Broken Promises

by Terri Reid

  “You received an accommodation for service above and beyond the call of duty,” Lydia said. “Didn’t you?”

  Mary nodded. “Yes, I did,” she said.

  “And isn’t it true that you died on the operating table because your injury was so severe?”

  Mary glanced over to Sean and saw regret pass across his face. She took a deep breath and faced Lydia. “Yes, I flat lined on the table and technically I died. But as you can see,” she smiled at the jury. “I got better.”

  “I know you are uncomfortable with this line of questioning, Ms. O’Reilly,” Lydia said. “But I want the jury to understand not only what kind of officer you were, but what kind of person you are.”

  Mary nodded.

  “Why did you decide to investigate Jeannine Alden’s murder?” she asked.

  “Back in December, Chief Alden and I were working on an infant snatching case that led us to Chicago,” Mary explained. “During that investigation, Chief Alden was shot and ended up in Cook County Hospital. While we were there, I received information from a source who wishes to remain anonymous that his wife had died at the hospital. Chief Alden had explained his search for his wife and his daughter to me, and I knew he still hoped to find them alive. But, as a police investigator, you understand that you should follow up on any lead. I decided to follow up.”

  “Did you tell Chief Alden?”

  Mary shook her head. “No, because the source asked me not to divulge their identity and because if it was a false lead, I didn’t want to cause Chief Alden any extra concern while he was recuperating from his injury.”

  “What did you discover?” she asked.

  “We discovered that Jeannine had been forcibly taken from her home,” she said, “but we still didn’t know the identity of the perpetrator. At that point, I decided to work with Chief Alden and see if we could set up a similar scenario, using his home as a base and see if we couldn’t encourage the criminal to repeat his crime.”

  “Did you follow police procedure in doing the investigation?” she asked.

  Mary nodded. “We had the Freeport Police Department and the Chicago Police Department monitoring the status of the investigation at all times,” she said. “Because we didn’t want word of the investigation to leak, we decided not to alert the local authorities until it was time to bring them in for the arrest.”

  “Who worked with you on the case?”

  “Professor Ian MacDougal from the University of Edinburgh,” Mary replied. “He has a fellowship through the University of Chicago to study various kinds of police procedures.”

  “What did you and Professor MacDougal do?” Lydia asked.

  “We posed as a newlywed couple who was moving into the area,” she explained. “We wanted to represent some of the same traits as Chief Alden and Jeannine, so we spread the word that I was expecting our first child.”

  “What was the conclusion of your investigation?”

  “We had several suspects and we had a theory that Jeannine had been drugged by using food,” she said. “So we brought all of the neighbors together for a brunch. During the brunch, only one guest had access to the food and that was Gary Copper. We started the meal and within a half hour, all of the guests were unconscious and I had been taken from the home and brought to Gary’s office. He had a subterranean room with a stainless steel door that was locked from the outside. When I awoke, Gary told me that he was going to keep me there and that he was going to rape me.”

  “What did you do?” Lydia asked.

  “I was still under the influence of the drug,” Mary said. “I begged him to let me go and I said that I would fight him. He calmly stated that he had a twilight drug he was going to use on me, so I would be awake, but unable to fight him. He injected me with the drug…”

  She paused, her voice shaking and took a deep breath. “He started to touch me and he kept telling me that I was going to like it,” she said, shuddering. “He was repulsive.”

  “What happened next?”

  “I fought him,” Mary said. “Somehow I was able to push him off of me and keep him from raping me. He had me cornered when Chief Alden broke in and rescued me.”

  “Did Dr. Copper tell you why he wanted to kidnap you?” she asked.

  “He wanted a willing wife and a child,” she said. “He told me that his wife was going to leave him when she found out that he had been videotaping his female patients when they were under the influence of anesthesia. He told me that he didn’t let her leave him. That she was still waiting for him at home.”

  “Did you believe that your life was threatened and he would have raped you if Chief Alden had not arrived when he had?” Lydia asked.

  Mary nodded her head. “Yes, I believe that he intended to hold me as a prisoner for as long as he was able,” she said. “When he held me captive, he confessed he had held Jeannine as a prisoner too.”

  “Do you believe that Gary Copper is the reason Jeannine Alden is dead?”

  There was no hesitation in Mary’s response. “Yes, if he had not kidnapped her, held her as a prisoner and drugged her, she would be alive today,” Mary said. “He might not have injected her with the medication that ultimately caused her heart attack, but she would not have been in that circumstance, without her medical records, if he had not decided to pursue his depraved scheme.”

  Lydia nodded and smiled at Mary. “Thank you, Ms. O’Reilly, she said. “No further questions.”

  “Mr. Thanner, do you want to cross-examine the witness?” the judge asked.

  Greg nodded. “Yes, I most certainly do,” he said.

  He pushed his arms against the table to stand and reached forward for another folder. He flipped it open and scanned a document. Then he moved forward to stand in front of the witness stand. “Ms. O’Reilly,” he said. “You were given permanent disability from the Chicago Police Department, is that correct?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it is.”

  “And was this because of a physical injury that would prohibit you from continuing your career?” he asked.

  “No, it wasn’t,” she replied.

  “Indeed it wasn’t,” he concurred with a mocking smile. “You were offered disability because of some psychological issues you had after the shooting. Weren’t you?”

  Mary nodded. “Yes, but that’s not unusual. Being shot is very traumatic and, in my case, the force honorably offered me disability pension.”

  “Was that because of your outstanding record, or because you claimed to your psychologist that you could see and talk to ghosts?” he asked.

  Well, crap. Mary thought.

  “Objection,” Lydia called. “Ms. O’Reilly’s personal medical records have no bearing on this case.”

  “Your honor, it’s basically Ms. O’Reilly’s word against my client’s word,” he said. “I think her state of mind has every bearing on the case.”

  Nodding, the judge rapped her gavel. “I’ll allow it,” she said. “Continue.”

  Thanner turned back to Mary. “Now, Ms. O’Reilly, please answer my question. Were you given a permanent disability status because of your ability to see and speak with ghosts?”

  Taking a deep breath, Mary met Thanner’s eyes. “Yes,” she said. “Although I passed all other portions of both my medical and psych evaluation, the Chicago Police Department did not know how to evaluate someone with my new abilities.”

  “So, you don’t deny you talk to ghosts?” he asked, a smirk appearing on his face.

  Mary was quiet for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. She had watched the little boy follow Thanner for several days of the trial. Every time Thanner stood, the little ghost followed him. Always standing next to him. “Who are you?” Mary finally asked.

  “I’m Garth, Greg’s twin brother,” the boy responded with a bright smile. “You can see me?”

  Mary nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. O’Reilly,” Thanner said. “Are you having a psychological episode right now? I am Greg Thanner.”
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  Mary shook her head and smiled at him. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t addressing you, Mr. Thanner,” she said. “I was asking your twin brother, Garth, his name.”

  Thanner turned white and stumbled back several steps. “What the hell kind of game are you playing, O’Reilly?” he yelled.

  Mary shook her head. “No game, Mr. Thanner, I’m under oath and I am answering your questions.”

  “How did you know my brother died?”

  Mary leaned forward in her seat. “He just told me,” she replied. “And if you read the report more thoroughly, you’ll find the psychologist did not find me abnormal or crazy. She actually found me quite healthy considering what I’d been through. They just didn’t know how to categorize this ability. My psychologist actually believed I could see and speak with ghosts.”

  “Do you expect the jury to believe you?”

  Mary nodded. “I really hope they do,” she said. “Do you believe me?”

  “Anyone could have researched me and found out my brother died,” he said. “Does emotional manipulation also fall under your talents?”

  “Objection,” Lydia called. “Badgering the witness.”

  “Sustained,” the judged agreed. “Mr. Thanner, you called in question the witness’ ability to see ghosts. She countered by mentioning a ghost that is evidently in this courtroom. Do you have a follow up?”

  He glared at Mary. “I’m not going to ask you how my brother died, because you would have learned that when you did your research,” he said.

  “I’m not trying to play any games with you, Mr. Thanner,” Mary said. “But, as you said, this whole case lies in the jury believing me or not. You have just set me up to appear as a nutcase so you can win this trial. I’m under oath and I was a sworn law enforcement officer. Even though it is very uncomfortable for me to admit what I can do in a public venue and, of course, encounter the ridicule that will go with it. I will do it in order to ensure that Gary Copper ends up behind bars.”

  “What would you have me do, Ms. O’Reilly?” he asked.

  “Your job,” she said simply. “Ask me a question.”

  “What did my brother and I call each other as nicknames when we were growing up?” he asked.

  Mary paused for a moment and then smiled at Thanner. “Well, you called each other G-men because both of your names, obviously, began with G and you liked the FBI,” she said, and her smiled split into a wide grin. “But Garth said he also called you ‘Tubbers,’ a name you weren’t as fond of.”

  His jaw dropped and he stared at her. “How…,” he began, his face turned toward the witness stand, then he caught himself, took a deep breath and moved toward the jury box. “Wrong, Ms. O’Reilly. I guess your parlor tricks don’t work well in court. So much for your demonstration.”

  “But…but, that’s what Garth told me. That’s the truth,” she replied.

  He shrugged. “Good try, Ms. O’Reilly,” he said. “Now let’s get back to the trial.” She turned to the judge. “He’s lying,” she insisted.

  “I’m sorry, Ms. O’Reilly, you need to answer the questions,” the judge replied.

  Thanner approached her again. “And now, Ms. O’Reilly,” he asked. “What is your current relationship with Chief Alden?”

  “We are engaged to be married,” she said, still shaken from Thanner’s lie.

  He nodded. “And the bullet you took in the line of duty,” he said. “I understand that bullet was aimed at your brother, Sean. Is that correct?”

  Mary nodded. “Yes, Sean didn’t see the drug dealer with the gun. He wouldn’t have had a chance to defend himself, so I blocked the shot.”

  “It seems to me, Ms. O’Reilly, that you will go to any lengths for the people you love,” he said. “No further questions, your honor.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Clarissa sat in class and, as it got closer to the end of the day, the knots in her stomach got tighter and tighter. She had never walked home alone, actually never walked home at all. They lived at the very edge of the school boundaries, so she always had a ride or took the bus with her mother, rather than walk the two miles.

  The good news was that her mother had to work late, so Clarissa had plenty of time to get home. She looked out the classroom window, and it wasn’t raining or snowing, so she wouldn’t get too cold. This might not be such a bad thing after all. She would just think about it as an adventure.

  The bell rang and Clarissa grabbed her coat from the back of her chair and quickly shoved her personal belongings into her backpack. She looked around, panicked; wanting to be sure she left the school with a large group of students. She hadn’t made any friends, but she’d learned quickly enough that if you were walking alone, you were a target.

  She walked alongside a group of girls from her class, acting as though she were part of their close-knit group. They didn’t go out the front door of the school; the door she was used to exiting in order to meet Mrs. Gunderson. Instead, they walked out a side door and cut across the frozen playground outside the school. They stopped for a moment by the playground equipment and Clarissa leaned against the cold metal pole of the swing set and waited for them.

  “You need something?” one of the girls asked her.

  Clarissa shook her head, trying to come up with a viable excuse to stay with them. “No, I’m just trying to stay away from Tony,” she lied, naming one of the unpopular boys in their class. “He sent me a note today and said he likes me.”

  “Oh, girl, that’s gross,” another girl said. “That boy is nasty. You don’t want to go near him.”

  Clarissa nodded. “Yeah, so I thought I’d walk home another way, so he can’t find me.”

  The first girl nodded. “Sure, you can hang with us,” she said. “We always walk home together. Come on; let’s get out of here before he sees you.”

  They hurried out of the school yard and crossed the street, taking several residential streets and then cutting through a gangway of a large apartment complex to end up on a busy street that didn’t look familiar.

  “Where are we?” Clarissa asked.

  “On Broadway,” the second girl responded.

  “Broadway?” Clarissa asked. “I don’t remember that street.”

  “Maybe if you keep walking for a little while you’ll see something you remember,” the girl suggested.

  Clarissa nodded and continued to walk with them.

  They walked a few more blocks and the girls stopped at a major intersection to separate and go their own ways. Clarissa looked around at the busy streets, the traffic lights and the small stores surrounding her. Nothing looked familiar. Nothing looked like the way to her apartment.

  One of the girls turned to her. “You going home or you staying here?” she asked.

  “I... I don’t know where I am,” she confessed.

  “What’s your address?”

  Clarissa repeated her address and the girl shook her head. “That ain’t no where around here,” she said. “You went the wrong way when you came out of the school.”

  “What should I do?” Clarissa asked.

  “You gotta walk back to the school and go the other way.”

  Clarissa took a deep shaky breath. All the way back to the school? I don’t even know if I can find it.

  “And don’t let no cops find you wandering around,” the girl added. “If they find out you’re lost, they gonna lock you momma up in jail for not taking care of you.”

  “Really?” Clarissa asked.

  “Uh huh,” the girl replied. “And they’ll put you in some home for children. It happened to my cousin.”

  Clarissa nodded silently. There was no way she was going to get caught by the police and make her mother go to jail.

  “Which way back to the school?” she asked.

  The girl shook her head. “You is in trouble if you don’t even know that,” she said, but she pointed back down the street and gave her directions. “You go back to that corner there, see, and then you turn left. Then
you walk three more blocks, turn right and cross the street and then go down that street two more blocks. You should see the playground. But don’t go back by the school. Those gangs hang out there after school and if they catch you, they gonna hurt you. So, you stay across the street from the school. And don’t go into no alleys because they is bad men in those alleys and they gonna hurt you too. Understand?”

  Her heart thudding in her chest, Clarissa nodded. “Thank you,” she whispered, her mouth suddenly dry.

  “I sure hope I see you in school tomorrow,” the girl said. “I sure hope you make it home.”

  “Thank you,” Clarissa repeated. “Me too.”

  By the time Clarissa had made it to the second turn, it was beginning to get a little dark. . She pulled her mittens out of her pockets and pulled them over her hands, as the wind picked up and the night air was colder.

  “If I can make it back to the school, I’ll be fine,” she whispered to herself.

  Following the girl’s directions, she felt her heart lift when she actually saw the playground about a block in the distance. She made it! She began to cross the street to head to the playground, when she saw the squad car turn the corner. Her heart dropped. She couldn’t let them find her, she didn’t want her mother to go to jail.

  She looked around quickly, trying to decide where to hide and saw a narrow gangway between two tall apartment buildings. She rushed past a row of scraggy hedges, down a broken sidewalk and into the narrow passage.

  A sour smell assailed her nose as soon as she got close to the area. It smelled like the alleyway behind their apartment, next to the bar. The ground beneath her shoes was sticky and wet, she felt her stomach turn. This place was gross.

  She entered the tall and narrow gangway. It was like entering a dark cave. There were no lights, only a series of steps that led up to the back porches of the apartments. Large garbage cans sat next to the steps, trash scattered all around them. As she moved forward, a large piece of newspaper skittered across the ground. She stopped and stared; something big and brown slipped from underneath the paper into the shadows underneath the steps. She froze. There were rats in this place.