by Jayne Blue
Mitch shrugged. “Well, that’s going to take some doing. And we will do it. Okay? Don’t worry. I’ll know more after my lawyer friend sorts through the paperwork. But we’ll get you out of this mess.”
“But how? Mitch. What happened?”
Mitch looked at the mirror and back at me. I understood. He had an answer for me, but not one he felt comfortable explaining in detail until we were alone. I nodded slowly, letting him know he didn’t have to say anymore. Except I was going crazy without the answers I needed.
“Just hang in there,” he said. “And I know that’s probably the most frustrating thing to be told. But, Stella, this is just a hiccup. Okay? A really fucking awful one, but I bet a year from now we will look back on this and laugh.”
I shook my head. “Very funny. And you better be right or I might just have to kick your ass.”
“Look, we might be in here a while together. Are you hungry? I’ll have them order in some pizza.”
“Yeah. I suppose I should be starving.”
“Good.” Mitch was on his feet. He crossed the room and pounded on the door. Officer Gianetti opened it a crack and he stepped outside after giving me a reassuring look. But when the door closed behind him, cold fingers of panic snaked up my spine. I hadn’t realized how scared I was being alone here until Mitch walked in. I hated that I needed him so much. Hated feeling helpless and out of control. But I was. And Mitch was the lifeline I craved.
I pressed my thumbs against my lids and concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths. He was right. This was a hiccup. Someone had stolen my identity or someone had made a horrible mistake, but these were fixable problems. This was a temporary nightmare. I just wondered how much damage might already be done. I’d already earned the undeserved scorn of one school principal. Judy Smith was another. I could explain to her what happened, but I suspected she’d assume some part of this had to be my fault. If any of her neighbors had seen me this morning too, it wouldn’t really matter what I told her. She’d never have me back. And Tyler. God. My stomach dropped. He’d be more forgiving than his mother, but it wouldn’t matter. He’d just know I was never coming back.
As I waited for Mitch, I bit back the fear rising in my chest again. I could come back from this. I had to come back from this. Six months ago, I’d tortured myself wondering if a move back to Northpointe was the right thing to do. But it all just felt like fate pulling me in this direction. The job opportunity at Collingwood. Brian’s anniversary. The perfect house I found on Drummond Road. But now, everything was falling apart. I felt stuck in quicksand and sinking fast. If I didn’t find a way to pull myself out, I’d lose everything.
The door opened and Mitch shot me a dazzling smile as he held a box of pizza in one hand, two paper cups and a can of pop in the other. His words skittered over my skin, warming me. They were like the rope pulling me out of the quicksand.
“I was afraid you weren’t going to come back,” I said. I meant it as a joke. But Mitch’s eyes flickered and his smile faltered.
“Not a chance,” he said, his expression solemn. “Don’t you remember me promising you something ten years ago?”
My heart dropped. I remembered. At the darkest hour of my life, it was Mitch who stood beside me, his strong arms wrapped around me, holding me up. And here he was again. Impossibly strong. Flawed just like I was. But he was here. I smiled and let out the first easy breath I’d taken all day.
“I remember,” I said. “And that better be pepperoni or they can add assault to my list of charges.” I shot him a wink as he sat down beside me and opened the box.
Chapter Seven
Mitch
Stella fell asleep, leaning against my shoulder, sometime after midnight. I’d finally convinced Pam Gianetti to take the cuffs off her once she realized I wasn’t planning on leaving the room. Stella had practically kissed her as she rubbed her sore wrists and waited until we were alone again. Now her weight sank into me with each deep breath she took until her head dropped. I thought the movement would wake her, but she just snorted, and a deep crease formed between her eyes. I eased her head down until it rested in my lap.
I threaded her hair between my fingers and held them up to the light. Platinum with copper, red, gold, and white, blended together in silken strands, long enough to lift to my nose. She smelled like strawberries and a hint of the lavender perfume she always wore. I forgot the name of it. Something French. She’d worn it as long as I could remember. A memory flashed of Brian catching hell from some of the other guys one night when he showed up for a shift smelling like her.
My heart clenched as I tried to force the memory away. I’d felt anger that night. Jealousy. Because he got to go home to Stella, see her sweet smile when he woke every morning. The guys called him all the usual things. Whipped, being the mildest. Brian laughed but it hadn’t reached his eyes. He didn’t like being teased. It was part of the deal, we all got it over one thing or another. But Brian had been more sensitive than most. I’d seen that anger in his expression and tried to talk to him about it later. He’d blown me off, told me to mind my own business. Then a few days later he’d gone out with a group of some of the younger guys on the squad. I’d shown up late. When I headed back to the john I found Brian in the game room with his arms wrapped around Jill Porter, one of the most notorious man-eaters from our academy class.
I’d wanted to kill him that night. We’d fought. He apologized and begged me not to tell Stella. I agreed and hated myself for it. But as far as I knew, nothing more ever happened between him and Porter. Except I’d heard plenty of rumors. Then Brian bought Stella a ring.
Stella stirred in my lap, letting out a snort that sounded like a strangled goose. I put a hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter. God, she’d been like this since college. The girl could sleep anywhere. I remember double dating a few times and anytime Brian picked a war movie, Stella ended up asleep against his shoulder within thirty minutes.
My leg fell asleep where she rested. Pins and needles flooded down to my toes, but I didn’t move. My phone vibrated in my other pocket and I grabbed it as quickly as I could on the off chance that would be the thing that woke her up. But Stella slept on.
“Gates,” I said, half whispering into the speaker. I hadn’t recognized the caller ID.
“Hey, Mitch, it’s Tony Gorrell.”
My heart lifted. Tony was the defense lawyer I’d hoped might help Stella out. I checked the screen on my phone. It was after two a.m.
“Hey, Tony. Thanks for calling me back.”
“Yeah, who needs sleep anyway? Look, I got a hold of the prosecutor down in Nevada where she’s also wanted. They’re not going to seek extradition right away so that’s a spot of good news.”
“Very good news. Can you be here for her in the morning?”
Tony sighed. “Yeah. Looks like they’re going to arraign her. I couldn’t get her in early, but I got her in. I can’t promise you anything. It’s going to take a little bit of time to sort through all this shit. There are some things I need to tell you about that I don’t want to do over the phone. But I’ll be there. I’ll do my best. But you need to prepare Stella for the fact that she might not be going home tomorrow. There’s a better-than-good chance that her judge here is going to want to hold her while we sort out the mistaken identity issues. These are serious charges and right now, it’s Stella’s record that’s fouled up.”
“Tony, I refuse to believe this girl will have to sit in jail over any of this. Hell, she can prove in about ten seconds that she wasn’t in Nevada or New Mexico at any point in the last ten years let alone whenever these crimes were supposedly committed. It’s a fuck-up. That’s all.”
Tony’s silence on the other end didn’t do a damn thing to ease my anger or fears.
“Tony?”
“I believe you. But if I’m going to get involved, Stella’s my client. Got it? Not you. I need to meet with her alone in the morning. Just don’t make my job any harder by promising her things you can
’t control. Let me do my job and keep yourself in check.”
I clenched my jaw so hard I started to see stars. I was getting sick and damn tired of people telling me I was the one who needed to calm down. The way I saw it, Tony and a few other people weren’t riled up enough. Stella was not going to spend another second in a holding cell. Not one! But I let out a breath and nodded. “Yeah,” I finally said. “I get it.”
“Good. Now get some sleep.”
Stella stirred in my lap and rolled to her back. Her jaw went slack and she’d started to drool a little. I suppressed another laugh as I clicked off with Tony. It took everything in me not to lean down and kiss her. Sleeping Beauty. I just prayed to God I could make it so she wouldn’t still be here tomorrow night. The county sheriffs wouldn’t likely let her or I stay in another interview room for a second night. I could only press my luck so far.
Sometime later, I fell asleep myself with my head resting against the table. When Stella placed a cool hand against my cheek, I startled awake, forgetting for a second where I was. But I looked up into her pale gray eyes. Her soft smile warmed me from the inside out.
“Ugh,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Do I have fuzz on my teeth?”
I laughed and sat up. “Don’t hate me if I don’t want to get close enough to you to find out.”
“What time is it?”
I checked my phone. It was just before eight. I had three unread messages. I quickly scanned through them.
“You’ve got court at 11:00,” I told her. “I talked to my lawyer friend last night. He ought to be here any minute. He wants to go over some things with you before we head over to the courthouse. I’ll have to meet you there. I’ve got to check in with the office and put in a slip.”
“Mitch, I’m sorry. This whole thing is totally mucking up your life too.”
I was on my feet and pulled her to me. Stella felt so small against me, her head just brushing the middle of my chest. But she was formidable too. She looked up at me with that determined crease between her eyes and planted her feet in a wide stance as she pulled away.
“Stella,” I said. “Don’t worry about me. I keep my promises.”
She ran a hand through her hair. “And that’s the last thing I want to be. An obligation.” She started to pace. “God, I hate this. This … helplessness. I swear if there had been any way to deal with this without having to drag you into it. I’m sure you have a zillion places you’d rather be.”
I took a breath to answer then stopped myself. The clarity of the thought hit me right between the eyes. As much as I hated what was happening to her, the cold, hard fact was, there was nowhere I’d rather be. Then guilt rose up right beside it, plummeting my heart into my stomach. This was Stella. She didn’t belong to me. She never would. I felt Brian’s presence in the room with us in that instant. Standing between Stella and me. She paused mid-step and looked at me. Her thumb pressed against the ring finger on her right hand. She had a small white line there where Brian’s ring had been. They’d taken her personal effects when they booked her last night. She’d get them back, but for now, distress came into her eyes again.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said. Then I made her all the promises Tony Gorrell had warned me not to make. To her credit, Stella just smiled and nodded. She was smart enough to know a lot of this wasn’t up to me.
“Go do what you have to do,” she said. “I’ll be fine. And thank you. Mitch, that doesn’t seem like an adequate thing to say. I know you’re doing everything you can. But I’ll be all right. I’m not hurt. I’m not dying. Neither are you. This is awful, but I’m going to figure it out.”
I went to her. I put a light hand on her upper arm and bent down to kiss the top of her head. I wanted to fold her against me again and make a thousand more promises. But she was right. Perspective. For the moment, it felt like she was trying to hold me up more than the other way around and that’s the last thing she needed. As I was about to tell her goodbye, the door opened and another officer came in to tell her Tony Gorrell had showed up and wanted to talk to her.
Tony slid in around the officer and shook my hand. Almost my height, Tony was a good thirty years older, in his mid-sixties, with a shock of white hair and small dark eyes that looked like raisins against his tanned skin. But he was one of the best in the business.
He introduced himself to Stella in his gravelly voice. She gave him a dubious look then smiled at me, letting me know all over again that it was okay for me to leave. It wasn’t. But I didn’t have any other choice. I nodded, touched her arm again then moved around Tony and the dayside officer. Before I left, I made Stella one last promise. I’d be in the courtroom. I’d drive down to Northpointe and back, but I’d be there. Whatever the judge decided, I wasn’t going to leave her alone.
That next hour passed in a blur. I got a thousand questions from the desk sergeant, and the rest of my department when I walked through the Public Safety Building. Word had spread quickly about what happened to Stella. I just prayed to God it hadn’t hit any of the local news outlets. Stella wasn’t exactly a public figure, but with Brian’s memorial just a couple of weeks away, all of this might seem newsworthy. I’d already been approached by the crime beat reporter twice asking for a quote on how I felt ten years later.
“Gates!” Chief Lewandowski’s sharp bark cut through the air as I tried to escape into my lab to find a clean dress shirt before heading back over to court in Royal Oak.
I turned on my heel, shot him a forced smile, and followed him into the elevator. “Hey, Stan. Is it anything that can keep? I’m due in court in a few.”
Stan pushed the hold button on the elevator then crossed his arms in front of him. “Why the hell didn’t you come to me when you found out Stella Terry was in trouble?”
“She’s not in trouble. I mean, not the kind it sounds like. This is an identity theft issue. I’ll help her get to the bottom of it.”
Stan leaned hard against the opposite wall. “Well, I figured. Maureen Lamont was sniffing around here last night though. This shit is going to hit the papers if it doesn’t get sorted in the next day or two.”
Fuck. Maureen was a bulldog. She wasn’t exactly cop friendly when it came to her reporting. I shook my head. “Did you send her packing?”
“Yes,” he said. “And she didn’t seem to have anything on Stella. She was just doing her usual digging on a slow news day. You’re going to want to get the word out to everybody to keep a lid on this. You heading back up for her arraignment?”
I nodded. “Yeah. And thanks for the heads up. But I can’t imagine this is going to take too long to sort out. Hell, Stella can pretty easily prove she wasn’t in any of the jurisdictions where these charges happened. I’m just hoping her judge isn’t a dick about it and holds her over.”
“Yeah. Well, you’re lucky she got picked up in Oakland County and not down here. She’d be in front of Pierce this morning. And I’d be telling you to stay as far away from that courtroom as possible.”
My blood turned to ice. I just hoped Stella’s actual judge wasn’t buddies with Sheldon Pierce. A county away, word spread fast. It would kill me if anything I did made things go harder for her. Stan slapped me on the arm as if he could read my mind.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “And you take all the time you need to be there for her. Stella’s one of us. I haven’t forgotten that. We take care of our own. You just let me know if there’s anything you think I can do for her on my end.”
“Thanks, Stan. And I’ll tell Stella that. She’ll appreciate hearing it. She’s holding up fine, but it’s been rough. She’s scared but putting on a brave face.”
Stan nodded. “That’s what I remember most about that whole tragedy with Brian. That girl was the love of his life. Anyone could see it was mutual.”
My heart stuck in my throat. Again, I felt like a dick for having any feelings toward her but brotherly concern. No matter what, Stella belonged to Brian and she always would.
&nb
sp; “Now, go get our girl,” Stan said as he punched the button and opened the elevator doors.
Chapter Eight
Stella
He let me go. The words thundered through my brain as I stood at the defense table in the middle of that courtroom with the high-priced lawyer I couldn’t afford at my side. The judge said other things as he peered at me over his reading glasses. The charges were serious. My case very likely might get turned over to a federal prosecutor. I couldn’t leave town. I had to turn over my passport. But whatever Tony Gorrell said to the prosecuting attorney in the hallway before my case was called, by the time we went in, the judge had already made up his mind.
I would get to go home. He’d set a preliminary examination in a couple of weeks, and he wouldn’t dismiss the case against me, but I would not spend another night in the county jail. My knees knocked together as the deputy sheriff came around and took the cuffs off me for what I hoped was the last time.
Tony patted me on the back and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Go home. Get some rest. Get a shower. Forget about all of this for a day. Then call my secretary and set up an appointment. We have a lot of work to do to clear your name, but at least this judge has some common sense. That’s a very good sign.”
“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around him. Tony smelled of Old Spice and cigarettes, but I hugged him. Then I turned and looked for the only other person I wanted to see right now. My heart soared as Mitch’s eyes met mine. He’d taken an inconspicuous spot at the back of the courtroom and gave me just the slightest of nods and jerked his chin as he turned and walked out.
I turned back to Tony. “Shit. I’m not sure how I’m going to get home. What did they do with my car?”
“Mitch will help you out with that. They probably impounded it. I’m sure he’ll be able to give you a ride. I would myself but I’ve got four more hearings in this courthouse today. Don’t forget to call my secretary in the morning. For now, though, try and relax.”
