Accused (16 page)

“You say that with conviction.” Carly shook her head. “I guess I need something more tangible. The concept of simple faith isn’t possible for me.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard that if you truly search for God, you will find him.”

“Yep.”

“Well, would it hurt you to start looking?”

Carly glanced across the car at Nathan. He was watching her, not mocking, just watching.

“What do you mean, start looking?” Carly’s brows scrunched together in confusion.

“I mean, seriously ask God to show you who he is,” Nathan continued. “God has a purpose and a plan for you. I believe that. Why don’t you humor me and ask God what the plan for you is. In the process, I bet you’ll even find some answers to the questions you’re asking.”

“I don’t know. Sounds too mystical for me.”

“What have you got to lose?” Nathan asked.

Carly had no answer for the lawyer. For a few minutes silence dominated the car. She was coming up to their exit when Nathan spoke again.

“I’ll just leave you with this: God loves us so much that he sacrificed his Son for us. Was that fair, the loss of his perfect Son for humanity that is far from perfect? He did it without thinking about fair or unfair. He did it because he is a God of grace and love. Remember that.”

Those words gave Carly pause. “My dad said the same thing. He . . .” She didn’t finish. As she pulled into Nathan’s parking lot, her mother and Dora were waiting by his door.

“I wonder what’s wrong, why they’re here.” Nathan voiced the question on Carly’s mind. From the corner of her eye, she saw him check his phone.

“I forgot to turn this back on,” he said, “and I see I have messages.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself; mine’s vibrated a couple of times and I’ve ignored it.”
Might be Nick.

Carly rolled down her window as Kay walked up to the car.

“Something horrible has happened. Darryl Jackson was killed in jail.”

26

“What?” Carly heard Nathan echo her question as he opened the car door.

“I heard it on the news,” Kay said as she backed up and Carly got out of the car.

The foursome hurried into Nathan’s office, and he powered up his computer to check a news website. The top story—labeled with a red
Breaking News
tag—explained why Kay and Dora were so agitated.

The breaking news report continued with a click of the mouse. “Exact details are not yet available. Burke was the well-known and popular mayor of Las Playas. . . .”

“Oh no” was all Nathan said.

“What will happen now?” Dora asked. “Is Londy safe?”

“Los Padrinos is far removed from county jail.” Nathan tried to calm Dora. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

Carly wasn’t so sure about that, but she kept her mouth shut. Yes, county jail was a violent place, but with all she’d heard and experienced the last few days, it was impossible for her to believe Darryl’s murder was a coincidence. She thought about Jeff’s belief that whoever Darryl worked for had convinced him to confess. Apparently Darryl had just been fired—permanently.

“These people excel at removing obstacles,” Jeff had said.

This new development led her to one conclusion: two dead defendants would surely bring speedy closure to Teresa’s case.

Fear coiled in her gut. Every recent happening confirmed Jeff’s wild ravings.
Will this God they all claim to believe in protect Londy? Can anyone or anything protect Londy?

Carly didn’t stay long at Nathan’s office after she read the entire story about Darryl. She got back in her car and checked her phone messages. One was from Nick. Not yet ready to talk to him because she wasn’t certain what to say, Carly turned her ringer back on.
I’ll answer if he calls, but I’m not going to call him back,
she decided as she drove to her apartment to check on Maddie.
Do I trust Jeff and ignore Nick? Or do I tell Nick about Jef
f
?
By the time she reached her apartment, she still couldn’t decide. And images of Derek bleeding to death behind a Dumpster convinced Carly she wasn’t ready to stay at home and should stay with her mother.

She let Maddie out, then phoned Andrea and got her voice mail. After leaving a message telling her where she would be and asking her to continue looking after the dog, Carly grabbed a few things and got back in her car.

At Mom’s, she fixed herself a sandwich and sat down in the living room to relax and eat dinner, working hard to banish thoughts of Darryl and Londy from her mind. Carly let her eyes wander around the room.

Kay stitched a lot of needle art, most of which consisted of biblical verses or religious sayings, and hung it up around her house. As Carly read the sayings, she thought about what Nick and Nathan had said. Though her mother had preached at her for years, to hear the same stuff spoken with conviction by Nick and a lawyer was sobering. One piece of artwork in particular caught Carly’s eye, and she studied it for a moment. It depicted a man on a cross and read,
Jesus loved me this much—he stretched out his arms and died.

“God loves us so much that he sacrificed his Son for us . . . for humanity that is far from perfect,”
Nathan had said.

The picture looked realistic, the nails in the hands and the nail in the feet, but she wondered if such a thing were really possible. There were guys at work who’d won medals of valor risking their lives for citizens or other cops, but she didn’t know of anyone who had actually
died
for someone else. It was possible for a cop to lose his or her life a hundred different ways trying to save someone else. But the way her mother and Nick told the story, this man was actually God, and he had walked quietly to the cross. They said he died for the sins of the world. She stared at the picture for a long time.

Sleep that night was anything but restful. Dream after dream caused Carly to toss and turn. She saw Derek trying to smash her head in; she saw George Rivas falling to the ground as bullet after bullet hit his body; she saw Derek laughing.

In another dream, all of downtown Las Playas was on fire. People walked around, ignoring the blaze. Carly screamed warnings, trying to make someone understand there was a fire and people were in danger. No one listened. She screamed until she was hoarse. Finally she heard sirens. The sirens grew louder and louder, but she couldn’t see any trucks.

In a semiwakeful state Carly realized she wasn’t hearing sirens but the phone. She fumbled for the offending instrument on the nightstand and wondered why her mother hadn’t answered. Mumbling hello, she struggled to concentrate on the call.

“Officer Edwards, this is Jeanette from Captain Garrison’s office. Sorry I woke you up.” The secretary’s voice came across the line coolly efficient, impersonal, and said she was anything but sorry.

“No problem. What can I do for you?” Slowly the sleep haze lifted and her head cleared. The clock read 8:15.

“Captain Garrison wants to speak with you. Can you make it here by 11 a.m.?”

This brought her fully awake.
Captain Garrison? Why?

“Uh, yeah, I can be there.” Carly cleared her throat to keep from asking what the meeting was about. She doubted Jeanette would tell her anyway, but curiosity gnawed.

“This meeting is not formal. You may come in casual attire if you wish,” Jeanette said before ending the call.

Casual? Was that a good sign or a bad one? Carly swung her legs out from under the covers and stared at the phone. What an odd call. First Nick got a summons to the captain’s office and now she did. She wished now she’d talked to Nick and found out what the captain wanted.

Garrison was generally so completely unpleasant that she hated having to talk to him about anything. But he was the only one who could end her administrative leave and send her back to patrol. Maybe that was what this meeting was about. She pondered the conversation for a minute before she gave up trying to puzzle the reason for the summons.

She was overdue for a swim, so that was the first order of business. She got up and changed into her swimsuit, but as soon as Carly stepped outside, she doubted the wisdom of her decision to swim. The day was overcast with haze and pretty chilly. She stopped by her apartment, picked up Maddie, and told Andrea what was happening.

“Think positive,” Andi said as Carly leashed the dog and realized her natural inclination was to think the worst. “Getting the call to see the captain could be a good thing.”

“Thanks for being a glass-half-full roommate,” she said to Andrea as she and Maddie left.

Heavy morning fog enveloped the pair as they jogged to the beach. The cold moisture in the air tickled Carly’s nose, and by the time she reached the surf, her hair was already damp. She set a towel out on the sand for the dog and then dove into a wave so hard the salt water stung.

Her shoulder was still stiff from Derek’s shove into the building. As she warmed to her stroke, the stiffness loosened, and Carly knew the exercise would help her shoulder. After the initial bite, the water felt great, but it was also eerie swimming out only to look back and not be able to see where she came from. Patches of the fog lifted further out from the beach. A small portion of the pier was visible, and Carly used it as a landmark to keep her bearings.

The fog reminded her of the investigation, patchy and cloudy in more places than it was clear.

Her swim schedule called for a short, fast swim, so she made it a hard mile, and it felt good. The chill of the water, the bite of salt, and the heavy air exhilarated and strengthened her for the meeting to come. The workout ended too soon as far as she was concerned. Maybe it was because of the way he’d treated her when he moved her to juvenile, but it took effort for Carly to believe that the meeting with Garrison would be positive.

The captain’s office was on the second floor. Carly took the stairs, avoiding the first floor because she didn’t want to stop and talk to anyone on the way. Now, with a clear head, she realized the topic of Garrison’s summons would most likely be Derek.

“Hello, Jeanette.” Carly manufactured a little cheerfulness just to irritate the woman.

The captain’s secretary looked up from her typing and peered at Carly over the top of her glasses. Her annoyed expression improved Carly’s mood immensely. “I’ll tell the captain you’re here. Have a seat.” She said “the captain” but might as well have said “the king.” Her reverence for the man was legendary around the department.

Carly sat and picked up a copy of
Police Chief
magazine. The ultimate reading material for management types. It was utterly boring. She hoped Garrison didn’t keep her waiting long.

Twenty minutes later Captain Garrison opened his door and motioned Carly inside. She supposed he was trying to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Garrison was a tall, thin man with a full head of jet-black hair. The kind of dye he used was always a topic of speculation among patrol grunts. Some suggested it was Magic Marker. His eyes were small, dark pinpoints. “Sandpaper with legs” was his nickname. He did seem to rub most people the wrong way.

When she entered the office, all inclinations toward being a smart aleck were shocked out of her. Dr. Guest and Sergeant Tucker were already inside. They hadn’t passed her while she was in the waiting room, which meant they’d been in the office awhile. Carly felt ambushed as she sat in the offered chair.

“How are you, Carly?” Dr. Guest asked, smiling his I-want-to-be-your-friend smile.

“Oh, I’m okay. A little tired, but okay.”

“It’s been a rough few days, hasn’t it?” Tucker’s tone sang with “I’m an ally,” which gave Carly pause.

“Yeah, I’m hoping things will be better from now on.”

“So do we all; so do we all,” Garrison said. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve called you here today.” He established his leadership in the situation with a naturally condescending tone and manner.

“I have my hopes you’ll be telling me I can go back to patrol.” Carly’s statement was a weak attempt at humor.
Extremely weak,
she thought as she took in the three blank expressions.

“I realize a shooting board has yet to be convened.” Garrison looked right through her while he spoke. “The death of Derek Potter must weigh heavily on your mind. It’s possible, I’ve been told—” he nodded toward Guest—“that stress and anxiety can cloud a person’s judgment.”

“I suppose so, but I don’t really know what you’re getting at.” Carly fought her growing concern that there was way more going on here than she knew yet. Yes, Derek’s death bothered her, but he’d given her no choice. Garrison seemed to insinuate she’d done something wrong.

The three men exchanged glances. Carly clenched her fists to stifle a frustrated scream. They had her on one count—they’d surprised her—but there was no way she’d let them score any more points. She’d learned a little in ten years and could play the poker face game too. She kept her expression neutral but couldn’t stop the blood pounding in her temples.

“Carly, you were placed on leave after the shooting, a leave meant to give you time to relax away from the stress of the job.” The captain paused, studying his hands. He looked up when he continued. “It has come to my attention that you’ve been doing anything but resting.”

Tucker jumped in without giving Carly a chance to respond. The ally tone had evaporated. “Do you deny going up to Los Padrinos and talking to Londy Akins?”

Carly fought hard to keep her jaw from dropping. How could they know? She’d told no one! Even Jeff didn’t know exactly when she was going to talk to Londy. Struggling to keep her face expressionless, Carly answered, “No, I don’t deny it. Londy is a friend of my mother’s.”

“Are you saying it was a social call?” The sergeant asked the question as though lunging forward with an attack.

“Yes, that’s what it was,” Carly parried.

“Carly, we all understand stress.” Guest jumped into the fray. “There’s a great deal of law enforcement experience in this room. If you made a mistake because of a delayed reaction to—”

“I’m not having a breakdown.” She glared at Guest. “Yes, I talked to Londy, in the presence of his lawyer. It was a private conversation.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Tucker was up out of his chair. “I gave you an order!”

Garrison waved the sergeant down. “I’m afraid this is serious.” Garrison’s voice was stern, in command. “You could be guilty of insubordination. I need to know the content of your conversation with Londy Akins.”

“If I’m being charged with a crime, I need representation.” She set her feet firmly on the ground and braced herself against the arms of her chair for whatever her defiance would bring.

“You need to come clean and stop meddling; that’s what you need.” Tucker’s red face and thinly veiled anger made Carly wonder if Garrison had lost his ability to control the man.

“Per the Police Officers’ Bill of Rights, if I’m being charged, I’m entitled to a union rep.” Carly stubbornly stuck to her guns. But Tucker’s demeanor scared her.

“Relax, everyone. Relax!” Papa-doc Guest stood. “Accusations and raised voices will not solve anything here.”

Tucker slowly sat back as Guest addressed Carly, his tone imploring. “Carly, no one in this room is your enemy. We are all trying to help. Forget about charges and orders right now. I think all Captain Garrison is looking for is whether or not your conversation with Londy will shed any light on the ongoing investigation. Surely you want to help in that regard.”

“The doctor said it better than I ever could, Carly.” Garrison was her buddy now. “In light of Darryl Jackson’s unfortunate accident, you can understand why we would appreciate any information that would strengthen the case against the minor.”