Girl Jacked (14 page)

Replacement and Jack had spent the morning in silence. It wasn’t the awkward silence that Jack had expected nor was it the type of silence that follows a fight. The silence was the kind that comes between two people that have known each other for years. It was oddly comfortable. In the stillness, they seemed to console one another. The crushing pain of Michelle’s death had fused them together.

As they entered the Well’s Meadow Nursing Home, the woman at the front desk and an orderly smiled sad, knowing smiles. The well-dressed woman came out from behind the desk and rushed to comfort Replacement. Jack watched as she held her close and the orderly walked away.

“There, there, precious,” the woman consoled her. “A Sheriff Collins came out last night,” the woman explained to Jack, looking over Replacement’s head. “He was extremely kind. He stayed with Haddie for quite some time.”

As they started to walk down the hallway, Jack realized why the orderly had departed. He felt like they were on a solemn funeral march as staff and nurses came out into the hallway and hugged Replacement or reached out their hands. A couple hugged him too or touched his shoulder. Jack tried not to look around.

Aunt Haddie was sitting in the corner in a large, comfortable chair in a private room. She hadn’t noticed him yet, and he was glad because he gasped. He couldn’t believe how much she had aged. She looked so vulnerable that tears burned his eyes. He remembered how hard she worked. She had two jobs, took care of a house full of kids, kept them spotless, and taught Sunday school. She was a tornado.

Now he looked on a frail old woman with thin salt and pepper hair and a bent back.

Sorrow and shame grabbed hold of him, and he wanted to run for the exit. She turned and looked straight at him. Their eyes met, and she smiled that smile that he so often saw in his sleep.

He wanted to rush forward, but he remembered his selfishness and guilt. Today was not about Jack. It was about Michelle. He walked forward as Replacement moved to Aunt Haddie’s side and took her hand.

“Alice, honey.” She looked over to Replacement and reached out her arm. She gave her a big hug.

Jack walked around and Aunt Haddie looked up to him. He bent down, and Aunt Haddie lunged forward and pulled him close to her. After a long time, he pulled away and glanced at her. Her face was full of concern for him.

“Aunt Haddie …” Jack tried to look at her but he couldn’t. “I’m so sorry… about Michelle. She was such a good person she didn’t deserve this… to die so young… I just wish I could have brought her home.”

“Jackie! Jackie!” her voice was still rich and she held him close. “Michelle is home. Michelle’s at home with Chandler. I knew it that first week. I knew God had taken her home.”

Replacement patted Jack and Aunt Haddie’s back.

“I knew something had happened.”

It was all Jack could do not to break down.

“She is at peace now. She is happy. You remember how happy she always was?”

Jack nodded.

“She is happy now…” she squeezed Jack’s hand and tried to smile but her chin trembled.

Jack inhaled sharply and held the old woman’s hands in his. He looked into her face. She was the same wonderful woman still to this day.

He whispered to her. “I am sorry I never came back.”

“Me too, Jackie. You’re one of my babies too,” she looked at him, “but you remember, no matter where you are, I love you, and I know you love me. Do you think I forgot that? I didn’t. Neither did Michelle.” She rubbed his hands.

Jack loved Aunt Haddie’s honesty and straightforwardness.

They hugged and talked as if they had never been apart. The nurses brought over a tray of cookies and some water as they mended the gap of time.

 “Alice, I need to talk to Jackie privately for a moment, please.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Replacement obediently replied before walking away.

Aunt Haddie leaned closer to Jack. “Alice took it very hard Jackie. She loved you both so and she loved Chandler like an older brother. I know that Alice is not your sister but she’s one of my babies, too. She can be a little hard to handle.” She squeezed his hand. “Remember some people had it harder than you Jackie and I appreciate you watching out for her.”

Jack paused.

Aunt Haddie knows the hell I went through and Replacement had it harder than me…

Jack looked across the room at Replacement. She was leaning against the wall and looking out the window. She had her arms crossed. She looked even smaller, younger.

What did she go through?

“She’s a little spitfire but deep down she’s been wounded too.”

Jack nodded.

“I understand how you hurt honey.” Aunt Haddie continued. “When I lost my Alton, all I wanted to do was to keep running. You shouldn’t have stayed away, but you have to get over that now. Michelle would have forgiven you, and so would Chandler. I’ll forgive you now too but let me be clear, I expect you to visit from now on.” She lifted up his chin so he could look at her. Her eyes were filled with concern and love for him. “I need to know something. You will tell me straight away, right?” She held his chin and peered into his eyes.

Now it was Jack’s turn to say, “Yes, Ma’am.”

Aunt Haddie softly touched his arm. “Jackie, what do you think happened to Michelle?”

Jack looked at his hands and thought about what he should tell her. He chose the only way he ever spoke with her, honestly. “I think... I think someone killed her.”

Aunt Haddie nodded, but her lower lip trembled. “Jackie, I want you …”

“I’ll get the people that did this.”

“Jackie. Jackie.” She was crying now. “I want you to stay safe. God will get the people that did this. He’ll punish them.”

God will punish them. I just want first dibs.

The following day, Jack started the Impala and pulled out. The police station was a fifteen-minute drive, so he tried to take his time as he started to practice his version of events.

Sheriff Collins,
I originally was not aware that this had been officially … Don’t lie. Damn. Collins was so by the book he wouldn’t listen to any excuse for breaking protocol. Fall on your sword and tell it as it was. I didn’t … Damn. Ben Nichols? Do I tell him that? The stupid Mohawk kid? I didn’t tag the phone…

Every angle that he tried to think of to minimize damage ended the same way, with Collins pissed off. The ride went by way too fast. Driving around the block a few times wasn’t an option. Jack didn’t want to go in, but he didn’t hesitate. He hated that. He hated indecision, so he marched straight into the station.

Cindy came out from behind the desk, her arms open wide. She was still smiling, but it was a sympathetic, comforting one. Jack welcomed it. Cindy was the type of person you couldn’t help but like.

“Just remember to apologize and let him do most of the talking,” she whispered in his ear.

She gave him a reassuring pat on the back and just a little push toward Sheriff Collins’ office.

The police station was on the large side. It was mostly two floors of open space with unassigned desks. The people who had an ‘official’ office were the Sheriff and the Undersheriff. There were plenty of rooms, but the layout furthered Collins’ philosophy of chain of command. He was Chief; everyone else was an Indian.

The door was open as Jack approached. Sheriff Collins was behind an ultramodern desk that had little on it. Two large computer monitors reflected in his glasses. Picture frames, diplomas, and certificates covered the back wall. He swiveled in his chair and stood as Jack entered the room. His hand shot out “My condolences, Jack.”

Jack shook his hand.

The Sheriff sat, and Jack remained standing. With Jack's army background,  it was routine for him, but some of the other officers still had a hard time with Collins’ habit of having you stand while he asked you questions.

“You could have taken some more time, but I’m glad you’re here.” Collins didn’t smile, but he wasn’t scowling either, Jack noted.

“Thank you, sir, but I need to get some things settled now. First, let me offer my apologies regarding not notifying you directly…”

“You didn’t notify me ‘
indirectly’
either, Jack.” Collins’ eyebrow raised and his jaw slightly clenched. “Save the apologies and just tell me what happened.”

By the book. I should have thought of something about the phone.

“This past Thursday night, my foster sister came to my apartment.”

Leave off the naked part and the fight with Gina.

“She informed me that my other foster sister, Michelle Campbell was missing. Her… foster mother filed a missing person’s report in Fairfield earlier.”

Sheriff Collins nodded.

“Michelle’s brother and I served in Iraq together and it sounded out of character for her to just up and go. I thought I should look into it. We took a ride over to the college and spoke with Michelle’s roommate and campus police.” Jack paused to see if he should provide more details. Collins’ silence seemed to be permission to continue. “The campus police said Michelle had transferred but… we...” He cleared his throat. “I decided to look up the car that Michelle had been driving and located it at Sullivan’s.”

Sheriff Collins’ eyes narrowed and deep lines formed on his tanned face.

He looks a little like Clint Eastwood when he’s pissed. Is he ticked at me for looking into the car or Murphy for not entering it into the database?

Jack cleared his throat again. “After speaking with Sully, I spoke with Ben Nichols who had called in the abandoned car report.” Jack pulled out his notebook and noted the approving look of the Sheriff. “Mr. Nichols informed me that he had witnessed some teens around the car before he called it in. One of the teens had a distinctive helmet, and on the way out to Reservoir Road, where the car was found, I noticed the teen and followed him to the high school.”

Sort of true. He doesn’t need to know I went there to look specifically for the kid.

“The teen, Rick Matthews, indicated that he had been in the car and started the car. He also informed me that he found this phone.” Jack had placed the phone in a police bag, but he did not look at Collins as he placed it on his desk.

“Immediately after that, I headed out to Reservoir Road, and it was then that I followed the debris trail and located… the victim’s body.” His eyes burned as he spoke the last few words. His fists clenched and he paused while waiting for the Sheriff’s reaction.

“Jack…” Collins fiddled with a pen on his desk. “Right now I want to apologize for Murphy. He’s the one that should be apologizing anyway. You shouldn’t have had to run this down.”

Jack nodded. Collins released the grip he had on the pen. Jack’s anger was starting to rise too. Murphy’s ineptitude had always made Collins’ blood boil. With noticeable effort, Collins straightened his notepad and laid the pen next to it.

“You’ll need to write it all up in a report. I would appreciate it if you got to it directly. After that, take a few days. When is the funeral?”

“Saturday.”

Collins gave a brief nod. “We’ll talk again after that.”

“Sheriff?” Jack hated to wait, especially for a reprimand. “I'm sorry but can you let me know…”

“Let you know…” Collins had started to rise but sat back down. His face was starting to turn red. “The same way you should have let me know but didn’t.”
Sheriff Collins exhaled slowly but loudly. “As of now, you are going to help the traffic detail for the next month.”

Not too bad. It’s the night shift.

“On days when there is no traffic detail, Cindy needs assistance getting caught up on reports.”

Suck.
Jack hated paperwork.

“We will need to review your training schedule at a later date to see if that busy roster impacted your judgment.”

Good and bad.
Jack tried his best to keep an ‘I’m sorry’ face and not show any surprise or anger.
Collins said ‘review’, so he hadn’t canceled anything, but I’m on notice. If I do anything else, he takes away my training. Collins might as well have said ‘you’re fired’ because it would have the same effect.

“Jack, let me make this clear, this is Joe Davenport’s case now. Additionally, Michelle is your foster sister; that’s a conflict of interest. I’ve talked to Joe about reviewing the case and I will personally examine it. Now you have my utmost sympathies but if you even think of going around me and looking into this, I’ll have your hide. That is all.” Collins turned back to his computer.

As Jack turned away, he let the mask fall off his face. He walked straight out of the office and to the back room to complete the report.

Get it done and then get out.

Now it was Jack’s turn for his blood to boil. He stormed by Cindy, and she held out a stack of papers to him. He grabbed them like a relay runner, never breaking stride and kept heading to the back office.

He carefully shut the door because he wanted to slam it, badly.

Murphy’s a stupid moron! If he had done the bare minimum, they… damn.

Jack flopped into the chair and let his head fall into his hands. After a minute, he sat up and looked at the stack of papers. He couldn’t help smiling a little. Cindy had filled out the sections she could. He flipped open a few of the pages.

I could be out of here in a couple of hours.
He paused.
Why rush Jack? Where do you have to be?