsel that could not be resisted.

  Bruce was handling things at the office, but I could imagine the fallout my arrest was creating. My business depended on my reputation and consummate trust from the people I built campaigns for. My connections and ability to network meant everything. Four years ago it had not been this bad, but then I’d not been as successful and well-known as I was now.

  I swallowed past the dry knot in my throat at the horrific memory. I’d just gotten home from work and was spending time with Livy when Mrs. Rogers announced the detectives at the door. Detective Lawson had been among the stoic group that had brought the news of Roslyn’s death. I could still remember the numbing anguish that had poured over me like liquid nitrogen.

  The events that followed had been equally horrific. It was no secret that Roslyn and I had been having problems, and I’d been hounded and questioned repeatedly by the police. Detective Lawson had been relentless and seemed to conduct his investigation on the presumption of my guilt. The detective had been a nagging sore for months, a constant irritant that compounded my sorrow and grief. Although no official charges had been filed, the rumors that circulated had been just as damning. I had managed to weather that particular storm, but I didn’t like the way the destructive winds were blowing this time around.

  I stood and stretched my legs. I wasn’t used to sitting idle for so long and my incarceration was taking a physical toll on my body. It didn’t help that I hadn’t slept since my arrest. My clothes were wrinkled and my body felt like it had accumulated a layer of prison grime. Although my body was tired, my mind was too active to permit down time. My case had been docketed and scheduled for arraignment and I was hoping to hear from Jack soon.

  I looked up when an officer came in to collect me. Stoically, I was led to a room where Jack was waiting for me behind a glass partition.

  I immediately did not like the look on my lawyer’s face. Jack stared somberly, lines of fatigue drawn under his eyes.

  “How are you doing?”

  I couldn’t answer the question. There were no words for what was churning inside him.

  “What’s going on?” I asked without preamble.

  “They are going to charge you with second degree murder. Which is a non-premeditated killing, resulting from an assault which leads to the death of the victim.”

  I exhaled slowly, my body going stiff. “This is bullshit! Why?”

  “Because you were the last one seen with the victim. Because there are eyewitnesses who place you in her room where the murder occurred.”

  I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing. When I’d first gotten to the club, I’d had a drink in a small room where I’d taken off my coat. A staff member had collected me and shown me to Ms. Carmen’s room where I’d waited for her. When I’d spoken to the hostess, she’d said she had someone special waiting for me. I’d only seen her briefly, then left to join Katie.

  “There are also reports that you’ve been depressed and withdrawn lately. Worse, I think, is that rope matching the type used on the victim was found in your office.”

  I felt that blow to my core. “That’s impossible! Why would I keep rope in my office?”

  “It’s not your rope?”

  “No! There must be a mistake.” I watched as Jack made some notes. This could not be fucking happening. Anger boiled up inside me.

  Jack put his pen down and faced me squarely. “The evidence so far seems circumstantial. I don’t think the grand jury will have enough to issue an indictment. But we have to be prepared when we go in front of the judge. I know this DA and he’s good.”

  I watched as Jack packed up his briefcase and motioned to the officer. “I’ll see you in a little bit. Just stay calm.”

  I nodded as I was led away, my thoughts spinning out of control. I couldn’t believe that rope matching the murder weapon was found in my office. What the fuck? I didn’t keep rope in my office. Why would I? And I certainly would not have been stupid enough to murder someone and hold on to evidence. Someone had obviously put the rope there…but who? My forehead bunched. And to have implicated me in a strangulation…like Roslyn’s… Who could be so cruel? Who hated me that much?

  My mind was manic, my thoughts obsessive. I just needed to get out of there. I was useless locked up in this place. I needed to think clearly so I could figure out what the hell was going on…so I could protect what was mine. Livy’s agonizing cries rang in my head and bile clawed up my throat.

  Like you protected Roslyn? The unbidden thought knotted my muscles and I slammed a fist into the wall, familiar feelings of guilt and impotence surfacing. My wife had been murdered, my daughter left without a mother. I remembered the excruciating agony of going to the morgue to identify her body. All emotion had been reduced to eviscerating pain as I’d given my acknowledgment. My Roslyn. My beautiful wife. I’d been so hopeful. I’d failed her. I’d fucking failed her.

  I shook my head to clear away the destructive emotions. I needed to keep calm.

  I was tired, worried about Livy, my business, and…Kay. I couldn’t banish her from my mind. Had she heard of the arrest? What must she be thinking? I’d give anything to be able to talk to her. I craved her comforting warmth and the feel of her arms wrapped around me. I enjoyed the peace she brought me. I wanted to get lost in her. She made me feel like I could live again, that all would be well.

  Were her arms wrapped around Josh right now? Had she taken him back?

  I rubbed at the aching left side of my chest right above my heart. I imagined the dragon rearing its head and roaring in protest. I sighed and dug into my eyes with the heels of my hands. Fatigue was startin
g to get the best of me. I couldn’t afford to think about her now.

  Shit, Davenport! You need to keep a clear head!

  It wasn’t long before I was led into the courtroom to confront my fate. I was surprised at the number of people filling row after row of wooden benches. The entire proceedings were a blur, a grotesque twist of reality that resurrected emotions from a past I’d long ago buried. The courtroom buzzed with activity. It seemed a million things were happening at once, but with automated efficiency. A court reporter sat straight-backed, pecking dutifully at a stenotype machine, recording events as they unfolded. I listened mutely as the judge read a charge of second degree murder. I entered my “not guilty” plea, not recognizing the scratchy, dull monotone as my voice. It was a disembodied drone filling my head to bursting.

  The DA outlined a scenario where I had a sordid sexual encounter with Ms. Carmen and then killed her in a rage of anger during sexual play. They painted the picture of a ruthless business man, a man who had recently been depressed and withdrawn. A man who was unstable and volatile. Jack argued that the DA did not have a strong case and pointed out what he thought were substantial deficits in a case based on circumstantial evidence. Jack spoke of my character, my ties to the community as a business owner, and my role as a father.

  Jack asked the court for bail and that was when I felt my heart practically implode in his chest with desperate hope. God please… The sober-faced judge recited a discourse of statutes and laws then asked me a few questions. Finally bail was granted and set at an amount that should have staggered me, but so eager was I to be released that I’d have handed over my entire life savings.

  After another stream of warnings and edicts from the judge, a court officer approached to escort me out of the court room. I was jumping out of my skin, halfway listening to what Jack was babbling in my ear. There was a new flurry of activity and the purr of heightened conversation. I tilted my head, for the first time allowing my gaze to fully sweep the cavernous room and the hungry spectators. I wasn’t surprised to see a few of my own press contacts in the mix.

  Jack’s voice was completely drowned out by the sudden thud of my heart when my gaze collided with that of the platinum blonde sitting rigidly still in the back of the courtroom. Katie’s eyes were brilliantly blue and as turbulent as a stormy ocean. The emotions radiating from her caused something to kick hard in my gut and I felt my entire world rock off kilter.

  I swallowed the shock of seeing her and looked away, intentionally breaking eye contact. A deluge of emotions flooded me, fear at the forefront. She shouldn’t be here. She could be recognized by the loitering reporters or by someone in the crowd. She’d been the one who’d asked to keep our night at Sensations a secret, and now more than ever I wanted to leave it that way. Having her linked to this scandal could destroy her. I remembered her panic at the penthouse and the terror in her eyes at the possibility of us being discovered. Is that why she was here? Because she was worried about what I’d divulge? Or was it out of concern for me? Jack gave a few more instructions and I kept my head down as I was led out of the courtroom. I purposefully avoided the troubled gaze stalking me.

  That evening, I walked into my apartment. Livy ran into my arms and I held her for a long while, squishing her little body and savoring the love we shared. Not only did I count my blessings for this five year old, but I made an oath right there and then to never be separated from her… Okay, maybe when she went off to college…maybe. I promised myself that I’d always be there when she needed me. I’d failed with my wife and was determined to not make the same mistakes again. I was already mother and father to Livy, and it would kill me to know she was left all alone in the world. I was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on.

  After a quick shower and real food, I returned the frantic calls from my brothers and parents. They’d seen the headlines and were fraught with worry. I’d had to keep my brothers from storming the jail. I made plans to meet with Jack and an investigator from the attorney’s office the following day, then touched base with Bruce.

  I sat on the couch holding my cell phone to my ear as I watched Livy practice her latest ballet moves.

  “I’ve been trying to keep him calm, but Tom Grummel has left a few messages.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed. The corporate attorney had already left a few messages.

  “He wants to meet as soon as possible,” Bruce continued. “Are you sure you want to deal with him right now, that you want to go through with the takeover?”

  I sighed. Common sense had been asking me the same question. With everything going on, maybe I shouldn’t be taking on this new venture, but it wasn’t like me to back out of something that felt right.

  “Set up the meeting for first thing Monday morning.”

  “I’m on it.”

  I was about to sign off when Bruce’s voice stilled my hand. “Luke…I’m here if you need anything.”

  “Thanks.”

  I signed off and stared unseeing at the wall. It had been Bruce along with some of my other buddies who’d dragged me to Sensations that night. Bruce oversaw the HR department at work and had accessed my recent medical files. That night at Sensations, I found out that he’d submitted the paperwork, paid the massive fee, and had easily gotten me approved as a member. My friend probably felt horrible about how things turned out, but this sequelae could not have been predicted and I didn’t blame any of my friends. I appreciated and understood their efforts to pull me from my recent doldrums. I also appreciated the fact that Bruce didn’t ask for details of that night. Beyond the brief ‘did you enjoy yourself?’ to which I’d answered in the affirmative, we hadn’t spoken about my time at Sensations.

  Hell, every year around the anniversary of Roslyn’s death, I’d find myself in an emotional slump. I knew part of it was because I had no closure. Roslyn’s death was still unsolved and because of that, I felt chained to the grief of losing her. The police had never found her murderer. Her body had been discovered in an abandoned taxi cab under the Brooklyn Bridge on a rainy Sunday morning. I was used to her going out late with her friends and coming home at all hours in the morning. We’d fought about it constantly.

  Roslyn had been a fashion model before she had Livy and she’d always consorted with the popular set. I’d thought that married life and a child would tame her, but the party invites kept coming, and she continued to accept them. That’s how I’d met Mrs. Rogers. I’d come home from a business trip to find my six month old daughter in the care of a nanny, and my wife nowhere to be found. She’d surfaced the following day stating she’d flown to LA for a Grammy party held by a producer friend. It was clear her priority had not been her family. She’d gotten caught up in things that eventually ruined her.

  I knew it would be easy to blame Roslyn for all our marital troubles, but I had to shoulder equal responsibility. During the early years of our marriage, I’d been working like crazy to get Davenport PR established. Working long hours and traveling regularly, I hadn’t been able to give Roslyn the attention she was accustomed to receiving.

  I’d tried to salvage our marriage for Livy’s sake as well as the fact that I’d loved my wife dearly. Before Roslyn,I’d been a believer in love, and hope, and happily ever after. She’d moved out for a brief time, and even though there’d been rumors that she’d been seeing someone even during our marriage, I’d tried to get her back. I was willing to forgive the lies and deceit. I’d been hopeful, had thought that maybe there was a possibility of reconciliation. I’d even tried to get her more help for her problems, but shortly after we’d resumed a relationship, she’d been murdered.

  I’d failed her. It had been my job as her husband to love and protect her, to keep our family together, and I’d failed miserably. I felt the familiar grip of my crushing guilt. It was a monster inside that squeezed the breath from my lungs along with faith and hope. A monster that my dragon couldn’t seem to defeat. I’d gotten the tattoo shortly after Roslyn’s death.
It was an oath going forward to always protect what was mine. This entire ordeal with the murder charges exposed raw places inside I thought had healed, or at least scabbed over. But the reality was, I was still hurting, still angry.

  Livy crawled into my lap, pulling me from my thoughts. She snuggled in close, clutching Annie to her chest. Smiling up at me she stifled a yawn. I knew she was fighting sleep. Mrs. Rogers had tried to put her to bed before she’d left just now, but my recalcitrant daughter had not been cooperative. I understood her fear of me leaving her again, and cursed the circumstances that had planted that rotten seed in her brain. Saturated with fatigue, her heavy lids draped shut, but in need of reassurance, she snapped them open and peered wide-eyed up at me.

  “It’s okay. I’m here. Go to sleep, princess.”

  She shook her head, scrubbing her curls on my shirt.

  “How about a story?” I asked, rising from the couch with her in my arms. I’d bet if I put her in bed, she’d fall asleep before I got to the second page.

  She mumbled against my neck, her mop of dark hair falling over her face, and her arms barely making their way around my shoulders. I loved the way she smelled. It reminded me of early morning after a long rainfall. Fresh and pure.

  The doorbell rang just as I was turning to head down the hall, and I backtracked, making my way to the door. Mrs. Rogers smiled when I pulled the door open, holding out a package for me.

  “Back so soon?” I returned the smile, my eyes landing on the box.

  “This package was waiting downstairs at the front desk. I thought I’d bring it up before I left. In case it was important.”

  I shifted Livy and took the package, grinning at Mrs. Rogers.

  “I’m sure you had to wrestle it away from Harry.”

  Harry was my ancient doorman who we always joked about. It was comical that he was thought of as security as he was afraid of his own shadow, and completely inept at his job.