by Naomi Niles
Jackson paused for a moment. “Man, you’re getting soft.”
“I am not,” I said, feeling compelled to defend myself.
“Come on, Sam,” he said. “You can’t deny this is a departure for you. Since when have you ever taken a woman to dinner? And since when have you described an encounter with a woman as successful if it didn’t include sex?”
“It’s more than just sex with Mia, though,” I said, trying to explain myself. “It’s…”
“Yeah?” he prompted when I trailed off.
“I don’t know… I like talking to her,” I said, aware of how alien the words sounded on my tongue.
Jackson gave me an ironic smile. “I never thought this would happen.”
“Nothing is happening,” I said quickly. “I had one date with her – that’s all.”
“And, are you planning on seeing her again?” he wanted to know.
“Yeah, if she’s agree to go out with me again,” I nodded. “I would actually want a second date.”
“Will this date include her daughter?”
“I wouldn’t mind if it did,” I said honestly.
“Wow,” he said, shaking his head at me. “This is a real 360.”
“It’s 180, you moron,” I said, rolling my eyes. “A 360 would mean I was back in the same place I started out.”
“Right, whatever…that’s what I meant,” Jackson said.
The couple by the dance floor got up and walked out of the bar, leaving us a little emptier than when we started. I watched them leave. They were a young couple. The guy was of average height and medium build. He had a tattoo sleeve and a piercing in his left eyebrow. The girl was petite and fine boned with bright blue hair cropped short.
I noticed how his hand stayed on the small of her back the whole way they walked to the door. I noticed how she walked just beside him, brushing her hands against him when she could. It was a silent message to the world: we are together and we want you all to know it.
I had never noticed the subtle nuances of couples before – I had never been interested enough to notice. But now that I did, I could see the comfort in it.
“What are you looking at?” Jackson asked.
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
“She was hot,” Jackson nodded, misinterpreting my curiosity in the couple. “I don’t blame you.”
“I wasn’t checking her out,” I said.
“Yeah,” he nodded, shooting me a wink. “Sure thing.”
I sighed, but refrained from correcting him. What would be the point? Jackson would believe what he wanted to believe. I decided to just leave it. I heard the sound of the door open, and I craned my neck to the side to see who it was.
“New customers,” Jackson said happily.
The woman that walked in was dressed nicely in a dark brown suit and white blouse. She had blonde hair that was tied back and a strict, no nonsense look about her.
“Since you’re all hung up on Mia,” Jackson said. “You won’t mind if I hit that, right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Be my guest,” I said. “She doesn’t look like the friendly sort, anyway.”
“That’s what gets me hot under the collar,” he whispered to me. “It’s going to be fun loosening up that put together piece of ass. I’ll bet she’s wild in bed.”
The woman walked into the bar and then a moment later, two policemen followed her inside. Instantly, I felt the atmosphere change, and I sensed Jackson tense beside me. The woman glanced over at the bar and then she walked straight towards us.
“I’m Detective Keller,” she introduced, in a crisp voice. Then she turned to me. “Are you Jackson Neilson?”
“I… No,” I said.
“I’m Jackson Neilson,” Jackson stepped up.
Detective Keller nodded once and turned to me. “And you are Samuel Burbank?”
“Yes,” I nodded, frowning. “How did you-”
“Gentlemen, you are both under arrest,” Detective Keller interrupted as she stepped aside. “Officers.”
The two policemen stepped up, one towards me and the other headed behind the bar for Jackson. They cuffed us both and started to move us towards the door. I was vaguely aware of the small group in the corner by the pool table. They were undoubtedly watching the whole thing. I only hoped none of them were taping it.
The policemen read us our rights as they cuffed us and muscled us out. “Hold on,” I said, trying to resist.
“This will go much easier for you if you co-operate, Mr. Burbank,” Detective Keller said in a reasonable tone.
“Why are we being arrested?” I demanded, forcing the police officer to a halt.
“You don’t know?” Detective Keller asked.
“No, I don’t,” I said firmly.
She raised her eyebrows for a moment and regarded me coolly, as though to tell me that she knew I was lying, but was going to humor me anyway. “You are being arrested for money laundering, Mr. Burbank.”
I felt my body grow cold as I remembered the papers I had signed for Jackson a few weeks ago. I turned to him and caught his wide eyes and the guilty expression on his face.
He had known – he had known all along. Not only had he started an illegal business, but he had dragged me into it, too. I felt my body tense with rage as I stared at the face of the man I had trusted most in the world.
I shook my head at him, and Jackson dropped his eyes immediately. I was prevented from saying anything as the officer behind me twisted me forward and pushed me out the bar and into his vehicle.
My mind was going crazy on the long drive to the station. I had no idea about any details pertaining to the bar. I had been a fool to sign those documents, even if Jackson had been the one to put them in front of me. I couldn’t believe how stupid and blind I had been.
Once we were at the station, the officer walked me up the steps of the precinct. “Can I call someone?” I asked.
“You can make one phone call,” Detective Keller said, stepping up from behind me. “And then you can wait for your lawyer in a nice cozy cell.”
First, I was booked and relieved of all my personal affects. I was allowed to stay in my clothes, however, and I was grateful for that. They took my phone, my car keys, and my wallet. I was shown to the phone, while a police officer hovered close by. I stared at the receiver for a long time, wondering whom I should call.
Peter was the obvious choice, but I couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes. The only other option available to me was unthinkable at this moment, though. So, I sucked it up and dialled Peter’s number. I counted fourteen rings before the line went dead. I felt a vague feeling of sinking all of a sudden, and I knew I had to contact someone immediately. And, it had to be someone who could help me.
She was the last person I wanted involved, but she was the only lawyer I knew. I held my breath and dialled her number.
Chapter Twenty
Mia
“Hello, Mia?”
Sam’s voice was a little gravelly on the other end. The connection was somewhat fuzzy, but I could hear him well enough.
“Sam?”
“Can you hear me?” he asked, sounding a little nervous.
“Yes, I can hear you,” I nodded. “Is something wrong?”
“Mia… This is going to be a little difficult to explain.”
I frowned into the phone. “What do you mean?”
“There’s been…a situation – a misunderstanding, really… I need a lawyer.”
“A lawyer?” I repeated, growing more and more confused.
“I’ve been taken into custody,” Sam said. I could tell he was embarrassed to have to tell me that. My heart sunk immediately, and I felt my fingers grow cold.
“You’re in jail?”
“Can you come, please?” he asked pleadingly. “I really need your help. I only get one call, and my time is almost up.”
I hesitated for a moment. “Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I hung up and star
ed at my phone. Sam was in jail and he had called me. I felt my heart beat a little harder than usual, but it was an uncomfortable rhythm. What had he done? What had I done?
I barely knew Sam, and I had brought my daughter along on our first date. At the time, I had believed that it was a brilliant first step, a way to see if we could have a future. But now I was beginning to see how stupid it had been.
Sam was a fire fighter; he’d seemed like a decent enough man. But now I was forced to question that assessment. Had I really gotten involved with a criminal? Had I really exposed my daughter to a criminal? I was starting to feel slightly nauseous, so I got up from my desk and headed to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face.
I was so distracted that I realized that I had spilled water down the front of my blouse. Luckily, it was a black silk shirt, and it was barely noticeable. It would dry soon in any case. I wiped myself off, straightened out my hair, informed Helen that I needed to go out for a little while, and then headed down to the precinct where Sam would be.
Inside, I informed the officer at the front desk who I was and who I was here to see. She looked me over once and then nodded. After a few minutes, I was led to an empty room with a table in the center and two chairs on either side. Sam was sitting on one end, and he stood the moment I entered. I stopped for a moment and stared at him. His hazel eyes were imploring, but I knew I couldn’t afford to trust them anymore.
“Sam,” I said uncertainly.
“Thank you so much for coming,” he said emphatically as the door closed behind me.
I hesitated. “What is going on, Sam?”
“Please, sit,” he said imploringly. “I’ll explain.”
I took a deep breath and sat down opposite him. “Alright,” I said. “I’m listening.”
“Remember I told you about my friend’s bar, the one we-”
“I remember,” I said quickly.
“His name is Jackson,” Sam continued. “I don’t know whether or not I mentioned this to you but I’m sort of…a silent partner in the business.”
“You did.”
“I just invested some money into it,” Sam nodded. “I didn’t expect anything in return, but Jackson wrote me in as a partner. But I didn’t think it was a big deal.”
I sighed. “You’ve been brought up on charges of money laundering, Sam.”
“I know,” he said. “But believe me, Mia, I had no idea what was happening. This was always Jackson’s project. He wanted to open up a bar. I just thought I was helping him achieve that dream.”
“If he has you down as one of the partners, then he must have got you to sign something,” I said.
Sam looked down at his hands for a moment. “He did.”
“You signed documents?” I asked sharply.
“Yes,” he nodded. “But…I didn’t read them.”
I raised my eyebrows and stared at him for a moment. “You signed your name to something you hadn’t read?” I asked slowly.
“I know,” he said. “It was stupid.”
“Stupid?” I repeated incredulously. “Are you kidding?”
“Mia-”
“Do you really expect anyone to believe that, Sam?”
“Do you believe me?” he asked suddenly, his eyes boring into mine.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe-”
“It does to me,” he cut in immediately. “I don’t want you to think I’m that sort of guy. I’m a fire fighter, Mia. That is what I do – it’s what I love to do. I’m not the kind of guy who ends up…here.”
“And yet here you are,” I pointed out.
“Because I trusted my friend.”
I shook my head. “Think of how this looks, Sam. You’re a grown man who’s claiming to have signed documents that you never read. You think you’re going to get out of this based on that defence? No one is going to believe you. It sounds like an excuse – and a ridiculous one at that.”
“But it’s the truth,” he said steadfastly.
“It may be,” I sighed. “But it’s a truth that sounds too much like a convenient lie.”
“I’m sorry, Mia.” Sam cast his eyes downwards. “I didn’t mean to drag you into this. It’s just… You were the only one I could think of and you’re…so smart.”
I glanced away from him. I wanted to help him, but I was angry, too. I was angry that the little bit of hope that had materialized in my gut over the last few days had been stamped out and burnt. What would I tell Renni? I wondered. She didn’t need to know any of this, but she would undoubtedly ask about Sam at some point. She already talked about him all the time.
“Mia?”
I turned my gaze up to Sam’s. “Yes?”
“You look mad,” he said softly.
“I’m not,” I insisted, but I didn’t sound very convincing even to myself.
“You are. I can tell,” he said. “And, I don’t blame you.”
“I introduced you to my daughter!” I said before I could stop myself. “Renni’s half in love with you already. What do I tell her now?”
“I… I don’t know,” Sam said, looking dejected.
“Why would you?” I asked heatedly. I sighed in frustration and leaned back in my chair, surveyed him with cold eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment.
“What made you think you could trust this guy?” I demanded.
“We went through training together,” Sam explained. “We were both eighteen and clueless. We grew up on the force together, we trained together, and we’ve saved each other’s lives on several occasions. I thought we had a real bond – a bond that meant we couldn’t betray one another.”
I sighed. “He screwed you over.”
“I know,” Sam nodded. “I think that’s the worst part about all this. Not the fact that I’m sitting in jail, but the fact that the person I thought had my back threw me under the bus.”
“You really had nothing to do with this?”
“Nothing, Mia,” Sam said emphatically. “I swear to you, I didn’t know what was happening. I mean, I noticed Jackson was a little cagey when it came to discussing certain aspects of the bar. But I just thought he was being defensive.”
I sighed. “Okay…”
“Can you help me?”
I looked at his strong, handsome face and knew I couldn’t possibly be the person he needed me to be through this whole thing. I had to think of myself, and I had to think of Renni, too.
“I can’t take on your case, Sam,” I said, in my most business-like voice. “But I will refer you to a good lawyer.”
Sam looked at me with wide eyes. “Why can’t you represent me?”
I stood up abruptly and headed for the door. “I’ll have one of my colleagues get in touch with you,” I said, turning back to glance at him.
“Mia?”
I turned my back on him and walked out of the door. I made it all the way to the parking lot, and it was only when I was in the driver’s seat with my hands on the steering wheel that I felt the weight of that decision settle down over me.
Could I really abandon him now in his time of need? He was still practically a stranger to me, so why did I feel like I was turning my back on him? It didn’t make sense.
I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances: I called Vanessa. I wanted to hear a voice I trusted, someone to reassure me and tell me I was doing the right thing. She answered on the third ring.
“Hi, Mia,” Vanessa said brightly. “Called to talk to me some more about your fabulous date?”
I hesitated. “Umm…”
“Mia?” Her tone changed instantly as she sensed something was wrong.
“Oh God,” I breathed, into the phone.
“Mia, what’s wrong?” Vanessa asked, her voice instantly urgent.
“It’s Sam,” I said, stumbling over his name.
“What happened?” she demanded. “What did he do?”
“He… He’s in jail.”
“What?” Her tone wa
s shocked.
“I… He’s claiming he didn’t do anything,” I said, wondering if I even made sense. “He’s claiming that he was set up, but I… I can’t believe this is happening. He’s in jail. What if Renni asks about him?”
“Okay,” Vanessa said in a calm voice. “Just take a deep breath, Mia. Start from the beginning. How did you find out Sam was in jail?”
“He called me,” I admitted.
“He called you?”
“I was his one phone call.”
“And when you went down there?”
“He told me that his best friend had set him up, basically,” I said, explaining the gist of the story to Vanessa. “He claims to be completely innocent.”
“And, do you believe him?”
“I… He asked me that, too.”
“That’s a good sign,” she told me.
I frowned. “How is that a good sign?”
“Because he cares what you think,” Vanessa said. “He doesn’t want you having a bad impression of him. And chances are, he’s innocent.”
“How did you figure that?” I demanded.
“Because he had one phone call, and he called you,” Vanessa said reasonably. “If he really was guilty, then don’t you think he would have wanted to hide this from you?”
“I don’t know…”
“Think about it.”
I sighed. I was pretty sure I was going to spend the whole night thinking about it. I was pretty sure I was going to spend the next few days thinking about it, whether I wanted to or not.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sam
The cot I was lying on was basically the thinnest mattress imagination on a hard metal grill. I could feel the rods of the grill prick at my back, a nasty reminder of where I was. I couldn’t even close my eyes because the presence of the jail was more oppressive than I could have imagined.
I opened my eyes and stared at the gray ceiling. There were stains in one corner and cobwebs growing on the other. But it was reasonably clean compared to the walls. Its surfaces had been covered by scratches that I could only assume had been made by some poor loser trying to while away time until he was freed or moved. I kept staring around my tiny cell, wondering how on earth I had landed there. It seemed unbelievable to me, like a bad dream.
