Not for a Moment

by Nadirah Foxx

  I slid into the booth, and he pushed my order—a Bucharest Shawarma sandwich—across the table.

  “No mayo?” I asked.

  He smiled. “I remembered.”

  “Thanks.” I bit into the soft pita and savored the slow-cooked chicken breast with garlic sauce.

  Scott chuckled. “Hungry much?”

  Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I said, “Starving.”

  “What happened?” He pointed at my jacket sleeve. It had slipped down, and my bruised wrist was on display.

  I didn’t dare tell him the truth.

  Scott pursed his lips. “You don’t have to say it. Just tell me why he did it.”

  I shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. Ever since the arrest, he’s been moody. He drinks all day until he runs out of beer, whiskey, whatever. Nothing I do pleases him.”

  “You need to go back home, Rachel. Let Matt figure this shit out on his own.”

  Placing the sandwich on the wrapper, I said, “How is that going to help him? He needs someone.”

  “What Matt needs is a fucking shrink! You can’t solve his problems.”

  “I caused his problems,” I shouted back.

  The few patrons in the restaurant looked over at us.

  Lowering his voice, Scott leaned in. “How do you figure that?”

  “You set us up. I shouldn’t have gone out with Leo.”

  Scott sat back. “I guess you’re responsible for the arrest too?”

  Point taken. I couldn’t hold myself accountable for everything—Matt’s temper, his cruelty, his drunkenness. “I get it. Maybe I should go home. But if my father sees—”

  “Then come home with me. You can keep Crystal company.”

  “Thank you, but no. I created the situation.” I quickly held up my hand. “Part of this is my fault. My plan is to get the charges cleared. Then I’ll leave him.”

  Scott’s eyebrow shot up. “Are you sure?”

  Lifting the sandwich, I said, “Yes. It’s not my first time dealing with an abusive type. I’m learning what to do and say around Matt. Most days, he just drinks himself into a stupor.”

  “What about his diabetes? Is he taking care of himself?”

  “I guess. I saw the insulin bottle in the fridge. He’s using it.” Frankly, Matt was a grown-ass man who’d been taking care of himself long before I entered the picture. He’d continue to do it even after I left. “Any news about the uniform?”

  “Not yet. I’ve got someone in the ME’s office conducting the tests. Funny thing. We tested the uniform, but someone stole the results. They wiped the laptop clean too.”

  My appetite stalled on Scott’s words. “That’s not funny. That’s downright creepy. Who would do it?”

  “One guess,” Scott said as he took a sip from his Styrofoam cup.

  I shuddered. Once again, Leo was suspect. “Why do you keep tying Matt’s foster brother to all of this?”

  Scott opened his mouth and then slammed it shut.

  Curious.

  Butterflies took off in my gut, like a warning. “Are you keeping something from me?”

  “I told you. The two of them have a hatred for each other. Actually, it’s fairly one-sided. Leo has never liked Matt.”

  “Sorry. I’m not buying it. I know you said that Leo hated Matt. You also said you had your suspicions. Either tell me or get off the Leo train. It’s time to find the real person behind this insanity.”

  Slowly, Scott bobbed his head up and down. “You’re right. I’ll ask around. See if maybe Matt’s arrested someone who might have some vindictive family.”

  “Thank you.”

  Part of me was glad that Scott was moving on. Yes, it was possible that Leo could be the culprit, but I didn’t want to believe it. That would have meant believing that the boy I knew in high school was a monster. Deep down, however, was a nugget of fear that grew more each day. What if Leo was responsible? What if all of this was part of a larger picture that hadn’t been revealed yet?

  Shaking it off, I asked, “What can I do to help?”

  Scott dipped his chin and gave me an inquisitive look. “I’ve already told you what to do, but you won’t listen.”

  I pushed my food to the side. “Back to the uniform. Let’s suppose that someone other than Matt wore it. According to him, he was overdue for picking up his dry cleaning. Obviously, somebody else retrieved it. What cleaners does Matt use?”

  “A place down on East Lafayette.” Scott’s brow furrowed. “What are you thinking?”

  “Go check it out. See if there’s a security camera. Surely, there would have to be footage of the person picking up the uniform.”

  He smiled. “I think you’re in the wrong industry.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Maybe you should have attended the police academy instead of college.”

  “Nice sentiment, but I’d tire of arresting bad guys.” I slid out of the booth. “Let’s go.”

  “You’re not going with me. I’ll do this alone.”

  “Scott,” I pleaded. “I can’t go back to Matt’s right now. There’s only so much cruelty and depression I can take.”

  Scott held his head back as his gaze flicked toward the ceiling. He blew air through his cheeks before looking at me. “Fine. You can come, but I do all the talking. Understood?”

  I clapped my hands together like a small child. “Yup.”

  ∞∞∞

  A man of average height with sepia-colored skin, a graying beard, and wire-framed glasses greeted us when we stepped up to the counter. “Can I help you?”

  “Yes,” I started.

  Scott cleared his throat, and I swallowed my comment. He flashed his badge.

  “What can I help you with, Officer?”

  “Actually, it’s Detective,” Scott corrected the man. “I’m looking for security footage. It would be about a month old.”

  “Sure, sure. I can get that for you. Anything in particular you’re looking for?”

  I pulled out my phone and found a picture of Matt. Before Scott could cut me off, I thrust the device in the man’s face. “Do you know this person? He picks up his dry cleaning here regularly.”

  The man frowned. “That’s the cop who killed the girl.” He glanced up at Scott. “No offense.”

  “None taken, but the investigation is still open. We don’t have conclusive evidence of anyone’s guilt,” Scott added.

  The man twisted his lips, and his brow furrowed as if he wanted to say, Yeah, right.

  “I know him,” he admitted. “Name’s Wallace. He’s a good customer.”

  Scott asked, “But?”

  “But he hasn’t been here in about two months. Somebody else picked up his last cleaning.”

  I was too eager to keep quiet. “Who?”

  “Forgive her.” Scott glanced at me. “She’s a reporter doing a ride along.”

  The man’s gaze drifted from Scott to me and then back again. “I’ve never seen the man before, but he could have been a dead ringer for Officer Wallace. Almost the same height and build.” He pushed off the counter. “Let me get you the footage.”

  “Thank you,” Scott said. He waited until the man left before saying, “Rachel, you need to let me handle this. Go visit your dad or go back to Matt’s. This is a police matter.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll let you know what I can.”

  I sighed. “Be sure to call me.”

  ∞∞∞

  An hour later, I’d heard nothing from Scott. Instead of following his suggestion, I drove to Midtown and stopped by the Main Library. If I was going to help Matt, I needed to do my own investigation.

  First thing I did was to find more articles about the girl discovered on Belle Isle. She had been listed as a runaway, but she wasn’t from Grand Rapids. She was from Grand Blanc and had been missing for over a year. I pulled up news footage. Her parents had made a plea. The last time they’d heard from their daughter was six months ago.

  Int
eresting.

  The most recent article on the case stated the police recently revealed that the body parts were decomposed. That made little sense. The uniform found at Matt’s supposedly had fresh blood on it. Same thing with the knife.

  New questions swirled in my head. Whose blood was on the items? Was it possible that it belonged to somebody else? Shouldn’t Matt have noticed a uniform missing for six months?

  I jotted down the information along with my query. I’d go over everything with Scott and maybe even Matt’s lawyer.

  ∞∞∞

  Scott and I reached Matt’s apartment simultaneously. I grabbed him before he entered the building.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I should ask you the same thing. You didn’t call me,” I said.

  “I turned the tapes over to the chief investigator.”

  “Why?”

  “Different department.” Scott didn’t offer further explanation.

  “Can I tell you what I found, or do I need to talk to someone else?”

  He folded his muscular arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. “Depends on whether you want to help Matt or help the real criminal.”

  Point taken.

  I dug out my notebook and showed Scott the information. He read each page twice before closing the pad. “You found this at the library?”

  “Yes. This is common knowledge, so why is the DA penning this all on Matt? Even the owner of the dry cleaner said Matt didn’t pick up his uniform. If Matt had killed that girl, the uniform wouldn’t have had fresh blood on it. Plus, the body is decomposing. I may not be an investigator, but I seriously doubt—”

  “I get it.” Scott cut me off. “You go up and see Matt. I’ll contact his lawyer. Matt may be guilty of a lot of shit in his life, but he didn’t do this. He’s being railroaded.”

  I exhaled. Finally, somebody believed me. “Thank you.”

  Next? Letting Matt know what we’d discovered.

  30

  Hope Floats

  Rachel

  My smile, unfortunately, dissipated as I reached Matt’s door. It stood open, and the cop on duty was inside the apartment. Matt sat on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back.

  “What the hell!” I shouted as I ran over to him.

  The officer said, “It was the only way to calm him down.”

  “What?” That was when I noticed the mess. The living room looked as if someone was searching desperately for something. “How did this happen?”

  Matt, his face red and eyes bulging, didn’t offer an explanation.

  “I heard the noise and came inside. Frankly, I don’t care if he tears the damn place up. But he doesn’t get to off himself on my watch.”

  Fear clenched around my chest like a tight fist. Had it come to a suicide attempt? “Matt?”

  He wouldn’t make eye contact.

  “Please uncuff him. I’m here. He won’t hurt himself.”

  The officer reluctantly crouched beside us and removed the restraints. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” he said as he stood and walked toward the door.

  Matt drew his legs in, placed his elbows on his knees, and lowered his head into his hands. “I can’t deal with this anymore. Everyone would be better off if I weren’t around.”

  I placed my hand on his arm. “No. We wouldn’t. It’s almost over.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Scott and I found proof that you couldn’t be responsible.”

  Matt lifted his head. “What proof?”

  “Did anyone tell you how long that girl had been missing?”

  “No.”

  “How about the body? Any idea how long it had been exposed to the elements?”

  “Un-uh.”

  I struggled to my feet, tugging Matt with me. “Let’s clean up this mess. By the time we’re done, Scott and possibly your lawyer will be here.”

  When I dropped my hand, I noticed blood. “What did you do?”

  Matt turned his right arm and looked down at his elbow. A fresh cut was on his bicep. Undoubtedly, he injured himself in his tirade. The blank look in his eyes let me know that he didn’t even realize he was bleeding.

  “Go get cleaned up. I’ll take care of the damage down here.”

  Instead of moving toward the stairs, Matt put his arms around me. “I’m so sorry for how I’ve been treating you.”

  Part of me wanted to lie and say it was okay, but I couldn’t. Nothing was right about the situation.

  When I didn’t respond, Matt lifted my chin with his finger. Gazing into my eyes, he added, “I won’t ask for your forgiveness because that would mean forgetting—”

  “No, it doesn’t. I can forgive you, but you’ve got to get help. I mean it.”

  “I’ll do whatever I need to do for you.”

  Placing my palms on his chest, I shook my head. “Don’t do it for me. Do it because you need it.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, baby. I’ll do it because of you. Because I love you.”

  No, no, no. He wasn’t supposed to say that.

  He caressed my cheek. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”

  ∞∞∞

  While Matt showered, I cleaned the living room and discovered the broken glass came from the pictures lying on the floor. Bending down, I noticed they were of Matt with Leo. Another one was of Matt with an attractive girl. All three of them had the same eyes and similar smiles. It was freaky. Before I could ponder why it bothered me, Matt entered the room.

  “Thanks for taking care of this,” he said, crouching down beside me. “I hadn’t lost my shit like that in years.”

  “Were you trying to kill yourself?”

  “Hell no.”

  I was confused. “But you said…”

  “Trust me, I wasn’t thinking of suicide. But I guess it could be implied with what I wanted to do.”

  “And that was?”

  “Removing this goddamned ankle bracelet and finding my gun.”

  My blood froze. “Why did you need your gun?”

  “In case the fool in the hall tried to stop me from leaving.”

  Standing, I walked over to the sofa and sat down. “I’m lost here. You weren’t thinking of killing yourself. You needed your gun. Where is it now?”

  Matt faced me. “That’s why the living room was torn apart. I was trying to find it.”

  Beads of sweat trickled down my spine. “You didn’t find it?”

  “Nope. It was supposed to be in the closet, top shelf. I never locked it up. No kids, so I didn’t think I had to.”

  “Anything else missing?”

  “The ammo.” He plopped down beside me. “The weapon isn’t department issue, but I have a permit for it.”

  “Who else knew you had it?”

  “No one.”

  A ball of worry and foreboding twisted and knotted in my stomach. The doubts came back about Leo. I didn’t want to believe he could be guilty of anything heinous. Call it stupidity on my behalf. I thought I was a better judge of character. Then again, I thought I knew the man beside me. What if he really was guilty of a crime?

  I needed a drink, but before I could contemplate what was left in the apartment, the door swung open. Scott spoke to the officer for a moment and then stepped inside.

  “I hear there was some trouble,” he said.

  “No trouble,” Matt confirmed. “I was trying to find my gun.”

  Scott’s eyebrows knitted together. “Matt.”

  “I’m not talking about my service gun.” He pushed to his feet and walked to the closet. He threw open the door and pointed to the shelf. “I had my own Glock. Bought it three years ago. I had it and the ammo in there. Both items are gone.”

  “Is this the first time you’ve noticed—”

  “Don’t do that, man! I’m not hallucinating shit. Want to see my permit?”

  “Actually, I would,” Scott said.

  Matt went to t
he coffee table and opened a wooden box. He removed his wallet, pulled out a folded sheet of paper, and passed it to Scott.

  “Thanks,” he said, looking at the document. “Okay. Where do you think the gun is?”

  “I’d put all my money on Leo.”

  Oh God, not him too.

  Why are you wanting to defend him?

  Good question.

  The only answer I had was that I once loved Leo. I couldn’t love an evil person, a vindictive man. It was true that the boy I knew was troubled, but he didn’t talk about family. Any mention of parents or siblings irritated him. Leo showed no sign that he was dangerous.

  Until now.

  Adult Leo was a different beast. He was secretive and mysterious. He was also unbelievably caring. I didn’t know what to believe.

  “Listen, we’ll find the gun,” Scott said. “For now, we need to deal with some news.”

  “What?”

  Scott pointed to the sofa. “Why don’t you both have a seat?”

  Matt glanced at me, reached for my hand, and we sat down together. “What’s going on?”

  “You have Rachel to thank. She found information about the case. I went to see your lawyer, and then we went to the DA.”

  Matt squeezed my hand. “And?”

  “The prosecutor is investigating it, but it looks like you’ll be cleared of the charges.”

  “Fuck,” Matt mumbled. “You sure?”

  “I am.” Scott filled Matt in on the details.

  Afterward, I asked, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I need to know. Why would you think Leo took your gun?”

  Scott answered, “Leo has always been a bit of a klepto.”

  “True. If something went missing in the house, we could usually find it in his room,” added Matt.

  Bile edged up my throat. “What about keys?”

  “Easy for him,” Matt admitted. “Leo could lift a pair of keys, get a copy made, and then return them before anyone knew. He used to steal cars, break into houses—all sorts of petty shit. It was one of the many reasons why the Pattersons wanted him out of their home. He wasn’t trustworthy.”

  I stood. “Scott, will you be around for a bit?”