by Matt Lincoln
“I’m okay,” she smiled sadly. “Or I will be, at least, once I get my little girl back home where she belongs.”
“Well then, what are you doing hanging around here?” Harry huffed. “Get going. Nothing to do here but watch the game on that tiny TV.”
“Are you sure, Dad?” Eliza asked. “We can keep you company for a little longer.”
“I said get outta here,” he shook his head. “You’ve been through a lot. Go home and get some rest.”
“Okay, Dad,” Eliza smiled before leaning over to kiss Harry on the cheek. “Come on, honey, let’s let Grandpa have some rest.”
“Okay,” Amber nodded as she hopped off the bed. “Bye, Grandpa.”
“Bye, Amber,” he smiled at her. “Can I talk to you before you go, Charlie?”
My entire body froze as he directed the question at me. I nodded to Eliza to wait for me in the hall. I turned to look at Harry once the door was closed.
“Thank you, Charlie,” he said. I frowned. I’d still been half expecting him to tear into me about what had happened, but I hadn’t expected him to be grateful. “For getting Amber back.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” I replied immediately. “There was no way I was going to let anything happen to her.”
“You’re a good kid, Charlie,” Harry chuckled.
I snorted in response. I was turning thirty next month. I was hardly a kid, but I knew what Harry was trying to say.
“I guess you’re okay, old man,” I retorted.
“Alright, get outta my room,” he grunted.
I smiled before turning to leave. I felt immensely relieved now that I knew that Harry bore no ill will toward me over what had happened. I was still concerned about the loose ends left in the case, but for now, I was going to focus on being with my family.
39
Naomi
“We’ve apprehended Sandra Baker,” Wallace informed me over the phone. “We’re working on arranging to have Davis extradited back to the United States. Once you’ve been cleared to leave the hospital, let me know so we can arrange a flight back for you. We’re eager to have you back at home.”
“Thank you, director,” I answered politely. “I’m glad that everything is getting resolved so nicely.” We said our goodbyes, and then I ended the call. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and took a deep breath.
I’d already been discharged from the hospital, but I hadn’t told Wallace that. I knew that if I did, he’d arrange a flight home for me immediately, and I was worried I might use that as an excuse not to stay.
The case was just about settled now. We’d arrested the group responsible for the trafficking and had rescued the children. All that was really left to do now was to conduct the final interrogations. From a professional perspective, my job was done.
However, what I was about to do had nothing to do with work. I needed to confront my parents once and for all. I couldn’t allow this irrational fear to continue to control me. Once I jumped this hurdle, I’d be able to perform my duties as a federal agent without the baggage my parents had inflicted upon me weighing me down.
I headed to their house in the northern part of Hamilton Harbour. The festival was over by now, which meant they’d most likely be back at home. My parents were wealthy, which was one of the reasons that their attempt to force me into an arranged marriage had been so shocking to me. It was a tradition that was more common among poorer families who were attempting to climb their way up the social ladder. Even then, it was a fairly antiquated tradition that most people just didn’t follow anymore.
Their house was large and luxurious. They had a large front yard bordered by a decorative, white metal fence. I felt a sense of trepidation as I stood there staring up at the house. I told myself that there was nothing to be afraid of. I wasn’t a little girl anymore, and I’d told the police to come looking for me if I hadn’t been in contact in the next few hours, just in case.
I took a deep breath and decided it would be better not to delay this any longer. I pushed the fence open and stalked up to the front door. I banged on it hard, the way I would if I were on a case investigating a suspect. If I treated this encounter as though I were meeting with a suspect, I’d be able to do this.
For a while, nothing happened. I knocked harshly again and heard a voice call out in response that shook me to my core.
“I’m coming!” my mother called from inside. It had been years since I’d heard that voice, but there was no way I could mistake it. “For goodness’ sake, this better be--”
Her mouth fell open as she pulled the door open and saw me standing there.
“Hello, Mother,” I said coldly. Her voice had yanked at my heartstrings, but I held onto the memory of that day in Kingston like an anchor. I wouldn’t allow myself to get distracted.
“Naomi,” she gasped. “When did… how did… I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I don’t have time to chat,” I replied curtly. “Is Father here?”
“Oh, yes,” she replied, her face falling at my unfeeling expression. “Why don’t you come in? I’ll go get him.”
I stepped into the house with my head held high. Inside I was screaming, but I made sure to keep my exterior calm and collected. I could hear my mother speaking to someone in the other room. A moment later, she returned with my father in tow.
“Well, look what we have here,” my father sneered as he saw me. “You finally came crawling back, did you? After you embarrassed us like that? Who do you think you are?!”
He lifted his hand up as if to strike me, and I reacted on instinct. I seized his wrist and twisted his arm down sharply in a maneuver I’d executed many times before on multiple suspects. My father yowled in pain and fell to his knees. I felt a rush of exhilaration as I realized I’d defended myself against him for the first time in my life.
“How dare you?” he gaped. “All these years, and you still haven’t learned your place.”
“I could say the same,” I scoffed. “All these years, and you still believe that you have any sort of control over me.”
“How dare you talk back to me?!” My father shouted.
“Be silent,” I looked down at him. “I came here to make peace with you. To extend an olive branch, if you will. I see now that I was stupid to believe that such a thing would ever be possible. You truly don’t think you did anything wrong to me, do you?”
I looked up sadly at my mother, who was on the verge of tears.
“I’m going to leave now,” I said, looking back at my father. “I’m going to walk away from you, and I won’t ever think of you again.” I turned to leave. I truly was disheartened by how this meeting had gone. I had wanted to rebuild my relationship with my parents, but if my father’s first reaction to seeing me was to attack me, there was little hope of that.
“Naomi, wait,” my mother called as I reached the door. I stopped in my tracks and turned around slowly. “Did you mean it? About making peace with us?” There was anguish in her voice, and her eyes were shining with fresh tears.
“I was,” responded bleakly.
“Please don’t leave,” she implored as she stepped toward me.
“Don’t beg her, Prisha!” my father barked. “She’s an embarrassment to our family. You don’t have to lower yourself to her level.”
“Shut up, Jai!” my mother screamed at him. “Just shut your mouth! Ten years! It’s been ten years since I’ve seen my precious child, all because I was too weak and stupid and selfish to understand how she was suffering! And now she’s here trying to come back to us, and you’re pushing her away again! Just shut up!”
She was breathing heavily by the end of her tirade. Her face was red, and I’d never seen my mother scream like that. I’d seen her angry before, more times than I cared to remember, but never like this. And she’d certainly never defied my father before.
“How dare you,” he gasped. I rolled my eyes. I was really tired of hearing him utter that phrase as if he was a kin
g who couldn’t possibly be defied by two mere women. “You’re just as bad as she is. It’s no wonder she ended up like she did, with a mother like you!”
He rushed toward my mother as if to hit her, and I stepped between them without thinking. I crouched down and used his own momentum to flip him over and onto the ground.
“Don’t touch her,” I sneered. He was rolling around on the ground pathetically, whining about how much his back and head hurt. “Why don’t we go speak outside, Mother?”
I turned sharply and left the house. Once we were in the front yard, I turned to look at my mother. She looked smaller than I remembered, frailer and hunched over. I supposed when I disappeared, and my father no longer had someone to control like a puppet, he must have turned his attention to my mother.
I felt sympathy for her, and I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t happy that she’d defended me against my father, but I wasn’t ready to forgive everything just like that. We stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds before she finally spoke.
“So what have you been up to?” she asked nervously. “It’s been so long. Have you been in the United States this whole time?”
“No,” I replied. “I lived in India for a little while. I was a consulate there for the US Embassy.”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“That’s amazing, Naomi,” she smiled. “So, you’re a politician now?”
“Not anymore,” I shook my head. “I became a federal agent about a year ago. The agency I’m with investigates international crimes.”
“That sounds exciting,” she replied. “Is that why you’re here in Bermuda?”
“Yes,” I nodded. “We were working a child trafficking case. Children were being taken against their will and sold off in the United States.”
My mother’s face fell at my words, no doubt recalling the last time we’d been together.
“Are the children alright?” she inquired meekly.
“Physically, I suppose,” I shrugged. “I don’t believe any of the children we recovered sustained any serious injuries. However, it’s hard to say concretely what extent of psychological or mental injury any of them might have to carry as a result of this incident. The entire reason we were made aware of the case at all was that one of the children snapped and murdered the people keeping her captive.” I probably shouldn’t have been sharing details of the case, but I couldn’t stop myself. For years I’d held everything in, hiding what had happened to me from everyone. It was liberating to be able to let everything out for once.
“Naomi, I’m so sorry,” my mother sniffled. “I can’t begin to explain how much I regret what happened that day. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, so I won’t ask you to. But maybe we could start over? I know it’s selfish of me to ask you that, but I’ve spent every day since thinking about what happened, and every day I feel more guilty and sorry about what I did.”
I wanted to tell her it was too late, that nothing she could do or say could make up for the scars that day had etched deep into my being. I wanted to scream and tell her she deserved to feel bad and that I hated her, and that I never wanted to see her again. At least, that’s what I’d thought I wanted to say when I first arrived. I’d been so angry for so long that I couldn’t imagine wanting to do anything aside from inflicting as much pain on her as she had on me.
So much for treating this like a suspect interrogation.
“Alright,” I responded curtly.
“What?” she gasped, looking back at me with wide eyes.
“I’m willing to start over,” I replied. “Did you mean it when you said that’s what you wanted?”
“Yes,” she replied hastily, wiping her eyes. “Yes, I did.”
“Good,” I smiled. “Though I have a feeling that you might have some trouble with Father if you do that. He didn’t seem particularly pleased about seeing me.”
“Don’t worry about him,” my mother replied. “I know how to handle him.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. The way he’d gone after her as if to hit her hadn’t looked like the first time he’d done that. Nevertheless, this was all getting to be a bit too much for me, and I really wanted some time alone to think everything through.
“This is my number,” I said as I scribbled my personal cell number onto the back of one of my business cards. “I have to get going soon, but you can call me if you want to talk again.”
“I will,” she smiled warmly at me.
“Goodbye, Mother,” I nodded before turning around and walking away briskly. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected when I’d come here today, but it hadn’t been to reestablish contact with my estranged mother. I kept walking, trying to focus on anything aside from the confusing thoughts and emotions swirling through my head.
I kept walking until my feet hit the sand. My parents lived close to the beach, and it had only taken me about ten minutes to walk here. There were tourists milling around and enjoying the warm day. Despite the people, there was no trash or debris on the beach. The entire coast was a shining, pure white against the deep and clear blue of the ocean beyond it. Bermuda had some of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, so it was no wonder that it was such a popular tourist destination.
I walked about halfway down the beach before taking a seat on the ground. The sand was soft and smooth beneath my fingers, and I watched, mesmerized as it flowed out of my hands.
It was a shame Charlie hadn’t been able to enjoy the beach while he’d been here. It seemed like such a waste to visit the Caribbean and not spend at least some time at its famously beautiful beaches. Even without getting into the water, I could feel the tension in my muscles melting away as I listened to the waves crash along the shore and breathed in the cool and salty sea air.
I smiled as I thought about what the future might hold for me. I’d come here hoping that I wouldn't have to see my parents and was somehow going home eagerly awaiting my mother’s phone call. It was amazing how quickly things could change.
40
Junior
I sighed as I looked through the two-way mirror into the interrogation room. Sandra Baker was sitting on the other side of the glass, face ashen and tear-streaked. She’d been transferred into our custody earlier this morning and was currently waiting to be interrogated. My arm was in a sling, and I was honestly in a bit of a crabby mood. The suspect we’d arrested in the mine a few days prior had shot me in my left shoulder. As a result, I hadn’t been able to use my dominant hand to do anything and wouldn’t be able to do so for several more weeks. It was irritating to reach for something unconsciously only to be hit with a jolt of pain. I obviously couldn’t shoot, either, so I was on desk duty until further notice.
I took a deep breath to settle my nerves. I wasn’t sure how I should approach this interrogation. Baker was the leader of the trafficking ring, but she didn’t seem like a bad person. Like the Andersons, she genuinely seemed to care about the children we’d found in her office. Likewise, the children hadn’t seemed injured or upset. The social worker I’d spoken with also told me that they’d apparently been asking for her. I couldn’t imagine how or why someone seemingly so kind and caring could have done something like this, and so I didn’t know how to handle this.
“You just gonna stand there all day?” Miranda’s voice suddenly cut across my thoughts.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” I responded distractedly. “And I’m just trying to figure out the best way to talk to her. She looks terrified in there, but she’s got to have some mettle if she was calling the shots behind the scenes this whole time, right?”
“I guess,” Miranda shrugged. “Or she just got really lucky. Anyway, hurry up. I want to head out before it gets too late. We still need to go get Charlie before we head to the airport to pick up Naomi.”
“Okay,” I rolled my eyes at her as she bounded out of the room.
She’d never given up on the idea of having all of us go out together for a night on the strip and had ins
isted on doing it as soon as Naomi got back, which would be this evening. All we had left to do was to conduct the final interrogation with Sandra Baker, and we’d be able to close the case. Miranda had declared that we needed to celebrate that very night.
I sighed as I turned back toward the interrogation room. Despite my reservations, I wouldn’t get anywhere just standing out here and fretting over it, so without further delay, I pushed open the door and strode into the room.
Baker flinched as I entered and stared up at me with wide, frightened eyes. I found it difficult to believe that this pathetic wisp of a woman was the leader of a child trafficking ring. Maybe Miranda had been right when she said that Baker might have just gotten lucky.
Her hands fidgeted as I took a seat in front of her. For a moment, it looked as though she was going to try to put up a brave front as she raised her chin and glared at me, but her bravado lasted all of three seconds before she dropped her gaze down to the table.
“Sandra Baker,” I began stoically, “Thirty-four years old, never married, graduated from the University of Nevada with a BSW in Social Work. No children on record, despite the fact that we found three young kids in your custody the day we arrested you. Is that all correct?”
I watched her face carefully as I spoke and noted that she tensed as I mentioned the children.
“That’s right,” she responded meekly.
“Whose children are they?” I asked.
“They’re mine,” she replied with a trembling voice. “I adopted them.”
“That’s odd,” I frowned. “Because as I said before, there’s nothing on record to indicate an adoption, let alone three. Why is that, Ms. Baker?”
“Well, I…” she stuttered as she looked everywhere but at me.
“Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s just cut to the chase. We both know why you’re here, Ms. Baker, so let’s just speak frankly. We know you’re the one who was masterminding the trafficking of the children. We raided the base in Bermuda, and we have proof that you’ve been in contact with the men who were grabbing the kids. I know you kidnapped those children we found with you.”
