by Combs, Sasha
Summoning up strength and bravery from the depths of her soul, Linda directed her question to a limp Charlie. Detective Smith stared at him, and he noticed that Charlie didn’t move. He appeared to be catatonic and an emotionally wounded wreck. In spite of that, Mike needed Charlie to pull himself together and he needed his ass out of his chair. At this point Mike didn’t care how he accomplished this, it just needed to be done. Linda’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly as her words flung out of her mouth along with a boat load of bravery.
“You didn’t go back to check her did you Charlie...?”
Linda bent down to look in his face...but Charlie was to far gone to hear her. His crying had picked up again but by this time Mike had lifted him out of his chair. The detective had tucked Charlie underneath his arm to guide him out of the library. As the two men walked in the direction of the library’s door; Charlie was given a final set of stern instructions from his father.
“Don’t answer anymore questions Charlie...” Chief Billings had said and Linda noticed that her boss wasn’t sounding as calm as he had earlier. Chief Billings grasp hold of her; pulling Linda’s bare shoulder to face him. As she swung around, the balancing act on her heels nearly made Linda fall. She also noticed that Billings didn’t give a hoot that he’d come close to making her lose her balance. She had wanted to say something sharp with a bite but in this situation, she reasoned; antagonizing him wouldn’t be smart and it wouldn’t help her current situation.
“Who do you think you are? Do you think I would allow you to question my son without an attorney present? Do you think I would allow you to talk to my son at all?”
A slow sadistic smile crept across his face.
“You’re a bigger fool than I expected.”
Linda didn’t care what Billings thought about her. Charlie was who she was interested in. So, in a loud voice she hollered to him just before he and Mike were about to leave the room. She was taking a huge chance when she did this.
“She wasn’t dead Charlie. When Liz hit her head....Elizabeth wasn’t dead.”
Charlie came to a stop and even though Mike had a tight grip on his shoulder; he managed to free himself. He turned around to fix his attention on Linda but before he could speak, his father, Chief Billings said...
“Don’t say another word Charlie. So far, whatever you’ve told her is complete hearsay and inadmissible in court. This entire interrogation isn’t legal. You didn’t have an attorney present and I’m sure she didn’t read you your...”
Before Billings could finish his sentence, Charlie looked at Linda and in a soft voice he said...
“She was alive...?”
Linda’s heart leaped for joy. Nodding her head she said...
“Yes Charlie...she was still alive.”
Walking towards her, Charlie needed to hear more of what Linda had to say to him. But before he could reach her, he saw his father pushing her to sit in the large wing back chair. Pointing his finger in her face Chief Billings said...
“Don’t test me! I’m warning you...don’t test me.”
Chief Billing’s narrowed his eyes, then he shifted them to look in his sons direction. He could see hope on his face but now was not the time to discuss the thoughts that clouded Charlie’s mind. Looking at his son, Chief Billings spoke in a stern voice...
“Get the hell out of here Charlie. I will handle this.”
While Chief Billings had directed his attention on his son; Linda used the opportunity to say one more thing because she didn’t know what Billings would do to her once Charlie and Mike had left them alone in the room. For her own peace of mind she needed to know if what she suspected was true. She needed to understand the few lines that she’d read in Elizabeth’s diary and Linda needed to know how all the key players figured into Elizabeth’s death.
Pushing her luck, one final time; Linda went for broke. Even though she fully understood the dangers involved in what she was doing.
“When he threw her in the water, he killed her Charlie. Liz died because he threw her in the water and Elizabeth drowned.”
Linda watched and waited to see, who Charlie would look at. She locked on his eyes, ready to follow the direction of his gaze. She had used the word “he” indiscriminately because she was hoping it would make him look in the direction of the person responsible for throwing Elizabeth’s unconscious body in the river. Just as she suspected, his eyes went wide while looking over where Mike stood.
Mike held up his hands and said...
“Watch it kid...don’t get any crazy ideas.”
“Both of you be quiet.” Chief Billings spit out his command. “She doesn’t have any conclusive evidence. Whatever is said here...it’s her word against ours.”
Linda’s couldn’t believe what she’d just heard but the commanders disregard for the law didn’t stop her from talking. In fact, her words came out so hurried she had thought her tongue would trip over her gums.
“Mike killed Elizabeth. He killed Elizabeth when he threw her over into the river...and when he killed her, he also killed your unborn child.”
All three men stopped, then they directed their stunned gazes on her. The final few passages in Elizabeth’s diary had left an impression on Linda and she was certain few people had ever witnessed this side of the debutante. Elizabeth had been tormented and in each paragraph her pain was obvious. She lamented over whether she should keep the baby or abort the pregnancy before anyone found out. When she had ended her relationship with Charlie, it had been due to his father’s objections. Linda had not had time to read any further, and she really wanted to know how Chief Billings figured into this horrible drama. The few passages in the diary that Linda had read; this content had caused her to shutter because she never imagined that a father could do what he had done, to his son. Then, when she was piecing the puzzle together, she still had difficulty placing Chief Billings in the mix as a primary suspect. As an officer of the law, Linda had been hoping that Charlie’s accomplice had been the friend Elizabeth mentioned in her diary...Dane. She had quarreled with her friend after Dane had been informed about the fountain incident. Charlie had looked like a fool, fishing through the water, while attempting to find the engagement ring. Elizabeth had told Dane to mind his own bees wax but he wouldn’t let up and he’d insisted, that she’d gone to far. Elizabeth had warned Dane that she intended to make his life a living hell. No one interfered in her life and as her friend, he knew this better than most. Linda had found these words in Elizabeth’s diary confusing but it had been Hayford’s assessment of his friend that helped her to see Elizabeth for who she really was. The party girl wasn’t a bully but she did expect her friends to turn their heads when and if her actions weren’t considered politically correct.
As the night dragged on, into the wee-early hours; Linda had been slowly unraveling the case, back to its starting point. If Dane had been on Elizabeth’s hit list and with Charlie being her spurned lover; it had only made sense that these two men would be the most likely suspects to commit the murder. Yet, with that theory behind her; now she knew better and her list had undergone a quick revision.
After Linda had quickly relayed her final knockout blows about Elizabeth’s drowning and the baby that had been her little secret; the next set of events happened so quickly...so suddenly. To avoid the flying fist, Linda had dropped to the floor from her chair, to prevent herself from getting hit.
The accusations were hurling and the blame was being liberally tossed around like a birdie. As she tried to stay clear of the unfolding drama; Linda listened while they argued. With all three of the men talking at once, at times she could only hear the person who was speaking the loudest but this didn’t keep her from straightening out the confusion in her brain. As she listened to their exchange, Linda learned that Charlie had returned to Mike’s corvette, believing that he had killed Elizabeth. Mike had left him sitting in his car crying, while he kept his cool, and returned to dispose of Elizabeth’s body in the river.
&n
bsp; When Charlie and Detective Mike Smith had returned to the mansion, Chief Billings had instructed them to join in at the party and to act as if they’d been there all night. The commander was glad when he learned that the valets had not been involved because the men paid to park the vehicles didn’t know that Mike had pulled his car out, leaving the mansion from one of the rear entrances. When Mike returned to the mansion, the commanders trusted friend had used the same unguarded entrance to park his corvette. It had been Mike’s calm thinking that kept Charlie from cracking. The two men reentered the party with each pretending that they had been there all along. Billings had told Mike that he would be forever grateful to him and that gratitude extended to him covering his ass, if the shit hit the fan. Well, there was dung flying in every direction but by the look of things; it was every man for himself and they didn’t appear to be chummy. While Mike and Charlie rolled on the floor, swapping jabs and punches; Chief Billings tried to pull the two men apart. During the confusion, Linda had been staying low, attempting to make it to the door of the library while they appeared to be preoccupied.
Just when she thought she was home free, Linda felt a hand grabbing her from behind. Then she felt the full weight of a body pinning, them smashing her into the closed door. Pain shot throughout her body, causing Linda to wince. It all happened so fast, too fast for her to see who the offender was.
“Where in the hell do you think you’re going?”
Mike’s tux didn’t look as ruffled as it should have after he and Charlie had just tussled on the floor but his face held the appropriate expression and his scowl was menacing. With her heels on, Mike was only a few inches taller than her, but she still had to lift her head to make eye contact. The detectives hair was an absolute mess but his severe glare shifted her focus back to his face. Linda had every reason to be afraid but she masked this emotion. She fixed her face with a stern expression, then pushed Mike’s hand causing him to lose his hold. After his hand had fallen away, Linda placed her arm behind her back, then she attempted to reach for the doorknob but her body went cold. A burning sensation streaked across her face, followed by a flash of white light. Linda didn’t know what had happened, until her vision cleared. When she looked at Mike’s fierce glare, it wasn’t until then that she realized what had just happened. Mike had slapped her across her face and when he drew his hand back to slap her again, they both heard Billings as his voice bellowed across the room.
“Calm down Mike. There’s no need for brutality. You won’t get anywhere with her if you intend on being uncivilized. I’m sure once we’ve all cooled down...Linda will come to reason and she will do the right thing.”
Who were these people, Linda had thought to herself. Did they think they were playing a game of chance? While Billing’s was attempting to calm his detective, in his next voice he was insinuating that Linda would play along in his hush-hush game. They were all crazy if they believed that, but in this case, Linda would have to out think them. She tried to look pass Mike because his body was still partially blocking her in. But, as she studied the room, Linda made eye contact with each of the players. Charlie was standing in a corner crying, while angrily eyeing Mike from across the room. She didn’t know what his father had told him but whatever it was, Charlie wasn’t moving from that space.
Billings joined Mike where he still stood, using his body like a solid barrier. He was keeping Linda from leaving the library and doing a damn fine job of it. As he stood studying her, the commander unconsciously ran his fingers through his fresh haircut. Linda didn’t know if the move was unscripted or if the raking gesture was some sort of nonverbal sign, sending the detective a secret message. She wasn’t thinking rationally anymore because these people made her feel nervous but in this case, she couldn’t allow them to see her fear. Billing’s stared at her but his glare didn’t manage to terrorize her like Mike’s had.
“Were you at that slut’s apartment tonight?” Billings said.
She tried to match his gaze but Linda’s face still stung from the slap she’d suffered at Mike’s hand. Just turning her face in his direction sent pain racing across her cheek. She was mentally kicking herself for instructing Hayford to join in at the party, instead of helping her on this case. She hated that she had not listened to his suggestion and she wished she knew where Hayford was. It had been his idea to stay right by her side but she had told him to stay out of the way because she didn’t want Chief Billings to see them at the party together. When she had arrived at the mansion, Linda’s suspicions had only included Charlie and his friend Dane. Dane’s father had a great deal of pull in the city and together she believed they’d become a deadly pair. She knew to pull this kind of crime off, Charlie and Dane would need the help of an officer but she’d not conclusively figured out who that person could be. She knew if Charlie chose someone to help them, his choice would be someone who worked for his father.
When Billings had walked in the room with Mike; Linda’s heart had nearly stopped. At the time, she had held out hope that their presence in the library had been one of those weird coincidences but she now knew, that after Elizabeth’s death, Chief Billings had been aware of tonight’s events all along. She also knew that Detective Mike Smith had been the person ultimately responsible for killing Elizabeth Van Wilson.
**********
0430
Linda peered at a growing bruise that ached on her shoulder. Again, Mike had played the role of the enforcer. When Chief Billings had suggested they all quietly sit and talk; Mike had grabbed Linda by her shoulders, squeezing his fingers while he guided her back to the sitting area in the room. Linda knew a tight spot when she saw one and her situation definitely met all the criteria. She’d already been resigned to cooperate but Mike had not been convinced. Instead of allowing her to sit in the chair without his help; the heartless detective forced her into the seat without being gentle. Mike had pushed her down, using all of his weight to accomplish this. The end result was an ugly bruise that was growing larger with each passing second. The pain that she felt wasn’t centered in one location. Her body ached from her ears all the way down to her elbows. Linda had never experienced anything quite like this before but she was certain the discomfort would linger for more than a few days. She sat in the chair quietly watching Mike and Billings who were now standing across the room. They were positioned near the door like two Roman guards, primed to prevent a sudden jail break. The men were huddled with their heads low while whispering. She knew that the topic had her in mind. After listening to Billings insane proposal; telling Mike that Linda would come around. It was then that she realized, Billings would use his office to legally discredit Linda and all the work she’d done that night. The diary...one of Liz’s cellular phones...even the scraps of paper and evidence she had taken from Elizabeth’s apartment; without Charlie and Mike’s confession, in a court of law these items were only circumstantial evidence. Elizabeth Van Wilson had a lot of friends but she also had twice as many enemies. To get a conviction, Linda would need a confessions.
Elizabeth Van Wilson had been a party girl. Her father, Reynolds Van Wilson had a list of people on his payroll to keep his daughter from getting into too much trouble and that list included police, detectives, people at the district attorney’s office as well as judges. Hayford had told Linda while they rode in his car to the party; it was common knowledge that Elizabeth regularly taunted these people. These connections of her father’s had partly been her reason for dating Charlie...the Chief’s son.
As the clock ticked, Linda began wondering how long they intended to keep her in the library. Even if Hayford didn’t come looking for her; she reasoned that someone would come looking for one of these men. Shrugging her shoulders up then down, Linda knew she’d have several bruises on her body from the way Mike had manhandled her. When he pushed her in the chair she was currently sitting in, Linda had been trying to make eye contact with Charlie in his corner but the pain made turning to look at him difficult.
Charli
e still had not moved from where his father told him to stay. But she knew if his eyes were weapons, with the ability to harm; Mike would have been killed repeatedly by his glare. She noticed that even when she dared to peek over the high back of her chair to peer at him behind her; Charlie wouldn’t look at her because his gaze remained fixed on Mike.
Linda had been replaying in her head, where she had gone wrong on this case from the moment she left her apartment. Even though she had handled the Medical Examiner and the CSI team superbly; pass that point she’d been making it up as she went along and what she’d created had been crafted badly.
While at the precinct looking at her computer screen, she now believed when Hayford arrived to offer her his help; instead of accepting, she should have escorted him out of the building. Even if this choice caused a delay, resulting in her not getting the warrant to search Elizabeth’s apartment until the morning... Linda believed the setback simply would have been her fate. She also believed that she wouldn’t be in the current position that she found herself in. She told herself, this predicament was of her own making.
When her friends had failed her by incriminating everyone in her law study group; Linda had learned never to trust anyone by relinquishing her power and tonight she found that she had repeated this mistake. Even though Hayford had helped her; Linda found that by trusting him she had shifted the tide by breaking the rules. As their evening progressed and Linda found herself breaking more department rules by allowing Hayford to tag along with her; the lines of right and wrong had become blurred and she found herself doing things that weren’t in any of her detective books. When she took Charlie to the library alone to question him; she knew her bravery had been sparked by her time spent with Hayford. He had made her feel Elizabeth had been wronged and it didn’t matter what needed to be done as long as it led to the capture of her killer.
