IF I FAIL

by Marian Lanouette

  She unlocked the door. Pale, visibly shaking, her right eye was blackened, and her lips bruised and swollen. There was an ugly cut at the right corner of her mouth. “Can’t everyone just leave me alone? I made a mistake. I opened my door. I don’t care about the other people. I just want my kids safe. Please go away,” she begged.

  “We’re here to keep your kids safe. How long do you think Spike’s going to let you stay alive? Grab the kids. We’ll supply whatever you need. We don’t have time for you to pack anything. Move it. Where are the kids?” Burke asked.

  “They’re in the closet in the bedroom.”

  Kraus went back into the bedroom, grabbed the three-year-old, and the five-year-old. Burke grabbed the one-year-old, who screamed in his ear.

  “Now listen to me, Ms. Darcy. Take the young one tightly in your arms, stay in the middle between Detective Kraus and me. We’ll each carry a kid. You’re going into my car with the youngest. The other two are going with my lieutenant. Got it?”

  “You can’t separate us. You’ll scare them,” she said.

  “This is the safest way. Ready?” Burke cocked his gun. He swore he could see the thick, heavy tension fill the air as they started to leave the building. Her fear crawled over his skin.

  “Oh, my God!” She wiped the tears running down her face.

  “Are you ready, Annie?” he pressed.

  She nodded to him. He heard her whisper under her breath. “Please, God, protect my children”. Burke hoped He was listening, because they needed a miracle to get out of there alive.

  Jake saw Burke first, nodded to him. He took the lead in front of Burke to protect the kid, shotgun poised to fire. Sherman took up the rear. They hurried Ms. Darcy and the youngest into Burke’s car. Jake shielded Kraus with the other two into his car, gently pushing them onto the floor, telling them to stay down. Sherman climbed in with the kids, making sure they stayed down. Jake gave Louie the all clear to come around the front.

  He saw Louie’s car first before he heard the squeal of tires. A black Cadillac drove down the street, heading straight toward them at a high rate of speed, swerving to the curb. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Burrows and Louie flew out of their car, guns ready. He saw the barrel of the rifle hanging out the window. Louie shot at the front tires, Burrows at the back. The Caddy veered off the street, driving into a lamp post head on. The driver and the shooter got out, started running in opposite directions. The first two cars had already left the area. They were two blocks away, trying to make the highway before anyone had a chance to follow them. Jake checked his rearview mirror constantly, to be sure. He called for back-up to support Louie and Burrows, hoping it arrived in time.

  *

  Louie’s heart pounded in his veins, exploding in his ears. The top of his head was ready to blow right off. He wished it would slow down. He looked over, checking on Burrows, gave a sigh of relief when he saw the kid was okay. It took a few moments to catch his breath so he could use the secured channel they were assigned for this op to notify the captain of their status. His backup arrived, started combing the streets trying to find the driver or the shooter. Louie didn’t talk with Jake. They agreed beforehand radio silence would be maintained to ensure the safety of the witness and her children. Louie waited an hour before he called Jake’s personal cell.

  “Hey, everything all right, there?” Louie used no names.

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. Where are you? No injuries?” Jake held his breath.

  “None, but they got away. We’re combing the neighborhood now. Don’t expect we’ll find them, unless someone gives them up. I’ll see you in a few.”

  “Yep, see you in a few.” He hung up and walked the perimeter of the house, checking out the woods. His adrenaline hadn’t returned to normal yet. He sat outside the dining room window, listening to Burke outline the program to Ms. Darcy. Telling her the re-location gave the family a fresh safe start wherever she wanted, with money in her pocket.

  What a week, he thought. You could go months with nothing major going down, then get hit with weeks like this one: two deaths, one crazy bitch stalking two people, information which might lead to an arrest on a cold case. Christ, let’s not forget last night. When Mia got home, a suspicious package graced her doorstep. Her voice shook when she spoke, the fear filled his ears. He told her to call the Woodbury police right way. Good thing she did. The package contained a dead skunk, its throat slit. They were pretty sure Chloe Wagner put it there, though something bothered Jake about the sender. Would Chloe be so stupid as to put it there on the same day she received a restraining order? They’d have to wait on the lab reports to see if there were any fibers or solid evidence linking it to her. Great, just what he needed—another obstacle in his relationship with Mia. It would be a miracle if they made it past all this. He loved his job, but sometimes it just really screwed up his personal life. Burke interrupted his thought process.

  “Lieutenant, could you come in please?”

  “What’s up, Al?” he asked.

  “She wants to talk to my boss,” he said, a smile on his face.

  “Why?”

  “She’s having a hard time processing all this. Here’s the clincher.” Burke paused for effect. “Her old man’s in prison in New York. She wants him to know where they are.”

  “Great,” Jake said, walking into the house. “Ms. Darcy, you remember me?”

  “Yes.” She was pacing, her hands constantly pushing at her hair.

  “Okay, sit down. I’ll go over this again.” He waited until she sat. “You can’t notify anyone right now. If you choose to go into the witness protection program, you can’t let anyone know where you are. I mean no one. If you want to be with the kids’ father, we’ll see if he can be relocated with you. After removing you from the apartment today, we can’t let you and the kids go back there. You wouldn’t last more than a day.” Jake stopped to take a breath; he noticed her shaking, fighting back tears. He gave her credit for her strength.

  “Ms. Darcy—Annie—you can’t believe Spike planned to let you and the kids live?”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything,” she whispered.

  “Did he give you those bruises?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did he do anything else?”

  “Yes.” She started to cry—tears poured down her face as she brought her hand up to hide her face, her shame.

  Jake gently took her hands away from her face. “There’s no reason for you to feel ashamed. He forced himself on you. Detective Burke and Kraus will make sure he pays for everything he did to you and Orlando. Okay?”

  “No one’s been able to touch him before. Why do you think you can now?”

  “Because we have you. This officer is Catlin Moss. She specializes in sexual assault counseling. She’s going to stay with you and the children. Talk to her. She’ll be a big help. There are other officers who are assigned around the clock to watch over you. Detectives Burke and Kraus will patrol both inside and outside at various times. We’ll protect you.” Jake took one of her hands, picked her chin up so she could look him in the eye with the other. “Hold your head up, Annie. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I know you’ll do whatever’s needed to protect your kids.”

  “Thank you.” She left the room to find the children.

  “You know, Jake, you could be a counselor.” Catlin smiled.

  “No thank you, Cat. I’d kill the bastards. I couldn’t deal with it day after day. They take so much from the women.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The warrant for Chloe came through while they were in the field on Burke’s operation. Jake checked his watch—4:00 p.m. He figured they’d catch her when she got out of work at five. Jake drove. Louie remained quiet throughout the drive, their minds still processing today’s actions. A female officer followed in a patrol car. They waited outside of Chloe’s workplace for a good half hour before he spotted her. Louie waited in the car, while Jake climbed out, waiting for her to reach h
im. He didn’t want to appear threatening, or create a scene.

  “Hi Jake, what’s up?” Chloe asked, approaching him.

  “Chloe Wagner, I have a warrant for your arrest for the murder of your sister, Shanna Wagner.”

  Louie got out of the car, approaching them. Chloe looked up at Louie, than over to Jake.

  “What are you talking about, Jake? I didn’t kill my sister. You’re crazy. You’re doing this because I gave Mia some shit. You won’t get away with this.” Mad as hell, Chloe started swearing at the top of her lungs.

  So much for not creating a scene, Jake thought.

  “Chloe Wagner, I’m going to read you your rights. Afterward you’ll be escorted to the station, by this female officer.” Jake read her the Miranda rule.

  “Do you understand these rights as they have been explained to you?” he asked.

  “What, do I look stupid? Of course I understand my rights. This isn’t over, Jake. I will prove you set me up because you didn’t want to date me anymore. You just wait,” she screamed.

  He hadn’t cuffed her out of courtesy. Big mistake.

  She lunged at him, scratching, creating a burning sensation down his cheek as she raked her nails deeply into his face. She didn’t stop there, she kicked him in the shins, right on the sensitive part of the bone; still not finished, she bit him. Dumbfounded, Jake recovered enough to help the female officer get the handcuffs on her, finally subduing her. Louie watched, his hand on his weapon.

  She held up her cuffed hands, putting on a nasty grin. “Bring back memories, Jake?”

  The officer pushed her into the patrol car, and drove away without another word to either Chloe or Jake.

  *

  “Well, so much for not causing a scene.” Louie said.

  “I didn’t recognize the patrol woman, did you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who was she?” Jake asked.

  “Tara Jones,” Louie answered.

  “I liked her,” Jake said, sitting at his desk.

  “Me too. She handled Chloe well. Aren’t we going to interview Chloe right off?”

  “No, I want her to sit and stew for a while, think about her actions. When I’m good and ready we’ll take her. She won’t be as calm or as in control as the last time.”

  Louie noticed the set jaw, the cold look in Jake’s eyes—he decided they needed a third person to witness the interview. “Jake, do you want me to pull in Burke?”

  “Nope, I’m under control, Louie. We got called out before you scheduled the interview with the Drake girl, right?” Jake asked.

  “Yeah, you still want to interview her?”

  “Yes, I still want to speak with Kraus and Brown. Something’s off with her answers. If Chloe did it, she didn’t do it alone. Oh, I also want to re-interview the ex-boyfriend, Mark Cavilla.”

  “What do you mean if? She had the ring.”

  “No, she didn’t. Joe found it in Shanna’s room, not in Chloe’s room or on her person. It doesn’t mean she had possession of it. You told me to keep an open mind. Now, I’ll tell you the same thing. When we close this thing, I don’t want the evidence to come back and bite us on the ass. We tie up all lose ends, got it?”

  “I got it. I’ll schedule the rest for tomorrow.”

  Louie thought Jake was being overly cautious, but he was the boss. When he turned to leave the office, Jake stopped him.

  “You got anything at your desks for cuts? This hurts like a bitch.” Jake touched his face.

  “Yeah, I do. You should have cuffed her right away. Human bites and scratches are the worse.”

  “Hindsight’s great, Louie. Just get me the disinfectant, okay?”

  “Right.”

  Jake’s phone rang as Louie left his office. “Lieutenant Carrington,” he answered.

  “Jake, it’s Shamus. Come into my office.”

  “Sure, Cap.”

  The captain handed Jake a piece of paper with the test results for the sergeant’s exam, and lo and behold, Louie placed twenty first out of one hundred.

  “This is just great! When are you telling him, Captain?”

  “You’re his lieutenant now, Jake, so you get the honors.” Shamus smiled.

  “Thanks. I’ll do it now, before we interview the Wagner girl.”

  “I thought you interviewed her Monday. She’s still stalking you?”

  “No, we arrested her a little while ago on a charge of murder. You’ll have my report before the end of the day.” He saw the look of surprise on the captain’s face. “Her father tried hocking the ring the victim always wore. Said he found it in Shanna’s room. He also said besides himself, only his wife and Chloe had access to the room. The fact is, anyone could have. I understand Meryl, and even Cavilla, visited her parents this past year. So we’re not stopping there. Shanna Wagner’s best friend Meryl Drake’s statements were inconsistent, first to Kraus and Brown, and four days later to me. So we’re pulling her in tomorrow, along with the ex-boyfriend.” Jake laid out his strategy in his own head while he outlined it for his captain’s benefit. He needed to cover all his bases if he planned on getting a conviction.

  “I want you to go by the book here, more so than you normally do. Be careful.”

  “Don’t worry. This has nothing to do with the stalking incident,” Jake said. He walked out of the captain’s office, flagging Louie.

  “Okay, I set up Drake’s interview for tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. Cavilla can’t make it until around two o’clock. He works a half day on Saturday. Do you want to go down to do the interview now?”

  “Nope, I need you to come into my office and take a seat.” Jake kept a concerned look on his face.

  “Oh shit, what now?” Louie asked.

  “I’ve been informed you passed the sergeant’s exam with flying colors. You’re twenty first out of one hundred applicants. They’re promoting thirty detectives to sergeants. Congratulations, Louie, you deserve it.” Jake held out his hand, took a firm hold on Louie’s.

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” Jake addressed him.

  “Oh, my God! I have to call Sophia. She won’t believe it.” He turned, running to his desk. He almost tripped, turning back to Jake. “Hey. This isn’t fair. We can’t celebrate this so soon after yours. Sophia would kill us both.”

  “Oh yeah, she would. Go give her a call. Chloe can wait, it’ll do her good.”

  *

  Mia took a personal day. She needed to write, to relax after everything that went on this week. Writing always cleared her mind. She remembered her friend Piper had called her yesterday. Returning her call, they made plans for today to have lunch in town. Put on your compassion hat, Mia thought.

  She always heard stories of love and forgiveness, though she never understood how someone could forgive a lover or a spouse for infidelity. In Mia’s opinion it was the ultimate betrayal, just like Bart had betrayed her. He had created trust issues in her—the psychologist in her knew the cause of her fear of commitment, but the woman couldn’t forgive or move past it. Since she began to date Jake, Bart’s lying, cheating behavior played on her mind. Could Jake be trusted? Would he be faithful?

  They met at the Eatery at noon. Mia took a seat opposite Piper. Without waiting for a greeting, Piper started talking and Mia listened. Unclear if the gist of Piper’s conversation was to convince herself or Mia of Darryl’s worth.

  “You don’t throw away the baby with the water.”

  Mia always thought that the dumbest statement in the world. She knew the truth. Piper was afraid to be alone.

  Darryl and Piper had been married for twenty-five years and last week she’d caught the bastard cheating on her with a twenty-two year old woman. Tuning back into the conversation again, Mia didn’t know where to direct her anger—at Darryl or Piper. Piper said she never confronted him, thus reinforcing the bad behavior.

  Mia chose her words carefully. “He betrayed the most sacred trust. Didn’t he promise in front of God and f
amily he would honor, love, and cherish you?” If it were me, I’d always be looking at him—wondering if he broke his vows again. I could never trust a man who cheated. How could she?

  “You never liked him,” Piper said, reading Mia’s mind.

  “It’s not true. I never trusted him. He’s always flirting.”

  “Nice. Thanks, Mia.” Piper swiped at the tears pouring down her face.

  “I just want you to look at this from all angles. Ask yourself, why are you forgiving him? Can you trust him again? Do you want to make love to him? I want you to look at everything. I don’t want you to be a victim. Are you forgiving him because you don’t want to be alone at forty-two?” Mia finished up, staring directly into Piper’s eyes.

  “I just don’t know, to be honest. I have a family to consider. I’ve not worked outside the house in twenty-three years. How will I survive? I’m twenty pounds overweight. How can I develop any new relationships? Look at you. At thirty-one you rarely date, because you know there’s only garbage out there—men who want free sex with none of the responsibilities. I don’t want a free-for-all lifestyle. I want my family.” Mia had a lot of sympathy for Piper, for her fears. She scooped up a spoon of ice cream, stalling, gathering her thoughts before she responded. In the silence, Mia watched Piper eat her sundae, wiping tears off her face.

  She finally broke the silence. “I love you, Piper. I don’t want to see you hurt or used. I will support whatever decision you choose. I want you to look at everything closely. You need to question everything. It’s the only way you’ll ever have any peace from your decision. You’re a beautiful woman. Weight means nothing. If you want a relationship, you’ll find one. You’re a great person with a wonderful sense of humor. You have so much to offer a person. I just don’t want you to rush into anything. Are you both going to go to counseling?” Mia asked.

  “We haven’t discussed it.” Piper looked away.

  “What have you and Darryl discussed?” Mia pushed.

  “Nothing,” Piper answered honestly.

  “Are you afraid to talk to him? Why haven’t you told him you think both of you need counseling? Are you afraid of his answer?”