by PJ Fernor
We pulled up just as Garrison was getting out of his car.
Laura was already at the door.
The front porch to the dark blue house was dilapidated.
It didn’t seem structurally safe for more than two people to be standing on it.
I climbed the shaky steps and saw Trevor with his back against the mailbox hanging outside the house.
A woman was next to him.
His mother.
She looked tired, haggard, skinny with sunken eyes, long fingers that were twitchy. Her clothes were baggy with holes around the seams of the arms, armpits, and bottom.
“I’m working two jobs to keep this place going,” she said to Laura. “How in the world can I be responsible for this one?”
She pointed at Trevor.
He looked away.
The flush of his cheeks told me he was a mix of sad, embarrassed, and hurt.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Who are you?” the woman asked.
“Detective,” Laura said with a sigh.
She craned her neck to find Garrison, who looked down at his feet.
“This is Angie,” Laura said. “Trevor’s mother.”
“Are you going to arrest him now?” Angie asked. “Take him in. Go ahead. See how much I care. What a fool of a kid he is.”
“Hey!” I yelled.
Ben stepped in front of me. “Ma’am, we’re trying to piece it together.”
“Detective,” Laura said to Ben.
Her nostrils flared.
“Can I speak to you privately?” I asked Laura.
“Well, go on, make your decision,” Angie shouted. “I don’t have all morning. I just got home from an overnight shift at the diner. I need sleep before my lunch shift comes up. This is ridiculous.” She looked at Trevor. “You disgust me, Trevor. You know that? First you’re breaking into cars… well, before that, let’s go down the list…”
Laura blocked Angie’s path as she laid into her son pretty hard.
“There was a reason I didn’t tell you about this,” Laura said.
“Same for me,” I said to her. “I saw the bracelet. I let it get processed properly. I wanted to talk to you about this.”
“Allie, we have to do this the-”
“My niece’s heart is at stake here,” I said. “I know that’s nothing compared to a murder victim… but…”
“What exactly do you want me to do here?” Laura asked. “Right now, that bracelet is the only tangible evidence that has given us something.”
“She’s berating him,” I said. “She’s willing to just give up her son like that? Without… I don’t know… no attempt at defending him? His own mother doesn’t want him…”
Laura looked back.
Angie was still yelling at Trevor.
“… and the time you broke that window over at Jackie’s place. Remember that? You thought it would be fun to-”
“I think that’s enough,” Laura said in a stern voice.
Angie shut up and looked right at us.
Trevor slightly turned away.
He was devastated.
And scared.
He should have been scared… I was too.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Laura was not happy with me.
Not that I could blame her one bit.
Was I treating Trevor differently?
Of course I was.
He had a personal connection to myself and my family. On top of that, he was just a teenager. And judging by his home life, it was no wonder he acted out in the ways that he did. A kid struggling to figure out what life meant and looking for attention. Even if that attention was from the police. Community service was a way for him to be visible. People checked up on him. They watched him. He was given a job to complete and there was no backing out of it.
In other words, lashing out was Trevor’s way of begging for structure.
I wasn’t sure how Lo fit into any of it.
Maybe she was the calm in the storm…
‘You’re the eye of the hurricane, Allie. You’re the only one who gets me. When I see you, I’m suddenly calm. Look at my hand. Look at it. Seriously. Look how calm I am right now with you?’
It amazed me that sweet high school words from Tommy still rang in my memory, and were now sort of living again through my niece and her boyfriend.
Laura continued to look back at Trevor and his mother.
Finally she said, “I’m going to let Detective Down take over for the moment. She’s the one leading the case. Along with her partner, Detective Welloski.”
“Great,” Angie said. “How many cops and detectives are going to show up here? I look like the town criminal now. Everyone will be gossiping. Here we go again… right, Trevor?”
Trevor refused to look at his mother.
Laura faced me again. “I’m going to be very clear here, Detective. If anything goes to the wayside… anything that looks like a favor… your job here is done. I will also make sure to contact the county, Morris, and any other town and county that I can think of and explain what happened here.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not doing any favors. I’m doing my job. Let me talk to him.”
Laura moved by me with an icy cloud that made me shiver.
I walked up the steps alone and stood on the porch with Trevor and his mother.
“I said to take him in,” Angie said. “What good is this?”
“Do you understand why we’re here?” I asked Angie.
I saw Trevor casually peek over his shoulder at me.
“My son is a fool,” she said. “Do you think I don’t know that? Detective, with all due respect, I’ve been dealing with this his entire life. This is who he is. What he does. And now this time, he’s gone and really messed up. Haven’t you, Trevor?” She looked at her son. She shook her head. “Bad enough that one kid almost died when he jumped off the tracks because of you.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s try to stay calm…”
“Do you know that one?” Angie asked me. “You’re new here, right?”
“Yes and no,” I said.
“Well, let me fill you in,” Angie said. “Two years ago he’s up on the tracks. Dares a kid to jump. Threatens to push the kid. So the kid gets scared and jumps. What happens? The kid hits sideways and could have broken his neck. Luckily it was just his right side. Then tell her what happened, Trevor…”
Trevor shook his head.
“Trevor,” I said. “Come on. It’s me. You have to talk to me.”
“I don’t have to talk to anybody,” he said.
“See what I mean?” Angie asked. “I’ll finish the story. The parents tried to sue me. To sue us.” She laughed and opened her arms. “Look at this place. What are you suing me for? You want the mold in the attic? Take it. You want the rusted shower head that spits out water? Have at it.”
She laughed.
Trevor looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and waste away.
“What else do you want from me here?” Angie asked. “You want to take him in, then take him. Slap some cuffs on his wrist. Maybe it’ll smarten him up. I’ve done my job here.”
Have you though?
I refrained.
I didn’t know their personal life.
Angie was a struggling single mother. Working two jobs. Probably never home, and when she was, she was sleeping. Or when she was awake, she was miserable.
Trevor was left to fend for himself…
“Trevor, look at me,” I said.
“What?”
I got closer to him. “Can you think about Lo for a second? Please? I found that bracelet up there. What do you think I felt when I saw her name at a murder scene?”
Trevor finally looked at me. “It doesn’t matter what I say. Nobody believes me.”
“You have to come talk to us,” I said. “We’re trying to get all the information we can here.”
“For what? I’m going to be accused no matter what. Ju
st take me to jail.”
“That’s not how this works. I know you’re upset.” I looked back at his mother. She was looking down at her phone. I whispered to Trevor, “And I know you’re embarrassed. But can you think about Lo for a second?”
“What does that matter? You won’t let us be together. She’s going to find someone else. I don’t blame her. I can’t ever bring her here.”
“Trevor, come on,” I said. “Just let your mother get her keys and drive you down to the station to talk. This is getting out of hand.”
“What are we doing here?” Angie asked. “I’m tired. I have to go to work. Again. Nothing like working for next to nothing, right? Oh, what am I saying, you’re a detective. You pull in the big bucks. Do I get some kind of finder’s fee for helping with him?”
She laughed and nodded to Trevor.
“That’s your son,” I said. “Can you show an ounce of compassion or empathy?”
“Excuse me?” Angie asked.
“Hold on a second,” Ben announced as he came to my rescue like always. “We’re losing sight of things here. Trevor, whether you like it or not, you have to answer questions. Your bracelet was found at the crime scene. It doesn’t matter what we think or what you think. What matters is the truth. The evidence. And putting this all together.”
“And you want me there for this?” Angie asked.
“You’re his legal guardian,” Ben said.
“That I am,” Angie said as though it were a disservice to her.
“Whatever,” Trevor said. “Let’s go then. Just… whatever…” He looked at me. “Are you going to tell Lo?”
“One thing at a time here,” I said.
“Lo?” Angie asked. “Wait…” She pointed at me. “You’re the mother, right?”
“Aunt,” I said. “Her mother - my sister - died. I’m taking care of her. That’s irrelevant here.”
“Is it?” Angie asked. She looked at Trevor. “Son, you should buy yourself a lottery ticket. You always mange to luck out with your stupid actions. You’re about to be charged with murder and the detective on the case is the aunt of your girlfriend. Just wow. I guess I’ll get my keys and some coffee. No sleep for this mother today.”
“We have coffee at the station,” Ben said.
“I’ll even get you the good coffee,” I said to Angie.
“You’re too kind,” she said.
She went inside and Trevor stepped down the porch steps.
The entire thing was a disaster.
This was what I wanted to avoid.
I regretted not talking to Laura sooner. So we could have come up with a better plan than this.
Everyone was one edge.
I was being looked at in a bad way as a detective.
And Trevor’s mother was just…
She slammed the door to the house and pushed between Ben and I.
“Get in the car, Trevor,” she yelled.
Ben and I looked at each other.
“I’m trying to be fair here, Ben,” I said.
“I know you are.”
“At the same time… there’s no way he could have killed Nikki… right?”
This was a good chance for Ben to lie to me. To tell it was going to be okay.
Instead, he just frowned.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I opened the door and stepped into the calm and dark room.
Angie stood with Laura.
Garrison hung out near the corner. His arms folded, left foot up against the wall, staring intently through the one way glass to where Trevor sat with Ben.
Laura didn’t bother to look at me, not that I could blame her.
Then again, were we not all here because of me? I managed to get Trevor to agree to come talk to us. I managed to get Angie to calm herself, at least for the moment.
We agreed to let Ben take the lead and talk to Trevor.
There was no way I could talk to him.
I was too close. I knew it. I wasn’t afraid to admit it.
At the same time, Trevor was a kid to me. A teenager, sure. But a kid.
Now, was I naive to believe that a sixteen year old wasn’t capable of murder?
No.
I had seen enough in my career to know anything was possible.
I just didn’t believe this to be possible.
After all Lo had gone though, if the first boy she ever said she loved turned out to be a murderer…
“Before we begin, I just want to clarify once again you have the right to call an attorney, Miss Raibel,” Laura said to Angie.
Without hesitation, Angie snorted. “Call me Angie. My maiden name is Kreff anyway. I don’t prefer either of those last names. As far as a lawyer goes, with what money? I don’t even have enough for the rent next month. Which is why I’ve been working doubles. Which is also why I’m supposed to be home, sleeping, and not here, dealing with this crap.”
“This crap?” I asked.
Angie looked over at me. “Save your emotions for your niece, Detective. I’ve been through this with my son many times. If you’re smart, break those two apart for good.”
I curled my lip. “Once again, your son is being questioned in a murder investigation. And you don’t seem to care.”
“Detective,” Laura said. “This is not the place to do this.”
“Do you believe your son did this?” I asked Angie.
“You know what, Detective?” Angie asked. “Call me what you want. But if he has anything to do with this, what am I going to do? Defend him? How can I? He’s been in trouble his entire life. I’ve done my part. I’ve done the best I can. Don’t paint me as some bad mother. I work two jobs. I have nothing for myself. Everything I do goes to our life together. Is it a great life? No. I know that. But at the very least, leave me with some self-respect to make my own decisions for my son.”
“Fair enough,” I said.
“I apologize that he and your niece got tangled up together,” Angie said. “But that’s up to you as her guardian to fix. And I’m telling you, as Trevor’s mother, you better fix that fast.”
My heart ripped apart again.
I couldn’t believe a mother would talk about her child like this. Yet, maybe Angie was right. Maybe she was just being brutally honest, no matter how hard it was to hear.
My compassion came from memories.
Everyone said the same thing about Tommy.
I stuck it out with him.
And where did that get you, Allie?
I looked at Ben and he looked at me.
I could see him.
He couldn’t see me.
Where did it get me? I got my heart broken a hundred times. And Ben was there to make me smile ninety-five of those times. It cost me something real with Ben…
“Trevor, let’s just talk,” Ben’s voice said.
“Okay,” Trevor said.
“We sort of know each other already,” Ben said. “You know I’m Detective Down’s partner, right?”
Trevor nodded.
“I know you’re dating her niece,” Ben said. “I’m sure everyone hearing this is cringing because I’m going right for the personal angle. But I know that’s where I can hit you the hardest.”
Ben… what are you doing…
“Do you respect my partner?” Ben asked.
“Respect?” Trevor asked.
“Well, I mean, from my vantage point over here, I do remember you taking her niece up to the tracks one night. Getting caught. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you try to get her to run? And she refused.”
“And I stayed with her,” Trevor said.
“Why?”
“I care about her.”
“You care about Detective Down’s niece?”
“Lo,” Trevor said. “Call her Lo.”
Ben grinned. “See, Trevor, I’ve known Lo a lot longer than you have. I knew Lo’s mother. Alex. She was a good person. Just like Allie…. er… Detective Down. Sorry.” Ben laughed. “Small towns, right? You s
ometimes can’t get used to calling someone by a different name. The point I’m making here, Trevor, is that we’re all connected. It’s been hard watching Lo grieve the death of her mother. It’s been hard watching Detective Down move into that role as Lo’s mother. And it’s been hard watching Lo have feelings for someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” Trevor asked in a cocky voice.
“Look at you,” Ben said as he slowly stood up. “Do you feel good when you act like a fool? Huh? You just got in trouble for getting caught breaking into a car.”
“The door was unlocked.”
“That’s your excuse? So what happened up on the ridge, Trevor? Did she fall into that knife?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
“I didn’t kill anyone!” Trevor yelled.
Innocence washed over his face.
He went from a tough teenager to a scared boy.
I glanced over at Angie.
She looked disappointed.
Whatever part of her heart that should have wanted to defend her son to her death was turned off. Maybe for good.
“Trevor, your bracelet was up there,” Ben said. “Remember the one? With Lo’s name on it. You have my partner’s niece involved. You have Lo involved!”
Ben’s voice carried like thunder.
“He’s good,” Garrison said. “He’s giving him a Dad talk but as a detective.”
I nodded in agreement.
Trevor was stone faced for a few seconds.
Then his bottom lip started to quiver.
“So what happens when the police show up at Lo’s apartment? And Detective Down can’t help? What happens when she’s removed from the case and has to watch her niece go through being questioned?”
Trevor shook his head. “I didn’t do anything.”
“See, that doesn’t work for me. I want details, Trevor. Names, places, everything. Why was your bracelet up there?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “It got lost or something. Misplaced. Maybe. I don’t know. Maybe someone broke into my house and took it.”
Ben put his hands to his hips. “So you’re telling me that someone stole your bracelet and took it up to that ridge… to… what? Frame you for murder?”
