Gumbo Justice

by Holli H. Castillo

  “I’ll see you there,” he said. “Oh, and one more thing. PID showed up at Chad’s before we left. I don’t know what they were looking for, but Battaglia made a point to say he’d be at the next COMSTAT meeting. I got the impression it’s something to do with your dad.”

  Ryan frowned into the phone. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Battaglia.”

  “Uh, Ryan, whatever you’re planning, be careful with Battaglia. He can do a lot of damage to your dad if you give him any ammunition.”

  “I won’t. But thanks for the warning.” She hung up the phone, too many emotions running through her to control. She felt tears start to form and willed them away. Everything was going to be fine.

  First, she would talk to Battaglia, and give him the information that would make him leave her father alone. She just needed to figure out how much she had to reveal. For Battaglia to believe what had happened to Chad was justified, he was going to have to know what Chad did to her. And as much as she didn’t want anyone to know the truth, she wasn’t going to let PID and Battaglia destroy her father over something she knew he didn’t do.

  She called the PID office. Battaglia didn’t seem happy to hear from her. When she told him she could give him information regarding the attack on Chad Lejeune, he agreed to see her. She grabbed the videotape from her desk, glad she had thought to bring it to the office with her, and walked down the street to Headquarters, where the PID office was located.

  JACOB

  Jacob looked at the newspaper article and smiled. Everything was going as planned, falling right into place, which was fortunate, since the city council had voted to shut down the St. Thomas. There was a rush on the demolition job, the bulldozers already lining up in preparation for the new Wal-Mart that was coming. Jacob knew the end was near, just as he knew the end had to be at the St. Thomas.

  He pulled an old photo with grainy color out of his desk. A little girl on a gold sofa stared back at him, her legs curled up underneath her, looking serious and scared. And next to her, standing on the floor, was Jacob, his legs slightly apart, in a protective stance.

  He did not recall the picture being taken, but in retrospect assumed it was the pedophile who had taken it. Jacob had spent a year with him after that day, and the man enjoyed taking Jacob’s picture, among other things.

  He had thought about that little girl a lot in his life, wondering who she was, and how her life had turned out. And then, after a lifetime of looking for her, he had found her. Justice would finally be served. Unfortunately for her.

  FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING

  Ryan was drunk. Earlier, before most of the office had shown up at the Hole, she had been falling down drunk. Now, the buzz was beginning to wear thin. She had been shooting tequila shots for several hours with Edie, trying to forget about how miserable her life had become.

  She was devastated enough over not getting the promotion, but an even bigger outrage had come at the trial meeting, when Rick announced that Kellie Leblanc had gotten the Strike Force spot. Ryan had been so wrapped up in her own misery that she hadn’t realized Bo Lambert seemed just as miserable as she did. She couldn’t even be happy that Bo hadn’t gotten the promotion either.

  Kellie was flitting around the bar, a big smile on her face, infuriating Ryan even more. When Ryan heard Kellie mention that she was looking for Shep to celebrate with, Ryan made a two-hundred dollar bet with the other woman that Shep wouldn’t be going home with her. Ryan knew the bet was unfair, but didn’t care.

  Ryan sat at the bar, tequila shots lined up in front of her, her eyes watching the door. When the door finally did open, Sean walked in, an annoyed look on his face.

  He headed straight to her. “I should have figured you’d be here. I’m leaving in an hour to go to Grand Isle with mom.” His pale face was even more washed out than normal. “We’ll start packing Gram’s stuff tonight and drive back tomorrow. We’ll probably need at least two trips, but once I get there at least dad will get a break.”

  Ryan felt guilty for a second. Her father had called earlier to say that Gram had another stroke and wasn’t doing well, and he was bringing her home to New Orleans.

  “Sorry I can’t help, but I have to go the office tomorrow. So, anything new on the homicides?”

  Sean glanced at Bo and Big Mike, sitting a few seats over from Ryan, and shook his head. “No, nothing new.”

  “Well, you can tell mama I’m going to the Upperline Home to do her volunteer work tomorrow for her. I know she hasn’t missed a Saturday in years.” Ryan downed one of the tequila shots.

  Sean didn’t say anything, but gave her a skeptical look as he walked across the room to talk to Suzie Chin. Ryan assumed from his reaction that he was unaware that Patti was living at the Upperline Home. She was equally certain that her mother would have a lot to think about when Sean gave her the message.

  “How’s it going?” Mike asked, leaning on the bar in front of her. “You must be pretty bummed. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

  She shook her head, determined not to break down in front of everybody at the bar, and forced a smile. “Obviously, being a good prosecutor isn’t as important as being a good slut in this office.” She knew she was being an ungracious loser, but thought she was entitled.

  Mike looked uncomfortable, and Ryan’s smile came naturally when she realized Kellie Leblanc was standing on the other side of Mike, next to Bo.

  Edie walked up and grabbed one of the shots. “You didn’t mention to Sean you would be meeting long lost relatives tomorrow, did you?” Her tone was strangely judgmental.

  Ryan laughed, even though it wasn’t funny, momentarily forgetting about Kellie and the remark. She did another shot, feeling the tequila warmth hitting her chest. “No, for some reason I don’t think Sean would approve.”

  “I still think it’s a bad idea,” Edie said, uncharacteristically acting as the voice of reason. “If you want to know anything about Patti, you should just ask your mom.”

  Ryan dismissed Edie’s suggestion with a wave of her hand. “It’s obvious to me that mama doesn’t want me to know anything at all about Patti, or else she would have found some occasion in the last twenty-four years to mention to me that my biological mother is still alive. And second, mama doesn’t have the answers to my questions.”

  “Don’t you have enough to worry about?” Edie nodded in the direction of Kellie Leblanc.

  “Don’t forget your meeting with the D.A.,” Bo said, raising his glass to her, and Ryan got the feeling he was getting some satisfaction out of her troubles.

  Ryan was trying to think of an answer to Bo when the door to the bar opened again, and Shep waved her over. Ryan bee-lined for the front door, wanting to make sure she got to Shep before Kellie.

  His eyes locked on hers as he smiled. “Are you ready?”

  She was relieved that he didn’t want to hang around. Not that she was at all interested in seeing whom Chad may have violated, but she didn’t want to hang around watching Kellie celebrate the promotion that should have been hers. She also had no desire to watch Kellie throw herself at Shep all night, especially considering the level of Kellie’s skills of persuasion.

  Ryan nodded, and looked toward the bar at Kellie, who had her back to the door. “Let me tell Edie I’m leaving.”

  Ryan strode purposefully to Kellie. “Put up your money. I’m out of here.”

  Kellie eyed her doubtfully. “What are you talking about?”

  Ryan pointed over to Shep waiting at the door. “He’s waiting for me, sweetie. Not you. So pay up.”

  Kellie handed her a fistful of twenties with a scowl. “Maybe you can count that while I’m working on the Gendusa case.”

  Ryan snatched the cash from Kellie. “Fine. And you can read your little file while Shep’s running his mouth all over my body tonight.”

  “I’ve got too many Strike Force cases to keep me busy to worry about Chapetti anyway,” Kellie answered with a fake smile.

  �
�Good for you. My only worry is whether Chapetti brought enough condoms for the weekend.” Ryan’s smile was pure venom. At least she could replace those Ferragamo’s, courtesy of Kellie Leblanc.

  Ryan walked back to the front door to Shep, who was looking at her intently.

  “I’m glad you don’t feel like hanging around here,” he said, opening the door for her. He put his hand on her elbow, steering her in the direction of his car. “You want to tell me what had you so down today?”

  She shrugged. “I didn’t get Strike Force.” The words left a bad taste in her mouth, so she stopped walking and lit up a cigarette.

  “I’m sorry.” Shep stopped next to her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently.

  “And the news gets worse.” She kept her hand in his as they crossed Tulane Avenue to his car, hoping her hand wasn’t sweating in his. “Kellie Leblanc got the spot instead.”

  “Ouch. I know how much you wanted this. If I can do anything, let me know.” She tried to read his look, but was afraid to give too much credence to what she hoped she saw. After all, she had been shooting tequila for hours. Her judgment could hardly be trusted.

  She looked down and swallowed, trying again to combat the tears that were threatening to erupt. “They might put me at a desk. They don’t want me handling high profile cases. And the icing on the cake, Kellie also got the Gendusa case.”

  “Seems like it’s Kellie’s lucky day,” Shep said.

  They stopped at his car. Ryan reluctantly took her hand out of his.

  “She blew her way to my promotion, I’d say that’s a little more than luck.” She watched his face for a reaction as she threw the cigarette down to the ground.

  Shep opened the car door. “I’m just glad she didn’t see me at the bar. I heard I was next on her to-do list.”

  Ryan stopped, her body halfway in the car. “You know about the list?”

  Shep smiled. “Everybody knows about the list. She’s very popular among the patrolmen. The ones who haven’t caught gonorrhea from her yet, anyway.” He shut Ryan’s door and climbed in the driver’s seat. He pulled onto Tulane, edged into the intersection and ran the red. “You have no reason to be jealous of her, you know.”

  Ryan felt her face flush. “I am not jealous of Kellie. I just hate her guts. She doesn’t even care about being on Strike Force. She just always goes after whatever I want, and not because she wants it, but because she knows I do. I mean first she went after my job, then my case, then my man . . .”

  She stopped, horrified, realizing what she had just said.

  “Your man?” Shep looked over at her suddenly, stopping for the red light.

  “I meant in the past,” she said quickly, her heart speeding up. “She’s gone after men I wanted. Before, I mean. Like in high school. I’m drunk. I’m not making any sense. You can run this red, you know.”

  He checked the intersection and ran the light. Gilbert’s smile lit up his face. “Oh, I think you’re making plenty of sense.”

  “I’m drunk. I don’t know what I’m saying.” She knew her face was red. Just like she knew she didn’t have a man.

  “Babe, you have every right to be angry. You deserved the Strike Force spot.”

  Ryan was glad he was not going to harp on what she had just said. “The only good part of my day was that Bo didn’t get the spot either,” Ryan said, and Shep gave her Gilbert’s smile again as he pulled up in front of her house.

  Inside, Ryan flipped on the light, and handed him the ten twenties.

  He looked at her with mock suspicion. “What’s this for? Are you trying to bribe a police officer? You know that’s a felony.”

  “Only a third class. I bet Kellie two hundred bucks you wouldn’t go home with her.”

  Shep’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you think I would?”

  She tried to smooth her hair. “Of course not. I knew you had a boner for me to look at Chad’s girlfriends. It was a safe bet.”

  He handed the bills back to her. “I think the least you could do would be to treat me to dinner one night. Since you won the money because of me.”

  “I guess that would be fair,” she answered, putting the money on the coffee table with a small smile. Was that Shep’s subtle way of asking her out?

  “And since you just called me your man, we should go out on at least one real date.”

  “Just give me the damn pictures.” She could feel her face turning red again. He was just making fun of her. That was what she got for too many Cuervo shots.

  Shep sat down and pulled the pictures out of the file. “Take your time, and tell me if you recognize anybody.”

  Ryan sat down next to him on the sofa and started looking through the photos. She immediately knew the woman in the first one.

  “Norma was Chad’s secretary,” she said. “She quit right after I started going out with him. I can’t say that I blame her, with what he’s doing to her in this picture.” She looked at the second one. “Oh my, that’s the water man.”

  “The what?”

  “Chad’s water delivery guy. Gross.” She threw the pictures on the coffee table. “And this was going on while I was his girlfriend? I’m glad now I only walked in on him doing the paralegal. I think I’ve seen enough.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t think the pictures would bother you. I mean, after everything, you don’t still have feelings for him, do you?” Shep had the same intense look in his eyes as he had at the bar.

  “Feelings of hatred and disgust,” she said. “But I’m still finding it difficult to accept that my boyfriend was screwing around on me, with unconscious women and water delivery men and God knows who else. I mean, what was wrong with me?” She didn’t want to sound so self-pitying, but she couldn’t help herself.

  Shep touched her cheek lightly. “Babe, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Chad’s some kind of a freaky deviant. I’m sorry. Your day was bad enough without me putting you through this. I shouldn’t have asked you to do this tonight.”

  She stood up and put the pictures back in his file. “I understand that you want to get him, and this is the only way.”

  He grabbed her hand. “Ry, there is another way.”

  She tried to hand him the file. “No, there isn’t. I’ll press charges for the battery in the courthouse, but nothing else.”

  He ignored the file in her hand, and looked at her questioningly, still holding her hand.

  “What?” Ryan asked. “You obviously have something on your mind. You’ve got one question, Chapetti. Make it a good one.”

  He waited a moment before asking, “Did you love him?”

  “No,” she answered too quickly, surprised by the question. “Most of the time I didn’t even like him.” She pulled her hand out of his and shoved the file at him, blinking back tears. “I can’t look at this right now.”

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ll go.” He took the file and started for the door.

  A wave of loneliness washed over her. She rushed behind him and grabbed his arm. He stopped abruptly, and then slowly turned to face her.

  Her voice was a shaky whisper, choked with a mixture of fear and longing. “I don’t want you to go. I don’t want to be alone.”

  He looked down at her as she put her hands on his chest and slowly reached up with her mouth, pressing her lips against his. She could feel his heart pounding through his polo shirt as she parted his lips with her tongue.

  Shep made a sound in his throat, almost but not quite a moan, before pulling his mouth from hers. “Ryan, I don’t think this is such a good idea right now.”

  “Why?” she asked, keeping her hands pressed against his chest.

  “Because you’re drunk,” he answered, staring down at her through his dark lashes.

  “So what?” She reached her arms around his neck and began tracing tiny circles behind his ear with her tongue.

  He made another sound, a definite moan this time, and removed her arms from around his neck, holding her hands i
n his own. “Ryan, what exactly are you after here?”

  “I was thinking second base, maybe third, whatever we have time for.”

  He shook his head, a wistful smile on his lips. “While I have a certain level of appreciation for a woman who starts out at second or third base, that’s not really the answer I was looking for.”

  “What do you want to hear then, Chapetti?” She jerked her hands out of his grasp. “That I’ll testify against Chad for making the tape if you have sex with me? Are you really only here to close a case? Do you need an arrest that bad?”

  He shook his head. “I just need to be sure what you really want. And that you’re not doing this because you’re drunk, or because you’re feeling sorry for yourself, or because you think this is the way to beat Kellie. I don’t want to be with you tonight and have you regret it tomorrow. I don’t want to screw this up.”

  She turned away from him so he wouldn’t see the tear that slid down her cheek. “I think you just don’t want me. I’ve seen the women you go out with. Women like Kellie. And Wanda. I can’t compete, I guess.” She knew she was going to feel like an idiot tomorrow, but she couldn’t seem to stop. He was right about one thing. She was feeling sorry for herself. Chad hadn’t wanted her, and now Shep didn’t want her. And she was out of tequila.

  Without a word, he whirled her around and pulled her body against his. His hands traveled underneath her short skirt until they were cupping her bare skin, proving to Ryan that she had made the right choice in the thong versus bikini dilemma.

  “I’ve been wanting to do that since I walked into the bar and saw you in that tiny skirt. And those shoes should be illegal,” he whispered in her ear, and then nibbled on her earlobe before bringing his mouth back down to hers. A second later he released her mouth, keeping his body tight against hers. “Do you feel how much I want you?”

  She felt his erection pressing against her through her clothes.

  “Must be the Prada shoes.” She rubbed against his hardness.

  He let out a groan. “Shep Jr. is dying to make your acquaintance, I can assure you. As a matter of fact, every time I leave you I have to think about my Aunt Edna to get Junior to settle down.”